Family Chow Hall

Squash and Pork Stew aka Calabacitas con Carne

March 1st, 2010

This is another recipe I got from the Texas Cowboy Cookbook. A delicious way to incorporate some squash into your diet.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo starts tomorrow, so I’m posting another “cowboy” recipe that I tried recently. Here it is, folks…. I made a couple of minor changes to suit my pantry, but this is basically the same thing from the cookbook:

Calabacitas con Carne

2 T. olive oil
2 lbs. pork loin chops, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes with chiles
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 c. diced onion
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. ground cumin
2 c. frozen corn
2 summer squash, either yellow or green, peeled and cubed
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 t. dried Mexican oregano

This can be done as a skillet supper or in the crock pot. The day I cooked this, I needed to put it in the crock pot so I could have my afternoon free.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the pork and cook until brown. Transfer the pork to the crock pot and then put the onions, bell pepper, and garlic in the skillet. When soft, add the all of the remaining ingredients. Cook and stir in the skillet until heated through, then pour it all into the crock pot.

I cooked this for about 6 hours on low. Right before serving, stir hard with a wooden spoon to break up the squash. By this time, it is so soft that it breaks apart easily and serves as a thickener for the stew.

If you are using the skillet method, you would cook the pork, then add the tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, garlic and cumin. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, until the pork is tender. Then add the corn, squash, salt, pepper, and oregano. Cover the pan again and cook for 45 minutes on low, until the squash is soft enough to break apart.

Serve this with tortillas, cheese, and sour cream.

Entry Filed under: Book Reviews, Old-Fashioned Foods, Recipes, Soup, Supper, pork