Stuffed spaghetti squash

Spaghetti squash is one of those strange vegetables that has you wondering what nature is thinking. Why do they act the way they do? What purpose is there in yielding long, thin strands of flesh when exposed to heat? We may never know the answer to this, although, as Morrissey once said "Nature has a language, can't you hear?", maybe he knows the reason, I'll call his people.

Enough chitter chatter, down to the serious business of cooking. I decided that it may be a good idea to stuff the cavity created when a squash is hollowed out, so that the thin, spaghetti like tendrils can absorb the juices of the stuffing and mingle with them when spooned out. A bit like a breast of lamb, so fatty, it needs only a dry stuffing to be placed inside to not only render some of the fat away from the flesh but also to ensure juicy stuffing.

As well as some stir fried vegetables, I thought a puree of some kind would help out with some flavour and interest. Fava beans lying around needing to be used fit the bill perfectly. I set about making a creamy ricotta puree, made pale pistachio green with the beans and drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil.

 

The overall effect was definitely worthy of being written about, but nothing to write home about. A classic case of too many ingredients causing confusion, this was a chaotic and messy meal. The vegetables were lost underneath a cloying puree which over powered with it's creaminess. Something sharp and verging on sour may have created a better balance, a little vinegar in the fava bean puree maybe. All this coupled with the cheese on top delivered a heavy dinner. I'm going to give you a recipe, tweaked to reflect the changes needed, but you can experiment too and make this far better. Let me know if you want.

Recipe : Stuffed spaghetti squash

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeded

1 tsp oil and 1 tsp butter

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced finely

1/2 zucchini, sliced finely

1 green pepper, seeded and sliced finely

3 mushrooms, sliced

For the bean puree:

1/4 cup fava beans, boiled for 5 minutes and then peeled

2 tbsp ricotta

salt and pepper

a few dashes of white wine vinegar or the juice of half a lemon

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pre heat the oven to 400oF and place the two halves of the cut and seeded squash on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and season with some salt and pepper. 

Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the filling. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat and saute the red and green bell peppers, zucchini and mushrooms until softened. Season with a little salt and pepper.

To make the puree, blend the cooked fava beans with the ricotta until well mixed and pale green, transfer to a bowl, season and add the lemon juice or vinegar.

After 30 minutes of baking, remove the squash from the oven and pile the vegetable mixture into each. Top with 2 tsp of the puree and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake for another 30 - 35 minutes until the flesh of the squash feels soft and is able to be easily scraped out. Remove the filling and squash flesh, mix together and serve. This can be piled back into the squash shell for a nice presentation.