- Yield: 6 servings
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Australian fried chokos (fried chayotes)
Choko may be the Australian zucchini, present in many gardens. In the US chokos are chayotes (in Louisiana, merletons) a great and healthy replacement for potatoes.
Ingredients
- Pesto
- hazelnuts or almonds, chopped - 1/4 cup
- fresh mint leaves - 2 cups
- cloves garlic - 2
- green olives, pitted - 1/4 cup
- limes - 2
- white wine vinegar - 1 cup
- salt - 1/2 tsp
- pepper - 1/4 tsp
- For frying
- chayotes - 4
- olive oil - 1/4 cup
Instructions
Pesto
- In a food processor or blender, add the nuts, mint leaves, garlic and green olives. Blend until just combined.
- Scoop into a large bowl and stir in the vinegar, the juice of 2 limes, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Fried chayote
- Wearing protective gloves, peel the chayotes and discard the skins and seeds (if desired*). Remove the gloves and chop the chayotes into half-inch chunks.
- Over medium heat in a large skillet, heat the olive oil for 2 minutes.
- Add chayote chunks and fry for 5 minutes. The chayotes will retain their bright color and slight crunch. Remove the chayote chunks and let drain on paper towels.
- Add the chayote pieces to the bowl of pesto and toss to cover.
- Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes for the chayotes to do their flavor-absorbing thing with the pesto, but do serve warm.
