Calabasa: Zucchini with Corn and Cheese

Calabasa

Calabasa( "Kah-lah-bah-sah") just means Squash in spanish. This is a dish my grandma made frequently in the summer months when there was plenty of zucchini and tomatoes in the garden, and fresh corn was easy to find. Very simple to prepare, and stars a great combo of summertime ingredients, Zucchini, Tomato, and Corn. Serve this dish as a side dish for BBQ's, Mexican foods, or as an easy and light entree'.

Calabasa Recipe

Entree for two, or side dish for four.

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cob fresh corn, de- cobbed

1 tomato, diced *see substitutions

1 1/2 lbs zucchini and or summer squash, sliced

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs tomato paste

1 tbs chicken paste or 1 bullion cube

1/2 tsp cumin, ground

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup sharp cheddar grated or sliced (shown with slices of Cabot Clothbound Cheddar of Vermont)

Saute onions in oil over medium heat till soft. add sliced zucchini, cook till browned. add garlic, tomatoes, corn, cook 3 minutes. whisk tomato paste and chicken paste into water till dissolved. add to zucchini. heat to simmer, add cumin and pepper. reduce heat to low, simmer 8 minutes, or till squash are soft. remove from heat, top with cheese cover and allow to rest for at least five minutes. serve.

Substitutions:

-you can use 1 can corn instead of fresh corn. Drain corn, reserve liquid, use corn liquid in addition to water to enhance corn sweetness in broth.

-*sometimes i use only fresh tomatoes if i dun have paste, and sometimes i use only paste if i don;t have fresh, but if i have both, i use both.

-also, you can use garlic powder if you dun have fresh garlic.

I genuinely hope that you enjoy this recipe!