Herbed Spaghetti Squash

I was very excited to see a spaghetti squash in my CSA bag this week. I’ve never cooked one before, but I have tasted it and was eager to try preparing it. I found this Emeril recipe—it looked delightfully simple to prepare and incorporated other fresh herbs. I used chives, basil, and flat-leaf parsley. For more flavor, I also added a minced clove of garlic to the melted butter before tossing in the remaining ingredients.

The bain-marie method of cooking the squash is very effective in allowing a steaming process to take place in the oven. The result is a perfectly cooked squash with a firm texture, not soggy. Using a fork to scrape against the flesh of the squash, the "spaghetti" strands suddenly appear, like a fresh bowl of hot pasta!

Source: Herbed Spaghetti Squash, Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
1 small spaghetti squash, about 2 ¼ pounds
2 ½ tablespoons butter
2 ½ tablespoons finely chopped mixed soft herbs, such as basil, chives, chervil, parsley and sage
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise and place, cut side down, in a baking dish. Add enough water to come ½-inch up the sides of the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes, until the squash is easily pierced with a paring knife. Turn squash over and cover with foil again and continue to cook another 15 minutes, until the squash is very tender. Remove from the oven, uncover, and allow to cool slightly. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and discard. Using a fork, gently pull the strands of squash away from the peel and place the squash strands into a mixing bowl.

Heat a skillet. Add the butter, spaghetti squash, herbs, salt and pepper and toss thoroughly but gently to heat and combine. Serve immediately or cover and keep warm until ready to serve.