Chayote

I couldn't resist buying this curious looking vegetable. 

With a cost of only 68 cents, the chayote, beckoned me to at least try it once. It's a bit odd looking.The seed is weird too. Well, weird is in the eye of the beholder.

I did a small amount of reading about the chayote prior to tackling it head on.

I chose to peel. I removed the seed.

I read conflicting opinions on the necessity of either action. I played it safe.

Peeling the chayote exposed me to a waxy, soapy, and almost slippery feel to the flesh of the vegetable itself. Eaten raw, the only taste I found this to be similar to would be an english walnut. I expected a squash taste. From the little that I read, it was suggested to prepare it as you would any squash.

I tossed the chopped chayote into a dry skillet ( I love using an electric skillet). It seemed natural to throw in a chopped sweet potato. What the heck....I peeled and chopped one apple and added to the pan. After a slight browning on everything I decided to add a little extra virgin olive oil. I might skip on that next time. This was a fly by the seat of my pants and taste as I went dish. And salt of course...

I like smoked sausage with most squash dishes so it seemed only natural to cube

 8 ounces of this skinless meat into the whole concoction.

When the veggies and apple were tender I started scrounging the cupboard for more flavor.

Now time for a little seasoning!

I have a fresh sage plant out on the deck.

Chopped Sage

Coriander

Red Pepper Seeds

Red Wine Vinegar

The chayote is very bland. The salt complimented the sweet potato well. The apple was a nice little subtle sweetness to the dish.

I deglazed the pan with a small amount of red wine vinegar. Tossed in a generous sprinkling of red pepper seeds, sprinkled with coriander and last but not least the fresh sage.

All in all I liked it!!

It was worth the .68 just to peel this martian looking thing and then dissect it and experiment with something totally new.

This was my dinner.

I think it's pretty much a Hash.

Chayote Sorta Hash

Buttered sliced french bread browned in the same skillet I cooked the Sorta Hash in.

The chayote is not a super star but a nice supporting actor in the show.