Veganmofo day 4:Spaghetti Squash Sunday

So, I’ve never had spaghetti squash before. It is one strange vegetable. A squash that peels apart into strands of spaghetti. Imagine that. This fall I thought I’d try my hand at one. They seemed fairly simple to prepare, just cut open lengthwise, poke a few holes in it and bake, cut side down for 45 minutes to an hour at 375°. No one mentions how hard it is to cut these things in half. Not easy at all. With a little bit of difficulty though, I finally managed.

I also put about 1/4 inch of water in the bottom of the baking sheet to help soften it. When it is done, you should be able to insert a sharp knife into the outside easily. Remove from the oven and let cool enough so that it can be handled. Scoop out seeds with a spoon and discard. Then comes the fun part.

Using a fork, scrape down the flesh of the squash lengthwise. It will come out easily in strands. I then sauteed the squash in some Earth Balance with minced garlic, basil, salt, pepper and chervil. Though it may seem like you have a great deal of squash, it cooks down significantly.

I wanted to add something else into the mix so I also added some baked mochi. I had bought a package of brown rice mochi at the store thinking it was a very different thing than what I got. The mochi, when baked, puffs up kind of like a pastry, but has a sort of gelatinous explosion from it’s center. It’s very strange. I threw my strange mochi puffs in with the squash as it browned in the pan.

The bizarre combination actually tasted delicious. The mochi had a very light flavor and gave some volume to the dish, making it more filling without complicating it. The squash is rich and autumnal. It isn’t as dense as other squashes but still has the same texture. I’m still intrigued and want to try some more recipes with it; perhaps a casserole.