Spaghetti Squash with Kale & Creamy Parmesan Garlic Sauce

REGION: Italian roots with Brooklyn Kale-Craze influences INGREDIENT I'VE NEVER USED BUT WILL GLADLY USE AGAIN: Spaghetti Squash! Not only is this a health & flavor-FULL substitute for dense noodles, but it is fun (and therapeutic!) to work with. Have repressed rage? Tonight's the night!

RECOMMENDED CHEF's JUICE: Chianti? Let's set a mood!

NUMBER OF GLASSES CONSUMED IN THE COOKING PROCESS: Sober spaghetti! (Which may account for the success to follow...)

NUMBER OF FACEBOOK LIKES FOR THE FORMERLY UNFILTERED PHOTO I UPLOADED: 21 (and counting!), but oh-so-concerning! The Spaghetti Squash was a harried experiment born only out of fear that my squash would go bad if I let if lay around any longer. Which is to say that my best received recipes are those that I put the least thought into. Let's pour a glass as we consider the implications of this.

What do Dexy's Midnight Runner's, Chumbawamba, Biz Markie, and I have in common?

We are all one-hit-wonders. Dear confused chefs, allow me an explanation:

I should have forewarned you of my ailment. You see, I cannot cook the same thing twice. I've tried. I've tried in vain. I've tried in-productive and my efforts are for not, because no matter what I do: painstakingly following a recipe from start to finish; read and exact sans chefs juice - whatever the case, I always seem to ruin what's for dinner if I try the same thing twice. I can't say why. Hiro suggests that I may be cutting corners or settling into a premature confidence that does not behoove the amateur chef. Solid theory (if a little tiresome!), but I think this runs deeper than that. Still, we must make dinner and to spare you psychosis let's focus instead on how this plays out in our kitchen.

You see, it may be that the earlier advice I prescribed: to read your recipe twice. To cut your veggies in advance and have your mind in the game and BE THE FOOD isn't helping me at all. Maybe, just maybe, I'm best when I'm at my worst - flailing around the kitchen convinced a bulbous, dense squash will be the ruin of dinner. Forced into an anxiety-inducing timeline that only promises failure. Maybe that's my jam? And so, understanding that I produced something that Hiro could only describe as "crazy tasty" and the good people of Facebook enthused "Looks Amazing!!"; "An Epic Win!" with no preparation and no chef's juice, well... Iet's enjoy it while we can. Because, owing to the laws of one-hit-wonders, it will never happen again.

But we'll always have the memory of rushed spaghetti squash, and I'll gladly toast to that!

So be proud if you can cook the same thing twice and get into the kitchen you long-hit-wonder you! Let's eat a 21-like dish!

Here's what you'll need:

Spaghetti Squash

Dinosaur Kale (only in shape, not in flavor)

Garlic

Crushed red pepper

Heavy Cream

Parmesan Cheese

Pecorino Cheese

Pine Nuts (recipes may consider these optional but I'm going to MANDATE their inclusion in my kitchen)

Here's what you'll do:

You can find the recipe here. It requires a Plated login, but you can easily become a member for free. You may also google "spaghetti squash" and you'll find recipes don't vary much - less the pine nuts. Don't make me remind you about the MANDATORY pine nuts.

TIP: This looked lovely and tasted the part, too! I'd love to flex some chef muscle and cite skill but really, this is an easy recipe! Make certain to fully roast the squash. There's good/great news to this: it's hard to overcook the squash! I mean, you don't want to get looped into a Law & Order marathon and forget it entirely - it will produce soupy squash and the death of your culinary dreams. So instead, set the timer for 25 minutes and make certain to lay your halved squash cut side down. At 25 minutes flip your squash and give it a little finger tap. There should be some give - a slight reverb. If not, cook it a bit longer. If so, take it out and you'll be ready for shredding. Remember, fringe is in!

PITFALL: I'm not too proud to claim that this dish was as close to my level of perfection than it's ever gotten. Now, I set a low bar, so please do aspire for more! Still, if any pitfalls I might mention that all the dairy (ies) tend to melt into one another making one thick rue. This is okay. In fact, it's delicious, but if you want some texture you might consider adding a top coat of shredded parmesan just before serving. And, if you have a grater with wider blades, some thick parmesan slices may be just what the guest (see: Hiro) orders!

VERDICT:

Cats, I couldn't be prouder! We successfully turned out a dish half healthy / half worst for your health, and did so in manageable time (40 minutes). This just goes to show that if you procrastinate and attack a problem with no plan and certainly no know-how everything will work out!

So, go do something reckless. Works for me!

#spaghettisquash #onehitwonder #kale #pinenuts