Chayote Soup

I have fond memories of a chayote vines intertwined and growing around a very large tree in my grandfather’s backyard.  Literally, the chayote plant was strangling the tree.   My mother would pick a few chayote, cube them, steam them until soft and then slather it in butter.  Hey, its better than Hamburger Helper!   

When I was in Ralphs the other day, I noticed chayote was on special.  This prompted the question, “What can I make with chayote?”   I went to the interwebs and searched for something quick and easy.  Soup was about as easy as it gets.  

The soup it self was spicy but that was because I added way more Serrano chilies than it required.  If I had to do this soup over again, I would stick with ¼ teaspoon of Serrano chile, not 3 whole Serrano chilies.    

Ingredients

2 scallions (minced)

1 garlic clove (minced)

¼ teaspoon of Serrano chile (minced)

¼ teaspoon of coconut oils, ghee or grass-fed butter

2-3 chayotes (peeled, sliced length wise, pitted and cut into ½ inch pieces)

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons of freshly chopped cilantro

1 3/4 cup of beef broth, chicken broth or water

Directions

Cook scallions, garlic and chile in oil in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Stir until soft (3 min).  Add chayote, salt and 1 tablespoon cilantro, stirring for 3 more min.   Next, add water/broth, cover and let simmer until chayote are tender (20-25 min).  

Stir in remaining cilantro.  With an emersion blender or conventional blender, blend the be-jesus out of the mixture until you have a soup like consistency.   Serve hot.