FRESHEN UP FRUIT AND VEG
▶ From ancient but lesser-known vegetables to new fruit hybrids, here are five slightly weird but definitely wonderful ingredients to keep your eyes peeled for, writes Emily Price
Ah, January. A month when our diets are destined to include fruit and vegetables galore. And while there’s nothing wrong with the old favourites – apples and tomatoes, carrots and bananas – the next time you go shopping for groceries or place an order online, keep an eye out for some of these more unusual but delicious additions.
Spaghetti squash
What is it?
Sometimes found moonlighting under the alias of vegetable or noodle squash, this yellow-skinned, oval-shaped winter squash doesn’t look all that exciting when raw. Once you cook it – whether by steaming, boiling, microwaving or baking – everything changes, and it’s suddenly clear where the name comes from. Scrape the flesh gently with a fork and it separates into thin, golden tendrils that resemble strands of spaghetti.
What does it taste like?
With its mild, slightly sweet taste, spaghetti squash doesn’t pack the weightiest of flavour punches. That’s not always a negative, though, and this subtlety means that it matches well with other more assertive partners – think garlicky ragus, rich curries and aromatic tagines. What can you do with it? Using spaghetti squash as a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, gluten-free alternative to pasta is the most obvious choice. Once cooked – we particularly favour oven-roasting for about 45 minutes at 200°C after slicing the squash in half and scooping out the seeds – drizzle the strands with olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and top with your favourite pasta sauce or simply scatter with plenty of fresh Parmesan.
As always, it can pay handsomely to get creative. Toss the cooked squash ribbons through a mustardy vinaigrette and serve cold as an accompaniment to roast chicken or fish, or use it in place of noodles when making broth-based soups. You can even mix it with beaten eggs, flour, ricotta and crushed garlic, form into little fritters and fry until crisp and golden.