This classic is served up in a great many of the inexpensive street stalls and hole-in-the-wall eateries that make tacos de guisado, home-style preparations spooned into tortillas for hungry passersby. One bite and I’m back to my student days in Mexico City, when, with the little change in my pocket, I could fill up on tortilla-wrapped deliciousness at a little spot across from my school. There were a dozen or more preparations, all kept warm in earthenware cazuelas. We ordered like you do at a tapas bar, pointing to each preparation that appealed, then getting a plate covered with tortillas, a spoonful of traditional flavor on each one. I felt like I’d just eaten a meal with my grandmother, if she’d been Mexican and a really good cook.
Lots of Mexican cooks simply simmer their zucchini-like calabacitas with the traditional flavoring base of tomato and roasted poblano chiles. But I think the flavors are better if you sauté the calabacitas first to develop the unique richness that browning adds. Some cooks add cream, others don’t. To me, the velvety texture cream adds is a must.
These can be part of a larger taco spread, but, quite frankly, I think they make a perfect dinner all by themselves. And, if you have a Mexican grocery or farmers market nearby, seek out the light-green teardrop or round summer squash like the ones prized in Mexico. (The teardrop-shaped ones frequently go by the name tatume. They have a more compact texture and sweeter flavor than zucchini.)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, plus a little more if needed
- 1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini or Mexican round or teardrop-shape light-green calabacitas or other summer squash, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 ½ cups)
- Salt
- 2 large fresh poblano chiles
- 1/2 a medium white onion, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- About 10 ounces (1 large or 3 plum) ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped ---OR--- one 15-ounce can of tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), undrained
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 large ear fresh corn, husked, kernels cut from the cob (about 1 cup) ---OR--- 1 cup frozen corn
- A couple sprigs of fresh epazote, leaves roughly chopped ---OR--- a heaping cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema, crème fraiche or heavy (whipping) cream
- 3 ounces (about ¾ cup) crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese like goat cheese, mild feta or salted farmers cheese
- 12 warm corn tortillas
INSTRUCTIONS
Sear the squash. In a very large (12-inch) heavy skillet (cast iron is perfect here), heat the oil over medium-high. When hot, sprinkle the zucchini with salt and cook in a single layer, stirring regularly, until richly browned on a couple of sides, but still a little crunchy inside, about 4 minutes. Scoop onto a rimmed baking sheet, leaving behind as much oil as possible.
Roast the chiles. Roast the poblanos over a gas flame or close up under a hot broiler, turning them until blackened all over, about 5 minutes for open flame, 10 minutes for broiler. Cool until handleable, rub off the blackened skin, pull out the stem and seed pod, then briefly rinse to remove any stray bits of skin or seeds. Cut into squares 1/2-inch or a little smaller.
Make the flavoring base. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add a little more oil if there’s not enough to coat the pan generously. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until the onion softens and browns a little, about 5 minutes. While the onion is cooking, with a blender or food processor, turn the tomatoes into a smooth puree. Add the garlic to the onions and stir for a minute or so, then stir in the tomatoes, poblano, corn and epazote. Let cook until the tomatoes have reduced almost to the consistency of a tomato paste, about 4 minutes.
Finish the dish. Add the squash to the tomato mixture along with the crema or its stand-in. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the squash thickly, 3 to 4 minutes (you don’t want the sauce running out of your tacos!), then taste and season with salt, usually about a scant teaspoon. Scoop into a serving dish and scatter on the fresh cheese. You’re ready to serve, along with warm tortillas for everyone to use for making tacos.
Playing around: Any summer squash works beautifully here, so use what you find (especially what you find at a farmers market). I like roasted red peppers (especially red poblanos or Anaheim/New Mexicos) as an alternative to poblanos here; if they’re not picante, I’d add some chopped canned chipotle chiles.
