Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce

Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce

So, when Shanon told me about this recipe, I was extremely doubtful.  I have a cold and icy hatred of vegetables.  Squashes that do not include the word "butternut" in their names are not edible.  I have seen people eat spaghetti squash on television, as a sad sad pasta replacement with tomato sauce.  I wanted nothing to do with this dreary substitution.  However, Shanon claimed that she was even willing to eat this item as leftovers so I felt it had to be worth a try.

You begin with spaghetti squash.  This is the first hard part, because my grocery store stacks all the winter squashes together in an attempt to thwart vegetable neophytes.  The one you want is an oval shaped yellow one.  You either need one large squash about the same size as your head, or two small ones.  (You need to end up with 4 cups of squash output, but keep in mind there is a hole in the middle with seeds.  There's all kinds of crazy estimating you need to do here.  Hope you remember your geometry volume formulas.)

Once you get the squash home...there is more difficulty.  You must cut it in half lengthwise, and there is a tricky stem thing in the way.  And the squash is HARD.  And I have very poor knife skills.  SO...two options:  First, lure someone else to cut it for you.  This is the method I strongly prefer.  However, if you can't:  first microwave the squash...poke some fork holes in it, place it in the microwave for about 3 minutes.  Now, cut off the stem, which gives you a flat base on one of the small ends.  Set the squash on the flat end, and then cut down each side independently.

Remove the seeds.  If there are still some stringy bits...don't sweat it, strings are not really going to be that different than faux-noodles in the end.  Bake in a 400 degree oven, on a cookie sheet covered with foil and sprayed with non-stick-spray.  You will be sorry if you do not cover and spray the pan.  (Unless you LOVE scrubbing dishes...in that case, proceed as you will.)  45 minute cut-side down, then flip and cook 15 minutes cut-side-up.

Allow the squash to cool.  (Go make the sauce during this time.)  Now scrape it with a fork in the same direction as the "grain".  This will be perpendicular to the long side of the squash.  Magically faux-noodles appear. 

You need 4 cups.  DO NOT be tempted to try to use extra.  There is only enough sauce for 4 cups.  Discard or save any extra, because if you have a squash-to-sauce ratio which is too high, you will have bites where you taste actual squash.  Which you do not want, I assure you.  Imagine if acorn squash had no flavor except a slight aftertaste.  Yes.  That is a more pleasant description than this deserves.

While you were cooling the squash, you had time to make the sauce.
It requires these ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tbl chunky peanut butter
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbl ginger
1 tbl lime juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flake

Technically you are supposed to saute the garlic and ginger first, then add the other bits.  I of course always forget that step and therefore can report that throwing everything in a saucepan works out just fine.  Note that I use minced garlic and ginger that come in jars, due to chronic laziness.  Also I used bottled lime juice.  You may be concerned about the red pepper flake.  No need, it's not too hot when it's done.

Put everything over low heat and stir.  At first, it appears that this is not working at all and your sauce is a mass of lumps.  No worries, the peanut butter will melt.  And then, you may panic because it seems WAY too watery.  This too will somehow magically resolve, but probably not until AFTER you send several panicked texts and consider crazy ways to fix it.  Just try to remain calm during this time...have some wine...look at a book...but not TOO exciting of a book or things will burn.  (Under no circumstances should you look at the book "Wool" during cooking.  Do Not. No.)

Now, you have a lovely peanut sauce.  Add one cup of pre-cooked chicken, and pour the sauce over the squash.  (If the squash has cooled too much, microwave it a bit to warm up first.)  Stir. Stir a lot.  You do not want any naked squash bits.

And now: fall upon your squash with glee.  It's delicious.  Doesn't taste like squash at all.  Of course, it also tastes nothing like spaghetti.  But that is fine.  Perhaps best to imagine it as some unknown noodle you haven't previously encountered.  That way there are no expectations of what it should taste like, and you can just enjoy the noodley texture with the delicious peanut sauce.  This recipe makes two HUGE servings, which have about 400 calories, with the added bonus of being able to claim you ate all your vegetables.