recipe - calabaza frita

I have a stand by dish that is almost always found in my fridge.  This is such a fabulous and versatile dish that I can't not have it around -AND it's REALLY good!

Calabaza Frita - 

I use the green local scalloped edge squash, we (my Family) always called them patty pan squash, Tom's family called them elephant toes, I imagine your family had some other name for them - The green ones are used locally with great frequency, and in lots of dishes.   I love the texture and the slight sweetness of the squash, plus they hold up and don't turn to mush.

I use an equal amount of tomato and patty pan squash,  half the amount of onion, and at least one if not more cloves of garlic.  For the squash I tend to scoop out the seeds and pith from the centers and remove the tip n tail. Then just chop all the ingredients to similar size and start cooking over a low heat. I also add salt and pepper to taste as well as either habanero or jalapeno to taste. If I have cilantro I'll throw that in too.  I let this all simmer till cooked down and well mixed.

This is FABULOUS as a taco/burrito filling, I've stuffed zucchini with it, I've added rice to it and served as a casserole so it's good as a dinner dish, great mixed with pasta, run it through the blender or food processor for a chip dip, or if you just give it a good chop it's a lovely chunky dip.   I tell you the possibilities for this dish are endless.  Shoot, warm some stock, shred a bit of chicken and toss in a scoop of this and you have a fabulous soup, just top with a bit of fresh cilantro and some sour orange, or lime juice,  YUM!!!!
You also frequently find this served as a botana in bars, cocktelerias, and some restaurants.

This photo is of what is currently in my fridge.

Crock Pot Pork with Chipotle and Dates

A year or so ago friend Joanna posted a blog about a porkchop and chipotle dish that I thought sounded very yummy! 

Tonight we are having a gathering (about 12 people) and I am using Joanna's recipe as a jumping off point for a Crock Pot Pork with Chipotle and Dates. I am switching it to pork chunks so that they can slow cook and be fork tender;  with this size crowd we have to eat off our laps and that's tough enough without adding fork AND knife service.

I started with 2.5kilos of pulpo de cerdo, which is more or less pork roast, but cut into chunks and pieces.  I cut it all into tennis ball or smaller size pieces.  
about 10 cloves of garlic chopped,
a large onion chopped,
about 3 chipotle peppers with some of the adobo,
1 1/2 cups of minced dates, boiled in 1 cup of water to create a paste.  I have another cup of pitted and halved dates that I will add much later,
and an Indio beer, plus some salt and pepper.

Here you can see the ingredients. 

There were too many dates which caused the broth to be too sweet, so I never added the full dates.  I would reduce the amount of dates by about half. I then added 3 more chipotles to balance the sweet.  There was a good tang to the meat mix, but that was toned down once plated with the accompaniments. 

I think a sprinkling of fresh minced rosemary on service would be a fabulous addition.

Here is the mix in the crock pot.

It was WAY tastier than the picture implies.

The pork was served with couscous with pinenuts, roasted veggies, rosemary bread, and a citrus salad.

(and of course I neglected to take that photo)

The meal started with spinach and feta pinwheels rolled in hojaldra, and ended with dark chocolate truffles rolled in walnuts.  

And then there were the 7 bottles of sparkling wines. 

It was a fabulous party, but because of the friends, not the wine!

So there you have it, a new crock pot recipe.