Chayote with Cilantro and Lime - the opposite of soup

Sigh.

Even though it’s warming up here in Virginia Beach, I’m a beach girl floundering in the depths of a Nicaraguan hangover. Of sorts.

I’ve only been home a few days, but I miss the hot sun on my shoulders at 9 a.m., the blinding blue sky, the clueless roosters that crow.

All.

Day.

Long.

And, of course, I miss the flavors of the food.

The last in that list is the only thing I can do a thing about (while still maintaining my status as a fine, fine mother to The Baby Girl, who, by the way, remains a bit cranky about the fact that she got left behind on this trip.)

So last night, I cracked open one of my favorite cookbooks, “Cuisine a Latina,” and honed in on Chayote with Cilantro and Lime. It seems to me the opposite of soup. (I’m over soup, really, until next fall. Are you with me?)

Anyway, I love chayote (say it with me, chy-OH-tay – sounds like a toast, doesn’t it?) The chayote has history, being a principal food of the Aztecs and Mayas. It looks like a puckered up pear. The flesh provides a cucumber-like crunch and has the mildest vegetable flavor.

Any area Tienda should carry them, but I found mine at the Food Lion for $1.29 each, hiding right above the onion bin.

The dish couldn’t be simpler to make, and the bright flavor of lime juice and cilantro provide a lively Latin melody to the low, spicy notes of the habanero and cumin.

And chayote is in season now, so don’t delay! And please note that with this dish, my New Year’s resolution to make one recipe from one of my cookbooks each week remains firmly intact!

Chayote with Cilantro and Lime
Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ red onion, cut into thin strips
4 medium garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into thin strips
2 chayote squash, halved and sliced into a ¼-inch-thick planks
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon minced habanero or jalapeno chile
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)
Juice of one lime

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add the chayote and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but still somewhat al dente, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cumin and chile and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.

Transfer to a bowl and serve.

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