Recipe Redux: Butternut Squash Rosemary Noodles

Asking someone who cooks what their favorite kitchen tool will most definitely bring a Joy of Cooking worthy monologue. Possibly with a Julia Child voice. I'm not sure how many glasses of wine in this question is, so it's possible.

I have a favorite wooden spoon. A favorite blender. A favorite linen dish towel (Thank you very much Elizabeth for the cooking conversion chart tea towel). You get the picture. But in order for us to get on with this recipe, I particularly like the mandolin. Or as my husband once got confused and named it...a banjo. Very close.

A mandolin allows super thin slices of everything. It's what I used for this black radish salad,  dainty hour devours and it's perfect for creating veggie pasta noodles. When the weather gets chilly and your craving a cozy herb dish, I think it's a great idea to use vegetables to create 'pasta' for a nutrient rich dish.

  

Butternut Squash Rosemary Noodles

• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions: To create noodles, slice open a butternut squash and remove seeds. Try to slice to create a flat plane surface. Place the squash flesh side down onto the mandolin. This will create thin matchsticks. Bring water to a boil and add 'noodles'. Cook until soft, but not so much that they fall apart.

In a small pot, add butter, minced garlic and chopped fresh rosemary. Heat and brown slightly. Serve over butternut noodles.

This dish was well loved by the husband and I'm calling this a winner too. The noodles have a sweet rich flavor that makes you skeptical you're really eating winter squash. Get a mandolin so you too can make veggie noodles and have a healthy vehicle for any sauce. Maybe that does make the mandolin favorite worthy.

Do you play favorites in the kitchen? Or do you claim category favorites too?