Spaghetti Squash vs. Butternut Squash

Apparently there is a difference?  I've learned...

My sister in-law (first time saying that!) asked me about spaghetti squash after the posting of my last blog entry about my butternut squash soup.  She asked me if I had ever made it and her friend Keegan responded with a recipe she has used before to make it.  To be honest, I have never looked much into spaghetti squash.  I think every time I heard it I sort of ignored it because I didn't know what it was.  Interesting how we do that?  I thought it was one of those overly complicated things I'd never be able to do, until I looked at the recipe she posted.  It not only didn't look complicated, but it sounded amazing.

After a weekend of road-tripping, my friend/roommate so very kindly brought me home two butternut squashes from her grandmother's garden.  I was thrilled and knew exactly what I wanted to try.

It has taken me a week to write and post this entry because I was disheartened after I tried to make this dish.  I used the recipe Keegan had recommended, and my boyfriend and I got some wine (recommended from a wine consultant at Surdyk's to pair with butternut squash) a baguette, and some delicious Parmesan cheese.  We had fun preparing this dish together and I even put Drew to work on grating the cheese and mincing the garlic.  After baking the squashes for an hour, I was disappointed to slice them open and find a very firm, not spaghetti like, texture.  I felt stupid because I didn't know if I overcooked it or hadn't cooked it enough, so I put it back in the oven for 10 more minutes.  When it came out, I started to shred the insides as much as I could with a fork to create some kind of stringy concoction to put in my pan with oil and garlic.  Not only was I burning my hand, but I was overworking the other by forcing the squash to shred with a fork.  I was getting very frustrated when the squash was coming out as just a mushy pureé.  I continued to add the squash to the sauteé pan with a lot of minced garlic and a lot of oil and a little butter.  I mixed in the cheese and came out with something like closer to a spread.

Doesn't look like spaghetti to me?

As we were drinking wine and spreading this mixture over the baguette, I was disappointed by the fact it was not what I was trying to make, even though it still tasted very delicious.  Drew kept telling me I didn't have to define it or make a name for it, because it tasted good.  Butternut squash spread? Butternut squash pureé? Dip? Should I eat it with a fork or spread it on the bread?  Isn't that too much starch?? I gave up and stuffed my face with squash and bread.

Turns out, I wasn't a total failure.  After telling this story to my mother, she was like, "well you need a spaghetti squash to do that, a butternut squash won't work". Like, "duh Lauren, everyone knows that".  Turns out, it is good to look into ingredients you don't know about.  The experience taught me a lot about mishaps in the kitchen and how to adjust, and how to not let them get you too discouraged.  I ended up with a satisfying, yummy meal and learned something new about squash.  I also have a new determination to get a real spaghetti squash and make this dish.

Yes, we were eating on the floor

P.S. I don't know much about wine, but the consultant at Surdyk's sure did.  He took us directly to wine on sale called Chateau Ste Michelle, a Syrah from Columbia Valley, that was very delicious with the butternut squash, and I recommend it as a wine that is not overpowering and very complementary to bolder flavors.  But like I said, I'm only a wine connoisseur in training :).