By September has arrived, which means two things in the Medina household: football season is fully underway, and it's time to go to Las Cruces for chile roasting season. I'll drive down the last weekend of the month, same as always. The calendar hasn't changed. The chiles are ready when they're ready, the same as every September, the same as every September before this one going back before I was born. The season turns. The chile roasts. The living do what the living do.
We won Friday, 21-7. The defense was excellent — we held a team that averages forty points to seven. My defensive coordinator Dave has been with me for seven years and he put in a scheme this week that I'm still thinking about. Good coaches do that to you. They make you keep thinking about football after the game is over, which is either a gift or a liability depending on your spouse's patience.
Lisa started a new rotation this week — she'll be working two overnight shifts instead of three day shifts for the next month while they're short-staffed in the ER. I hate this schedule less than she does because I'm not the one working overnight, but I register its impact on the mornings, which are louder and more chaotic when she hasn't been home all night. I've gotten better at mornings. There are worse things to get better at.
I made calabacitas Monday for a side dish — zucchini from the farmers market with green chile, corn, and garlic, finished with cotija cheese. It's late enough in the summer for the vegetables to be right, the corn sweet, the zucchini actually worth eating rather than just present. I served it with grilled chicken thighs. Elena ate all the calabacitas and left the chicken, which is the reverse of what I expected. I didn't comment. She's almost five. She gets to have opinions.
Two weeks until Las Cruces. I've been thinking about standing at the drum with Gloria this year. First chile roasting season without Ruben. He used to stand at the drum with a beer, cracking jokes, getting in the way in a way that everyone loved. That spot will be empty. We'll roast anyway. That's what you do.
This is the recipe I made Monday night — the calabacitas that Elena chose over the chicken. I’m writing it down now because the farmers market zucchini and sweet corn won’t last forever, and because sometimes a four-year-old knows exactly what’s good. It’s a simple dish. You let the vegetables be what they are this time of year, add enough green chile to make it honest, and finish it with cotija. It doesn’t need to be more than that.
Calabacitas with Green Chile and Corn
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch half-moons
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
- 1 cup roasted green chile, chopped (hot or mild, your call)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
Instructions
- Cook the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
- Add the zucchini. Add zucchini to the skillet and spread in an even layer. Let it cook undisturbed for 2 minutes to get a little color, then stir and cook another 3 minutes until tender but not mushy.
- Add corn and chile. Stir in the corn kernels, green chile, salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the corn is tender and everything is warmed through.
- Finish and serve. Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a serving dish and top with crumbled cotija cheese. Serve warm.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 195 | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 480mg