Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti Squash...

For those of you looking for gluten free ideas for Thanksgiving, try this Spaghetti squash dish from The Forest Feast Mediterranean, inspired by our time in Italy. Buon appetito!

Cacio e Pepe Spaghetti Squash

Cacio e pepe (which translates to cheese and pepper in Italian) is a very simple pasta dish I have adapted by substituting spaghetti squash for the pasta. This dish calls for a good amount of freshly ground black pepper and finely grated Parmesan cheese.

CACIO E PEPE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

recipe from The Forest Feast Mediterranean

1 c (50 g) finely grated Parmesan

2 T olive oil

1 T butter

lots of black pepper

salt

Cut a medium (approx. 2 lb/910-g) spaghetti squash in half lengthwise & remove all the seeds and strings. Place on a baking sheet cut-side up & sprinkle with olive oil & salt.

Bake at 375° F (190°C) for 1 hour. You’ll know it’s done when you scrape a fork on the flesh & it separates easily into spaghetti-like “noodles.” If not, cook for 10 more min. When ready, using a towel to hold the hot squash, scrape all the “noodles” into a mixing bowl.

While hot, mix in the remaining ingredients (cheese, olive oil, butter, pepper, salt). Enjoy hot!

For more veggie side ideas for your Thanksgiving menu, check out this story from Mother mag posted yesterday.

And for more squash ideas…

Yellow Squash Ribbon Quiche (vegetarian)

Roasted Acorn Squash with Sage Butter (gluten free)

Coconut-Curry Butternut Soup (vegan)

Persimmon Squash Salad

Persimmons are my favorite autumn fruit and I was so excited to share this recipe on Design Sponge on Friday- it’s a great, alternative Thanksgiving side salad. Trees around the Bay Area are bursting with persimmons right now and my friend, photographer Topher Simon, let me come over and pick from (and photograph!) his tree. Be sure when eating persimmons raw you choose the Fuyu variety- they are more squat and crunchy. The other more oblong variety leave a pasty taste in your mouth when eaten raw- they  are meant for cooking with.

Check out the Design Sponge post of this recipe for more photos and detailed instructions. Enjoy!

By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast

Pesto Deviled Eggs

Pesto Deviled Eggs! A fun appetizer when entertaining (or on your own while cooking dinner with a martini!). The avocado replaces some of the mayo and yolk in the filling so they are creamier and lighter. More photos and the full recipe are in my Guest Recipes post in Anthology Magazine this week.

By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast

Heirloom Tomato and Parmesan Quiche

The heirlooms that are coming in our CSA box right now are so flavorful! I sliced them up and laid them in a quiche for a light dinner with salad. I bought a roll of pre-made pie crust, but you could certainly make your own. For a richer egg mixture, use cream instead of milk. Depending on the size of your pie dish, this make take more or less than 40 minutes to cook- just give it a jiggle in the oven to see if the egg had hardened. You can lay foil over the top of the quiche half way through cooking to keep your crust from getting too brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with salt and pepper.

Photos, Illustration and Recipe by Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast