Chayotes in White Sauce
Creamy Herbed Chayotes
Easy Baked Chayotes
Stuffed Chayotes
Chayote Soup
Sauteed Chayote and Carrot
Chayote Stuffing or Dumplings
Chayote and Pork Rollups



Chayote

Description - Also known as the Vegetable Pear and the Marlinton, this
vegetable is a member of the cucurbit family. The fruit is light green in
color and pear shaped. The fruit is produced on vigorous growing vines
that are cold sensitive.

Culture - The entire fruit is planted in the spring after all danger of
frost. The plants should be spaced at least 8 to 10 feet apart. The vine
should be trellised to provide support for maximum production. Heavy
fertilization should be avoided or excessive vine growth will reduce
yields. As with all cucurbits, male and female flowers are borne on the
same plant requiring bees for pollination.

Availability - Chayotes are occasionally found on the market, usually in
late summer and early fall. No commercial production occurs in Texas.

Selection - Fruit should be firm and free of bruises and other damage. For
eating purposes, avoid fruit that has started to germinate as evidenced by
the emergence of the young seedling from the broad end of the fruit.

Storage - Like all cucurbits, chayotes will shrivel badly if stored under
dry conditions regardless of temperature. Place in container or plastic
bag before storing in refrigerator to maintain high humidity conditions.
Ideal storage conditions are about 50 to 59o F. and 90 percent humidity.
Chayotes undergo chilling injury below 50o F. Nutrition Information -
Chayotes are low in calories, 3 ounces contain 24 calories. They are low
in sodium and a fair source of potassium.

Preparation - Chayote can be very simply prepared, peeled, cut into
quarters, steamed, drained, buttered and seasoned with fresh lemon or lime
juice. Other possibilities include using it in place of potatoes for a
unique chilled salad, marinated in vinaigrette dressing: combining with
other vegetables in a fresh vegetable stew; stuffing with ground meat;
serving au gratin, creamed, or breaded and fried. Chayote invites the
cook's imagination with discovery of its versatility.

Microwave Instructions - Wash, peel and cut about two pounds of chayote
into quarters. Place in 1 qt. covered casserole with 1/4 cup water.
Microwave on high 10-12 minutes.





Chayotes in White Sauce

Peel and chop one chayote, cut into 6 or eight wedges, depending on size
of chayote, then cut each wedge into three. Boil chayotes in water for 8
to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add cold water to the saucepan when
chayotes are soft to the bite but still bright green in color. Add to a
white sauce and garnish with your favorite herb, for serving.

White Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
ground pepper

Microwave butter in a microwave safe bowl until melted about 20 to 30
seconds. Remove. Add flour to melted butter, stir vigorously until well
combined. Add some of the milk and stir well to integrate. Then add the
rest of the milk. Replace into microwave and cook for a minute on high.
Remove and stir well. Return to microwave and cook on high for two
minutes. Remove. Crack in some black pepper. Stir vigorously again. Cook
for another to minutes. Remove and stir well again and sauce should be
thickened to perfection. To the cooked sauce, add the cooked, drained
chayotes. Stir so all the chayote is covered with the sauce. Stir in
chopped fresh sweet herbs, parsley or whatever you fancy. Serve as a
vegetable accompaniment.



Creamy Herbed Chayotes

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 small onion, chopped very fine
2 slices of bacon, chopped fine
1 medium sized chayote, peeled and cut into chunky cubes
a handful of fresh chopped herbs; either basil, coriander or parsley
1/2 cup cream

Melt butter and saute onions and bacon until onions are golden. Add cubed
chayotes and saute for 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to a casserole dish
sprinkle with herbs and top with cream. Cover and cook in a 350F oven for
about 25 minutes or until chayotes are soft but still bright in color.
Serve as a vegetable accompaniment to a main dish.



Easy Baked Chayotes

This is so easy. The method steams the flesh to produce a juicy result. If
you have chayotes with prickles, knock of the prickles with the blade of a
peeler, but otherwise leave the skin on. Place a piece of baking paper in
an oven proof dish. Cut chayotes in half and lay chayote, cut side down,
on the paper in the dish. Bake in a 350F oven for about 40 minutes; test
with a fork to see if cooked. To serve, place cut side up on plate. Make
diamond shapes cuts into the flesh with a knife. Smother in butter and
salt and pepper. Enjoy. If the chayotes are really young and fresh, you
will find the skin is tender and quite edible.



Stuffed Chayotes

1/2 small onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup cooked, leftover spaghetti noodles or orzo, if you prefer
herbs and seasonings

Finely chop the onion. Chop the spaghetti into about 1/2 inch lengths.
Saute the onion in butter with the grated carrot until soft. Remove and
mix together with the spaghetti, grated cheese and finely chopped fresh
herbs from the garden. Halve chayotes, scoop out the nut and enough flesh
to make a cavity to hold your stuffing. You may want to cut a small piece
of the underside of the chayote so they sit nicely in the baking dish and
on the plate. Fill the chayote cavities about 1/4 cup of the mixture in
each cavity. Bake in a moderate oven until vegetable is cooked. Serve on
its own as an entree or as a vegetable accompaniment to a main dish.



Chayote Soup

1 onion
3 rashers bacon
3 chayotes
1 carrot
1 teaspoon chicken stock powder
3 cups water
seasonings
parsley
butter

Chop onion and bacon roughly. Peel and chop 2 and 1/2 of the chayotes,
into cubes. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Add onion and
bacon and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped chayotes and saute for
another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chicken stock powder than add 2 cups of
water. Stir well to combine. Bring to boil and simmer for about 20
minutes. Put aside and leave to cool, then puree the contents of the
saucepan, using a stick blender or whatever you have. If the mixture is
too thick, you could add more water to bring to desired consistency. Taste
and season with salt and pepper. While soup is cooking prepare the
remaining half of the chayote and the carrot to make Sauteed Chayote and
Carrot; see below. Add half of the sauteed chayote and half of the sauteed
carrot to the soup along with a handful of chopped parsley. This adds some
bright color to the soup, which through blending has turned a green tinged
beige green. Reheat soup, do not boil. Spoon into serving bowls. Garnish
with a tablespoon of fresh cream and the remainder of the grated carrot
and chayote.



Sauteed Chayote and Carrot

Grate half a chayote and put to one side. Grate a carrot so you have about
the same quantity of carrot as you do of chayote. Heat about a tablespoon
of butter in a frying pan. Add carrot and saute until cooked. Remove. Add
chayote and saute until cook but endure green has some hints of bright
green. Add salt of plenty of black pepper. Serve as a vegetable
accompaniment to a main course or use to enhance chayote soup; see above
or as addition to stuffing or dumplings; see below.



Chayote Stuffing or Dumplings

3 slices bread
a handful of fresh herbs from the garden; thyme oregano, rosemary sage,
basil, parsley, basil and chives
half a cup of sauteed chayote and carrot, see above
salt and pepper
1 egg

Place slices of bread and washed and towel dried herbs into the blender.
Blend until the bread is crumbed and the herbs are chopped very fine.
Remove into a bowl. Add the sauteed chayote and carrot, salt and paper and
the egg. Mix well. This mixtures sticks together very well. Either form
into balls to cook as dumplings or stuff into a chicken for roasting.



Chayote and Pork Rollups

as many slices of pork schnitzel as you need, 1 or 2 per person
chayotes
rosemary and sage leaves
oil
chardonnay

Beat schnitzel until thin. Peel and quarter the chayotes. Layer a couple
of sage leaves on the pork, place a piece of chayote on the leaves and
rollup the pork. Secure with a toothpick. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a
frying pan. Add the pork and brown on all sides. Remove to a casserole
dish. Add salt and pepper to the pan and deglaze with 1/4 cup of
chardonnay. Pour the liquid over the rollups in the casserole dish. Cover
and cook in a 350F oven for about 40 minutes or until pork and chayote are
cooked.



--
Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia D. Hill at .
Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting.
Please allow several days for your submission to appear.
Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/