Stripetti Squash with Garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Herbs

So we took a break for a few weeks (a much needed squash hiatus) and we finally got around to cooking the stripetti squash that I picked up at the farmers' market in early to mid-November.  One of the best things about squash is that you can buy it and then hang onto it until you are ready to cook it.  We also have a cheese pumpkin sitting on the hutch that I picked up a few weeks ago that we hang onto until this coming week.  I don't have any inspiration for what I want to do with it, but I'm sure something will come to me eventually.  

If I hadn't bought the squash in the first place and seen the whole squash prior to cooking, I'm not sure that I would have been able to tell that this was a different variety of squash.  I think the stripetti squash was a little sweeter than spaghetti squash, but they are similar enough in appearance, taste and texture that it wouldn't have occurred to me that this was a different variety.  With that said, I really liked it.  And I would totally buy it again.  As for the recipe, I think it was nice.  I have never tried adding cheese and herbs of this variety to spaghetti squash so it was a very different take on squash for us.  But I wanted to use up some of the fresh herbs leftover from Thanksgiving so I decided this was a good opportunity to do so.  I originally planned to serve this squash with some turkey meatballs but I decided that after the meatloaf I wasn't really feeling meatballs.  But the dish had a very nice combination of flavors and made a really nice side dish.  Between Alex and I we ate the whole 4 cups of squash so that really says something.  In case you're wondering about the cooking method for the squash (boiling it, rather than roasting), we boiled the squash because that's what they told me to do at the farmers' market.  It seemed like a strange cooking method to me, but that's what they said to do so we did it.  And it worked.  I might try roasting it next time just for the sake of variety, but boiling it worked just fine. 

Recipe after the jump!


 
Stripetti Squash with Garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Herbs

INGREDIENTS:

1 stripetti squash

1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp evoo

1 shallot, diced

1 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped

3 tbsp Parmigano-Reggiano, grated

s&p

Cook stripetti squash in a large pot of boiling water for 30 minutes (alternatively you can roast the squash at 375 degrees for 60 minutes, or until a paring knife can pierce the squash easily).  Set aside to cool.  Once the squash is cool enough to handle, cut squash in half, lengthwise.  Use a fork to scoop out the seeds.  Once the seeds are all out, use the fork to scrape the squash into long spaghetti-like strands.  You should end up with about 4 cups worth of squash.  If the squash is difficult to scrape and doesn't cooperate, it's not fully cooked.  You can either roast it in the oven for a few minutes at 375 degrees or throw it in the microwave.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened, 7 minutes.  Stir in thyme and rosemary and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.  Add squash and toss to combine. Cook until warmed through. Stir in parsley and cheese and season to taste with s&p.

Serve.