New Mexico Green Chile Recipes

What the heck is a Chayote?
The chayote (rhymes with "coyote"), is a light green, crinkly-ended relative of the zucchini squash. In Louisiana cooking it's called the "Mirliton". It has a light, fresh flavor and texture, quite different from its other squash relatives, and is excellent baked, raw in salads, or as an addition to soups or stews, as in the following recipe.

A warm, satisfying autumn or winter supper, this bowl of chowder combines several flavors of the Southwest...corn, green chile, and chayote squash. Serve it with thick slices of buttery sourdough toast.

Chayote Chowder
2 T butter
4 chayote squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ˝" cubes
2 med. onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
ź cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups corn kernels
2 cups chopped green chile
2 cups milk
˝ t salt
1 t cumin
˝ t chile powder
2 T lime juice
Grated cheddar cheese, for garnish
Cooked bacon, crumbled, for garnish

In a soup pot, saute the squash, onion, peppers and garlic in butter for about 5 minutes. Add the flour, cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth, corn, chile, milk, salt, cumin, and chile powder. Simmer for 45 minutes. When ready to serve, add the lime juice and ladle into bowls. Garnish with grated cheese and crumbled bacon. Makes 8 servings.