My First Chayote/Pipinola Experience

     Yesterday, I found a new love. Lol! I fell in love with what I think is a vegetabe and will probably be experimenting with different recipes using chayote, aka pipinola (in Hawaii), vegetable pear, pear squash, or choko.  I have an enough supply to last me all week so this experiment should be fun. :)  

     Grandma Toni's back yard is where I first met the chayote plant.  I walked thru Grandma's garden with my sister and her in-laws and we ended up picking a fruit off of some kind of vine. I didn't know then what it was so I asked Aunty, "What is this and what is it for?" She laughed at me and said, "This is pipinola." Ack! That name sounds so familiar!  My sister only laughed at me because I've seen it countless times before, but I guess I never paid much attention to it.  Aunty went on explaining how they prepare the pipinola in soups, stir fries, salads and DESSERTS.  FOOD always gets my attention and I listened well and took some notes. I learned that not only the fruit of the plant is used, but the root, shoots, and leaves as well are prepared in many food dishes. Chayote belongs to the gourd family and is used raw or cooked. 

     When dinner time came, I seen Aunty plating a greenish salad made with the chayote/pipinola shoots and leaves and it of remined me of the warabi salad, which I don't eat, so I passed...then.  It wasn't until I watched my little 2 year old nephew devour the salad that I got really brave and decided to taste the salad for myself.  Mmmm, my taste buds did their happy dance.  And that was it!  I got really excited and asked Grandma if she could share her recipe with me.  She recited her recipe and even packed me a bowl of her salad and a bag full of the chayote we picked off the vines.

     Tonight, I made some Chicken Pipinola Soup for dinner, (prepared the same way as "chicken papaya" soup is made), and ate some leftover salad from Grandma.  My taste buds did their happy dance again. Lol!  Aunty said she made a pie using the chayote.  She explained it was like an apple pie. Yummers so I'm on it! Chayote pie is on the menu for tomorrow night. Maybe!  I just have to find a recipe for that. Lol!

     Until next time...A BIG shout out to my Followers and readers: THANK YOU for stopping by and taking the time to read my blog and to my Facebook friends: a big MAHALO to all who have subscribed by email and left a comment on my link posted on FB. BIG <<<<HUGS>>>> to you all. Take care.

The belly rules the mind.  ~Spanish Proverb