Spaghetti Squash with Labneh & Shishito Peppers

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The mild-mannered (and flavored, for that matter) spaghetti squash gets all dressed up in this recipe from chef Charlie Foster. The Woods Hill Table (and Woods Hill Pier 4) chef serves the harbinger of fall over labneh, a soft, cream cheese made from strained yogurt (like an amped-up Greek yogurt), and topped with pumpkin seeds for a little crunch and shishito peppers for a hint of heat. Foster smokes his labneh in-house for added depth (which you can learn to do here) or see if you can find an already-smoked labneh at a Middle Eastern specialty shop.

Details

Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled & juiced
  • 1/2 pint organic ketchup
  • 1/4 pint organic molasses
  • 1/4 pint Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 pint raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon organic garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon organic onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
  • 1 tablespoon coriander
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 2 star anise pods
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seed
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cloves
  • Kosher salt as needed
  • 2 large spaghetti squash, roasted
  • 1 pint smoked labneh
  • Toasted pumpkin seed as needed
  • Shishito peppers, as needed

Directions

  1. Combine all the ingredients except spaghetti squash, labneh, pumpkin seeds and shishito peppers, and cook on medium-low heat until juice naturally thickens.
  2. Strain, adjust seasonings with salt.
  3. Toss with spaghetti squash.
  4. To serve, spread smoked labneh on a shallow-rimmed bowl or plate, add spaghetti squash mixture on tap and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds and shishito pepper rings.

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