Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

cacio e pepe spaghetti squash at The Food Market

I ate spaghetti squash made in the style of cacio e pepe at The Food Market and thought it was genius. For one thing, the squash was nicely cooked--it was soft. I hate crunchy spaghetti squash, and so does Mr Minx. And while cacio e pepe is lovely, carbonara is lovelier. At least for us carnivores. So I poked around the Internet and found some recipes and made them a few times and came up with my own technique. Roasting a squash in the oven takes too much time; the microwave is much more efficient. And I like having time for the squash to cool down after cooking, but that makes water leach out. Which is a good thing. Wet squash makes a diluted cheese sauce, so I put mine in a colander to drain for an hour or so before tossing in hot bacon fat or olive oil

Spaghetti Squash Sorta Carbonara

1 spaghetti squash, weighing 2-3 pounds

Salt

Eight strips of bacon (OR 1/4 lb of salami or other similar spicy Italian cold cut)

2 eggs

1 cup grated or finely shredded parmesan (and/or other tasty hard cheeses, if you have them)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Chopped parsley for garnish

Lots of freshly ground pepper

Cut the squash in half widthwise and place it cut-side-down on a microwave-safe plate. Cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the nuker and allow to cool enough to handle it without burning yourself. Using a fork, scrape the flesh out of both halves into a colander set in a large bowl. Add a quarter teaspoon of salt and toss with the squash. Let sit for an hour or so, occasionally draining any moisture that accumulates in the bowl.

Some recipes will tell you to cut the bacon into lardons, but I find that to be messy and unnecessary. This isn't the French Laundry. In a large skillet, cook the bacon to your preferred crispness. Remove from the pan to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. When cool, break up the bacon into small pieces and set aside. (If you're using salami, pile up the slices and cut them into strips. Place in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook just until the meat starts to sizzle and brown a little, stirring regularly. Remove to a bowl. It's ok if the meat still seems soft; it will crisp as it cools.

Discard all but a tablespoon of the bacon fat, which should stay in the skillet. (If you use the salami, add a glug of olive oil to the remaining fat in the pan, which shouldn't be much.)

Beat the eggs with a fork and add the cheese and garlic powder. 

When ready to eat, heat the fat in the pan. Dump the drained squash into the pan and toss with tongs to coat in the fat. When all the squash is coated and quite hot, turn off the heat and add the egg and cheese mixture, tossing constantly with the tongs until the cheese is melted and the squash is coated. Add the bacon or salami and toss again.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of parsley, lots of pepper, and more cheese if you want.

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Posted on Minxeats.com.