Can’t find a job. Writers block. Too much boy drama. Too little sleep. Too much drinking. And there you are on a Sunday night, cuddled up in bed watching tony bourdain eat the world’s greatest risotto. Earlier today, while sitting in a friend’s cafe reading the latest issue of the New Yorker (it’s the food issue) you decided to quit feeling sorry for yourself, and freshen up for november.
1. First off you gotta crack that writers block. Make a list of all the articles you have to write, all the cover letters you need to tailor, and the overdue emails. As you knead your pasta dough, start saying them out loud to nobody. Let your hands push and pull on the countertop while you, shaking your hips to the music, shout: DEAR FRIEND, THIS WEEKEND I FELT A CERTAIN URGENCY TO WAKE UP, EARLIER THAN USUAL, AND FIND SOME NEW YORK TROUBLE TO GET INTO.
2. This weekend you counted fifteen different instances in which somebody called you ‘cute.’ Sharpen the largest knife in your set and get ready to split open a spaghetti squash. The first time was when you dressed to go out. The fifth time was when you were running. The last time was in an email. You’re feeling like you have to cut out all the ‘cute’ encompassed in your being, and work on being something else. Season your seeds and bake them for fifteen minutes at low heat, they’ll come out crisp and sophisticated.
3. Like Mr. Man, Spaghetti Squashes are not so tough as they appear to be. They fall apart at the slightest touch, and noodle themselves all over your fingers. It’s a shame because you felt great about this recipe, so you’re gonna have to improvise. You briefly consider running to pick up a butternut, but then you decide to tough it out and make a paste. You haven’t been getting anything you want recently, so if this dish doesn’t work out you won’t be disappointed. You’ll add it to your list of trials and failures. Toss the squash into a food processor with Parmesan and some olive oil and then strain the liquid out.
4. Stretching the dough used to be a great challenge for you, used to require others’ hands. You can do it on your own now, you don’t need nobody. In fact, you enjoy turning the wheel while catching the pasta and pulling it, both hands occupied. You like to see your hard kitchen skills, your culinary study, improve.
Spaghetti Squash Ravioli and Roasted Paprika Seeds
1. Make a batch of homeade pasta (see my recipe in an old entry) and let rest for an hour
2. Cut open a spaghetti squash and scoop out the middle (separate seeds and save them for later)
3. Brush both halves with olive oil and bake at 375ºF (rind side up) for about 45 minutes, or until soft
4. Scoop out the flesh of the squash and blend with a quarter cup of Parmesan, some salt, pepper, and olive oil
5. Drain the filling in a sieve to remove excess liquid.
6. Rinse and dry your squash seeds, coat in olive oil, salt and paprika to taste. Bake at 200º for about fifteen minutes, until crunchy and slightly browned.
6. Melt 1/4 cup butter on the stove, then cook until brown and emitting a nutty aroma. Take off heat, and place four sage leaves into the brown butter sauce.
7. Pull your pasta through a wheel to the highest setting, or roll until paper thin with a rolling pin. Spoon filling into you dough, and cut using whatever size or shape press you have. Cook in heavily salted water for about 3 minutes, to al dente.
8. Serve your ravioli immediately, with butter sauce and parmesan on top. Garnish with some roasted seeds, and put the rest into the empty squash skin.
