“I have a present for you!” my mum announced while visiting some weeks ago. She handed me a bag and my first reaction was “Ouch!”. As I wanted to hold the bag, something pricked my fingers and almost made me drop the bag. That surely was one peculiar present! Opening the bag I saw thorny, light-green, pear-shaped things. “It’s called chayote, I hope you have a pair of good hand gloves in the kitchen,” she said. Luckily I did. And curious as I am about new foods, I had to take a closer look at this vegetable I’ve never heard of nor seen before.

Careful with those prickles…

Chayote / chocho (ha, ha) / chow-chow / christophine or sechium edule, if you prefer, is a member of Cucurbitaceae family (along with cucumbers, squash and melons). Its home is Central America, Costa Rica being the major exporter of chayotes worldwide. After a little research on the Internet, I found out chayote is one very useful plant: ALL its parts (roots, leaves, young sprouts and fruits, together with their seeds) are edible. The meat and seed of chayote are rich in amino acids and vitamin C, its root contains starch and the leaves as well as the fruits are known to have a diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties. Apparently, in chayote’s homeland people make infusion from its leaves to help combat the atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and kidney stones.
Sounds like one super power plant, doesn’t it??

The seed is edible but this one tasted somehow too bitter for me…

Most of the recipes I found were using chayote in soups or stews. I didn’t hesitate to prepare one myself, too. I used whatever I’d found in the fridge and the result was one seriously tasty soup I liked so much that I prepared it twice in the same week. And here is the recipe!

CHAYOTE SOUP WITH CAULIFLOWER AND CHORIZO

about 1l freshly cooked vegetable broth*
1 chayote
1 carrot
1 very small cauliflower
1 onion
2 potatoes
chorizo
unrefined sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of smoked sweet paprika
freshly grated nutmeg
150ml oat cream for cooking (as a non-dairy alternative – I love it! Of course you can substitute it with the normal one.)

* Vegetable broth:
1l water
1 carrot
a piece of kohlrabi
a piece of celery root
1 small parsnip
3 sprigs of fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
a pinch of saffron or safflower threads
unrefined sea salt
1tsp of peppercorns

1. Prepare the vegetable broth by cleaning, peeling and slicing the vegetables, place them in a big pot, add the spices and cover with water. Bring to boil. Then add some salt and let the broth simmer for about half an hour. Remove from fire, spoon out the vegetables and filter the broth.

2. Mix the vegetables until smooth “paste”, using a blender or a food mill. Stir it in the filtered broth and place on the stove again. Now add the cleaned, peeled and chopped carrot, chayote, potato, chorizo, onion, add the spices and let simmer. Towards the end of cooking add the florets of cauliflower and check again for salt. Pour in the cream and stir a bit.

3. By letting the ingredients simmer gently, the soup will take on a richer aroma, allowing the tastes blend well. After about an hour our soup is cooked. Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes more, then serve sprinkled with some sweet paprika and with some freshly baked bread on a side.