EatMx: Real Mexican food, at home and on the road

It's Easy; It's Delicious; It's Calabacitas

How simple. How perfect, the calabacitas at Carmelitas restaurant in Zihuatanejo.

I thought about this dish for a whole year, and when I went back to Zihua, my goal was to get that recipe.

It's really easy, just zucchini cooked with onion, garlic and tomato. But then you put on thick Mexican crema and crumbled Mexican cheese, and it becomes something wonderful.

It's even better if you can get zucchini as sweet and fresh as those at Carmelitas. Farmers markets should take care of that.

Here is the recipe, from María del Carmen Ramírez de González of Carmelitas (at right).

Remember to rub the oregano between your palms until it is as fine as pepper, she says. It's a small touch, but it makes a difference. 

CARMELITAS CALABACITAS
From Carmelitas restaurant, Zihuatanejo

1 tablespoon oil
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound zucchini, quartered lengthwise then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch chunks 
1/2 pound roma tomatoes, chopped
Salt
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, finely crumbled
Mexican crema
Cotija cheese or other crumbly dry cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add the zucchini and cook 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add the tomatoes, salt and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 10 minutes. 

Serve topped with crema and crumbled cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Frijoles Tiernos from Chiapas

Eating black-eyed peas is supposed to bring good luck during the New Year, a southern tradition that morphs to a Mexican dish in this recipe from Chiapas.

It's based on frijoles tiernos, a bowl of delicious pale fresh beans served at La Selva, a restaurant near the Mayan ruins in Palenque. The entrance, which must have been inspired by the ruins, is in the photo below. 

The beans followed tortilla soup with local cheese and a hearty plate of beef filete with tomato sauce accompanied by rice topped with corn, zucchini and potato.

Even in such robust company, they stood out. Their flavor was arresting, unusual, with a delicate hint of anise. This came from hoja santa, a scented leaf that grows wild in the area. Parsley and cilantro were stirred in too. That's all.

Hoja santa grows easily, even invasively, where I live. If you can't get it, you can put in another fresh herb, such as oregano, but the key flavor will be missing.

The closest you can come to the Chiapas beans is fresh black-eyed peas, available at some farmers markets. They cook much more quickly than dried black-eyes, which you can substitute if necessary.

And good luck in 2012.

FRIJOLES TIERNOS
Fresh Black-eyed Peas 

1 pound fresh black-eyed peas
6 cups water
2 cloves garlic
2 medium hoja santa leaves, torn into large pieces
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoon Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped 

Place the beans in a deep saucepan. Add the water, garlic, hoja santa leaves and salt to taste.

Bring to a boil, then boil 20 minutes, uncovered, or until tender. Taste and add more salt if wanted. 

When the beans are done, lift out the garlic and hoja santa, if desired. Stir in the cilantro and parsley. Serve the beans with their broth in individual bowls.

Makes 6 servings.