Southwest Skillet Corn and Zucchini makes wearin'-o-the-green a multicultural event

Son-in-law’s birthday lunch time had rolled around; of course something Irish had to be at the top of the menu list. With a birthday just two days after St. Patrick’s Day and with an Irish family heritage, son-in-law would always and forever be linked with the wearin’-o-the-green (his signature color, by the way). So without a doubt the legendary Irish recipe, Shepherd’s Pie, had to be the entree of choice. (I’ll blog about that recipe tomorrow.)

To make it a muticultural event, however (his wife did happen to be a Spanish scholar), I added a few dishes of other ethnic origins. Southwest Skillet Corn and Zucchini was a form of the Latin dish Calabacitas that I found while I performed an Internet search for something to create using fresh corn off the cob (www.seriouseats.com yielded this recipe for me). This dish almost outranked the wow! birthday dessert (to be featured later this week as well) in terms of popularity.

Southwest Skillet Corn and Zucchini involved sauteing the fresh corn, sliced zucchini, and chopped onion in a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until the veggies started to brown. I added green chilies and garlic powder and then poured in 5 ounces chicken broth (either canned low-sodium broth or homemade). I simmered until the veggies were tender and then covered all with shredded cheese.

This made a dandy side dish that was colorful and flavorful and fresh-tasting. As I write this, I look toward my burgeoning early spring garden and envision the now-level brown dirt spot that’s been reserved for the corn ears. Before too many weeks we’ll be picking our own fresh corn ears when we want to replicate this winner of a birthday-lunch dish. Hooray!

Southwestern Skillet Corn and Zucchini

8 ears fresh corn

2 small zucchini, chopped

1 small onion, cut up

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

green chilies to taste (I used 1 tablespoon)

5 ounces chicken broth

salt (or salt substitute) and pepper to taste

3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Steam corn until almost done; cut kernels from cob. In medium skillet heat olive oil; add corn kernels, zucchini, and onion. Cook until onion is translucent and veggies start to brown. Add garlic powder, green chilies, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Simmer until vegetables are tender but firm, about 15 minutes, and liquid is almost evaporated. Top with grated cheese. (Just before I spread on the grated cheese, I transferred the veggies into a serving dish.) Makes 6 servings.