CRUSTY CHAYOTE CASSEROLE

CRUSTY CHAYOTE CASSEROLE image

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

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1 cup roasted poblano rajas (see attached recipe)
5 medium chayotes
2 ears corn, husked, kernels cut from the cobs (a generous 1 1/2 cups)
2/3 cups milk
salt, about 1 teaspoon
1 heaping cup (about 5 ounces) grated Mexican Chihuahua cheese or other melting cheese such as Monterey jack
3/4 cup coarse dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely crumbled Mexican queso anejo or Parmesan
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Steps:

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the chayotes, then cut them in half through the stem end, and use a small knife or spoon to wedge out the pit from each piece. Cut into 3/4-inch cubes. In a vegetable steamer, steam the chayote until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Stir the chayote around every 3-4 minutes for even cooking. Prepare the roasted poblano rajas from the accompanying recipe. Preheat oven to 350. Add the corn, milk and cooked chayote to a skillet with the rajas and bring to a boil. Taste and add salt. Spoon half of the mixture into a well-buttered 9x9-inch or 11x7-inch baking dish. Top with half of the Chihuahua cheese, the remaining chayote mixture, then the remaining cheese. Bake until bubbling nicely and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. While the chayote is baking, melt the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and stir it into the crumbs. Mix with the queso anejo, sprinkle over the casserole and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes more, until crusty and browned. Let stand 5 minutes before sprinkling with the cilantro and digging in.