Jammy Squash Carbonara
When hubtastic goes out-of-town for the weekend in the middle of summer, I know exactly where I’m going first- the farmers’ market, to load up on all the tomatoes and summer squash I can carry. Tomatoes I’m happy to eat out of hand, with just a little flake salt, but squash, in my mind, requires a little preparation, either raw in something lovely like a shaved zucchini salad, or cooked, like in today’s solo-dinner.
Fortunately, all my favorite publications are ripe (ha!) with ideas for squash at this time of year, so I had no shortage of ideas. One in particular caught my eye, though, because it’s so different from what I typically do with squash. Normally, I sear squash in a little butter and salt over super high heat, until it is almost black on the cut edges but still firm on the inside. But in a recent Bon Appetit magazine, they slowly cooked squash until it became soft and gelatinous, the perfect base for a simple pasta:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until very lightly browned around the edges, about 4 minutes. Add squash and increase heat to medium high; season with salt. Cook, tossing occasionally, until squash begins to break down. Turn down heat once it begins sticking, and continue to cook until the squash is jammy and soft, 12–15 minutes. Summer Squash and Basil Pasta
Since it was just me eating, I had to improvise a bit. And by a bit, I mean I kept the squash concept and changed just about everything else.
I was using brown rice vermicelli in another dish this week, so I replaced the tube pasta with one serving of that- no need to buy a separate ingredient just for myself! I brought the water to a boil while prepping all the other ingredients, including the garlic and squash, which I roughly diced in to bite-sized pieces (I bet a thinner slice would’ve worked better, but I was lazy). I had about 1 pound of squash, which, according to the recipe, is enough for 2 servings, but I figured I could eat it all myself because I LOVE squash. Also, I was able to eat a little less than a serving of the pasta, which made me feel much less weighed-down after the meal. I started cooking the minced garlic and squash in olive oil about 10 minutes before I threw in the pasta. I added a bit of salt and pepper flakes during the cooking process as well. Right about when the squash started to stick to the pan and lightly brown, I added the pasta to the boiling water. Then I cleaned up the cutting board, knives, etc. and got a plate ready while waiting.
Side note: some vermicellis come fresh, which means all you have to do is soak them in near-boiling water for a few seconds to minutes. Talk about convenience!
The pasta and squash were ready at just about the same time, and rather than draining the pasta, I used tongs to transfer it directly to the pan of squash before doing any finishing touches. I had a random egg yolk in my fridge (from extracting egg whites for cocktails earlier that day), which inspired me- instead of just adding pasta water at the end like the recipe suggests, I stirred in the yolk, whisked, with cheese and slightly-cooled pasta water (no curdled eggs here, please), and added that to the pasta/squash just like you would in a carbonara. Toss until gooey, smooth, and evenly-coated. The egg will be loose but no longer raw when the pasta is ready.
All in all, the dish was silky and luxurious, especially once topped with more parmesan, lemon zest, and tons of basil to add a little contrast. Honestly, I probably could have let the squash go a bit softer and jammy-er, but the pasta was ready and overcooked gluten-free pasta is, well, not food anymore. Also, I was hungry!
Next time, I’m thinking I’ll use the same squash technique atop rice, or maybe even toast. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll get hubtastic to eat squash someday…