A Vegetable Pasta That’s Quick

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Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Red leaf lettuce with shaved dry Jack cheese and garlic vinaigrette dressing

Bread sticks

Irish cream liqueur over chocolate ice cream

Spaghetti squash, or vegetable spaghetti--which I like to call “nature’s pasta”--is available year round, but it is particularly appealing in summer as a light substitute for real pasta. When you cook the squash and scrape out the flesh with a fork it forms strands that look exactly like pasta.

Spaghetti squash comes in many sizes; the larger ones produce thicker and more flavorful “spaghetti.” Oval in shape and yellow-to-cream in color, spaghetti squash is best when it has no bumps, spots or greenish tones.

Salsa puttanesca is a delicious quick pasta sauce that originated in Naples but is now popular throughout Italy. Capers, olives and anchovies are responsible for its distinctive flavor. Be conservative when adding anchovies--they vary in strength. If the quantity of anchovies given here makes the sauce too mild, add some oil from the can for more flavor.

Roasting the tomatoes over the flame of a burner or under a broiler gives added flavor. Roast until blackened, then remove the skin. (You may want to leave some of the charred skin on for flavor.) If you do not want to take the time to roast the tomatoes, simply loosen their skins by plunging them first in boiling water, then in cold water; then peel.

Red leaf lettuce topped with large pieces of very thinly shaved dry Jack cheese provide the perfect accompaniment to the pasta sauce. Purchase bottled garlic dressing at the supermarket or make your own.

For a soothing dessert to a pungent meal, try pouring some Irish cream liqueur over chocolate ice cream.

SPAGHETTI ALLA PUTTANESCA

Staples

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic

Salt

Crushed hot pepper

Shopping

1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) spaghetti squash

2 pounds large tomatoes

1 large red onion

1 (8.5-ounce) bottle dry oil-cured olives

1 (1 3/4-ounce) can flat anchovies

1 (5-ounce) jar capers in balsamic vinegar

Optional Side-Dish Shopping

Red leaf lettuce

Dry Jack cheese

Bread sticks

Irish cream liqueur

Chocolate ice cream

Garlic vinaigrette dressing

1. Cut 1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) 14 to 18 minutes or until squash feels tender. When squash is done, use fork to loosen strands of squash from shell. Keep warm.

2. Roast 2 pounds tomatoes on long-handled fork over burner to blacken skins. Remove skins. Core and dice tomatoes.

3. Mince 1 cup red onion and 3 cloves garlic. Pit and coarsely chop 1/2 cup dry oil-cured olives.

4. Drain 1 (1 3/4-ounce) can flat anchovies and reserve oil. Mince anchovies.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet. Add and saute onion and garlic until almost tender. Add anchovies and continue to saute.

6. Add tomatoes, 3 tablespoons capers, 2 teaspoons vinegar juice from capers, or to taste, and olives. Saute just until tomatoes are tender and sauce forms with tomato juices, 5 to 10 minutes. Add salt and crushed hot pepper to taste. If stronger anchovy flavor is desired, stir in anchovy oil to taste. Serve sauce over spaghetti squash strands.

Makes 4 servings.