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TwitThisSavory Pumpkin
Calabaza, the great big tan or greenish (not Jack-o-lantern orange) pumpkin, knows its homeland to be Mexico. Though its flesh and seeds supplied nourishment to the locals for millenia, not too many savory calabaza recipes show up in cookbooks or restaurants or on special-occasion tables. Yet heavy slices hacked from big pumpkins always are for sale in my local Mexican grocery. Perhaps pumpkin has been relegated to the indigenous backroom stews that trace their history directly to times before the Spaniards brought "civilization" to Mexico. I like pumpkins texture and flavor, especially when braised with the classic Essential Roasted Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa and pork. Add a scoop of fried beans or red rice and hot corn tortillas, and you've got a great meal.You Will Need
1 1/4 cups Essential Roasted Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa (see below)
3 to 6 (1/4 to 1/2 ounce) stemmed, dried chipotle chiles (or canned chipotle chilies en adobo)
3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
8 ounces (about 5 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
12 ounces (2 medium-small round or 4 to 5 plum) ripe tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil or rich-flavored lard
1/2 pound lean boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (optional)
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
Salt, about 1 teaspoon
Sugar, about 1/4 teaspoon
4 cups peeled, seeded and cubed (3/4-inch pieces) fresh pumpkin, preferably from a 1 1/2-pound wedge cut from a tan or green Mexican pumpkin (a 2-pound pie pumpkin will give you about the right amount, too)
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