If you had a few of these, what would you do with them?

[EFerrari]

One of our helpers has been bringing chayotes to Mom. I had to look them up.

[Denninmi]

1. Raw with dip or in salads.

Or cooked any way you would use summer squash. Flavor and texture is basically the same as zucchini or yellow summer squash, maybe a little more firm and crisp. You have to remove the big, avocado-like pit. So, as a cooked vegetable, in a stir fried dish, to make vegetable lasagna in place of the pasta, that sort of thing.

You can also leave one on the counter and let it sprout -- makes a fun little houseplant or a big, rambling outdoor vine in the right climate. I've grown them here as a novelty for the summer, but they only bloom in the short days of fall, so they stand a 0% chance of ever growing a fruit here.

[EFerrari]

3. Maybe we should start with raw.

When I asked Mom about them, she said all she could remember was they were squishy.

Of course, any vegetable my grandmother cooked became squishy, lol, because she didn't start cooking until she was in her sixties. So maybe we can cast out the ghost of squishy chayotes with raw snacking.

[Denninmi]

6. No, they shouldn't be "squishy" when raw.

Unless they're really, really old or dehydrated. They should be crisp-firm, kind of like the texture of very young summer squash.

[GoCubsGo]

2. Something Cajun...

Like Shrimp Mirliton casserole:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cajun-Shrimp-Mirliton-Casserole-103057

[EFerrari]

4. Or Jamaican. Found this stew that looks yummy.

Spicy Chicken and Chayote Jamaican Stew Recipe



INGREDIENTS

* 4 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon curry powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 pounds chicken legs and thighs, washed and patted dry
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
* 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 medium habanero pepper, stemmed and finely chopped
* 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
* 1 medium russet potato, large dice
* 1 medium sweet potato, large dice
* 1 medium chayote, pit removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
* 4 cups water
* 2 teaspoons white vinegar

http://www.chow.com/recipes/13562-spicy-chicken-and-chayote-jamaican-stew

[GoCubsGo]

5. That DOES look yummy!

I haven't eat much chayote, but I get the impression that it can be used much the way one uses zucchini and yellow squash.

[EFerrari]

12. I made that recipe last night.

The spice mix was perfect.

Tweaks. 1) I added the potato, the yam and the chayote serially, not at the same time, in order of what cooks the slowest, so the yam and chayote wouldn't overcook. That worked really well. 2) I added about a cup of stock because those veggies don't really produce enough liquid to stew.

This is a no leftover recipe.

[shanti]

13. jamaicans call it "cho cho"

google that, and you'll probably come up with a lot more caribbean recipes personally, i like it raw, so it can be dipped into whatever. salad too.

[Rowdyboy]

7. They're really big in Cajun cooking....

Here's just one recipe for crab-stuffed mirliton (chayote)

http://gavanmurphy.com/mardi-gras-stuffed-mirlitons/

[EFerrari]

9. Wow, those look great.

And like food. The first time Enrique gave me these things, they looked vaguely Martian to me.

[Rowdyboy]

11. They're Martian eggs and they'll hatch if you can just dulicate the Martian atmosphere.....

But then you're stuck with this........and they're much harder to cook!

[EFerrari]

10. Do you peel them for stir fry? That's one thing Rosie likes to make for herself

at least once a week.