Want to hear something really honest, a true life food blogging confession? Sometimes I get really tired of trying to come up with interesting introductions for my recipes. And by “sometimes”, I mean all the damn time. And instead of saying “tired”, I really ought to say “maddeningly frustrated”. I’m in my kitchen day and night, cook cook cooking away. I make a lot of meals. I experiment all the time, and unless something tastes really special, it is never repeated. Most dishes that I throw together don’t make it anywhere near the blog. Only a special few go all the way – like this Thai Inspired Spaghetti Squash.
Now and then, recipes come with stories. There are meals I cook that come from my past, others from daydreams of my future, or through food-geek curiosity. Those recipes are easy to write about. Most recipes, however, showed up on my dinner plate as a result of chance. I’ve tried meal planning, but I’m a moody thing. No matter how hard I try to keep to a carefully plotted menu, I have a serious habit for cooking what I feel like cooking, when I feel like cooking it. Unless it is grocery day, I’m more or less restricted to the ingredients in my kitchen, so that has a hand in recipe invention as well.
This dish was one of those. It’s really tasty. That’s all. I don’t have any great story to go along with it. It did not come from any deep, heartfelt or nostalgic place. It came from the high stakes game of Mousetrap that is my brain. I had some leftover squash, some basil that was just about to croak, shit tons of pineapple, and by some stroke of luck, a lime, a hot pepper, and some scallions. It was pre-CSA-day kismet, sort of like finding a new favorite outfit when everything else you own is in the laundry basket.
Lucky for you that you didn’t have to wait until stars aligned to discover this flavorful, noodle-like spin on spaghetti squash. All you had to do was open your internets, you lazy thing.
By the way, this could really use a protein to make it a complete meal. I reccomend marinading your favorite meat (or plant based protein) in some soy sauce, lime juice, hot pepper, salt, and sugar, then grilling it up to serve alongside this dish. You could even plop it on top. Whatevs.
Thai Inspired Spaghetti Squash
Makes about 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 poblano pepper
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable, peanut, canola, etc.)
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 a spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
- 2 scallions, sliced or shredded
- 2 handfuls fresh basil, shredded
- 1 1inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 lime, halved
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (tamari for my gluten free friends)
- salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Roast your poblano pepper, either in a 400 degree oven, under a broiler, or over an open flame. When the pepper has blackened and blistered, drop it into a bowl of ice water. Gently rub off the skin of the pepper while it is underwater. Chop the roasted pepper, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet over medium. When the oil gets hot, add the garlic, and saute until just brown. Quickly add the poblano, and saute for about 1 – 2 minutes, just long enough for the poblano to soften slightly.
- Add the squash to the pan, and toss with the other ingredients. Saute for 2 – 3 minutes, tossing continuously so that the squash heats through.
- Add the ginger, scallions, and basil, and continue to saute for another 2 minutes, or until the basil wilts.
- Drizzle in the soy sauce, and toss again. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Turn off the pan’s heat, then spritz the mixture with lime juice. If the lime is very juicy, just use half. If it is on the dry side, use the whole thing. Toss one last time, then serve.