Spaghetti Squash "Pasta"

We finally got around to cooking the sole spaghetti squash we harvested a while back.

When we cut it in half, I was slightly disappointed not to see any noodly strands.

But once it was cooked through, the magic happened!

 Finished product looks just like pasta - albeit a bit shinier.

I'm glad those boxes of whole-wheat pasta cluttering up my pantry won't go bad. This is a wonderful, light but somehow meaty pasta substitute that goes really well with a basic tomato sauce. Even if our plant doesn't give us any more, I'll certainly be looking for these in the market. It was a light dinner for two, and could easily be a hearty meal for one.

• 1 spaghetti squash (ours was barely 8 oz.)
• 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, minced (about 1/3 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 heaping tbsp.)
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1 cup)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5-8 basil leaves, chopped
• Parmesan cheese to taste, grated

Preheat oven to 350. Halve and seed squash. Lightly grease a baking sheet with about 1 tbsp. olive oil and place the squash on it, cut side down. Place in oven and bake till a fork pierces the squash with nearly no resistance (30-45 minutes). When done, remove from oven and let cool till you can handle them.

Meanwhile, put 2 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions till soft, about 3 min., then add garlic and saute till fragrant, another 2-3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and let cook down till saucy, about 15-20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Scrape squash halves out into bowls (note the awesome noodly shapes and texture). Top with tomato mixture, add chopped basil and grated cheese, mix then serve.

Summer Staple: Sausage and Couscous

I keep forgetting what an awesome summer food couscous is - quick, light, addition-friendly and especially good when cold. This is more a sample recipe than a base - just happens to be the one variant we had. A single box made three meals for two people: Saturday night dinner, with lamb sausages; Sunday brunch, with spicy longaniza and vinegar dipping sauce (pictured above); and Sunday snacks, with salami, while we waited in line for "One-Man Star Wars Trilogy" tickets. The lamb sausages were simply boiled; the longaniza, cooked in 1/4 cup of water till the liquid evaporated, then browned over low heat for 3-5 minutes in the rendered fat.

• 1 box Near East plain couscous (one day I'll find and try cooking the real stuff)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 summer squash, halved and sliced thin
• 3-4 scallions, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice, to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan with a cover, add the olive oil to two cups of water and bring to a boil. Add couscous, mix, cover and set aside, off the heat. (I actually added the squash at this point as well, because I wanted it slightly softened but not cooked.)
When couscous is cooked (about 5-7 minutes), mix with scallions, squash (or whatever other vegetables and/or nuts you're using). Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

Chicken Cutlets en Papillote with Grated Vegetables

Last night was the first time we tried "poaching" chicken in parchment packets in the oven. John was skeptical at first. But, after tasting the long-cooked but still moist and flavorful meat, he vowed to "always trust the Bittman." The recipe below is based on the one in the first How to Cook Everything, but halved; where we varied, the original is in parentheses. Next time, I'll try using even more vegetables (and a larger variety thereof) - they cooked down to next to nothing, but were very flavorful. All in all, a satisfying autumn dinner (with scallion-topped couscous as the starch).

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
• skipped the slices of ripe tomato
• 1-1/2 cups grated vegetables (original: 1 cup, though we'll want to use even more - this time, the veg were squash and onions)
• 2 sprigs marjoram (original: 6 fresh tarragon leaves)
  
• about 1 tbsp. olive oil
• a few drops of balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Grate the vegetables.

Tear off a 1-1/2 to 2 foot square piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper (we were lazy and wrapped both breasts in one packet).

Place the cutlets on the foil/paper. Top with vegetables, then drizzle with oil and vinegar.

Seal the packages. Place them in a large baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes (took us more like 45 minutes); the chicken will be white and tender when done.

Serve.