Calabacitas...it's a New Mexico thing.

We are suffering from a condition known as "Holy cats! What are we going to do with all this squash?!?!" Having lived here more than 3 years, I figured it was time to venture into the realm of Calabacitas, a New Mexican dish that has as many variations as Grandma's Chicken Soup. I hunted around, compared recipes, then played around, and this is what I came up with...


Chop your onions and saute them in olive oil until soft. I don't measure the olive oil. I just swirl some into the bottom of my 12" cast iron skillet until it looks like it will be enough. Medium to medium high heat will work to start.
I used zucchini and another summer squash. In the past I have used patty pan. Any type of summer squash will work just fine. If there are large seeds, however, you may want to get rid of them.

Add the squash to the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium low. Add in the green chiles and garlic. Stir well and cover. Somehow I missed a picture with the chiles. The heat of chiles you use is entirely to your taste. We had New Mexico mild on hand, which has just a slight bite to it. Because of that, I only removed some of the seeds (the seeds and the veins in the chiles carry the heat). If I had a particularly hot chile, I might use less. If you are not fortunate enough to live where you can purchase freshly roasted green chiles (or grow and roast them yourself) canned chiles will do.

While that is cooking get your spices and corn ready. Shuck your corn and remove silks. Then slice the kernels off. It's OK if they come off in little planks.
 
 After 20 minutes, remove the lid, add in the corn and spices. Then cook for an additional 5 minutes. I leave the lid off for this.

 After 5 minutes, take the lid off and stir in the almond milk and grated cheese. Stir constantly to keep it from sticking. The amount of milk and cheese is enough to give it a light sauce - not heavy at all. Of course, you can always leave out the cheese if you don't eat milk products. If you don't want as much sauce, you can simmer away some of the liquid before adding the milk and cheese.

If you are looking for a crisp-tender squash dish this one is not for you. But the combination of flavors is fabulous! 


Calabacitas

 Ingredients

~4 teaspoons olive oil
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
2 large or 4 small summer squash (any variety), thinly sliced
2 c green chiles of desired heat, chopped, seeded or not - depending on preference
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ear corn
1/2 tsp cumin
12 grinds pepper
12 grinds salt
1/4 c almond milk
3/4 c grated cheddar

  1. Heat large skillet with olive oil and saute the onion until soft. Stir in the squash, green chiles and garlic.
  2. Cover and cook 20 minutes.
    3.
  3. Add the corn and seasonings. Cook an additional 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in the milk, then add the cheese slowly, stirring constantly to prevent sticking until cheese melts.

 

Comments

  1. Susan ScottAugust 18, 2018 at 12:15 PM

    I now make this with chunks of squash cooked al dente instead of thinly sliced squash. I think I prefer the new method.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I would love to hear feedback or about any adaptations you have made to any recipes.

Popular posts from this blog

Chicken Philly Cheesesteak

Image
 OK, I want to start by saying that I know that saying "chicken" and "cheesesteak" together is a bit confusing, and may even be considered sacrilegious by some. However, last week, I found a recipe by a similar name and decided to "Sue-ify" it. What follows is that recipe. A note about serving size: Chuck and I don't have huge appetites any more. So, while this might give us two meals, it likely will need to be doubled if you are serving people with larger appetites. Chicken Philly Cheesesteak By Susan Scott Serves 4  Ingredients 2 cups cooked, diced (or shredded chicken) 1 large red bell pepper, cut in strips 1 medium onion, sliced in strips 2 cups sliced mushrooms ~ 2 Tbl olive oil ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon paprika (I used sweet smoked) ¼ teaspoon chili powder (I used chipotle) ¼ teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon dried thyme ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram ¼ teaspoon dried basil 4 slices of Swiss cheese 4 ro...
Read more

Cabbage with Hot Bacon Dressing

   My husband and I love cabbage prepared all kinds of ways. Recently, as I was planning our dinner, I decided to buy some bacon, because...well...bacon. After I cooked the bacon then added the onions to the leftover bacon fat, the smell took me back to German potato salad. So, I grabbed my dad's old recipe, and our dinner was transformed. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but just picture chunks of cabbage with diced onion and bacon. Cabbage with Hot Bacon Dressing ~3-4 cups cabbage, chopped in large squares 2 slices thick bacon, diced                      1 cup onion, diced fat from bacon                                          1/4 c vinegar 2 Tbsp water    ...
Read more

Fruit and Nut Stuffed Acorn Squash (Slow Cooker)

Image
I have been wanting to make acorn squash stuffed with apples and Craisins, but I kept getting held up because I couldn't find a recipe I wanted. I will also admit that on these occasions I had not planned far enough ahead to allow myself some time to do research. I just wanted to magically land on the perfect recipe. Never happened. But what did magically happen is I finally started the process early enough to do some research and create my own recipe! And to keep life sane, I cooked it up in a slow cooker.  I think it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself ;) Wash you squash (hey, it's fun to say!) and cut in half from stem to bottom - you'll want to use a heavy, sharp knife for that. Clean out the seeds and squash strings - you have to scrape pretty good to get them out. Lay a strip of foil in your slow cooker and set the acorn squash halves in. Isn't it cool how you can crumple up the foil to help the squash sit level. Peel, core...
Read more