Spaghetti Squash



I’ve never been one to lack imagination, but I must say this: contrary to popular belief and dietary fantasy, spaghetti squash is NOT a good substitute for spaghetti. It is a good substitute for squash. Period.

In other words, if you’re making spaghetti and meatballs, please do not use spaghetti squash to quell your carbo-loading guilt. It’s not worth it, and frankly, it’s insulting to the meatballs. If, however, you were planning a little acorn squash on the side for dinner tonight, go ahead and try spaghetti squash instead – this would be an acceptable substitution, and would perhaps contribute a new texture to your harvest table.

I don’t mean to denigrate all those creative cooks and calorie-counters out there. I myself am disappointed to be so firm on this subject because I had been itching to try spaghetti squash since spring, waiting patiently for the first frost so that I could taste it in season. Being new to this type of squash, and having heard a great deal of hype, I was expecting something a little more dynamic than the norm, something with a little more punch, something that might transcend the commonly inescapable descriptor: squashy. Not so.

These days you can hardly walk through the grocery store without tripping over a pile of winter squash, but you might have to look a little closer to find the variety in question. Amid the piles of brilliant orange, yellow, red, and green varieties, with their mottled skins and wild diversity of shapes, the spaghetti squash appears quite plain and uninspired. There are two types of spaghetti squash. The original is pale yellow, about the size and shape of a rugby ball, and resembling a small honey-dew melon. In the early 1990’s, a second variety, known as “Orangetti,” was developed. Higher in beta carotene and a bit sweeter than its paler counterpart, the orange variety recently has become more common. It was one of these that I took home last night – not because of its supposed sweetness, but because original spaghetti squash are huge – 4 to 8 pounds huge – and I didn’t wanted to be eating it for the next three weeks. The specimen I bought was about the size of an overgrown grapefruit.

I split it in half and roasted it cut-side down in the oven until it was tender. I let it cool a little and then, as instructed, ran a fork through the flesh to separate it into strands. Ideally, this process should produce long spaghetti-like ribbons. In my case, it did not. I got short fragments – rather more like Rice-a-Roni than spaghetti. Today I learned that the larger, blander type of spaghetti squash does better at living up to its name.

I tossed what strands I had with brown butter and nutmeg, and added a generous dash of salt. (This to counter its otherwise low-calorie, low sodium profile.) I had planned to serve it piled elegantly back in its shell, but my attempts to shred as much flesh as I could had left the exterior unusable. Too bad, because the presentation on the plate was far less appetizing. A bit on the moist side, squash juices pooled under the mass of orange threads.

Like I said, pasta this is not. But once I had accepted it for what it is – squash - it was a welcome discovery. It smelled and tasted much like pumpkin, though the brown butter made it luscious and rich. Delicately sweet, nutty, refreshing, and tremendously healthy, it embodied the best of what squash has to offer. Which makes me wonder why we insist on forcing it into a role it’s not designed to play rather than celebrating it for all its good honest squashiness. Spaghetti only wishes it was so good.

Posted: Fri - October 15, 2004 at 02:49 PM      

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