Tromboncini Fajitas
I really love tromboncini squash. And, we’ve had quite a surplus from the garden this year.
So, pondering what to make for dinner, and looking at tower of squash, then looking at the onions I had just harvested, then over at the stack of lugs filled with peppers, the muse hit me with fajitas.
Steak (traditional) or chicken comprise most fajitas. But the flavor of cumin and chile and onion and peppers seemed like it would compliment tromboncini well. It did! These have become my favorite fajitas, hands down. But you probably won’t find the at your neighborhood mexican restaurant…
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Passive Time | 1 hour |
| Servings |
fajitas
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- 1 ea Tromboncino Squash (large)
- 1 ea Onion (large)
- 3 ea Bell Peppers (or other sweet or mild peppers to make an equivalent amount. In the pictured fajitas, I actually used 2 small purple beauty bell peppers, 1 medium bell pepper, 2 poblano peppers, and two pimento peppers, and that was really tasty)
- 8 ea Flour Tortillas
- Salsa Verde
- Monterey Jack Cheese shredded
Ingredients
Assembly
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- Cut the neck of the tromboncino squash into several segments about six inches long. Reserve the bottom bulb for another use. Cut each segment of squash neck in half lengthwise. Slice diagonally across the halves to get small strap-shaped pieces (that's actually where the word "fajita" comes from), as you would expect from chicken or steak.
- Juice the lime. Seed and dice the jalapeno. Combine all of the marinade ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Coat the squash with the marinade (see note below), and let sit at room temperature for about an hour.
- Things will move fast once the cooking starts, so prep all the veggies first. Slice the onions into 1/4" strips, from the stem to root end. Core and seed the peppers, and slice them into 1/4" strips.
- Coat a large cast iron skillet with grapeseed oil (or peanut, or safflower... Something with a high smoke point). Heat the pan and oil over high heat.
- Once the oil and skillet are very hot, carefully add the squash in a single layer, along with any excess marinade. Cover with a lid, so the squash will both saute and steam.
- After about 3 minutes, the squash should have a nice browned surface. Flip over to cook on the other side (also covered).
- One the squash is browned, add the peppers and onions. Leave the cover off, and stir frequently, so the peppers and onions cook evenly. When the squash are tender, turn off the heat.
- Heat a medium (10") cast iron skillet over medium heat. Warm a tortilla for about 30 seconds on a side.
- Transfer the tortilla to a plate. Cover half with the squash mixture. Add some cheese and salsa verde to taste, fold over the tortilla, and enjoy! Repeat for each fajita.
The best way to coat the squash with marinade (or chicken wings with sauce, or any other similar coating task) is to put the squash pieces in a metal bowl with a lip. Then pour over the marinade. Cover the bowl with an identical bowl, upside down. Hold the two bowls together at the lip, and shake vigorously, like making a cocktail with a boston shaker. Barring that, you can put the squash and marinade in a large zipper bag, sip, and shake. But that risks bag failure, and wastes a plastic bag...