The Exquisite Simplicity of Spaghetti Squash

It's June here on Earth, normally a time when the sun shines brightly and the temperature flirts with triple digits in Los Angeles. But apparently the weather fairy is on vacation because it's freezing cold in the land of perpetual sun.

And by freezing, I mean relatively. It's in the 60s. Whatever. It's not June weather.

As such, the winter squash is still in play. And what better squash than one with noodle-y insides? It's so neat!

I'd never had a spaghetti squash, so when I spied it at the market, I decided it would be dinner. I didn't know anything about how to make it, but it came with a lovely sticker that suggested microwaving it for a few minutes. Microwave? What? No.

Instead I fired up the oven to 375 degrees (relatively not-freezing), cut my watermelon-shaped squash in half, drizzled it with a bit of olive oil, and sprinkled Adobo seasoning on it. Then I placed it face down on a foil-covered baking sheet, and let it bake for about 30 minutes, just until the sides were brown.

Then I scraped. It was the coolest trick I've ever seen a squash perform. Run a fork down the fleshy interior and it comes apart in little tendrils. How does it do that? Like a magician, it refused to reveal its secrets. So I ate it.

And it was good.

I recently bought a bottle of Mike's Hot Honey and was looking for a way to showcase it on a dish. Since the only other ingredients here were the olive oil and seasoning, I added some of the honey, and WOW. If you haven't tried Mike's delectably spicy sweet nectar, do yourself a favor and buy a bottle for your squash. And your cheese. And ice cream. And anything else you consider food stuff.

It's that good. And this faux-noodle dish? Also that good.

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Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Easy as 1-2-eat!

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Adobo seasoning

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Drizzle the insides with olive oil and sprinkle the seasoning. If you don't have Adobo, shame on you! But I supposed you can use regular salt and pepper. If you must.

3. Place cut-side down on foil-covered baking sheet and put in the oven for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the squash. Check periodically and take out when the flesh starts to brown.

4. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Scrape the flesh with a fork and remove noodles to a bowl. Serve with a drizzle of Mike's Hot Honey, regular honey, Worcestershire sauce, or even a dollop of sour cream. It's your dish, do with it what you want!

Yield: a 2 pound gourd will give you about 2 large servings.