Patty Pan and Chiles Tacos w/ Salsa Verde and Pickled Candy Onion

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Summer

|

60 mins

|

2 servings

This one is a pretty simple recipe, but that’s the beauty of it. The pickled onions will get better after sitting in the fridge overnight (and last for months in the refrigerator), but by adding the pickle liquid still hot, doing it on the fly still works. This “quick-pickle” method can be used for just about any veggie you can think of. Top off with some cheese if you have it, or add an egg to make it breakfast. This template can be used for an infinite number of taco combinations.

Ingredients

from your CSA Club Share

from your pantry

  • Salt – 1 T, plus some to taste
  • Sugar – 2 T
    Neutral Vinegar – ⅓ c

    • Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or white vinegar
  • Water – ⅓ c
  • Coriander, whole (optional) – 1 t
  • Oil – 3 T

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Directions

mise

Pickled Red Onions (can be done the day before)

  1. Cut onions in half and then thinly slice. Place into a pint container (deli or mason jar works).
  2. In a small pot, combine ⅓ c vinegar, ⅓ c water, 1 T salt, 2 T sugar, and coriander. Place over medium heat, stir until sugar dissolves.
  3. Once it has begun to simmer, remove from heat and allow to cool for ~5 mins (should be still hot, but not boiling hot). Pour brine into container with onions.
  4. Place into refrigerator uncovered to continue to cool. Once completely cooled, cover.

 

  1. Banana peppers: remove tops, halve, de-seed, and then slice. Set aside.
  2. Mini sweet peppers: remove tops, halve, deseed, and then dice. Set aside (can be combined with banana peppers).
  3. Patty pan: halve down the stem. For large ones, cut in half again radially. Then, slicing through the stem, to get pie slice shaped pieces, third or quarter the piece trying as best as possible for the pieces to be evenly sized ~ 1”. We want to accentuate the fun shape of the patty pans as much as possible.
  4. Mince the celery leaves and set aside for garnish.

cook

  1. In large saute pan over high heat, heat a generous amount of oil (~3 T) until shimmering. 
  2. Add peppers and toss. Keep the heat high and stir frequently to cook evenly. Think of this as pan roasting. The oil touching the pan is hot, but you could probably pick up a pepper from the top with your fingers. We want to make sure that the peppers are constantly being re-coated with the hot oil touching the pan for even and high-temp cooking.  
  3. Pan roast peppers ~ 5 mins, or until peppers are starting to evenly brown and somewhat soft, but not mushy. Remove from heat, add 2 t green garlic salt, mix, and remove the peppers from the pan, doing your best to leave as much oil in the pan as possible. 
  4. Returning the pan to high heat, add the squash and toss. Pan roasting ~5 mins or until the squash is evenly browned and tender. 
  5. Then add ~ 3T of the pickle liquid from the pickled onions. Allow the liquid to dissolve anything on the bottom of the pan, reduce slightly and then kill the heat . Add the peppers back to the pan and mix. Season to taste with salt and cherry bomb salt. Set aside keeping warm

plate

  1. Straight on the stove top, over a low flame, warm tortillas until soft and pliable, ~ 30 seconds each side. They should puff up slightly on the second side.
  2. Then onto each tortilla add a generous amount of the squash and pepper mix, a healthy scoop of salsa verde, and a few slices of pickled onion. Finish with celery leaves.