Mirliton, aka chayote squash
Prep your mirliton/chayote squash by parboiling, cooling, peeling, putting, dicing and draining it of excess liquid. Draining it is often a combination of pressing it and baking it in your oven or similar appliance.
Note: the large seed is edible, but not right for this dish.
Chop 2lbs of bacon or ham, and sauté. Deglaze your pan and add the diced garlic and leeks to the pan. (Onion is more traditional, but leeks work just as well.)
Add your squash to the pot, along with a stick of butter, chicken broth, bay leaf (3+), salt, black and red pepper, thyme, parsley. Cook on low/med heat until the squash is relatively tender- soft enough that most pieces can be cut or mashed with your cooking spoon.
After the squash has softened, add your peeled, cleaned shrimp (2lbs this time, fully thawed) to the pot, stir well, cover and turn off. Let sit for 10 minutes. The shrimp will be MOSTLY but not completely cooked.
Turn heat back on low, adding another stick of butter and 2 bags of bread crumbs- we usually use Pepperidge Farms- and fold it in thoroughly. Feel free to add more broth if resulting dish is too dry.
When the butter is melted and the shrimp are just about done, turn off and serve.
Prep your mirliton/chayote squash by parboiling, cooling, peeling, putting, dicing and draining it of excess liquid. Draining it is often a combination of pressing it and baking it in your oven or similar appliance.
Note: the large seed is edible, but not right for this dish.
Chop 2lbs of bacon or ham, and sauté. Deglaze your pan and add the diced garlic and leeks to the pan. (Onion is more traditional, but leeks work just as well.)
Add your squash to the pot, along with a stick of butter, chicken broth, bay leaf (3+), salt, black and red pepper, thyme, parsley. Cook on low/med heat until the squash is relatively tender- soft enough that most pieces can be cut or mashed with your cooking spoon.
After the squash has softened, add your peeled, cleaned shrimp (2lbs this time, fully thawed) to the pot, stir well, cover and turn off. Let sit for 10 minutes. The shrimp will be MOSTLY but not completely cooked.
Turn heat back on low, adding another stick of butter and 2 bags of bread crumbs- we usually use Pepperidge Farms- and fold it in thoroughly. Feel free to add more broth if resulting dish is too dry.
When the butter is melted and the shrimp are just about done, turn off and serve.
