I bought a spaghetti squash at the market. A friend grew a few, but planted too close to zucchini and cross pollination caused them to look strange. In hindsight, I should have asked her for one. It still may have baked just fine. I remember when she composted them that they cut more easily than the one I bought.

With difficulty, I finally cut through the gourd and scooped out the seeds. I used a tsp. of olive oil and by spreading it around with my hands, coated each half. Sprinkle the inside flesh with a little salt and pepper and lay cut-side down on a foil-lined baking dish. Bake in a 450-degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Let the squash cool enough to handle. I used a paper towel holding the squash in one hand while pulling out the flesh with a fork into a bowl. The fork helped break it up into little ribbons that looked remarkably like spaghetti noodles. Like pasta, the squash had very little taste, so topping it with marinara or butter and Parmesan is a great idea. However, I made chicken scallopini and it paired nicely.

Chicken Scallopini
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup flour for dredging and gravy
1⁄2 stick butter, divided
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 cup chicken broth
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
1⁄2 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp. capers
Salt and pepper, to taste

Brown the mushrooms in 1 Tbsp. each butter and olive oil over medium heat. While those cook prepare the chicken. Cut the chicken breast halves by slicing through widthwise. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on the cutting board. One at a time, lay the chicken portion on the plastic wrap. Place another piece of wrap on top. Gently pound the chicken a few times with the flat side of a meat mallet, using a down-and-away motion until it is about 1⁄4 inch thick. The plastic wrap contains the raw chicken, reducing contamination and making clean-up easier.

Remove the mushrooms from the pan, add another Tbsp. each butter and olive oil. Lightly dredge each chicken piece in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. The coating for this recipe is not heavy. When the butter and oil have heated, place four chicken pieces in the pan and cook at medium to medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and add another Tbsp. each of butter and olive oil. Cook the last four pieces.

Add the remaining butter and olive oil to the pan with 1 Tbsp. dredging flour and stir to incorporate. Let the flour cook a couple of minutes on medium heat. (Throw away remaining dredging flour.) Add chicken broth, wine and lemon juice to pan. Stir until smooth. Add capers and the cooked mushrooms. Let the wine cook a couple of minutes, taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. If the gravy is too thick, add a little more chicken broth.

Serve the chicken over a cup of spaghetti squash topped with the gravy. The recipe serves 8.