The 24 Hour Vending Machine Store

So this is where you go when you get a Nutella craving at 3 in the morning!

Photo du Jour - Feathered Friends

Kate's rooster holding court in the gardens of Camont.

Mardi Matin

Tuesday is market day in Olonzac, a ten minute drive from our village. I look forward to it and have every week since we moved to France.
Almost all of my fruit and vegetable shopping is done at the market. I also buy eggs from a local farmer, goat cheese made a few villages away, our neighbor's honey, olives, olive oil, wonderful roast chicken and potatoes, used books, kitchen utensils, clothes, scarves and jewelry.




Each season has it's specialities.

Spring
strawberries
fennel
small, purple tinged artichokes
fava beans
radishes

Summer
cherries
melons
figs
peaches
eggplant
zucchini
tomatoes


Autumn
grapes
apples
pears
quince
wild mushrooms
chestnuts
walnuts
pumpkins

Winter
pomegranites
persimmons
citrus fruit
leeks
cabbage
swiss chard
brussel sprouts
winter greens















I usually get my shopping done early, especially in the summer when the heat and the crowds worsen as the morning goes on.
Then I take a seat at our favorite café, have a coffee and enjoy the rest of the morning.

Do Rutabagas Exist?

This is my box of organic produce, delivered today. It contains satsumas, Nantes carrots, yellow onions, red onions, spinach, rutabagas, Meyer lemons, Gold Blush apples, kiwis, lettuce, kale and leeks. Around 10 pounds of produce, maybe a bit more.

Prior to signing up for the delivery from Capay Organic, Farm Fresh to You I rarely cooked with Meyer lemons, rutabagas or kale. The only thing I knew how to do with kale was use it in soup called ribollita, that I learned to make in Tuscany. And what about rutabagas? Are they just a cross between rudimentary and bagels? No, they are most likely a cross between a cabbage and a turnip and not surprisingly taste vaguely cabbagey and turnipy. So what do I do with Meyer lemons? I promise to tell you tomorrow.

For great recipes using my farm fresh ingredients, I will be turning to Homegrown Pure and Simple a book I reviewed over at Bay Area Bites today. In particular there is a recipe for a Garden Vegetable and Potato Lyonnaise that sounds perfect for my rutabagas. While I didn't receive any broccoli or cauliflower they are both in season so you may want to try the Skillet-Browned Broccoli and Cauliflower with Pan-Toasted Garlic recipe. You can also check out author Michel Nischan's website for more recipes.

FOOD + GARDEN + COOKBOOK

Pasteis de Belem--Lisbon, Portugal

"I just returned from Lisbon and only have one thing to say - Belem Pasteis de Nata"


Thanks to a reader for reminding me of what is the can't miss taste of Lisbon. While there are wonderful wines, tasty sausages, perfect cups of espresso and crispy salt cod fritters that all deserve your attention, you haven't truly experienced Lisbon until you have made it through the winding labyrinth of the cafe and bakery, Pasteis de Belem, in a pretty waterfront neighborhood of Lisbon and had a few fresh warm pastries.

Belem is a lovely area, right near the river Tagus, with views of the 25 de Abril bridge which looks amazingly similar to the Golden Gate bridge. It's green and spacious and filled with elegant architectural wonders; there are museums, monasteries, gardens and an outdoor market to explore. But one bite of the pastry, and all that is forgotten.

Known as Pastel de Belem, Pastel de Nata, (pasteis is plural of pastel) this little egg tart is the original version of the one you might find in a dim sum parlor. The crust is layers of crisp flaky pastry and the custard is eggy and sweet and melts in your mouth. Originally they were made by nuns with the eggs that were given to them as offerings. While the pastries can be found all over, I even had good ones at the airport, they are most famous here, the first place they were sold outside of the convent. The blue and white tiled cafe also serves excellent coffee, and other things to nibble, such as salt cod fritters, but the pastries are what have people lining up and jockeying for tables. Dust them with cinnamon and powdered sugar, check out the production behind a glass window and enjoy a treat loved by tourists and locals alike.

While I finish catching up, feel free to check out a few of my favorite photos from Portugal.

Mango Cucumber Salad Recipes

Ok here's a crazy idea, one basic salad that can be either sweet or savory. I was trying to think of what to do with some mangoes coming my way from the National Mango Board this week and then I saw a tweet from @SimpleGourmetLA with the idea for a "mojito cucumber, mango and strawberry salad." It occurred to me that both cucumber and mango could go either way--sweet or savory.

I'm always looking for ways to use common ingredients in slightly unexpected ways. Here the twist is using cucumber in a sweet fruit salad and using sweet mango in a savory salad. English cucumber is available year round and does not need to be peeled. It has a very mild flavor and a fine texture without big slippery seeds. Best of all, it has a terrific crunch! I used the most commonly available mango, the Tommy Atkins variety in both salads. It's not a very tropical, luscious or creamy mango, but more of a workhorse, with citrus-like flavor, able and willing to stand up to whatever you demand of it. It's a bit on the firm side so it's particularly good in salads.

For the sweet salad I combined cucumber, mango and strawberries and for the savory version, cucumber, mango and radishes. You might recognize the ingredients from the savory salad as being similar to what you find Mexican street vendors selling. Each salad is flavored with lime, but the sweet salad gets a touch of honey and mint, the savory salad, a pinch of salt and green onion. Both are bursting with juiciness, crunch and Summery flavors and would be great at a picnic. I'd serve the savory salad with grilled fish or chicken. I'd serve the sweet salad with a scoop of sorbet or just a couple of cookies.


Mango, Cucumber, Strawberry Salad
Serves 4

1 Tommy Atkins mango, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1/2 large English cucumber, cut into chunks
1 pint strawberries, trimmed and cut in chunks
Juice of a fresh lime, squeezed
2 teaspoons honey
2 sprigs chopped fresh mint leaves, about 12 leves

In a mixing bowl combine the lime and honey and stir until smooth. Add the mango, cucumber, strawberries and mix. Sprinkle with mint and taste for seasoning before serving.


Mango, Cucumber, Radish Salad
Serves 4

1 Tommy Atkins mango, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1/2 large English cucumber, cut into chunks
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and cut into chunks
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Juice of a fresh lime, squeezed
Pinch kosher salt

In a mixing bowl combine the lime and salt and stir until dissolved. Add the mango, cucumber, radishes and mix. Sprinkle with green onions and taste for seasoning before serving.

Enjoy!

A Sad Week

We had a very tragic death in the family last week which has left me virtually incapable of writing. My husband's youngest son died a little over a week ago. It is an indescribable and heart-wrenching loss.
He is truly missed and it is hard to imagine the future without him.

Photo du Jour

The gorgeous garrigue. Full of wild thyme, wild fennel and wild boars!

Indulging

I'm going to make a shocking revelation: I'm not much into desserts in general, and French pastries in particular.

When I lived in the States, I had a pretty sharp sweet tooth, which I carried with me to France. But during my two pregnancies I craved salt -- no strawberries or ice cream for me. While I was expecting my second daughter, I used to heat up obscenely large quantities of already-very-salty frozen pommes dauphines -- a kind of potato puff -- and SALT them more for good measure before scarfing them down at 10 in the morning.

I never really lost that desire for salt -- I still sometimes salt things that don't really need it -- and I never got my sweet tooth back. I do enjoy simple, homemade French desserts like clafoutis, but have never gone in for the traditional pastries. I'm sure not going to make them myself, and I've often been disappointed with ones I've bought in bakeries.

That's probably because a lot of bakeries around here are just that -- bakeries and not pâtisseries with a trained pâtissier making his or her own pastries. And when I go to a "real" pâtisserie in Rodez, I'm usually attracted to the most imaginative creations. So I've hardly ever even tasted the basics of French pastries -- until now.

A small bakery in the nearby suburb of Sébazac has recently been taken over by a trained boulanger-pâtissier -- and we have started to indulge in his creations. He sticks to the basics, such as the pastries you see above (clockwise from top):

Chou au caramel

Mille-feuille

Moka

Eclair au chocolat

JM Pâtisseries et Pains (no link available) has definitely changed the way our family deals with Sunday dessert. I don't feel guilty about not making it anymore -- I just buy it!

Photo du Jour

An old, weathered Chocolat Menier sign.

The To Do List

I posted a To Do list yesterday. Here's how it is going so far...

1) I've made 3 cards.
2) I've been to the local post office who sent me to the nearest La Poste distribution center where I was told that sending a fax to the distribution center in Paris where my packages are was "pas possible" because they didn't have their phone or fax numbers and was told to go home and look on La Poste's website. I did. The website's window for tracking packages had a phone number, which I called. I spoke to a very nice, young woman, gave her my US Postal Service tracking numbers and she replied with "mais, ici ce n'est pas la Poste." (this is not the Post Office) Hmmm...confusing since I took their number from La Poste's website. She gave me another phone number, which I called and spoke to another nice, young woman who told me I had the wrong office. She gave me yet another phone number, which I called and heard a message telling me that they were experiencing technical difficulties, then hung up on me. sigh
3) the Carte Vitale...must go to Béziers for that and Monday and Tuesday are the busiest days at the CPAM office. The trip has been put off until Wednesday or Thursday.
4) I haven't made any cookies

But the day isn't over yet!

Photo du Jour - Green Almonds

Fuzzy, pale, fruity tasting green almonds make a brief appearance at the end of April. In just a few weeks their short season will be over. The outer shell will harden and the tender, ivory colored seed will wrinkle and mature.

Photo du Jour - Grapes

A lone little cluster of Muscat grapes that the vendangeurs left behind.

It seems my blog is lovely!

I have been given the One Lovely Blog Award by Petite Nyonya, a bogger from Singapore!
Although Petite Nyonya lives now in Singapore, she's proud to say she's a 'Nyonya Peranakan' from Melaka, Malaysia.

A Nyonya's Kitchen...for all seasons , her food blog, will make you want to be in Singapore! She is a talented cook who does unbelievable dishes, pastries, and .. pictures!

Petite Nyonya is one of those multitask bloggers who can run two blogs at a time.

In Places and Faces she tells us she enjoys traveling, meeting people and once in a while, ponder about the intriguing human lives and the nature that surrounds us! Her blog aims to encourage you to cultivate the same interest and joy.

Thank you for your recipes, thank you for taking me back to Singapore everytime I visit your blog, and thank you for the award!

I am pleased to send this award which comes from Asia to four different countries! I give it to 'round the world fellow bloggers who will pass it on!

Food Gourmand from Toronto, Canada

Carpediemdeando, from Spain

Tomatoes on the vine, from Tallahassee, Florida

Spoonfull of sugar, from Perth, Australia

Visit these blogs, they are truly lovely!

Welcome to my Blog!

It's a new year, and a new chance for me to finally start this blog. January is flying by, which means I'm already a bit behind on my new year's resolution to set up this blog. Oh well, it's not like anyone is reading this, right??!! I wonder if anyone will actually read my blog, if they'll like it or write a comment, and if they'll let me know if I'm sharing any useful or interesting information.

There are so many incredible food blogs out there already. I find it really amazing. I'll have to post my favorites soon. I notice that the same ones hit most of the lists anyway!

I'm really looking forward to 2008. I hope you are, too. So, all I want to say to anyone who happens to come across this, is welcome to my blog! Hope you join me as we go through this new year...as I return to Ecole Gregoire Ferrandi, for more intense training in the art of french cooking! Why am I doing this to myself??!! Must be for the love of food!

On self-sufficiency and sourdough

Forget the Ann Demeulemeester sex bag and all that snooty France stuff; give me a bull-scrotum bag and the open prairie, land of my birth. Forget the joys of a shower with excellent water pressure; all I need is the Red River and some pumice. Cast off the lacy lingerie and other things requiring delicate hand-washing; give me leather, rags, and a splintery washboard. And down with Mr. Pete, my

Photo du Jour - Stumbling Upon History

The remnants of La Chapelle de Saint Salvy sit quietly in a small thicket at the edge of the village.
A friend told me about this special place the other day so I went wandering until I finally stumbled across another amazing bit of local history.
Dated between the 8th and 12th centuries.

Sunday snack

What happens when Uruguayan and French culture collide?

Well, look at this picture and be daring!

You get the sweetnes of dulce de leche in a crepe robe (the classic "panqueque con dulce de leche") and the finesse of French Champagne!

This is what friend Marie Francoise and I enjoyed for our Sunday snack yesterday on my deck.

Note that the best dulce de leche in Uruguay is the one produced at the Tambo El Sosiego under the brandname LA PATAIA This huge jar of this sweet delicacy was given to me by my friend Nora while in Uruguay (she actualy gave me two such jars). Heavy but rewarding!

The Champagne was a bit too fruity for our taste, but its smooth bubbles gave a fun contrast to the sweetness of dulce de leche. The crepes were home made.

Buen provecho!

French home cooking: old meets new

Over the weekend de Pentecôte a few weeks back, we took a trip to see long-standing friends in Pamiers in the Ariège department, and then stopped in Dourgne in the Montagne Noire area of the Tarn department to see other long-standing friends.

Both treated us to delicious meals, but there was a clear generational difference. The Pamiers pals, of our generation, naturally have taken on the current French cooking style: lighter starters, an emphasis on presentation rather than quantity, individual servings.

The above scallop carpaccio served with artichoke hearts, lettuce, herbs and edible flowers was a work of art and a treat for the palate.

Our friends in Dourgne are in their eighties. Formerly charcutiers, or pork butchers who also specialized in pâtés, sausages and ready-made dishes, they carry on a rapidly-dying tradition of huge Sunday lunches abounding with simple but entirely homemade dishes.

A meal with them is an experience in abundance, generosity, and the culinary habits of a bygone area. Whenever we eat there, my daughters start counting. "There are five starters! Four desserts!"

These were the starters they served this time -- and it was a relatively modest spread compared to some meals we have enjoyed with them:

This time we feasted on three main starters, not counting the olives thrown in for good measure: cold beet salad, a delicious pâté, and this tray of macédoine de légumes, hard-boiled eggs, and cold ham stuffed with the macédoine:

Now remember, I'm talking starters here. A meal with these friends is an experience in pacing oneself -- and of course, they feel we never really eat enough.

Two different French culinary worlds -- and one that will certainly disappear with time.

My deck: I am proud

Yesterday a friend stopped by with a friend of hers, Marie France, who worked with floral designer Christian Tortu for some 14 years.
For those who do not know Christian Tortu , he's the Frenchman who reinvented the art of flowers, back in the late seventies. As this creative spirit's business grew, he had several shops in Paris. One of his shops was in Neuilly, a posh neighborhood where we lived when we came back from Asia. I remember passing by the shop on Avenue du Roule and stopping by to experience the enchantment!

Marie France is a true artist (and has a Master in Art from Sorbonne) and knows a lot about flowers. She runs a business related to floral decoration for special events.
We had a drink on my deck and she told me that my plants were very well taken care of and that the lay out of my plant pots and the choice of plants was "tres joli".
I am sooo proud! Thank you Marie France, your comment went straight to my heart, because yes, you're right, I do spend a lot of time taking care of my plants!

Easter Starter

Virtually all special French meals include a starter (entrée), and I'm a big fan of salads for this course. So I was pleased that the Elle à table menu which I had decided to prepare for Easter would get off to a green start. Also, some form of regular eggs -- as opposed to American-style Easter eggs -- are usually included in a French Easter meal, so this salad definitely fit the bill.

I told you in my previous post that I followed the menu to the letter, but of course that isn't really true; the suggested starter salad, "jeunes poireaux et asperges tièdes, oeufs mollets au parmesan," didn't arrive "à table" in its recipe form for a few different reasons.

In fact, of the four ingredients in the recipe title, only one really made it into my salad. But I can explain!

First, the recipe called for baby leeks, but I couldn't find any at the fruit and vegetable stand where I did my shopping. Since I am against running all over town to find an ingredient, both for time and ecological reasons, and since I knew I had a bag of fava beans (fèves) from Picard in the freezer, the leeks were replaced on the spot.

Hmmm, if I describe all of the changes, this post is going to get way too long...

Can you find the other two differences?

Recipe title translation: "baby leeks and warm asparagus, soft-boiled eggs with parmesan."

What's for lunch in Paris?

Cuisine Quotidienne covers a number of my favorite food subjects: cookbooks, cooking magazines, French food ingredients, and facing the kitchen after a long day at work. I am also interested in sharing how French people really eat, which can be quite different from the stereotypical images many Americans have.

I don't usually write posts simply to refer to other blogs, but today during my weekend blog-browsing, I ran into a new blog that I found especially intriguing: What's for Lunch? I don't know a lot about the blogger, but she is apparently an English-speaker living in Paris who writes about her lunches out in the City of Light. A quick look at the site will prove to you that the French are not always lunching on boeuf bourguignon and escargots!

(Photo by Tom Gallagher)

San Francisco Food Lover's Guide: Review

You might have noticed all my caveats about the Zagat Survey the other day. I have none to report for the fourth edition of Patricia Unterman's San Francisco Food Lover's Guide. As the last edition did, this one shall sit right next to the Zagat on my desk. In some ways it is almost the opposite of the Zagat, it is not a guide of popular opinion but rather one very enthusiastic eaters' opinion.

The guide is a staggering 562 pages and includes markets, bars, butchers, cafes, and a handful of recipes. A true guide to food in the Bay Area it also has many indexes that include where to eat after 10 pm, with kids, a seasonal produce guide, etc. In addition to San Francisco there are smaller sections on Berkley, Marin and the Wine Country. But the real reason to buy the book is the restaurant reviews. For years friends and family have called me for restaurant suggestions, owning this book is like having Unterman at your beck and call. Far from comprehensive, this is just an excellent selection of the best of the Bay Area.

For those who don't know, Patricia Unterman is a fixture in the Bay Area. She owns the beloved Hayes Street Grill, one of the best places to get seafood in San Francisco. She also writes restaurant reviews for the Eats section of the San Francisco Examiner where she routinely uncovers hidden culinary gems. She is also one of the founders and a board member of the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market.

At under $20 bucks this is a great gift for anyone who loves the Bay Area whether they are natives, newcomers or just here for a visit. And by the way, papa, if you're reading this, you can have last years edition.

Boulevard The Cookbook: Book Review

Boulevard is an opulent restaurant. Boulevard The Cookbook is opulent too. It's heavy and oversized, featuring luscious full page photographs and over-the-top recipes with luxurious ingredients. All your favorites are represented--heavy cream, wild mushrooms, foie gras, truffles, macadamia nuts, oysters, caviar, lobster, fine imported cheeses and chocolates. The recipes are in a word, involved. Frankly I doubt I will be cooking any of them. But I wholeheartedly recommend the cookbook nonetheless.

Cookbooks serve many purposes. The most obvious is to guide one in cooking. But a cookbook can also be a memento of a special occasion. A cookbook can be a source of inspiration and insight into creativity. It can teach techniques too. In all these ways the Boulevard cookbook is a gem. Fortunately the authors are aware of this:

"Many dishes in this book can be challenging, so consider making just one part of a dish, say the Lamb Porterhouse Stuffed with Broccoli Rabe and Melted Garlic, without the potato risotto. Or, just try the potato risotto the next time you broil some lamb chops."

Savour this cookbook as you would a meal. Enjoy all the details that make it special. Many of the recipes include four or five separate preparations to complete the dish. The kitchen and shopping notes in and of themselves are excellent. They are lessons in ingredients, substitution and technique.

And if you just have to be able to duplicate the Fried Green Tomato and Crispy Hama Hama Oyster "BLT" or if you truly need to know just what's in the Manjari Chocolate Truffle Tart with Salted Caramel Ice Cream, rest assured, your wishes have been fulfilled.

Growers and Grocers

I am now writing for an Internet site: Growers and Grocers . It's part of a new food blog network called Well Fed. I'll be covering food production and distribution issues, mainly from a European standpoint. Click by and take a look!

Provence flavors and friendship in Sanary

Weather was pretty bad in Paris beginning of June; gray skies and chilly days were the daily fare. So when my friend Michelle invited us for a long weekend in her beautiful house in Provence, by the Mediterranean, I promptly said yes!
Her husband is an excellent chef and a fine gourmet, and when he asked me what he had cooked the year before, when he had visited in January, I said it did not mind since I was ready to have encores! He found in the local market the freshest red mullets from the Mediterranean .... as well as other sea delicacies such as squid .. and more. The days was so great that he decided to prepare the whole meal on a very hot "plancha". We started with fresh tiny squids. You get a glance of the plancha in this picture. Then came the shrimps also done in the plancha and we ate them simply with sea salt. The main course was a plateful of red mullets that he had floured lightly. They were so fresh and delicious! Michele had prepared some fresh salads with local produce. And we had the sweetest cherries and apricots for desert.

As we do not see each other as often as we used to when they lived in Paris .. or in Baghada, where we actually met (we were neighbors), we chatted in the verandah while the meal was being prepared by our 5-star chef!

Sea Bass flambes with Pastis by Jean-Pierre

The last day in Provence, Jean-Pierre served Tamaris mussles "mariniere", that is simply steamed in some white wine with sea salt, garlic, and herbs. These mussles found only in the Toulon area, are big and full and have a unique hazlenut flavor. They have been grown in this area since 1890. The main course was a Sea Bass flambe with Pastis, all local ingredients. The sea bass is called Loup de Mer in the Mediterranean and Bar when it comes from the Atlantic Ocean. You may find some refined restaurants in the US (such as Fraiche in Santa Monica) serve Loup de Mer. Jean-Pierre chose one 3/4 Lb loup de mer per person. He cooked them in a medium oven on a bed of of dry fennel sticks, for 20 minutes. Out of the oven, he left them in the pan while he heated 1 cup of pastis (a local alcool made with anis and liquorice and other herbs) that he poured flambe on the fish. Sea bass and Pastis ... a true regal!

As in anything that you ignite (crepes Suzette among others) be very careful if you try this recipe to control the fire!

Bon appetit!

Cooking Secrets from David Chang

David Chang, James Beard Rising Star Chef for 2007, is one of the most hyped chefs in New York, so much so that he even jokingly once referred to himself as "overrated pseudo chef," in an interview at Serious Eats. Yet one of the reasons I wanted to go to New York was to hear David Chang present at the Gourmet Institute and to eat his food. I was not disappointed. His food is luscious, bold and sexy and his obsession with perfection and quality seem to fit comfortably with his innovative use of traditional techiniques and delectable flavor combinations.

There were three recipes and several techniques I learned from his session at the Gourmet Institute that I will surely be adding to my repertoire. First off he shared a recipe for "tare" which he described as a type of Japanese barbecue sauce that gets added to many dishes and sauces. The basic formula was 4 parts dark soy sauce, 1/2 part brown sugar and 1 part mirin. After allowing it to simmer he placed a knife (honing) steel he heated over a flame into the pot to infuse the sauce with smoky flavor.


Pickled mustard seeds were used as a garnish on braised pork belly with daikon and apple. It's another simple recipe I will play with using different types of mustard seeds, and can use as a finishing touch to add crunch and a pop of spice to all kinds of dishes, especially vegetables. Chang made them by combining 1/2 cup mustard seeds with a cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar and simmering until thick.


But the true focus of the session was on dashi, a "universal ingredient" according to Chang and one that can be used not only as a soup broth but also as a braising liquid. After demonstrating a more traditional method of making it using hand shaved katsuboshi or bonito flakes he also showed the audience his bacon version. The traditional version was used for a soup of cockles with fingerling potatoes, scallions and sea beans.


For the bacon dashi, Chang's technique was to simmer konbu (a type of dried seaweed) then add uncooked smoky bacon and allow it to steep like tea for 15 minutes, extracting the flavor and juices from the bacon. Could you use the same technique for making dashi with roasted tomatoes, porcini mushrooms or dried shrimp? Why not? Chang used the bacon dashi for a soup with salt-pickled Fall vegetables and a sliver of Benton Smoky Mountain ham. The pickled vegetables were made by curing sliced carrots, radishes and savoy cabbage with equal parts salt and sugar for an hour.

Next up--dinner at Momofuku Ssam Bar

Links to a few more David Chang articles and interviews:

David Chang profile on Eater

ABC Dateline David Chang interview and recipes

Chang on What the 21st Century will Taste Like from Esquire magazine

Spaghetti Squash salad with Tomatoes, Pepper and Onion

These crazy spaghetti squashes, have you seen these things?  You're not actually going to trick anyone into thinking they're eating pasta with this, so don't try.  I didn't even bother trying to pass this off as actual spaghetti with R, who is always a little incredulous about the all-veggie meal.  But, I really didn't have to either.  This dish was so good, fresh and bright tasting, not to mention healthy.  But the kind of healthy that makes you feel well-fed, not deprived.  

Boiling is not really the way to go with spaghetti squash, it kind of waters the vegetable down, which is not something you want.  In Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables: A Commonsense Guide, Elizabeth Schneider gives several alternative methods for cooking your squash, from steaming to boiling to baking.  I chose the latter technique in preparation for this recipe, which is adopted from the same book.

Baking Your Squash

The easiest, requiring only a few pricks of the fork?  Baking, for sure.  Just like baking a potato, you want to make a few small holes in the skin of the squash so it doesn't burst, then roast it in an oven preheated to 350 (or even 375 depending on if you're using your oven for other things as well).  It should take about an hour.  Once done, remove the squash and cut it in half right away so it doesn't continue to bake on the inside.  You can let it cool for a moment, then scrape out the seeds.  Using a fork, scrape out the strands of spaghetti squash into a colander.  Toss the strands with 3/4 teaspoon salt and let the squash drain while it cools completely.

Spaghetti Squash, Tomato, Pepper and Onion Salad

1 spaghetti squash, roasted as above

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

Pepper to taste

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, passed through a press

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup minced parsley

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes (Schneider suggests these be halved, but why bother?)

Mix the salt, pepper, vinegar and garlic together, then whisk in the oil.  Toss with the squash, onion, pepper and parsley.  Chill, covered.  Just before serving, add the tomatoes.

You may have noticed that there are no tomatoes in my pictures.  I forgot to add them before we were halfway threw our plate-fulls, at which time everything was dumped back into the bowl and the tomatoes were added.  I would never purposefully skip a tomato.