Calabacitas with Green Chile
A generous sauté of zucchini and sweet corn, brightened with roasted green chile, melting and slightly smoky. Comforting, colorful, perfect for a harvest table.
A generous sauté of zucchini and sweet corn, brightened with roasted green chile, melting and slightly smoky. Comforting, colorful, perfect for a harvest table.
In summer, the garden gives more than I can paint. The squashes all arrive together, as if they'd agreed on it. I cut them, I sauté them gently with corn and the green chile I've grilled until the skin blackens — that's the whole secret, that smell of fire. I add almost nothing. A good ripe vegetable doesn't need to be lied to.
- •Summer squash from the garden — several, young (base of the dish)
- •Fresh corn kernels — two ears (sweetness, texture)
- •Roasted and peeled green chile — a few peppers (signature, heat)
- •Onion — one (aromatic base)
- •Local fresh cheese — a handful (binder, indulgence)
Calabacitas with Green Chile
A generous sauté of zucchini and sweet corn, brightened with roasted green chile, melting and slightly smoky. Comforting, colorful, perfect for a harvest table.
Why this dish? At the end of summer, the Abiquiú garden overflowed with squash and chiles; calabacitas, a Hispano-Pueblo dish of New Mexico, celebrate this abundance in a vegetarian garden cuisine like O'Keeffe's.
In summer, the garden gives more than I can paint. The squashes all arrive together, as if they'd agreed on it. I cut them, I sauté them gently with corn and the green chile I've grilled until the skin blackens — that's the whole secret, that smell of fire. I add almost nothing. A good ripe vegetable doesn't need to be lied to.
Ingredients (period version)
- Summer squash from the garden — several, young (base of the dish)
- Fresh corn kernels — two ears (sweetness, texture)
- Roasted and peeled green chile — a few peppers (signature, heat)
- Onion — one (aromatic base)
- Local fresh cheese — a handful (binder, indulgence)
Ingredients
- Zucchini — 600 g, diced (base)
- Corn (fresh or frozen) — 200 g kernels (sweetness)
- Mild green chiles (Anaheim/Hatch), roasted and peeled — 3, cut into strips (signature)
- Onion — 1, sliced (aromatic)
- Garlic — 2 cloves (aromatic)
- Monterey Jack or mild cheddar cheese — 80 g, grated (binder)
- Oil or butter — 2 tbsp (cooking)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Roast chiles under the broiler until skin blisters and blackens, seal in a bag for 10 minutes, then peel and cut into strips.
- Sauté onion in oil until translucent, add garlic.
- Add diced zucchini, cook over medium heat 8 minutes, stirring.
- Stir in corn and chile strips, salt, continue 5 minutes: vegetables should remain slightly firm.
- Remove from heat, sprinkle with cheese, cover and let melt 2 minutes. Serve hot.
How it was made : Calabacitas ("little squashes") is a domestic dish passed down in Hispano-Pueblo families of New Mexico: squash, corn, and chile, the trio cultivated locally for centuries, simply combined in a pan.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a red New Mexican earthenware bowl: the green of the zucchini and yellow of the corn take on an intensity of a painting.
Sources : Margaret Wood, A Painter's Kitchen: Recipes from the Kitchen of Georgia O'Keeffe, Museum of New Mexico Press, 1997 · Huntley Dent, The Feast of Santa Fe, 1985
Georgia O'Keeffe · Charactorium