Veggie Tacos

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of roughly chopped zucchini or summer squash
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 large fresh mild green chile, seeds and stem discarded, chopped
• 1/2 fresh jalapeño chile pepper, seeds and stem discarded, minced
• Salt
• Pinch of ground cumin
• Pinch of ground oregano
• 1 small to medium tomato, chopped
• 4 corn tortillas
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup crumbled Mexican cotija cheese
• A few sprigs of fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Set a large sauté pan over medium high heat and warm oil, a tablespoon or two. Add the zucchini and onions along with the garlic, green chiles, and jalapeño. Season with salt and cumin, then turn the vegetables until the oil lightly coats them.
2. Nudge everything into an even layer, then let the pan do its job, stirring only now and then, until the vegetables pick up light browning.
3. Mix in the chopped tomatoes and oregano, then drop the heat to low. Give the mixture several minutes to cook gently while you turn to the tortillas. The tortillas get warmed 2 times: first to make them pliable, then again so the cheese melts.
4. You have 2 basic ways to get there: use the stovetop, ideally with cast iron, or use the microwave. Either way, work in batches. Fresh homemade corn tortillas are also fair game if that is how your kitchen is set up.
5. For the stovetop, heat a dollop of olive oil (any vegetable oil works) in a large cast iron frying pan over medium high heat. Lay in a tortilla and slide it around, flipping it too, so the oil gets distributed. Cook until small air pockets begin to puff up.
6. Add cheese to half of the tortilla, then use a metal spatula to bring the bare half over it. Once the cheese has melted, lift the tortilla out of the pan.
7. If your pan has room, one tortilla can sit folded while another gets its first warming.
8. For the microwave, set a paper towel, or half of a paper towel, on the microwave’s heating surface. Arrange 2 tortillas on top.
9. Use high heat, allowing 20 seconds for each tortilla; with 2 tortillas, use 40 seconds. Air pockets should form. Microwaves and corn tortillas can vary, so change the time if your setup needs it.
10. Lay a slice of cheese along half of each tortilla, then close the tortilla over the cheese. Heat again for 10 seconds per tortilla, or 20 seconds for 2 tortillas, stopping when the cheese is melted.
11. Pull the tacos open and spoon in some of the cooked vegetable filling. Add chopped cilantro, then crumbled cotija cheese. Serve immediately.