VEGETABLES: If you are game to experiement with chayote, an unusually flavourful vegetables, please give this recipe a try.

CHAYOTE STUFFED WITH CHEESE:

 

 

 

4 chayote****                                                

3 tbsp. boiling water

1 cup grated Swiss or Cheddar cheese

salt and fresh-ground pepper

dash Tabasco sauce                                        

2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs

4 tbsp. butter

 

 

Cut chayote into halves lengthwise. Cook in boiling water until flesh is soft.  Drain and cool.

Remove core. Use a spoon to scoop out flesh, being careful not to break the shells; and reserve 6 half-shells.

 

Mash flesh and drain off any liquid. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter; then add in chayote flesh. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Stir in cheese and cook over low heat until cheese is melted. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and Tabasco. Transfer chayote back into reserved shells.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange stuffed chayote side by side in a large baking dish. Sprinkle each shell with 1 tsp. breadcrumbs and dot with bits of butter. Pour ½-inch boiling water around shells.  Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, adding more boiling water to pan if necessary to keep the ½-inch level. Remove and serve.

 

 

****NOTE:   Chayote is a green-coloured squash that tastes like honeydew melon and shaped like a pair of "praying hands". It is called "Buddha's hand彿掌瓜 in China. Nutritionally, half a cup of cooked chayote only has 28 calories. To buy, pick firm young ones, the harder they are, the younger and better they are. To cook: no need to peel unless it is old. Just quarter and cook in boiling salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, and dressed with butter and lemon juice to serve.****