# Mirilton? Sure do miss it.



## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

*I have been here for so many years now, I forgot how much I miss Mirilton. A New Orleans Staple.*

*And here are some dishes:*

*Cream of Mirliton and Shrimp Soup*

*8 mirlitons, halved*
*· ¼ cup Louisiana pecan oil*
*· ½ cup butter*
*· 1 cup chopped sweet onion*
*· 1 cup chopped celery*
*· 1½ teaspoons minced garlic*
*· 1 pound small Louisiana shrimp, peeled*
*and deveined*
*· 1 teaspoon ground black pepper*
*· 1 teaspoon ground white pepper*
*· 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
*· ½ teaspoon salt*
*· ½ teaspoon ground ginger*
*· ½ teaspoon dried basil*
*· 2 tablespoons quick-mixing flour, such as*
*Wondra*
*· 2 quarts chicken broth*
*· 1 cup half-and-half*
*1. To a large pot, add mirlitons and enough water to*
*cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until fork-tender, about*
*45 minutes. Transfer mirlitons to a colander, and let stand*
*until cool enough to handle.*

*2. Remove and discard seeds and fibrous membranes*
*from mirlitons, and scoop out as much flesh as possible.*
*Place flesh in a large bowl, and mash until smooth.*

*3. In a large Dutch oven, heat pecan oil and butter over*
*low heat until melted. Add onion, celery, and mirliton;*
*cook until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and*
*shrimp; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in peppers, salt, ginger, and*
*basil. Add fl our, stirring well.*

*4. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce*
*heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.*
*Remove from heat, and add half-and-half. Serve immediately.*


*Shrimp Stuffed Mirliton*

*3 mirlitons, boiled, cut in half and seeded 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1/2 cup chopped onions 
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper 
1/4 cup chopped celery 
2 teaspoons minced shallots 
1 teaspoon minced garlic 
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and each cut into 3 pieces 
1/2 cup dried fine bread crumbs 
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish 
Salt and cayenne 
2 tablespoons chopped chives 
Essence, recipe follows 

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop out the pulp of the mirlitons, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Reserve the pulp. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil. Saute the onions, peppers, celery, and shallots for about 5 minutes, or until they are wilted and golden. Season with salt and cayenne. Add the garlic, shrimp and reserved pulp. Saute the mixture for 5 minutes. Stir in the bread crumbs, cheese, and parsley. Remove from the heat. Fill each mirliton shell with the mixture. Bake for 1 hour. Place the stuffed mirlitons on a platter. Garnish with chives, cheese and Essence.

*
*Mirliton casserole with crabmeat, crawfish and shrimp *
*
Makes 24 to 30 side-dish servings *



*12 medium to large mirlitons, scrubbed *
*2 sticks (1/2 pound) plus 2 tablespoons butter *
*4 cups finely chopped yellow onions *
*6 large cloves garlic, minced *
*6 medium bay leaves *
*1/4 cup minced parsley leaves *
*1 medium yellow bell pepper, finely chopped *
*1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped *
*1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over *
*1 pound peeled crawfish tails, coarsely chopped *
*1 pound peeled boiled shrimp, coarsely chopped *
*1 teaspoon salt or to taste *
*3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste *
*3/4 teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste *
*3 tablespoons Worcestershire *
*2 1/2 (about) cups Italian-style fine dry bread crumbs *
*TOPPING *


*3/4 cup Italian-style fine dry bread crumbs *
*1 stick (1/4 pound) butter, cut into thin pats *
*Boil the mirlitons whole until they are fork tender, 45 minutes to one hour. Let cool, then peel skins. Remove and discard the seeds and any stringy pulp. Chop the pulp in small pieces and place in a colander to drain. *

*Set aside or, if preparing ahead, cover and refrigerate; drain well before using. *

*In a seven-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until onions are clear, about seven minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Stir in the drained mirliton, bay leaves and parsley. *

*Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep mixture from sticking to the pan bottom. Stir the bell peppers into the mixture, then add the crabmeat, crawfish and shrimp, being careful to keep lumps of crabmeat intact as much as possible as you mix. Add salt, pepper, Tabasco and Worcestershire, mixing well. *


*Gradually add enough bread crumbs, about 2 1/2 cups, to absorb all liquid; once done, the mixture should be moist but not wet. Continue cooking for five minutes more, stirring and scraping pan bottom almost constantly. *

*Remove the bay leaves from the mixture and transfer mixture to two buttered 13-by-9-inch baking pans or large casserole dishes. Sprinkle the top of the casseroles evenly with the 3/4 cup bread crumbs and dot with the pats of butter. (If making ahead, refrigerate or freeze; thaw before baking.) *

*To finish the dish, bake uncovered in a preheated 375-degree oven until the casserole is heated through and bubbly, and the top starts to brown, about 35 minutes.*



*As you can see, Mirilton makes some wonderful dishes. *

*I gotta find me some!!!*


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## CreekLifeFL (Jun 22, 2013)

I see them in the grocery store all the time but I know them by Chayote but have never known how people use them. Thanks for the recipes might have to give them a try.


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## william (Dec 30, 2007)

You should be able to grow them here, barely. I tried one year but got ahead of myself and they died before I could get them in the ground. They had sprouted and had about a two foot vine. I may try again this year, about time to buy a couple from the store and get them potted up. Check out this site if you're interested in authentic Louisiana varieties http://mirlitons.org/blog/.


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## FelixH (Sep 28, 2007)

I've found them at Publix several times in the past couple years.


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## Safari III (May 24, 2012)

I think I ate one of these in Guatemala last year. Are they similar to a potato?


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