Cheesy Chayote Casserole

[romarc]

Cheesy Chayote Casserole

3 medium chayote, peeled

A few slices of thinly sliced onion

1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese or cheese of your choice

1 cup shredded cheddar

4 T chopped fresh parsley

1 C heavy cream (I didn’t have enough cream, so I subbed alfredo sauce)

S&P (I used seasoned salt, a dash of garlic powder, and a dash of Italian herbs)
________________________________________________________-

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray bottom of casserole dish.

Cut chayote in half – parboil for 10-15 min.  Cool. 

Slice chayote into thin slices – place chayote and onion slices in a small casserole dish. 

Season w/S&P. 

Sprinkle cheese over top.  Repeat layering. 

Drizzle cream over chayote and top w/several dabs of butter. 

Cover, bake 30-45 min.  Uncover, and once it has set, add more cheddar and brown it.    Although it didn't replace scalloped potatoes, it was good - DH really liked it!

[morgan]

What is a 'chayote' ?

[Roslyn]

A Chayote is a Mexican squash. Normally found in the produce aisle by the other ethnic produce items, like nopales (cactus), jicama, grey squash, etc.

They are bright green and roughly the shape and size of a large avocado.

Hope this helps!

[morgan]

Hi Roslyn - welcome to the forum if I haven't already.  I'm in Australia and had never heard of chayote - somehow don't think I'm going to find it in the produce aisle of my local supermarket either.  We don't have any of the things you mentioned, except avocado (and that's by default).

Don't know what I could you as a substitute.  Recipe sounds good though.

[umpa]

Morgan you can grow them.They grow on a vine.

[morgan]

Seeds umpa? Where would I get them?

[Roslyn]

Unfortunately, you will not be able to purchase seeds. The seeds will only germinate inside the fruit, so they cannot be dried and packaged like most seeds. They sound really easy to grow though and produce loads of fruit in a season...

Here's a link to an article on them.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/growing-chayote-zmaz80ndzraw.aspx#axzz2RUkBPq49


And thank you for the Welcome! 

[shawn116]

Hi Morgan  I was just wondering if you knew that they call the chayote different things in different areas...(wondering because I sure didn't...LOL )  It appears that in Australia they call it a Choko (http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/sq_chayotz.html) Knowing this just might make a difference in your search.    

Here is a couple of links I found about them just by googling:

http://www.mygarden.net.au/community/groups/vegetable-gardening/forum/topic/chokos/
http://www.underthechokotree.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146:at-last-chokoes&catid=49:crops&Itemid=37
and finally this one   http://www.nurseriesonline.com.au/Vegetables/choko.html 

I hope this is helpful 

[mouseissue]

Phooey!... Another thing I can't find in the Pacific Northwest!

Good things that grow well in the desert Southwest are the only things I really miss about So Cal.
Well... maybe the constant sunshine is right up there, too.

Tony

[umpa]

They had them in San Diego Mouse issue. I grew my vine from the chyote.  I know jicama grows very well in mexico. I like to grow my own herbs and veggies if I can. What season are you in Morgan? Maybe I could mail you one to plant? What a cool experiment!

[morgan]

Hi ho umpa - at the moment a month away from our start of winter (June).  Willing to give it a try, though don't think it will get through customs.  They really frown upon untreated cuttings/seeds coming in.

Thanks TooSweet -didn't know of the name alias - yep heard of chokos, but not common around here.  I think they need fairly warm weather, so Victoria (the state I live in) may be a bit on the cold side.  When the weather warms up I will go to some of the nurseries and see what they suggest, also some surfing on the net may help yield some answers.

They look a bit like giant beans (hellooo Jack) don't they.

[shawn116]

They look a bit like giant beans (hellooo Jack) don't they.

  That they do..Haha   

I bet they would do fine in the warmer months.  With your winter coming on, you can have plenty of time to plan for a spring/summer planting    You may be right though if they aren't common in your area.   

[umpa]

Oh Well Its spring here and i have planted a ton of seeds.

[Doug Varrieur]

 I LOVE Chayote squash and it's really easy to grow  check out this post- http://www.fattoskinny.net/index.php?topic=2846.0