Tag Archives: chayote

Stewed Chayotes

23 Dec

When the weather turns a little bit chillier – to us in Puerto Rico that means when the weather goes from the 90’s to the 78’s… sometimes what your body craves is something stewy, something warm to warm up your body and soul.

I have mentioned to you before about my Stewed Potatoes… well, I make it also with Chayotes.  Chayotes are a vegetable that eats like a potato.  You make it very similar, but the taste is more watery.  I already showed you how to make Stuffed Chayotes.

Well, this time around we’ll make it for you in a stewed version.  My aunt was feeling down after surviving stomach flu.  She did not have appetite at all.  So I offered to make her rice and something stewed, something with lots of sauce to wet the rice and give her some sustenance.   It’s very easy to make… even when you’re sick you can make a small pot of this…

 chayotes-guisados

STEWED CHAYOTES

1 medium chayote, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs sofrito
½ of a vegetable bouillon cube
1 12 oz jar of stewed tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
1 laurel/bay leaf
 8-10 olives with pimentos
1 roasted red bell pepper, sliced
1 tbs capers
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tbs apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
½ cup to ¾ cup of water
  1. In a medium sauce pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Add the sofrito and vegetable bouillon cube.  Smash the cube a bit so it dissolves well.  Add the onions and sauté until soften.  
  2. Add the chayote pieces and stir to combine.   Add the stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, water, salt and pepper.  Stir well to combine.  Add the bay leaf, the olives, red bell pepper and capers.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 25-30 minutes. 
  3. Make sure the chayotes are fork-tender.  When they are, I usually turn it off and let it finish cooking with the residual heat from the stove.

Serve over brown whole-grain rice.

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Stuffed Chayotes

7 Jul

I like to stuff foods… I love to fill delicious things with other delicious ingredients and make them all even better.  I love to stuff crepes, mushrooms, manicotti, sweet bell peppers, tortillas, potatoes and now, I give you chayotes.

Chayotes are a fruit, but are mostly eaten very similar to the potato preparations.  What I like about them is they have very watery flesh after it’s been cooked, so it tends to be refreshing and light.  They’re perfect to eat during the hot summer days… or any other day if you happen to live in a Caribbean island like me.  They’re sometimes prickly, so be careful if the ones you get have the needles… just grab them using kitchen gloves or a kitchen towel.  After they’re cooked the needles kind of loose they’re potency.

I treat these stuffed chayotes the same way you would treat a twice-baked potato, only that we will only bake this once… the first phase of the preparation is boiling.  Check them out…

 

 

STUFFED CHAYOTES

1 chayote, washed very well and cut in half
1 tbs olive oil
½ onion or shallot, finely chopped
½ bell pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 piquillo peppers, chopped
1 tbs capers
4-5 grape tomatoes, chopped
1 tbs goat cheese
2 tbs parmesan cheese
1 tbs almonds, lightly toasted
Salt and Freshly Cracked black pepper

 

  1. In a medium sized pot filled with salted water, place the chayote halfs and boil until the flesh is fork-tender just like a potato.  This should take about 20 minutes.  When you check for doneness, do not prick on the side of the skin, only thru the side of the flesh.  When they’re done, take them out of the water using a slotted spoon or a “spider” and allow them to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium high heat add the oil, onion/shallot, garlic and bell pepper and sauté until they’ve softened.   Add the piquillo peppers, capers and grape tomatoes and mix together and cook lightly so they release some of their juices until they become one with the onions/peppers mix.   Season with salt and pepper.  Turn off the heat and set aside.
  3. Carefully take the chayote halves and scoop out as much flesh as you can using a spoon.  I guess a grapefruit spoon would work great, but I do not have one.  Try not to disturb the shell/skin.   Set the shells aside while we work with the flesh.
  4. In a bowl mix together the flesh we just took out, the mix in the skillet, goat cheese and almonds.   Mix together by mashing everything with a fork or a potato masher. 
  5. Pre-heat toaster oven to 350° F.
  6. Refill the chayote skin shells with the mixture and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.
  7. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top is crusty and golden brown.

I made these a few weeks ago when I invited a dear friend to dinner…  I asked him to come over after he invited me to go out but I was already preparing dinner.  So I did not tailor the meal to his taste at all.  He actually had chayote for the first time that night and I must say he thoroughly enjoyed them.  I wish I had done more so he would have seconds…  Jesús, I promise that’ll make more the next time.

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