Recipes

Ingredients

4-5 cups steamed and shredded spaghetti squash (see

Note below)

1 bunch (about 20 to 25 sprigs) very fresh parsley leaves, chopped

5 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

— Kosher salt — Juice of ½ lemon

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

— Black pepper in a mill 

½ cup lightly toasted homemade breadcrumbs or ¾ cup grated Estero Gold, Vella Dry Jack or similar cheese

**Also see recipe notes below.

Preparation

First, prepare the squash. While it cooks, make the persillade. Put the parsley leaves into a medium bowl, add the garlic, season with salt and toss with a fork. Stir in the lemon juice and olive oil, taste and correct for salt and acid balance.

Add several turns of black pepper and toss again.

When the squash is ready, add the persillade and toss gently. Scatter the breadcrumbs or cheese over the top and serve right away.

Note: To steam spaghetti squash, cut a 2½ pound squash into 4 lengthwise wedges. Set the wedges on the rack or basket of a steamer set over 2 inches of simmering water. Cover and cook for 12 minutes.

Test for doneness with a fork, which should penetrate the flesh easily.

Transfer to a work surface, let cool until easy to handle and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Use a fork to shred the flesh, making long lengthwise strokes.

Transfer the shredded squash to a wide shallow serving bowl.

**

Persillade is a French condiment of parsley, garlic and, sometimes, salt.

Add grated lemon zest and it become gremolata. It is used to flavor everything from single vegetables to soups, stews, rice, pasta, eggs and more.

Combined with butter, it becomes the escargot butter that makes snails worth eating. Here it provides a delicious counterpoint to the sweetness of spaghetti squash.