The spaghetti squash and the very old cheese.

A few nights ago I wanted some nice cheeses to go with the lovely avocado, grapefruit and endive salad I made. I headed over to Provenance where I found two seminal cheeses: the first an immaculate handmade double-cream cheese that is about the freshest cheese I've ever tasted, and the second an eight year old gouda that is so tart and rich and full that the tiniest bite got the best of me.

The gouda, which stars in tonight's meal, was bright white, dry and crumbly, freckled with those mysterious little crunchy specks that you find in high-quality parmigianos or pecorinos. And the taste of this cheese was really quite astonishing - I cut myself a thin slice to dress my excellent albeit overpriced crackers - and I could not even finish that mere sliver of cheese. It was simply too strong (and I fancy myself quite brave when it comes to strong cheeses)! So this is what happens when one ages a cheese for Eight Whole Years!

Since its texture reminded me so much of a parmigiano, I thought I might be able to use the gouda as I would that more familiar cheese. I looked to the lovely little spaghetti squash perched on my baker's rack, just waiting to be all roasted up and then shred to bits. Surely this bright and vivacious fruit could mellow even the sourest and crotchety-est of old cheeses!

Spaghetti squash with caramelized onions and the very old cheese

The surprise of this dish was all the many layers of sweetness: the rich roasted garlic, the creamy onions, the tangy tomatoes, and the fresh sweetness of the squash itself.
I, unfortunately, grew weary of waiting for my onions and didn't allow them to caramelize properly; I have since learned a valuable lesson about patience.

One small spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
Olive oil, pepper and salt
2 tbs of olive oil
1 tbs of butter
5 small sweet yellow onions, halved through the poles and thinly sliced
1 scant teaspoon of sugar
8 sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/4 cup grated very old cheese (for example, an eight year old gouda)
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1/2 cup roasted salted pecan halves

Roast the squash:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour just enough water into a 9 x 11 baking dish to barely cover the bottom, and place squash halves cut side down with 2 garlic cloves and one bay leave tucked underneath each squash half. Roast until almost tender, about 45 minutes, anticipating as you wait how the sweet roasted garlic flavor will gently infuse the squash. Now flip the halves over, placing garlic and bay leaves in the squash "bowls." Sprinkle generously with olive oil, pepper and salt, and roast until tender, about 10 more minutes; discard garlic and bay leaves. I like my squash to be a bit crisp and not at all soggy; the squash is ready when a fork raked around the edges pulls the flesh into curious twisting threads. Let the squash rest for about 10 minutes before you scrape it from the rind.

Caramelize the onions:
Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy skillet. When the oil is hot, add the butter, allowing the foam to subside and the butter to begin to brown. Add the onions, a sprinkling of sugar, and saute until the onions begin to color. Lower heat and PATIENTLY allow the onions to caramelize, about 35 minutes or even more. The onions are done when they are a deep golden brown, sweet and melting.

Add the julienned tomatoes and stir, then add the vermouth to deglaze. The tomatoes that I have been using lately are very, very soft and need absolutely no re-hydration; you may need to soak your tomatoes in boiling water (per package instructions) if your tomatoes are of the drier sort. Allow the vermouth to cook off, and then remove from heat.

Assemble the meal:
Toss together the squash, onions and cheese until well blended. Season to taste with pepper and salt, and top each serving with the pecans.