Mexican Ways with Zucchini

Chef Rick Bayless shows how zesty seasonings transform the fruit and flowers of zucchini into flavorful dishes.

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by Rick BaylessApril 1998from progeny # 14

Color is the spark that ignites a passion in most visitors to Mexico , from the glare of Chiapaneco costume and tropic bloom to marketplaces that thrill with a ceaseless staccato of shade and chromaticity . Heaps of beat - ripe reddish tomatoes or fragrant guavas or dried chiles catch most eyes first , though it ’s the verdant tones of barbarian greens , herbaceous plant , and squash that have for years kept my interest .

As a pupil in Mexico a couple of decades ago , I was fascinate by the pale - green zucchini I found . Whether they were lawn tennis - ball - sizing spheres or elongate teardrops ( they ’re inadequate than our dark - green courgette ) , thesecalabacitaswon me over with their loyal texture and sweet flavor . When using stateside courgette in Mexican recipes , I like to salt the slit or diced raw squash , then let it stick out in a colander for half an hour to draw out some of its bitterness and pack together its texture .

courgette takes the lead in many dishes . Any sonant - skinned , tender - fleshed squash racquets in Mexico will be call the diminutive calabacita . Full - fledgedcalabazais a term reserved for turgid , compact - skinned , hard - flesh relative of the pumpkin . North of the moulding , in non - ethnic market , I ’ve found the clear - skin Mexican favourite labeled generically as Mexican white zucchini . I ’ve also cooked with ‘ Ronde de Nice ’ , a tasty , orotund variety show .

Beyond the much - appreciated fruit of the flora , the peak ( flores de calabaza ) are celebrated by cooks throughout the Republic . And in southern Mexico , the cutter flowers chance their direction into many regional specialisation .

To showcase the uniqueness of Mexican zucchini , I organise them simply — sautéed with toasted ail and a squeeze of calcined lime ( Quick - Fried Zucchini with Toasted Garlic and Lime ) , the means I learned from a greaser - rack James Cook who spooned this confection into steaming corn tortilla , sprinkled them with crumbled , lemony , unfermented cheese , and called it a meal . This woof is also the correct counterpoint for spicy grilled fish .

In the Mexican kitchen , zucchini is also counted on for a supporting roleincaldos(brothy soups),cremas(cream soups ) , and inguisados(slow - simmered main dishes ) for which the cuisine is right celebrated . Though dome dishes are n’t a anchor in Mexico , fideossimmered in brothy tomato sauce provides mundane living . bestow , as my friend Lula Bertán does , a few handful of zucchini , the smoky sting of chipotle chilly , a little chorizo sausage , thick cream , and aged cheese , and fideos becomes the centrepiece of a jubilation .

Another classic of Mexican cuisine combine roast white pepper ( usually poblanos ) with slivers of browned Allium cepa , fresh corn , and cream . Stir in some browned courgette , and the tastes become even more beguiling ( Zucchini with Roasted Peppers , Corn , and Cream ) . With the addition of crybaby or Mexican fresh cheese ( queso fresco ) , you have a hearty independent dish antenna that begs for warm tortillas and some Mexican rice .

Zucchini blossoms wo n’t diddle 2d fiddle . Zucchini are the rabbits , shall we say , of the vegetable world , producing copious materialization amid day-by-day shows of Indian mustard - chicken blossoms . The male blossoms ( those with the singular , tubular stamens ) , while necessary for fertilization of the other half , do n’t bear yield and so can be harvest in great quantity . In Mexico they ’re harvest in numbers large enough that any cook feels comfortable chopping them to stew with tomato , green chile , and forthright epazote — an exuberant filling for humblequesadillas .

The squash blossom sweetheart of dreams , though , isGolden Squash Blossom Crema . echo the poblano - corn - cream - courgette refrain , this classic , posh , wan chickenhearted wonder tissue in the hauntingly flowered discant that hovers brilliantly over some of the most comforting look known to the human race .

How to pick , fix , and stock zucchini blossomsSquash and zucchini blossom are the most fragile , most airy part of the plant . For both cook and consumer , to enjoy bloom is to capture an elating instant . After all , “ the Earth laughs in flowers , ” Emerson said .

Pick male blossoms day by day after the dew is off ; they wither before Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ’s remainder , and dampness makes them decay . Pick early on to get open blossom for block or rip up into salads , later to get closed ones that store more well . Store in the lovesome part of the refrigerator in individual layer with newspaper towels on top and bottom , loosely wrapped in a pliant travelling bag . entrust female blossoms to produce yield . Though fresh is best , flower will be fine for about three days , particularly if used for cooked dishes .

‘ Spooktacular ’ and ‘ Buttercup ’ , two varieties we grew last summertime , produced copious amount of manlike bloom . ‘ Buttercup ’ is a ruffled , fragrant joy .

generator for Mexican ZucchiniThe Cook ’s GardenPO Box C5030Warminster , PA 18974‘Ronde de Nice’www.cooksgarden.com

Johnny ’s Selected Seeds955 Benton AvenueWinslow , Maine 04901877 - 564 - 6697‘Buttercup’www.johnnysseeds.comRenee ’s Garden Seeds6116 Highway 9Felton , CA 95018888 - 880 - 7228‘Ronde de Nice’www.reneesgarden.com

germ of ChangePO Box 15700Santa Fe , NM 87506888-762-7333‘Buttercup’www.seedsofchange.com

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