Chayote Casserole With Ground Pork Recipes

CHAYOTE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place chayotes and epazote in saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 min. Drain; discard epazote. Set aside. Heat oil in small heavy-bottomed skillet on medium heat. Add poblano chiles and onions; cook 5 min. or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in jalapeño peppers.
• Layer half each of the tomatoes, poblano mixture and chayotes in 2-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat all layers.
• Bake 20 to 25 min. or until mixture is heated through and cheese is melted.

MIRLITON (CHAYOTE) CASSEROLE

Steps:

• 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the mirlitons and cook until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat, drain, and set aside to cool completely.
• 2. Sprinkle ground beef, pork or sausage with 1 tablespoon creole seasoning and brown in heavy skillet. Drain and set aside.
• 3. When the mirlitons are cool, cut them in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, peel, and coarsely chop. Set aside.
• 4. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, carrots, celery, green onions and jalapeno. Add remaining creole seasoning and the thyme. Cook slowly, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and lightly golden, about 30 minutes.
• 5. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the mirlitons and cook, mashing them with a potato masher, until very tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
• 6. At this point, if you want a smoother textured casserole use an immersion blender or put mixture into a food processor or blender in small batches until everything is pureed. If you like a chunkier casserole then skip this step.
• 7. Add the meats or seafood, salt, black pepper, and parsley. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat.
• 8. Add the eggs and toasted bread crumbs and mix well. You want the mixture to be tight, not too wet. Spoon the mixture into a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella or parmesan cheese (optional), or with about 1-2 tablespoons of bread crumbs.
• 9. Bake at 350 until the topping is lightly browned and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Serve warm.
• 10. *NOTES: In a skillet, toast the breadcrumbs in a little olive oil over medium heat until it turns 2 shades darker. This will keep the casserole from being gummy.
• 11. If you make extra toasted breadcrumbs you can freeze them in a ziplock bag until you're ready to use them again.

CHAYOTE & POTATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Boil the potatoes & chayotes until just tender about 3-4 minutes, drain.
• Melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet and stir fry the shallots& peppers until just tender apprx 6 minutes, remove from heat and pour into a dish Melt remaining butter in the same skillet, stir in the flour and when well browned slowly add the milk and cream, whisk over medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens, stir and cook 2 minutes longer Add the shallots& peppers to the sauce, add salt, pepper& nutmeg, stir in 1/4 cup of cheese Spread the potato& chayotes in a shallow baking dish, add sauce& mix gently Smoothe the top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese.
• Cover with foil& bake in 350F until bubbling (apprx 20 minutes), remove foil and allow the cheese to brown- 10 more minutes Serve hot.

CHAYOTE CASSEROLE WITH GROUND PORK

Steps:

• 1. In a large pan of salted boiling water, cook the chayotes over medium heat until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and cool under running water. Peel off the thin skin and slice crosswise. Reserve in a bowl. 2. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an ovenproof casserole dish. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the ground pork until no longer pink. Add the onion and red pepper. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved chayote and the remaining ingredients, except the cheese. Stir to mix. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. 3. Transfer the vegetables to the casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake until completely heated through and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.