Spicy Spaghetti Squash

Over the holidays, I cooked some soba noodles and served them with a spicy sauce made with Szechwan pepper and chilies. It was a yummy dish that I served with fried tofu and celery slaw. Larry said the noodles were so good he would even eat them cold for lunch.

I made more chili oil than the noodles needed, so I stored the extra in the fridge until I decided how to use it.

Then I saw tiny spaghetti squashes at the Hollywood Farmers Market - decision made!

I have to say, it was a yummy combination. The spaghetti squash is mild and a little crunchy. The chili sauce is zesty and moderately spicy, with the occasional crunch from a peppercorn.

I pierced the small spaghetti squash with a knife and baked it at 350°F until it was tender. This took only 25 minutes — it was a very small squash.

Then I let it cool a little, cut it in half lengthwise and scooped out and discarded the seeds. I scooped the flesh into a small dish, separating the strands somewhat, and tossed them with a few tablespoons of the chili oil.

Yummy. And I'm sure the sauce would be great on other vegetables too. Here's how I made it.

Spicy Chili Oil
4 scallions, white parts only, thinly sliced
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp Szechwan peppercorns, coarsely chopped

Warm the scallions, oil, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds and peppercorns in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes until the oil sizzles and the scallions are golden. Remove from the heat and let cool.

This is the oil I stirred into the spaghetti squash.

For the noodle dish, I whisked 3 tbsp of the unstrained chili oil together with 1/4 cup tahini, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 3 tbsp tamari (natural soy sauce) and 2 tsp roasted sesame oil. I tossed this sauce with the cooked noodles and the scallion greens and drizzled with more chili oil. I poured this over 12 oz of soba noodles.