You'll notice words like simple and easy in some of my recipe titles. Since my wife and I have four small children all six and under that we home-school, a garden to harvest, animals to take care of, hardwood flooring to install, steemit to blog on, land to clear, and (hopefully soon) a house to build, simple and easy is best. Also, we enjoy going straight from the garden to the table, so today's recipe will feature freshly harvested produce.
The Spaghetti Squash was ready to harvest, so we selected any that appeared "sub-par" to eat fresh. These are the ones that you would never see at a grocery store, due to the blemishes and defects. They sure taste the same, but they won't store as long, so we eat them right away.
Tomatoes and Basil are good companion plants for the garden, and they work well together in many dishes as well. Just like with the Spaghetti Squash, we'll eat the less attractive ones fresh and use the rest for winter storage.
Once we grab some Wild Garlic, our core ingredients are rounded up. Of course any Garlic from the garden or store will do, we just happen to have a lot of it growing in the woods and fields around here.
After rinsing all the produce, halve the Spaghetti Squash and scoop out the seeds (you can plant those again next year). In a covered pan, simmer the halves in about a 1/2 inch of water until they are soft. Core and quarter the Tomatoes and blend them with the Basil and Garlic. You'll have to determine how much ingredients you need for your family. For us, two medium-sized Spaghetti Squash will cover it. Be sure to use amounts of Garlic and Basil that are proportionate to your palate. Too much of either of these can ruin a meal that otherwise would have been a delightful, tasty, and nutritious experience. Blending the Tomatoes, Garlic, and Basil will create a frothy liquid. The excess water will be evaporated in the next step, so don't worry about that.
Once the sauce is blended and the squash is soft, use a fork to shred the inside of the Spaghetti Squash, creating a spaghetti noodle-like appearance. Add in the sauce from the blender and simmer uncovered until the excess liquid has evaporated. The finished product should not be runny.
Season to taste, garnish, and serve with a nutritious side to enjoy as a lunchtime meal or a light dinner. We served ours alongside some fresh Chinese Noodle Beans and Ranch Dressing, and garnished with a some tiny Cherry Tomatoes on top of Parsley and Basil leaves. For a chance to grow some of your own Chinese Red Noodle Beans, check out our seed giveaway.
Happy gardening, happy harvesting, and happy cooking everyone.
Hope you enjoyed our lunch! @papa-pepper
