What We’re Cooking This Week: Calabacitas con Tomatillos

Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.

Calabaza means squash in Spanish, and just like how when Italians add “ini” to indicate something smaller, the diminutive suffix lets us know that calabacitas are, well, zucchini. Mexicans cook the little squash with corn and tomato as a side dish or meatless taco filling. Most of the ingredients are in the produce section all year, but this is really best with fresh corn.

And while it’s basically a one pot dish, I like to cook the zucchini first, take it out of the skillet, cook the other stuff, and then add it back just before serving. It helps prevent the summer squash from getting overcooked and mushy.

Tomatillos aren’t typically found in calabacitas, but I’ve got a few plants growing in my driveway garden, and they’re prolific, so I often add the tart little nightshades to whatever I’m cooking. They go well with all the summer vegetables, and fruit with a slightly yellow cast to the papery outer hull has a subtle sweet flavor.

Recipe:

3 6-to-8-inch zucchini

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large Anaheim chile, chopped

4-6 golf ball-sized tomatillos, chopped

1-2 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 ears corn, kernels cut from husks*

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher-style sea salt

½ lime

1 bunch cilantro

*You don’t need to cook the corn, but it’s easier to cut the kernels off without sending them all over the kitchen if you put the ears in a pot of cold water, heat it until it’s almost but not quite boiling, then turn it off and let the corn sit for about 5 minutes.

Trim the ends from the zucchini and cut them into ¾-inch-thick discs. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and when it’s shimmering, carefully add the zucchini pieces one at a time, cut side down. If they’re wet they’ll splatter, so pat them with a towel first if you see little moisture beads on them. Let them cook for a couple of minutes, then flip one over to see if it’s getting brown. If so, flip the rest as they brown and cook for another few minutes. When most of the zucchini is nicely colored, remove it from the skillet and set aside.

Cook the onion and chile in the same skillet, adding the other tablespoon of oil and the salt. Add the corn kernels, tomatillos, and tomatoes; reduce heat to an active simmer and let the mix cook for another 50 minutes, longer if the tomatoes were extra juicy and the liquid needs reducing.

Take the pan off the heat and add the cooked zucchini. Chop the cilantro (the stems have lots of flavor, and you can chop them very small if you don’t mind how they look) and add it to the skillet. Squeeze the lime over it, taste and add salt if needed. Serve hot or at room temperature.