Spaghetti squash

Spaghetti Squash. Sometimes I wonder what Nature is thinking. How did this strange vegetable come to be? What purpose does it serve in producing long thin strands once cooked? Whatever the reasons for this oddity are, it's one tasty squash, as long as you remember to season and add butter.

Cut in half, scooped of it's seeds and cooked in the oven for 1 hour, the flesh can be scraped away with a fork, where it naturally separates into strands that resemble spaghetti. Some people have commented that this can be used as a good alternative to the actual pasta equivalent. Rubbish. In my opinion it should be enjoyed as a dish in it's own right and not attempted to be coaxed into becoming Spaghetti Carbonara as I did once with disastrous wet, congealed results.

Recipe : Spaghetti squash

1/2 spaghetti squash

2 tsp oil

1/4 tsp salt

black pepper

1 tsp butter

Set the oven to 400oF. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and fibrous parts from the centre of the squash and place in a baking dish.

Drizzle with the oil and seasonings and bake for 1 - 1.5 hours until you can easily fork out the strands.

Remove from the oven and use a fork to scoop out all the flesh, it will separate into long strands. Place in a bowl.

Add the butter and season with some more salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

I added some chopped butter wrinkled beans and served it as a side dish.