Mirliton and Shrimp, Cajun Style

Mirliton. Chayote. Alligator pear. Vegetable pear. Growing up in New York, in those pre-internet days, I thought that mirlitons were one of those foods that you only got in New Orleans, like beignets, muffaletta sandwiches, andouille suausage and grandma's gumbo. You couldn't mail order long-missed ingredients and have them arrive two days later nestled in soft padding and ready to use.

As an adult, I visited Santa Fe, and low and behold, there were my mirliton, hiding in plain sight under the name chayote. I learned Mexicans, Native Americans and Southwest residents had been enjoying them for centuries. Now, I realize they are everywhere and used in many, many cuisines. I get them at a local supermarket that has a big south Asian clientele. My parents get them in a store in New York that caters to many Central and South Americans.

Hooray! I say mirliton, you say chayote, or chuchu or sayote... we all say delicious!



Never had one before? It's mild tasting, similar to a squash or a melon. I'm told that people sometimes substitute them for pears in recipes in Australia. They can be eaten raw, though I've only ever eaten them cooked in savory recipes. Sometimes you just have to be true to the cooking your grandma taught you. They accept strong seasoning beautifully. I love them with shrimp, but they'd be delicious with other seafood or sausage.

Come on, try them! If you like squash, or cooked asian melons or even nicely seasoned boiled potatoes, these will taste and feel very familiar in your mouth. If you live in Toronto, you can get them at most asian supermarkets, or familiar chains that carry more Asian or South Asian ingredients. Let me know what you think, and what other uses you can imagine for them.

Mirilton and Shrimp, Cajun Style

10 Mirilton (about 5-6 lbs)
1 lb. raw, cleaned shrimp
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 medium bell pepper (option), finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan reggiano cheese
Cajun seasoning to taste
2 pieces of sliced bread *

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash the mirliton. Leaving skin on, slice in half length wise and place in a large pot of water. Make sure water covers the mirliton. Boil for 30-40 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife.

While mirliton are cooking, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute garlic for 30 seconds, then add onions. When the onions are softened (about 5 minutes), add the celery and bell pepper. Saute until tender and brightly colored. Set vegetables aside in a bowl.

Using the same pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Over medium heat, add shrimp and saute until opaque and just cooked. Add vegetables to shrimp season with cajun spice to taste. Turn off burner and set aside.





When mirliton are tender, drain in a large colander and let them cool enough so that they can be handled. If you have the time to do so, let the mirliton sit, uncovered, for an hour. This will help dry them out and they will release less liquid when cooked in the oven. If you don't have this additional time, proceed to the next step as soon as soon they are cool to the touch.

Using a paring knife, remove the seed in the middle of the mirliton and the skin. Chop each half into four sections length-wise, then chop each segment into 3-4 pieces. The result should be larger bite size pieces. Repeat for the remaining mirliton.

Return to the colander and press down gently using a plate or your palms to release any addition liquid. Turn the burner under the shrimp back on to medium-low, and add the mirliton. Stir to combine. Add 1 cup of bread crumbs and the parmesan reggiano cheese. You may want to add additional cajun seasoning to taste at this point.



Place the mirliton and shrimp into a large casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining bread crumbs on the top of the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Liquid should be bubbling. Broil for an additional 1-2 minutes to brown the top. * Check the casserole after 15-20 minutes. If you notice a lot of liquid on the top of the mixture, place two pieces of sliced bread on top. This will absorb the extra liquid being released. Remove the bread before browning.



Let cool for 5-10 minutes to thicken slightly and serve. Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread

I live in a cranberry household. Well, not literally. But, I do find it's one of our favorite go-to fruit flavors to add a bit of tart and sweet. Dried cranberries are wonderful and we eat them plain like raisins and throw them in all sorts of recipes including granola bars, pies, roasted brussel sprouts or salads. When I crave the real fruit and it's not turkey time, I'll make this bread.










I don't like muffins or breads to be overly sweet and cranberries offer a soft piquant burst of flavor. They are also lovely to look at - such a deep, shiny red. They deserve so much more than a once a year appearance on a Thanksgiving table. Don't you think? I bet the cranberry farmers in Massachusetts are with us on this.

Orange and cranberries are a classic combination. The unsweetened coconut gives it texture that I really like without making it too "tropical". You can easily leave it out if it's not your thing.

It's perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. You can also toast it and serve it with a little peanut butter, if you were so inclined. Ours doesn't always make it until the next day, when toasting would be perfect.








Cranberry Orange Bread
Adapted from Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything

4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) cold butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp salt
3/4 cup orange juice
Zest from 1 large orange
1 egg
1 cup fresh cranberries, washed, dried and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 inch bread pan.

Stir together the dry ingredients. Use a food processor (or two knives) to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter pieces are no bigger than a small pea. (A few pulses should do it). Transfer to a bowl and do the rest by hand. If you do the remaining steps in a food processor, it could toughen the bread.

Beat the orange juice, zest, coconut and egg together. Pour into the dry ingredients, mixing until its just moistened. No need to mix until it's smooth. Avoiding beating the batter (or you'll risk toughening the bread again).

Fold in the cranberries, then pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for an hour or so. Look for golden brown color and a tooth pick inserted in the center to come out clean. This takes 1:10 in my oven.

Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan. Enjoy!

Makes 1 loaf of bread.
This recipe could easily be made into muffins. Muffins should bake around 25 minutes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

A few years ago, while sitting in a playground, I complained to a friend that I didn't have a trusty, easy banana bread recipe. She rattled this recipe off to me, and with just a bit of tinkering to suit our taste, it's been a staple ever since.

It's a cinch and perfect to make with little kids. It's quick. It uses three of those bananas getting brown on the counter. And, it's incredibly forgiving and adaptable.

I've made it with all whole wheat flour, with half white and half whole wheat (my current favorite), all white and spelt flour (earning me a bit of love from friends who avoid gluten).

I've added nuts, flax seed and chocolate chips. I suggest half white flour and half whole wheat cake flour - or soft whole wheat flour, as it's called in our bulk store- to start. Play with it from there. The high fruit content makes it incredibly moist without lots of fat. It's a work horse and will take almost anything you throw at it. We throw chocolate at it most of the time because, well, we're like that.

Mini-muffins are great for the six and under crowd. Otherwise, regular muffins or a quick bread are perfect for anyone over 4 ft. in your life. Bring these to the playground, office or a friend's house next time you go. You'll be popular.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

3 ripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mash bananas in medium sized bowl. Add brown sugar and eggs and combine.

Melt butter and add to banana mixture while stirring.

Mix dry ingredients and then add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips. Stir until just combined. Don't over mix.

Bake 25 minutes for regular muffins or 10-12 minutes for mini muffins. Test center with a toothpick. Cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Makes 12 large or 15 regular sized muffins. I generally get around 38-40 mini muffins out of a batch.