Food Treats Using Calabaza

Calabaza adds both a sweet and hearty element to some of Latin America’s favorite soups and stews.

This hybrid pumpkin/squash is also seriously nutritious.

It’s high in potassium along with vitamins A and C. Plus calabaza is low in calories (35 per cup) and has half the starch of other starchy vegetables like corn and potatoes.

Calabaza is a crowd-pleaser. But for those of us who cook just for a handful of people, calabaza may seem like too much of a good thing. There’s a lot of pumpkin in every one.

The good news is that it’s a champ in the storing category. Cut calabaza can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 7 to 10 days. Frozen, it’s good up to a year. Tips on cutting open calabaza.

Every recipe requires that the calabaza be roasted,

baked or boiled. Most of the time, this cooking time is separate from the preparation of the final dish. Tips on cooking with calabaza.

So rather than slice a portion of the vegetable and cook it for every recipe, cut up the entire pumpkin and cook it once. Then refrigerate or freeze what you don’t use for the next dish.

Or, if you look in the cut-produce section in your grocery store’s produce aisle, chances are you’ll find a wedge of calabaza waiting to go home with you.

Calabaza pie

If the slight difference in taste between a fresh pumpkin pie vs. a canned version has you reaching for the can, think again when cooking with this pumpkin family member, calabaza.

It’s worth the additional effort not only in pies but in most baked goods. Substitute calabaza for pumpkin or butternut squash in almost any recipe.

Taste before adding any additional sugar to your recipe – you might want to cut back on adding more sweetener. Calabaza will make your dish naturally sweeter.

The calabaza mash

Size-wise calabaza is a “monster,” but with a great taste it’s easily “tamed.”

With half the starch of potatoes, calabaza simply mashed is worth a try. But taste before adding butter. Calabaza is sweet – you’ll use less.

In the tropics, fall is a welcome respite from summer’s heat and humidity. The nip in the air may only be a temperature in the seventies, but we’ll take it. We’ll enjoy a hearty bowl of calabaza soup as much as our Northern neighbors will to usher in the season.

Yours in the tropics,
Mary Ostlund