One of the fun things about participating in the Bountiful Baskets co-op is that every couple of weeks or so they throw in a produce item that I'm not familiar with. And I love the challenge of finding a way to use it.
Two Saturdays ago the challenge item was chayote squash.
I turned to Food Network for ideas and I found this soup recipe by Emeril. Looked tasty, so I added it to the meal plan.
In the meantime, my neighbor who is afraid of veggies (nod to Summer!) gave me her chayotes too.
I made a chicken chop suey recipe with one of them. It was okay. Kind of average Chinese food flavor. Not bad but not exciting enough for my culinary ADD afflicted taste buds.
I put off making this soup for a week or so longer because I was just not that excited about the chayotes after having tried them in the other recipe and not finding them to be that fantastic.
But last night it rolled around on the meal plan and couldn't be avoided. So I started making it.
I'll be honest, I was less than enthusiastic about this recipe right up to the point of taking the first bite.
WOW!!! I was so wrong! This soup is fantastic! You would think it was a cream soup by the texture, even before you add the dollop of sour cream. Charring the squash on the grill, and the addition of the adobo sauce and seasonings, really brought these otherwise lackluster squash to life.
I would buy chayotes on purpose just to make this soup.
I have been off the WW wagon for a few weeks so I haven't figure out the points plus value for this recipe. But I can plainly see that by using a tiny bit of olive oil to saute the onion and less olive oil to coat the squash, this would be a pretty healthy dish. In my opinion, you could easily leave the shrimp out and make it a vegetarian dish without losing any flavor at all. I'd just add the adobo and seasonings to the sauteed veggies instead. Next time I make it, I'll figure the points and add them to this post. Next time might be very soon. Seriously so yummy!
You can't see any shrimp in the picture because by the time I figured out how wonderful this recipe really was and went back to make a dish for a picture, someone *cough*Roger*cough* had scooped out all the shrimp from the remaining bowl full of soup.
Roger, Emily and I all loved this one.
On with the recipe! Thanks Emeril!!! I've always been able to count on you!
Charred Chayote Soup with Spicy Shrimp and Black Bean Relish
adapted from this recipe on Food Network.com
makes 4 servings
- 4 chayote squash, about 2 1/2 pounds
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onions
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 quart chicken stock (I used the powdered vegetable broth that I made last month. Recipe in this post )
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3/4 to 1 teaspoon Emeril's Southwest seasoning, recipe follows ( I used bottled Cajun Seasoning because I'm lazy like that.)
- 1 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles in adobo sauce
- 3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Black Bean Relish, recipe follows
- Sour cream, for garnish
Directions
Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
Place chayote squash into a medium saucepan, with enough water to cover. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Using a vegetable peeler or pairing knife, remove the peel from the chayote, slice each chayote in half, and pat dry. In a medium bowl, toss the chayote with the vegetable oil.
Arrange chayote on the preheated grill, 5 to 6 inches from the top of the coals. Cook, turning occasionally, until blistered and slightly charred, about 15 minutes. Alternately heat a grill pan over high heat and cook chayote, in batches, 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, or until slightly charred. Remove from the heat, roughly chop, and set aside.
Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a medium stockpot or soup pot. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the reserved chayotes, cumin, remaining salt, and the pepper to the stockpot. Stir in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and, in small batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Toss the shrimp with the Southwest seasoning and the adobo sauce and let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, return the soup to the stockpot and bring mixture to a boil.
Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
Serve immediately, garnishing hot soup with Black Bean Relish and sour cream
Place chayote squash into a medium saucepan, with enough water to cover. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Using a vegetable peeler or pairing knife, remove the peel from the chayote, slice each chayote in half, and pat dry. In a medium bowl, toss the chayote with the vegetable oil.
Arrange chayote on the preheated grill, 5 to 6 inches from the top of the coals. Cook, turning occasionally, until blistered and slightly charred, about 15 minutes. Alternately heat a grill pan over high heat and cook chayote, in batches, 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally, or until slightly charred. Remove from the heat, roughly chop, and set aside.
Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a medium stockpot or soup pot. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the reserved chayotes, cumin, remaining salt, and the pepper to the stockpot. Stir in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and, in small batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Toss the shrimp with the Southwest seasoning and the adobo sauce and let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, return the soup to the stockpot and bring mixture to a boil.
Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
Serve immediately, garnishing hot soup with Black Bean Relish and sour cream
Emeril's Southwest Seasoning:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 1/2 cup
Black Bean Relish:
1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 tablespoons chopped green onions
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss well. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Refrigerate relish for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, before serving.
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups
