Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Brown Butter and Herbs

Guys, my time in Denver was fabulous.  On the last afternoon before Passover, I took a friend out to lunch at Euclid Hall (muchly recommended!) and had the most wonderful spaghetti squash dish.  As you know, no grains are allowed during Passover, meaning pasta is out of the question.  So of course I made this squash to costar with my dad's lamb chops on my last night in town, and it almost fooled my mouth into believing we were having noodles.  It worked out so well, I know I can replicate it here in Berlin, too - just point me to the nearest Spaghettikürbis, bitte!

To speed up the roasting, we started the squash in the microwave and finished roasting in the oven.  And since Daddy-O was cooking our lamb chops outside on the grill anyway, that's how he blistered the tomato - but the restaurant puts little grape tomatoes under the broiler of the oven and it tastes just the same.  Perhaps less blackened.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Brown Butter and Herbs

recipe adapted from the one at Euclid Hall, given to me by our helpful server
serves 4

prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 40 minutes

ingredients:

1 medium to large spaghetti squash
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
3-6 grape tomatoes or 1 plum tomato per serving
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp fresh oregano
2 tsp fresh thyme
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste

directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

Cut the squash in half.  Scoop out the seeds and strings with a spoon and discard.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the two halves on a paper towel in the microwave.  Microwave on high for 8 minutes.  Place the halves face-up in an oven-safe dish and transfer to the oven.  Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until flesh is tender.  Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle (or protect your fingers for the next step).

With a fork, gently flake the squash flesh away from the skin.  It will come off in spaghetti-like strings.  Separate the strings from the skin and scrape into a bowl.

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Once melted, reduce heat to low.  Continue to heat the butter until it browns and begins to smell nutty, then add garlic.  Saute until the garlic is cooked, 3-5 minutes.  Add the spaghetti squash, herbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and toss gently.

On a grill or under the oven broiler, place the tomatoes close to the flame/broiler and watch carefully until blisters start to form.  Flip and heat until blisters form on the other side.  Remove from heat.  Add to the squash and mash lightly, so a little bit of juice escapes. And serve!


Looks just like pasta to me!