MIRLITONS STUFFED with SAUSAGE & SHRIMP (CULINARY QUICKIES EP 14) скачать в хорошем качестве

MIRLITONS STUFFED with SAUSAGE & SHRIMP (CULINARY QUICKIES EP 14)

This is the sixth in a series of eight episodes showcasing Cajun and Creole cuisines—they're not the same thing, although they sometimes overlap—and the differences and similarities between them. Mirliton, that pale-green summer squash known to much of the world by other names, all of them colorful—chayote, choko, chou chou, christophene—is a staple of Creole and, to a lesser degree, Cajun home cooking and grows plentifully in the backyards and gardens of many New Orleans homes. While it can be eaten raw, tossed in a salad, sautéed, and more, stuffed with shrimp, seasoned pork, and savory seasonings and then baked—as it is here by Chef Tracey Mitchell—is the classic preparation known to and cherished by generations of Southern Louisiana families. Prep time: 30 minutes (includes boiling, deseeding, and mashing the pulp of the squash) Baking time: 30 minutes Yield: 8 servings TOOLS & EQUIPMENT Skillet Deep pot Baking pan/dish Soup spoon Fork or Potato masher Cutting board Santoku knife INGREDIENTS 4 large Mirlitons 1 medium Yellow Onion, 3/4 to 1 cup finely diced 1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped 4-6 cloves Garlic, pressed or finely minced 3 tbsp Olive Oil 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of Butter, melted 1 1/2 cup seasoned Italian Bread crumbs (Reserve 4 tbsp for garnish!) 1/8 tsp each Salt, freshly ground Black Pepper, and Cayenne Pepper (You may wish to use 1 tsp of Seasoned Salt to replace the salt, pepper, and cayenne, if you prefer.) 1 lb Shrimp, pealed, deveined, and chopped 1 lb Seasoned Pork Sausage, broken up and browned 1 Egg, beaten 1/2 cup each Romano Cheese and Parmesan Cheese, grated (Grated Gruyere, Manchego, Cheddar, or any “grating” cheese may substitute for either or both Romano and Parmesan cheeses.) 1/3-1/2 cup Parsley, finely chopped (Reserve 2 tbsp for garnish!) 1/2 tsp Paprika (for garnish) DIRECTIONS The Mirlitons 1. In a pot large enough to cover the squash with water, boil the mirlitons until tender (20-30 minutes). Pierce squash with the tines of a fork to check for doneness. 2. Slice the squash in half lengthwise. Be careful not to pierce or slice the shell halves. With a soup spoon, pop out the paddle-shaped seed in the center of each squash, scoop out the flesh, reserving the shell for stuffing, and mash the flesh with a fork or potato masher. (Do not use a food processor. This will reduce the pulp to a soupy purée.) After mashing, pour off the excess water and save as vegetable stock for soup. NB: If while scooping out the mirliton your spoon makes a hole in the skin, just plug or patch the hole on the inside with an unmashed thin bit of the fibrous squash. The stuffing will cover the patch and keep it in place. The Stuffing 1. Over medium-high heat, sauté the sausage, breaking it up as you go. Since it will bake in the oven later, brown for only a little color. (Do not flatten or mash the sausage—the looser, the better for tenderness.) 2. Dry the chopped shrimp, using a tea towel or paper towel. (If you throw the shrimp in the pan with much moisture, they will steam and thus over-cook, taking on a rubbery texture coming out of the oven after baking in the stuffing.) Toss and stir gently in your skillet or pan with a little olive oil over medium heat until just turning pink. 3. In the same pan or skillet, sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in oil until tender and aromatic. Filling & Baking the Mirlitons 1. Combine the mashed mirliton flesh, cooked shrimp and sausage, vegetable seasoning, breadcrumbs, melted butter, salt, pepper, cayenne, and parsley. (Remember to reserve some parsley to garnish the tops of the filled mirlitons, along with a sprinkling of paprika before baking.) 2. Preheat the oven to 350° F before stuffing each mirliton half with a generous amount of stuffing, filling to a mound in the center and to the edge of the mirliton skin. Top each squash half with breadcrumbs, paprika, and parsley. 3. Oil or butter a deep baking pan, place the mirlitons in the pan, and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes until browned on top. ENJOY!