So when I saw this video showing how to substitute summer squash for fettuccine making the rounds of the food blogs a couple of weeks ago I thought this was just more of the same food fakery. But I needed something to make to bring with me to book club this past Tuesday so I decided to use Fort Wayne’s literati as guinea pigs.

Well, dear readers, let me be the first to admit I was wrong. This is a wonderful way of cutting back on the carbs or getting the pasta experience if you happen to be gluten sensitive. Oh, to be sure, it is not pasta. It smells like squash, it tastes like squash and the texture is just slightly off from that of a nice al dente noodle. Who cares!? It’s frickin’ delicious and takes all of ten minutes to make. Twenty if you count the peeling, which goes much faster than you’d expect.

As the video shows, simply use your vegetable peeler (known as a veggie twaddler in this house) and slice thin strips off your squash, rotating every strip.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The only downside is that the process could be considered enormously wasteful since you end up throwing away about a third of each squash (the core with the seeds which is impossible to peel). Then simply saute your “noodles” for about two to three minutes over medium-high heat in about a table spoon of olive oil.

You’re going to have to eyeball the amount of oil, and the exact time you saute the squash peelings. The problem is that, much like the American economy, squash will pretty much soak up all the oil you throw at it. You want just enough to coat it and keep it from sticking.

As for the time, the amount of moisture in your squash is going to determine that. Be careful, because they will burn in an instant and turn to soggy mush just before that. What you want to look for is the color change. You’ll know your squash noodles are done when their color turns bright yellow (or green — zucchini works too).

Oh, and depending on how much squash you’re cooking at once, saute it in batches. That’ll help ensure that it cooks evenly.

Squash Pasta with a light Rosemary-Garlic Butter Sauce
Ingredients

• 3 large summer squash
• 3 large zucchini
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil (I ended up using just over two tablespoons)
• 2-3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp. butter (depending on how big your squash were, or how much you like butter)
• 1/2 tsp. dried, ground rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• Pinch of salt (optional)

Preparation

1. Twaddle your squash as above
2. Toss with lemon juice
3. Heat large pan over medium-high heat
4. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil and allow to come up to temperature
5. Saute roughly 1/3 of the squash noodles, stirring frequently
6. Remove to a separate dish and repeat process two more times
7. After all the squash noodles are finished sauteing, add butter to pan
8. Allow butter to melt and add in rosemary and garlic
9. Add a pinch of salt if desired
10. Reduce heat and stir melted butter, rosemary and garlic
11. Add squash noodles back into pan, toss with butter mixture and serve

Well, this is one dish I will certainly be adding into my regular rotation. My bookish compatriots thoroughly enjoyed this dish too. It’s not often that something that proclaims itself “healthy and delicious” ends up fulfilling its promise but believe me, this one does not disappoint.

Related posts:

1. Cheesy Beefy Pasta Sauce Un-Recipe
2. Bay Scallops and Sea Shells in a Light Lemon-Dill Sauce Unrecipe
3. Spaghetti with Spinach Sauce

We just think it needed something, maybe cumin and some ground red pepper. Perhaps we were, for a change, just too shy with the garlic. Catherine’s mom suggested that maybe she had used a spicier hummus. Perhaps. And maybe our readers will have some hints on how to improve this dish or some more recipes that make clever use of hummus. Let us know in the comments.

Pasta with Hummus and Veggies
Ingredients

• 8-10 oz. pasta of your choice, cooked
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup red peppers, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 oz. hummus
• Fresh parsley to taste, chopped
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 tbsp. water

Preparation

1. Stir fry the mushrooms, green onions, red peppers and garlic in the olive oil
2. Reduce heat to low, stir in the hummus and water
3. Lightly toss the pasta with the hummus and veggie mix
4. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve

Note: The original recipe didn’t call for garlic, but both Catherine’s mom and we really felt it needed it. Most things do. Also, we used green peppers because red peppers have become so damn expensive. What’s up with that!?

Related posts:

1. Squash Pasta with a light Rosemary-Garlic Butter Sauce
2. Cheesy Beefy Pasta Sauce Un-Recipe
3. Chilled Lemon Shrimp Pasta Salad

Spaghetti with Spinach Sauce
Ingredients

• 1 package (10 oz) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 8 oz spaghetti
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 cup Parmesan with extra for garnish

Preparation

1. Cook the spaghetti as the side of the box commands
2. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet
3. Add the onion, garlic and spinach to the skillet
4. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes
5. Stir salt and basil into spinach mixture
6. Cover again and simmer another 5 minutes
7. Stir Parmesan into the spinach mixture
8. Serve over the spaghetti with more Parmesan

A couple of important notes: the amount of oil and butter called for is, in my humble opinion, insane. I usually half the oil and go a little light on the butter and it’s still nice and greasy. Of course, the recommended two cloves of garlic is laughable. I’d start with about eight and possibly add more if I’m feeling ambitious.

Related posts:

1. Salsagheti Gusanos Mango (candy “spaghetti” worms with tamarind sauce)
2. Bay Scallops and Sea Shells in a Light Lemon-Dill Sauce Unrecipe
3. Squash Pasta with a light Rosemary-Garlic Butter Sauce

So I failed at this recipe completely, but I think it’s worth another try. If you’d like to give it a shot, here it is:

Peanut-crusted chicken with dipping sauce

Chicken breading:

• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and finely grated
• 1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves removed, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro leaves
• scant 1 ⅓ cups salted peanuts
• ¾ cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tbsp milk

• 12 chicken drumsticks, skin removed

Dipping sauce:

• 1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

Chicken prep:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚
2. Place the garlic, gingerroot, lemongrass, cilantro leaves, peanuts and 2 Tbsp of the flour in a food processor; blend until finely ground; transfer to a shallow dish
3. In a bowl, beat together the eggs and milk
4. Spread the remaining flour on a plate
5. Dip the drumsticks into the flour, then the egg mixture and finally the peanut mixture; arrange them in an oiled roasting pan
6. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn and cook for another 30 minutes; pour off any excess oil and bake for another 5 minutes or until very crisp

Sauce prep:

1. Grind the chili and garlic to a paste using a mortar and pestle
2. Put the vinegar and sugar in a pan; heat gently until the sugar dissolves; bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes
3. Stir in the chili-garlic paste and transfer to a bowl
4. Drain the drumsticks on paper towels and serve with the sauce.

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Notes:

1. The amounts of garlic suggested are, of course, ridiculously scanty.
2. I don’t know what lemongrass looks like or where to find it, so I ignored that bit.
3. The cooking time and temperature may not be spot-on; the temp is reduced and the time is increased from the original (since the original resulted in chicken which was burnt on the outside and a health hazard on the inside).

Related posts:

1. When Good Foods Go Bad – Part 1
2. Friday Night Fish Fry at Ya Boy – The Way the Good Lord Intended
3. East Meets West Chicken

Our Favorite Lumpy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes, chunked but definitely not peeled
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, pressed
• some milk
• lots of butter
• salt

Preparation

1. Boil the potatoes until tender and then drain in a colander
2. In the potato pot (let’s not wash any more dishes than we have to, okay?), melt a Tbsp or so of butter and saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent
3. Turn off the heat and plunk the potatoes back into the pot
4. Mash everything together with the milk, more butter and salt to taste
5. Don’t forget to leave in some of the lumps!

Related posts:

1. Food in the Fort mentioned on WBlog
2. Squash Pasta with a light Rosemary-Garlic Butter Sauce
3. 1-2-3-4 Rice