With no time to stop at the store, I did a quick mental inventory of my fridge and decided on this:
Calabasitas (squash) is something my sister in-law showed me how to make years ago. Since then, I have torn this recipe apart and made it several different ways. The following method is my favorite, I think. It takes a few extra steps (read: more dirty dishes), but it's worth every bite!
Start with some yellow and zucchini squash. Rinse them off and slice them width-wise. I grew these over the summer, and we ate them grilled, fried, sauteed, and boiled. Delish!
Next, grab some fresh yellow or white corn. Using a super-sharp knife, slice the kernels off the cob. I did not grow these over the summer, but you can find locally-grown corn in just about any grocery store this time of year.
I have a good friend I would like you to meet. Her name is Carzalia, and despite being great friends, I just lopped her head off. She is yummy! Carzalia sweet onions are grown by my friends the Johnsons over in the Carzalia Valley, just south of Deming on the U.S./Mexico border. I. Love. Them. If you aren't fortunate enough to find a Carzalia sweet where you are, any sweet onion will do. Dice it up.
You'll also need some green chile. I used about 4 long Sandia chiles, and it was good. More (and possibly hotter) would have been even better.
Next, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.
Throw in the onion, green chile and corn and sautee over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent. Give it a good coating of salt and pepper. I always use a pepper grinder because fresh cracked pepper makes all the difference, in my humble opinion.
I should confess that all of these photos were taken with my iPhone because the battery on my Nikon was muerto (dead). Please forgive the imperfections and shadows.
While the onion, green chile and corn are cooking, grab a box of chicken stock (about 4 cups).
Pour the stock into a large pot and bring it to a boil.
Then dice up a perfectly ripe tomato, or two. Whatever you're feeling like that day. On this day, I felt like two tomatoes.
Add the squash and the tomatoes to the chicken stock. Don't be like me and insist on using your Grandma's Le Creuset to do this. While I love this skillet more than just about anything in my kitchen, I needed something bigger.
Cook the squash and the tomatoes until the squash is just about fork-tender, or maybe sooner. (You're going to bake everything together and that will soften the squash, too.)
Throw everything together in a large bowl and blend. Now that I see this photo, the next time I make this I might not boil the tomatoes but instead add them in at this point. Boiling tomatoes gives the squash a nice flavor, but they all but disappear. All you have left are skins!
Layer everything in a casserole dish with about 2 cups of cheese. I used Monterey Jack and cheddar. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Perfecto!
This makes my mouth water. So good! Try it before all the fresh veggies are gone.
Here's a quick cut-and-paste version:
Calabasitas!
4-6 squash (yellow and zucchini work best)
3 ears of white or yellow corn, kernels sliced off the cob
4 long green chiles, diced
1 large sweet onion
2 tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups chicken stock
2 large vine-ripe tomatoes
2 cups Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (or both!)
Preheat oven to 350. Sautee corn, green chiles and onion in butter until onion is translucent. Set aside.
In a large stock pot, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add squash and tomatoes and boil until squash is almost fork-tender. Drain.
Add squash and tomatoes to the sauteed veggies. Layer in a large casserole dish with cheeses and bake for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
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