Monday, 03 January 2011

• Recipe: Nontraditional Calabaza con Pollo

  There's a saying in Texas about non-Texans: "You weren't born here, but you got here as fast as you could!"

  
  Well Mister and I were both born in Texas, but only one of us had the good fortune to have a Hispanic background. I, on the other hand, over-compensated for being the whitest kind of German by learning Spanish at a young age and living in the "darker" side of town. I have fond memories of Mexican food from my childhood, which quickly faded to make room for chicken tenders and macaroni. *sigh*
  
  Luckily, the spark has been revived. Cooking comfort food for us almost always includes rice and beans. Today I got the craving for my Mister's squash and chicken stew (extra spicy!) to ward off the cold weather.
  
  

  Ingredients:
  

  • 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless *
  • 3 Mexican squash, or zucchini
  • 1-2 jalapeno peppers
  • 1 small white onion
  • 1 tbl tomato paste
  • 1 cup rice
  • 2.5 cups water or chicken stock
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tsps salt
  • 1 tbl cumin/comino
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper **
  • 1/4 small head of red cabbage ***

  * You can use any kind of chicken pieces you want, but I don't recommend the breasts. They are too dry for this dish. Mister prefers the bone-in chicken thighs,  because they're cheaper and he grew up with it that way. But the joy of being a wife means not always having to do what mother did!
  

  ** This is a holdover from his French heritage. We just love cayenne!
  *** This is my German flair and you're more than welcome to omit it.
  Brown your chicken thighs in some vegetable oil over medium heat. If it splatters, put the lid on!
  

  Don't worry about cooking them all the way through, they go back in later. (You can, if you want to, but the chicken will get tough).
  Remove the chicken to a platter, and allow it to rest. Add the sliced peppers and onion to what's left of the oil.
  Cook until the onion just begins to be translucent. Add all spices except salt.
  Calabaza just means "squash" in Spanish. You can use any kind, we really like the little green Mexican squashes, but zucchini works well also. I don't like the yellow squash, they are too water and fall apart, plus the seeds give a weird texture. If you love 'em, though, don't let us stop you!
  Add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir well.
  Cut up your chicken now that it has rested, and add it back in.
  Add rice, water and salt as well. Add your bay leaf. Let it come to a boil, then cover it and simmer on low. If you used white rice, this only takes 20 minutes. If you used brown, let it go 35-40.
  Be sure to wash thoroughly with soap and water anything that touched chicken, including your cutting board, knife (and handle!) and your hands!
  If you are going for cabbage, or adding any frozen vegetables like corn or carrots, do it with about 10 minutes' cook time remaining.
  When it's done, the rice will be soft, and the stew will be thick with some residual water.
  In keeping with non-tradition, I serve mine with avocado and cotijo cheese instead of corn tortillas.
  

  
  How do you feel about fusion foods? Would you cook a non-traditional favorite?

  • 12:01 PM
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