Chayote gratin



On the Island of La Guadeloupe and la Martinique in the French Caribbean Christmas the main dish is accompanied by a "gratin de Christophines" or Chayote in gratin. Chayote is a fruit of the cucurbitaceae's family which is known to have a positive effect on blood cholesterol and have some anti-inflamatory properties. So, this is how it is prepared:

Recipe for 4 people:
  • 3 chayotes
  • 2 table spoons of vegetable oil
  • 50g smoked pork belly
  • 4 spring onions
  • 1 onion
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 100g fresh bread crumb+4 table spoons of dried crumb
  • 5cl milk
  • 100g gruyere cheese, gratted
  • salt and pepper
Peel and stone the chayote. Cut them into big cubes and cook them in salted water for 30 minutes. Strain them and reduce them into a pure.
Mince the smoked pork belly. Mix the fresh bread crumb with milk. then, wash and finely slice the spring onion and the onion.
In a thick bottom sauce pan sweat of the spring onion and the onion for 5 minutes. Add the minced pork and the thyme and cook for another 5minutes. Add the pureed chayote and mix it well with the rest of the ingredients. Add the soaked bread crumb and allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes.
Put your mixture in an oven dish, sprinkle with the dry bread crumb and the gruyere cheese and bake for 10 minutes in a hot oven.

Serve piping hot.

Suitable for pregnant women.

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