christophine , still called chayotte is a white vegetable that looks like a big pear by shape, the hard skin with a few hairs, as if she had badly shaved. In Paris and in major cities, can be found at the supermarket, the radius exotic fruits and vegetables; elsewhere is harder.

At maturity, a seed out of its end nearest swollen, but at this stage it is better, but it can consume a little less mature as well. Its taste is not very strong; nature, it is a taste of starch, which remains on the language.

The interest in cooking is especially for exoticism, and once well-seasoned, it is delicious.

Ingredients

Serves 4:

2 christophines

1 large onion

200 g of bacon

2 soup spoons flour

1 small glass of milk (10 cl)

thyme, the cive (or chives), parsley

1 clove garlic

of grated Swiss cheese and breadcrumbs

salt & pepper

bring a large pot of water on the fire, you salt (not too). Meanwhile, cut christophines to 2 in the sense of length, beginning in the middle of the germ. Discard the heart (it is easily!) In each half and dip them in boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a colander. Wait until they cool. Then, empty them of their skin, removing the flesh with a soup spoon, gently, so as not penetrate the skin, which we’ll use later for the presentation. To mix and grind coarsely, to get pieces of 1.5 cm side. Put in colander and let drain.

Thereafter, (optional: make launder bacon, dipping in a small pan of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, the time they make a little fat.), In a saucepan, bring some of olive oil and stir fry onions chopped or cut into small pieces and make blondir simmer between 5 and 10 minutes. Add the herbs if they are dried and bacon.

Then add flour, and mix with a wooden spoon, over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the milk and mix 2 to 3 more minutes. Here, add your mashed christophines this thick béchamel. Salt and pepper, place the crushed garlic (minced herbs, at this moment, if they are fresh), and stir about 3 minutes.

Preheat oven thermostat 7. If you saved the skins (or slightly torn or hole), complete mixture, otherwise you use a gratin dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and sprinkle of grated Gruyere. Bake 12 to 15 minutes and proceed to grill the time to scorch the surface.

Plat traditional Antilles, christophine stuffed, is served as an accompaniment to fish or meat. Personally, if I ever eat this way, I am indeed, more often a dish of the evening with a light salad, composed of plain, onions and tomatoes.

An alternative is to replace the bacon by cod (or hake) dried, you’ve made to soak in a container filled with cold water, then boiled in water with onion, cloves, laurel ,… You then remove skin and bones and cut the flesh into pieces about 1.5 cm. but the original recipe is more going on everywhere.