About a week ago,
I posted another
Just Ask Rosie
installment,
asking my readers
to please offer suggestions
for foods they might like
to see me prepare.
Loyal reader, Marilyn,
of Foodies Untie,
came up with this:
Well, Marilyn,
this post is for you.
I love fog.
Isn't it pretty?
Now, Marilyn,
let me say first
that you're getting a toofer.
That's two for one.
Not only are you getting SPAGHETTI SQUASH,
but you're also getting EGGPLANT.
(Actually eggplant, 2 ways,
but that's another post for tomorrow.)
WHOOT!
Let's start with the eggplant.
When buying eggplants,
pick a firm, shiny one.
I cut off the cap.
Then, I peeled the pretty purple
skin off.
I sliced my aubergine
into 1/2 inch dices.
Placed the dices in a colander
and sprinkled with a teaspoon of salt,
tossing to coat well.
I let it set for about 1/2 hour
to drain.
You can see all the liquid
that's been drawn out by the salt.
This is why I've been telling you not to salt mushrooms
at the beginning of your saute.
The salt brings out the liquid
and the shrooms would steam, not saute.
After draining the eggplant,
I spread the diced pieces onto paper towels,
patting the pieces with more towels
to soak up more moisture
and take out most of the salt.
I just let the eggplant hang out
at this point while I continued
with my Spaghetti Squash.

And here's my spaghetti squash
which hails from Mexico.

There are several ways to cook spaghetti squash.
You can prick the skin
and bake it in a 350 degree oven
for 1 1/2 hours,
you can boil it,
or you can steam it.
I chose steaming since it seems the easiest.
I added about 1 1/2 inches of water
in my pot, set the squash in a colander,
brought the water to a boil,
covered, and steamed for about 25 - 30 minutes.

Or until the outside of the squash
will cede to the pressure of your finger.

I cut the squash lengthwise,
along the line where it
had already naturally split from the steam.

Here's what the innards of the squash look like.

What you want to do is scrape out
the big yellow threads and seeds from the center,
going crosswise with a big spoon ...

... thusly.

Then scrape lengthwise
and the meat separates into
spaghetti-like strands.
At this point,
I salted a spoonful,
added a dab of butter,
and took a taste of this sweet delicacy.
This would be great on its own
with just the butter and salt and some pepper.

I melted some extra light olive oil and butter
in a pan, and added the spaghetti squash,
sauteing for a few minutes until heated through.

Salt and pepper
and that's it.
Previously, I had
cooked a Schwann's baguette
for garlic toast.
I minced some garlic and fresh parsley.
Added the parsley and garlic to
extra light olive oil and butter
and just stirred to combine.
Never overcook garlic.
It makes it bitter.
Added in the sliced baguette
and soaked up on both sides.
Spread out on a baking sheet
and baked in a 225 degree oven
for about an hour
until nice and crisp.

Just thawed them out and cooked ...

... just until not quite cooked through
and covered in foil to
continue cooking.

Next up,
my tomato sauce.
I have:
chopped onions
minced garlic
chopped peeled Roma tomato
1 can Muir Glen diced tomatoes
sliced mushrooms
fresh parsley and basil

I cooked the mushroom slices first,
then added the onions and garlic.

Next the Roma went in.

And the Muir Glen tomatoes.

Just heat through,
simmer covered for a bit,
and then cut off heat and let sit.
And here's my basil chiffonade and
chopped parsley.
Right before serving,
the basil and parsley went
into my tomato sauce.
Next, I made and Eggplant Persillade.
And persillade
just means parsley and garlic are in it.

First, I sauted some sliced mushrooms
and eggplant in extra light olive oil and butter
for about 5 minutes.

Then added in about 3 cloves minced garlic.
And right before serving,
I added in about 3-4 tablespoons of
chopped parsley, and no,
I do not have an action shot of the parsley
gently cascading into the pan
because I forgot
so use your imagination.
Ta daaaaa!
My Spaghetti Squash with
Mushroom and Eggplant Persillade,
with Tomato Sauce,
with Lamb Balls,
with Garlic/Parsley Toast,
with Sauteed Panko,
with Grated Parmesan Cheese.
I put a bed of spaghetti squash on my
serving platter,
topped it with the mushroom/eggplant persillade
(You can see all the parsley.),
then added a bit of the sauteed Panko breadcrumbs
I had left from my Cassoulet
I made a while back.
I sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top,
added a couple of lamb balls
and tomato sauce,
and the garlic/parsley toasts.
Now, just feast your eyes:
Even Mr. Hawthorne said this was delicious.
And, as you know,
it's been a while since
he's handed out any superlatives.
The squash was sweet,
the eggplant and mushroom persillade
was a nice addition and something
someone would probably not know exactly what it was
which is something I always like to do
to the uninitiated to my cuisine.
The fresh parsley just upped the ante
and the lovely tomato sauce was
icing on the cake.
The garlic/parsley toasts
were the cherry on my sundae.
And I'm all out of metaphors.
Once again, just good eats.
Marilyn, be brave and try this.
You'll be glad you did.
That looks so delicious! I haven't made spaghetti squash in ages. When I was first learning to cook, I made spaghetti squash with orange and sage. Sounds ok right? Wrong. It traumatized my family, now no one wants to eat spaghetti squash.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think I need to go get a spaghetti squash. I wonder how my family will react?
ReplyDelete