“All the vegatables and fruits are distinctive in Baja” Javier Plascencia tells me. The Tijuana-born chef heads up six eating places throughout the peninsula and he’s well-known for his experience in making native elements shine. Once we met in Cabo San Lucas earlier this 12 months, onboard Animalón by the Sea (Plascencia’s new floating ocean-to-table restaurant), we chatted concerning the produce Mexico’s west coast and New York Metropolis’s farmers markets have in frequent—significantly the inexperienced and yellow summer season squash that flood our markets and kitchens in July and August.
Squash are indigenous to North, Central, and South America and these crops have been an essential a part of the Mexican weight loss plan for millennia—upwards of 10,000 years by some estimates. Summer season squash could be recognized by their skinny and tender pores and skin, which units them aside from heartier winter varieties. Like winter squash, although, the thin-skinned fruit (sure, squash is a fruit) is on the market in a plethora of shapes, varieties, and sizes. When left to develop within the subject, they’ll develop into monumental (the most important on file exceeded 2,000 pounds), however on the whole, farmers and gardeners choose to reap their squash a bit younger, when the flesh is at its sweetest, most flavorful, and least watery. I personally love dainty patty pan squash, which could be cooked and loved entire—however don’t fear if you end up with an outsized specimen: these could be grated and baked into a ravishing quickbread or chunked up for a basic ratatouille.
Plascencia likes to mix contemporary native squash with fava beans and use the ensuing purée as a filling for tacos. For my very own Baja-inspired riff, I opted to maintain this star ingredient easy, chunky, and a bit bit al dente. I perfumed the squash with cumin and pink chile powder, piled it into contemporary corn tortillas, then topped the tacos with queso fresco, onions, and Plascencia’s tart and creamy avocado salsa.
Whether or not you’re rising your individual summer season squash or shopping for them from the market, this ingredient all the time arrives in abundance. Retailer summer season squash and zucchini in a dry place in your fridge, trim away any mushy spots earlier than utilizing, and discard fully any that develop into slimy.
Yield: 6 tacos
Time: 40 minutes
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 4 medium yellow summer season squash (1¼ lb.), minimize into 1-in. chunks
- ¾ tsp. floor cumin
- ¼–¾ tsp. cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1 medium avocado, peeled and pitted
- 3 Tbsp. contemporary lime juice, plus lime wedges for squeezing
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
- Six 6-in. corn tortillas
- ½ small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup crumbled queso fresco (5 oz.)
Directions
- To a big skillet set over medium-high warmth, add the oil. When the oil is sizzling and shimmering, add the squash, cumin, and cayenne. Season frivolously with salt and cook dinner, stirring often, till gentle golden and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Take away from the warmth, modify the seasoning to style, and put aside.
- To a blender, add the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, and ¼ cup of water. Mix till easy, season to style with salt, and put aside.
- Assemble the tacos: Both immediately over a fuel burner or in a dry forged iron skillet set over medium-high warmth, toast the tortillas, turning as soon as, till comfortable and pliable, about 1 minute. Switch to a platter in a single layer.
- To serve, evenly spoon the squash atop the tortillas, then high every taco with the reserved avocado salsa, onion, and queso fresco. Garnish with cilantro and serve heat, with lime wedges for squeezing.
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