Yesterday was an incredible spring day, with temperatures as high as 60ºF / 15ºC. The ground, while still too wet to work, is rapidly drying out. The sunny mild weather is supposed to continue for another week.
A whole chicken, cut in half and marinated with onion, garlic, thyme, hot paprika, a little vinegar and some olive oil, and then grilled on the new gas grill
Yesterday, we grilled a chicken on our new gas grill. We decided to have a spaghetti squash with it, because we still have half a dozen of them stored downstairs. Over the past few months, we have made spaghetti squash a variety of ways: with tomato sauce, with pesto, with cream and onions, curried, or with just butter, salt, and pepper.
Spaghetti squash served with peas, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and honey
I find the spaghetti squash flesh to be fairly bland compared to butternut squash or pumpkin, for example. So I wondered how I might spice this one up. We didn't really want a curry flavor. I was looking in the fridge when I realized there was a bowl of leftover peas and carrots in there from a couple of days ago. Actually, it was peas, carrots, onions, and mushrooms cooked in chicken broth with a good amount of butter in it.
The view off the front terrace yesterday afternoon
So I cut the squash in half, roasted it for 30 to 40 minutes cut-side-down in a hot oven, and then scraped the flesh out of the shell and separated it into strands using a fork and a spoon. I reheated the peas in the microwave, and to add flavor to the whole dish, I mixed a big spoonful of honey into the hot liquid. Then I poured the peas and all, with the liquid, over the cooked squash. It turned out to be really good — an idea to remember for the future.
I love serving spaghetti squash with oven roasted vegetables in a tomato sauce - apart from the flavour there's a nice contrast in texture. But I might have to give your recipe a go! Isn't it lovely to see blossom (& sunshine) again? We're in East Anglia and a bit behind you but the wild plum blossom is out, a very delicate flower and daffodils have sprung up everywhere. Sharon
ReplyDeleteSharon, hi, the spaghetti squash with peas and carrots is almost a Moroccan-style tajine. Adding in some Moroccan spices or ras-el-hanout would definitely be a good idea. We've been noticing daffodils everywhere too, and the temperature here today is supposed to get close to 20C!
ReplyDeleteYour Spring's timing is like ours this year and the trees may be a bit ahead. Weather is so strange this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about that honey in with those veggies, but guess it's not too different from adding sugar to bbq sauce lol.
E., don't you know this rhyme?
ReplyDelete"I eat my peas with honey,
I've done it all my life.
It makes the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on my knife."
look at all those blooms! terrific! we finally could be house side the last 2 days. no where near spring blooms tho. lovely dinner.
ReplyDeleteboy y'all are way ahead of us here in western NC....i have seen only a few daffodils out.....and no trees blooming yet......it has been a strange winter for us....parts of eastern NC still dont have power from the ice storm earlier this week....very unusual
ReplyDeleteI cant wait to have a few temps in the 60's this week & crank up the grill....I have never found a tasty way to use spagetti squash...i think it's the texture of the strands....but I know it needs spicing up a lot
enjoy the lovely weather
Ken, I've never heard that rhyme. It's a good one, though :)
ReplyDeleteI am very envious of your beautiful blooming trees. We're still far, far from that here.
I know that rhyme, Ken but never had peas with honey. OTH my grandfather actually ate peas on his table knife which had a big flat surface. Maybe there was honey in the peas and I didn't know it at the time.
ReplyDeletePeas were often served with mashed potatoes in those days. Had some great sweet potatoes at church today- very sweet with OJ, orange rind, brown sugar, pecans and butter. Hmmm, not much different than putting some honey in squash I guess.