Chayote

I finally succeeded in creating something edible! Can you sense my excitement? This week I experimented with another squash variety, Chayote.

It is a light green, pear shaped squash that looks like an elderly person's toothless mouth. It is native to Mexico, but has been introduced worldwide. Chayote is another strange vegetable I found at Raley's for about $2 per squash. The most appetizing recipe I discovered was Chayotes Rellenos because I love Chili Rellenos. I picked up the rest of the necessary ingredients minus the mushrooms and almonds, not being a big fan of either. I carefully read all the directions and started boiling the Chayote without cutting them in half and seeding them like the recipe calls for. Typical. After realizing my mistake, I cut the chayotes in half and seeded them. It is only one large seed, so not difficult to do. I boiled them for 15 minutes then scooped out the inside making sure to leave a quarter of an inch to support the shell. 

After easily peeling and seeding the tomato, I threw all the remaining ingredients in a pan. 

I didn't actually throw them, that would just make a mess. I carefully placed everything in the pan. Once everything was combined, I scooped the mixture into the chayote shells and sprinkled with parmesan cheese then placed them in a deep pan. After filling the pan with a quarter inch of hot water (why is that necessary?), I placed the chayote rellenos in the oven. 350 degrees for 15 minutes. They sure looked good, even my roommates agreed. Maygor and Angie were up for the challenge of tasting my creation, although it took Nicole some convincing. Pretending not to hear me when you're 15 feet away doesn't work, Nicole. After explaining that I needed her input for the blog, she tried it. The reactions are as followed:

Maygor-"It tastes like water"

Angie-"Yeah, it does. But the inside is really good."

Nicole-*Shrug*

Thanks for your input Nicole. But in all honesty, she was right, it was a *shrug* meal. It was good, definitely edible, but I wasn't desiring another bite. The chayote has zero taste and considering that was the main ingredient, it was hard to taste the other ingreidents. Everyone just ended up eating the inside. My advice, if you can find a way to make this bland vegetable more tasty, please do, it's easy to cook with. This recipe, however, was not quite worth it. You live and you learn.

-Em