This flavorful dish combines fresh squash and corn, with the smoky flavor of a roasted poblano pepper. The tomato adds a little kick of acidity. I used yellow squash this time, because I’d found some lovely ones at the farmer’s market. Zucchini works equally well. As we head into prime growing season, I always think about how many pounds of squash my Mom brought in from the garden. This is a wonderful way to use them!
I love poblano peppers, which are one of the most widely used peppers in Mexican cuisine. Some people will say poblanos are mild, but I have found they can vary in heat, so I would call them mild to moderate. The Scoville heat unit measurement for the poblano is 1,000 to 2,000 SHU. For the sake of comparison, jalapeno peppers measure 2,500 to 8,000 SHU.
Roasting poblanos adds a slight smokiness to the flavor that I really like. In the recipe below, I roast the peppers at 500° for 30 minutes. If you need to speed up the process, you can cook them under the broiler, but will need to watch them carefully. Once the peppers have blackened, wrap them in foil or paper towel until they cool to room temperature. This makes it easy to peel away the skin.
Squash and Corn with Roasted Poblano Peppers
- 1 or 2 large poblano pepper, (roasted)
- 1/4 tsp. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic, (minced)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 large yellow squash, (1/4 inch slices)
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, (drained)
- 1 cup corn, (fresh or frozen)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp. ancho chili powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, (to taste)
- Preheat oven to 500°. Rub poblano pepper with a little olive oil (about 1/4 teaspoon should do it). Roast for 30 minutes, turning 2 – 3 times during that period. Wrap cooked pepper in foil and set aside until it reaches room temperature. Peel off skin, de-seed, and chop.
-
While pepper is roasting wash and chop vegetables. Drain the can of diced tomatoes.
-
Sauté onion in olive oil for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add sliced squash, and cooking for 3 minutes. Add water and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
-
Add diced tomato, poblano pepper, corn, ancho chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Depending on how soft you like your squash, you may be done, or cook a little longer depending on your preference.
If you do not have time to roast the poblano pepper, you may eliminate that step, although you will lose some flavor. If you use the poblano fresh, saute it with the onion.
You can substitute zucchini for the yellow squash, or mix them.
Be sure to drain the tomatoes or the dish will be too watery.
Poblano peppers can vary in heat. If like spicier dishes, use 2 poblano peppers.
If you’d like to use this as a main dish, you could add black beans to provide protein.
