Calabaza!

Nope, I'm not talking about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Chief Thunderthud, but rather the ubiquitous neighborhood squash that you've probably seen a thousand times and wondered: "What is that? A squash? A gourd? Could I use that in a recipe?"

Calabaza, also known as West Indian pumpkin, is a firm-textured squash native to tropical regions. Sweeter than pumpkin or butternut squash, it is available year-round. We did some Googling and found that calabaza can be included in any number of dishes from flan to soup to just baking/roasting it on its own (the seeds can also be roasted, similar to pumpkin seeds).

One recipe that seemed fascinating to us was pelau, a traditional Trinidadian dish made in a heavy pot or dutch oven, and including such diverse ingredients as thyme, ketchup, coconut milk, and, of course, calabaza. The base meat, typically chicken (but from what we've read, could be almost any meat), is seared in a caramelized sugar or browning and then stewed with rice, pigeon peas and other diverse ingredients for 20-30 minutes. We tried it and the result was a divine dish combining the flavorful sweetness of the squash and the hot bite of Scotch Bonnet peppers in a creamy rice base. Cowabunga!

If you're buying calabaza for pelau, we recommend purchasing pre-cut or partial squash (available at almost every local shop in Lefferts Gardens). Or making sure you have a really (and I mean REALLY) sharp knife. Green seasoning is available at most of the local supermarkets (we bought ours at Associated).

Amazing pelau recipe can be found here.

Comments

[Nancy]

Hey, I'm new to the blog, considering relocating to the area from Sunset/Boro Park... is there a CSA or do folks just use the farmers market at the park?

[carrie]

There is a PLG CSA (http://www.plgcsa.org/) but it usually fills up long before the season, so most people have to get their produce elsewhere. We shop at the Park Slope Food Coop, which is very easy to get to from here but there's a waiting list there, too, I believe.

If you move here you should join the effort to bring a food coop here:
http://www.meetup.com/PLGFoodCoop/