Stuffed Mirlitons
It's mid-November, and you know what that means: Thanksgiving is right around the corner, with Family, Food, and Football (the next day is, of course, Black Friday, with it's own "F's...").
I am so incredibly grateful to God for everything in my life: Family and friends, a roof over my head, clothing on my back, food on the table, a good education, a decent job...not an all-inclusive list, to be sure. So many blessings!
Thanksgiving dinner in my family is an early afternoon affair. As a child, I went with my family to my maternal grandmother's house at 1p.m. Maman had a prolific mirliton vine growing along her backyard fence, and the pale green "vegetable pear" she pronounced "mella-taw' was always featured on her Thanksgiving table as a casserole.
Mirliton was one thing for which I had not been grateful. I was never a fan, mostly because it was 1. Green, and 2. Casserole. I didn't like anything I could not readily identify, and a casserole had too many components. Plus, I didn't like my food "touching." Recently, however, I have come to appreciate this Creole staple, known elsewhere as Chayote squash. Squash. Couldn't they have found a more appealing name? It sounds like it has been stepped on. Could be why I didn't willingly eat any variety until I was an adult.
These days, I am Meme, and The Mister and I prepare the Thanksgiving meal for our family (a decidedly smaller gathering than when Maman cooked for six of her children and their 22 offspring!). Food preparation starts here around 8a.m. with The Mister getting four fryers ready for the smoker, injecting them with a garlic butter concoction and seasoning them inside and out with a cajun spice mix. He also throws into the smoker 4 pounds of sausage, and, if he is feeling generous (and he usually is), a leg of lamb. He fires up the smoker, adding pecan wood, and lets it rip 3-4 hours. The aromas are amazing!
This year, as a side dish and an homage to Maman, I will prepare Shrimp Stuffed Mirliton.
6 Mirliton or Chayote
2 lbs shrimp (20-26 count), peeled, and seasoned with creole spice blend.
6 tbsp. Butter, divided
Onion, 1/2 cup chopped
Celery, 1/2 cup chopped
Garlic, 4 cloves minced
Fresh thyme 2 tsp, stems removed
Fresh flat leaf parsley, 1/4 cup chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs (approx)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt, pepper, and creole seasoning to taste
Boil mirliton in a large pot of salted water until fork tender (this can take 45 minutes, depending on size).
Drain, and cool until they can be easily handled. Slice each mirliton in half (along the long axis) and remove the flat seed. Scoop out the pulp with a spoon, leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Coarsely chop the pulp and set aside, with the the shells upside down so they can continue to release some of their excess moisture.
In a medium saute pan, melt 4 tbsp butter. Saute shrimp until pink. Remove shrimp, chop, and set aside. In the same pan, saute onion and celery until soft. Add garlic, parsley, thyme, chopped shrimp, and reserved chopped mirliton.
Add beaten egg, stirring quickly to coat. Add enough breadcrumbs to bring it all together. Stir in cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Mound stuffing into reserved shells, sprinkle lightly with additional breadcrumbs and dot with butter (If there isn't enough stuffing to fill all the shells--and, strangely enough, this can happen--no biggie. The extra shells can be frozen, to be filled in the future when you have extra stuffing of any description). Broil until golden brown.
*Note: It's probably some sort of heresy but I do not use green bell pepper. Mom used to say it was "indigestable," a polite term for "produces intestinal distress." She would sometimes infuse flavor by cooking with large pieces of bell pepper which she would remove before serving. I just find the flavor too assertive, particularly for delicate seafood. If you like it, that's fine. I give you permission to add 1/4 cup chopped green pepper when you saute the other seasonings.
I am so incredibly grateful to God for everything in my life: Family and friends, a roof over my head, clothing on my back, food on the table, a good education, a decent job...not an all-inclusive list, to be sure. So many blessings!
Thanksgiving dinner in my family is an early afternoon affair. As a child, I went with my family to my maternal grandmother's house at 1p.m. Maman had a prolific mirliton vine growing along her backyard fence, and the pale green "vegetable pear" she pronounced "mella-taw' was always featured on her Thanksgiving table as a casserole.
Mirliton was one thing for which I had not been grateful. I was never a fan, mostly because it was 1. Green, and 2. Casserole. I didn't like anything I could not readily identify, and a casserole had too many components. Plus, I didn't like my food "touching." Recently, however, I have come to appreciate this Creole staple, known elsewhere as Chayote squash. Squash. Couldn't they have found a more appealing name? It sounds like it has been stepped on. Could be why I didn't willingly eat any variety until I was an adult.
These days, I am Meme, and The Mister and I prepare the Thanksgiving meal for our family (a decidedly smaller gathering than when Maman cooked for six of her children and their 22 offspring!). Food preparation starts here around 8a.m. with The Mister getting four fryers ready for the smoker, injecting them with a garlic butter concoction and seasoning them inside and out with a cajun spice mix. He also throws into the smoker 4 pounds of sausage, and, if he is feeling generous (and he usually is), a leg of lamb. He fires up the smoker, adding pecan wood, and lets it rip 3-4 hours. The aromas are amazing!
This year, as a side dish and an homage to Maman, I will prepare Shrimp Stuffed Mirliton.
6 Mirliton or Chayote
2 lbs shrimp (20-26 count), peeled, and seasoned with creole spice blend.
6 tbsp. Butter, divided
Onion, 1/2 cup chopped
Celery, 1/2 cup chopped
Garlic, 4 cloves minced
Fresh thyme 2 tsp, stems removed
Fresh flat leaf parsley, 1/4 cup chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs (approx)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt, pepper, and creole seasoning to taste
Boil mirliton in a large pot of salted water until fork tender (this can take 45 minutes, depending on size).
Drain, and cool until they can be easily handled. Slice each mirliton in half (along the long axis) and remove the flat seed. Scoop out the pulp with a spoon, leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Coarsely chop the pulp and set aside, with the the shells upside down so they can continue to release some of their excess moisture.
In a medium saute pan, melt 4 tbsp butter. Saute shrimp until pink. Remove shrimp, chop, and set aside. In the same pan, saute onion and celery until soft. Add garlic, parsley, thyme, chopped shrimp, and reserved chopped mirliton.
Add beaten egg, stirring quickly to coat. Add enough breadcrumbs to bring it all together. Stir in cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Mound stuffing into reserved shells, sprinkle lightly with additional breadcrumbs and dot with butter (If there isn't enough stuffing to fill all the shells--and, strangely enough, this can happen--no biggie. The extra shells can be frozen, to be filled in the future when you have extra stuffing of any description). Broil until golden brown.
*Note: It's probably some sort of heresy but I do not use green bell pepper. Mom used to say it was "indigestable," a polite term for "produces intestinal distress." She would sometimes infuse flavor by cooking with large pieces of bell pepper which she would remove before serving. I just find the flavor too assertive, particularly for delicate seafood. If you like it, that's fine. I give you permission to add 1/4 cup chopped green pepper when you saute the other seasonings.
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