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Friday, September 11, 2009

Opo in a Roasted Eggplant Sauce


Opo. Aside from it being a word in the Philippine language, it is also a type of long squash with a taste similar to a zucchini. Actually, in the Philippines it's called Upo. These green veggies can grow from 6-inches to 36-inches long and as thick as having a 12-inch diameter. From the pic below, I think I got 4-5 pounder that was roughly a foot or so longer. It's also goes by another name Bottle Gourd. You can find out more about this squash here. Those suckers can get HUGE.


Anyway, I turned this giant squash into spaghetti strips using my little handy-dandy do-dad with melon baller attached. You can use a grater also to cut them into strips. Just grate them lengthwise.



I sauteed the strips in a little olive oil and minced garlic.  For the sauce, I roasted the eggplant then pureed it in the food processor. After, I combined it with some sour cream, chopped green onion, herbs and some shredded crab meat. The crab is optional, if you want to keep this dish purely vegetarian. Then I mixed it all together and presto. Veggie noodles in sauce. You can use zucchini if you're not able to find opo in any markets.

Don't mind its appearance, but trust me when I say this really tastes super good and healthy, too.

Serves 2



Opo in an Roasted Eggplant Sauce


1 large Opo or 2-3 large zucchini - shaved into strips

Eggplant Sauce:
1 large eggplant
3-4 Tbsp sour cream
1 green onion - finely chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp dry parsley
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

1/2 c chopped crab meat - cooked and free of any shell (optional)


Preheat your broiler.

Divide the eggplant in half and lightly drizzle and coat them with some olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and broil until browned and roasted. Roughly 5-6 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let them cool before scooping out the flesh from the skins. Mash them really well or pureĆ© them in the food processor. Place in a bowl and add the sour cream, parsley, green onion and the optional crab meat. Season with a little salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Cut the opo or zucchini in half and scoop out the seeds. Shave the halves into thin spaghetti like strips. Or shred them into pieces. You may peel them from the skins, if you prefer.

Once you've shaved them, drizzle a little olive oil in a pan and saute the garlic for 30 sec, then add the opo /zucchini strips and saute them as well for a few minutes until they are tender.  Roughly 5 min.

Then add the eggplant sauce mixture and combine well. Stir occasionally for another 3-5 min.

Serve warm.


40 comments:

Miranda said...

YEAH! I am the first to comment..ahaha

Another great dish. You always have unique and flavorful posts.


Thanks...

Mardi Michels said...

Hmmm - I *think* we saw those gourd=like veggies in Laos this summer... Great idea to use the melon baller to make "pasta".

Debbie said...

What a different dish! It sounds delicious. I love trying different foods and recipes. Yours cookies also look great. I have a real sweet tooth! My weakness!

Heather S-G said...

I don't think I've seen one of these before. It does sound like a nice, healthy dish...love the "spaghetti" strands :)

chow and chatter said...

this looks so so good, yummy, and with crab wow

Unknown said...

I've never seen this veggie before. I think i would really like this dish though, because i am a big fan of babaganoush (its a roasted eggplant version of hummus).
Have a fantastic weekend Jenn!

Sanghi said...

yum yummmm!

Parita said...

Fantastic recipe! i jumped when i saw roasted eggplant sauce..one of my new fav :)

Dewi said...

Eggplant sauce sounds so delicious Jenn!

theUngourmet said...

I don't really go for eggplant usually but this looks so interesting a tasty. I might just like it this way. ;0)

Pam said...

It sounds really, really delicious. I've never had Opo before.

lisaiscooking said...

It sounds really delicious! I love spaghetti strands made from squash, and the sauce sounds great.

Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction said...

Sounds tasty... Love the use of the eggplant sauce! Do you think it would work with yellow squash or zucchini instead of the opo?

Jenn said...

Miranda: hehe...

Eatlive: They're pretty prominant throughout Asia.

Debbie: Thanks.

Grilichef: you can definitely use zucchini if you can't find these.

CC, Sanghi: ;-D

HH: The sauce is really good.

Parita: Cool

Elra, Lisa: Thanks.

Ungourmet: Give it try.

Pam: you'd find it in various Asian markets.

Jen: Definitely! Opo isn't widely available, so zucchini or squash is a good substitute.

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a different dish. It really sounds delicious. I appreciate folks who share this kind of recipe. It's really out of the ordinary for most of us. Thanks.

The Duo Dishes said...

That's huge! You could feed an army. Or just us. The crab sounds nice in there.

Donna-FFW said...

I just gotta go here, I love the picture of the gigantic squash, makes me feel all fuzzy inside;)

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

I don't think I've ever had opo. I'll have to look for it...

The roasted eggplant sauce sounds great! It would go well with so many dishes....

Christo Gonzales said...

I have seen these and am always curious about them - now I know - thanks for the heads up!

zerrin said...

I adore eggplant nad I can have anything with it. But sauces with eggplant take my special attention.

Jenn said...

Mary, Zerrin: ;-D

Duo Dishes: It'll deinitely feed you guys.

Donna: lol

Andrea: Thanks.

doggy: no prob.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great dish, the eggplant sauce is excellent here!

pigpigscorner said...

The sauce sounds really good! Love the addition of crab meat.

Jenn said...

5 Star, pigpigscorner: Thanks.

Reeni said...

I want a spaghetti strand maker. That is so neat! This is such a unique and creative dish. A delicious 'mess' as I like to call it!

teresa said...

oh my gosh, this looks like such a fun dish, and the crapmeat is like a little bonus!

Jenn said...

Reeni: Hehe...

Teresa: ;-D

Phyllis said...

Super clever - I've only seen this type of veggie 'pasta' with spaghetti squash before. I've never tried Opo before, was the one you got bitter tasting? And still loving that doo-dad thingy!

Anonymous said...

I've never heard of opo. Very cool!

Fearless Kitchen said...

I could have used something like this last night... sigh. It looks delicious!

Jenn said...

Phyllis: No the one I was was pretty young still so it very much tasted like a zucchini.

Jenn said...

Hummingbird, Fearless: ;-D

OysterCulture said...

Oh yum - I love the sound of this - any thoughts of publishing a recipe book?

Jenn said...

Oyster: I've been debating it for a while

Viagra Online said...

First time I prepare this recipe was last year and everybody asked me if it was a kind of dough instead of a great dish. them when everybody tasted it they told me that it was delicious.

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Barb said...

I've seen these in stores and finally brought one home. I sauteed some in oil & garlic etc. and they're quite mild, more flavor than a zuchini. AND I peeled some and ate with hummus!! Great!! Will also use in soups and stews. Grated they can probably be "hidden" in lots of Italian or Mexican recipes.

Anonymous said...

This was amazing. Honestly I wasn't expecting it to, you know because when is something so healthy, this tasty. But it was! I am constantly looking for ways to cook opo because I hated it as a kid and my husband still hates it. But it is so nutritious. Thank you so much for this recipe.

Unknown said...

What is that tool called, and where can I get one? Love it! Never seen one, and I'm a kitchen gadget fanatic.
Thank you,
Lydia

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