Calabacitas and Steak Hash

Calabacitas and Steak Hash

I usually go to the grocery store with a list in hand and recipes laid out. This other week, I had my grocery list for everything I needed to prepare for a party, but I didn't have the foresight to plan for meals for the week ahead. So I stood in the produce section of Smith's staring at the the vegetables wondering what I could make. (And trying to remember recipes I've pinned onto Pinterest.) I happened to be in front of the squash and potatoes when they announced on the intercom that they had a new shipment of hot and mild green chiles. Then I had a great thought about making a hash with calabacitas. (While calabacitas refers to squash in Spanish, in New Mexico we refer to calabacitas as a traditional dish with sauteed corn, squash, zucchini, and green chile.) I had a package of frozen green chile my gandma had given me, so I picked up potatoes, zucchini, and squash. Then as I passed through the meat section, I picked up some sirloin thinking that would make a great addition as well.

When I get to making the meal, I'm so excited thinking of all the great flavors this hash would make. I prepared some of my Grandma's Famous Fried Potatoes, then started preparing the calabacitas. I was praying the calabacitas would come out because I'd never actually made it before and just prepared it the way I thought it should be prepared. Shouldn't be that hard, right?

Well, we sat down at the dinner table and started talking. Joe mentioned something about corn and I stared at the hash and told Joe, "I totally forgot to put corn in the calabacitas, didn't I? Really, how did I forget that?"

So guess what? I made it again for dinner this week. With the corn, thank you very much! So you'll see pictures of the hash with and without corn. Yes, I forgot the corn. Yes, I know corn is one of the main ingredients for calabacitas. I got a lot on my mind these days! But it tasted good with and without the corn. :-)

In the next few days, I'm also going to be posting a recipe for a remixed version of the New Mexico Pile-Up... a Calabacitas Hash Pile-Up that I made with the leftovers. (That post will have pictures without corn because I didn't want to take pictures again when I made this the second time for dinner, haha.)

Our wine with dinner! A New Mexico white wine.

Calabacitas and Steak Hash
a Tortillas and Honey original recipe

canola oil
3 large Idaho potatoes, cut into quarters and sliced to 1/4 inch slices
1-2 Tbs. butter (or Smart Balance)
1/2 large onion, diced
pinch of sugar
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. powdered garlic
2/3 - 3/4 c. chopped, roasted New Mexico green chile
1 c. frozen or fresh corn kernels
8-10 oz. steak (NY strip, rib eye, or other sirloin), sliced into bite sized pieces
salt
pepper

For the potatoes:
Rinse potatoes twice with cold water. Heat a couple tablespoons of canola oil in a large skillet. Add potatoes, then cover the skillet with its lid. Every now and then, check potatoes and flip over with a spatula, adding more oil if necessary. Cook 10-15 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and starting to brown (the best part!). Add a couple tablespoons of butter or Smart Balance and recover with a lid until the butter/Smart Balance melts. Season well with salt.


For the calabacitas:
Heat a couple tablespoons of canola oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, then add a couple pinches of sugar and continue cooking for a couple more minutes. Add zucchini and squash, then continue cooking until the vegetables are soft and cooked through (about 5-7 minutes). Add the minced garlic and garlic powder. Then add the corn and green chile and continue cooking for about another 5 minutes until the corn and green chile are warm. Season with salt and pepper.


For the steak:
Pat the steak dry with paper towels, then season all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a medium/large skillet with a couple tablespoons of canola oil over medium high heat, then add steak. (I use the same pan as the calabacitas after they finish cooking.) Cook steak for a couple minutes on each side until cooked through or cooked to your liking.


For assembly:
Combine fried potatoes, calabacitas, and steak (I also include any juices accumulated from the steak as well) into a large serving bowl and mix thoroughly. Serve on large plates or bowls and add more seasoning, if necessary.


Makes about 4 servings! (Make it for two and save the leftovers for a calabacitas pile-up, recipe coming soon!)