Stuffed Mirlitons and More New Orleans Recipes

In New Orleans, you can't have Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner without at least one dish containing mirlitons. If you aren't from south Louisiana you may wonder, "what in the world are mirlitons?" If you are a musician, then images of musical instruments probably pop into your head, but you'd be wrong. Mirliton (in N'Awlinese pronounced MEL-a-tahn, DAHlin') is the name of a type of fleshy, mild tasting tropical squash-like fruit that is a member of the cucumber family.

Other names for this pear shaped delight are vegetable pear, chayote, mango squash and several other odd names. Mirliton vines crawl all over backyards in New Orleans and other parts of South Louisiana and are relatively easy to grow if you have the right place, a good amount of rain and the summer is not too hot. The mirliton vine sets flowers in September and begins bearing fruit in October, if the weather cooperates and cools off early enough in the fall.

Besides being a truly beautiful person with a kind and loving heart, my lovely Mother-in-law was the queen of the mirliton chefs. Her stuffed mirliton casserole was the best, even by New Orleans' high standards. She finally showed me how to prepare this delicious dish after I had been married to her son for a few years. I'm going to share Dottie's secret recipe and many others with you and you don't even have to marry her son! For those gardeners, who'd like to try their hand at growing this long season plant, I'll give you some basic information and links to get you started and in the fall you'll have hundreds of vegetable pears to enjoy and to give away to friends and family.

Dottie's Stuffed Mirlitons

4 mirlitons
1 to 1 1/4 cup soft Italian breadcrumbs
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound shrimp (or ham or ground meat) coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
a Dash of black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 sprig thyme
1/8 cup buttered bread crumbs

Simmer mirlitons in salted water until tender, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove, drain and reserve about 1 cup of the water. Cut the mirlitons in half; remove the seeds and carefully spoon out the pulp. (Dottie just put her stuffing into a casserole dish, but many people stuff the mirliton shells.) Set the shells aside if you want to stuff them.

Chop pulp and add bread crumbs. Saute onions, garlic and shrimp or meat of your choice in butter over medium heat until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in pulp mixture, salt and pepper; continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. (If it is too dry, add a little of the reserved mirliton boiling water.) Cool a little and add parsley and thyme and mix thoroughly.

Fill vegetable shells or shallow casserole dish with pulp mixture and sprinkle tops with buttered crumbs. Bake in 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Serves 8.

Variation: Add 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese with the parsley and thyme mixture and sprinkle a little Parmesan on top with the buttered breadcrumbs.

Mirliton Pudding
1 1/2 cups cooked, mashed mirliton, drained
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans.

Combine mirliton, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and spices. Stir in milk, sugar, flour and butter. Add raisins and pecans. Pour into buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake in 350 degree F oven for one hour or until mixture is set. Serves 6.

Pan-Fried Mirliton
2 pounds mirliton
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

Peel and cube mirliton. Saute with onion in sizzling butter over low heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Do not add water. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

Scalloped Mirlitons
2 cups thinly sliced mirlitons
1 cup chopped onions or 12 tiny onions
3 minced green peppers
1 1/2 cups white sauce
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter

In 1 1/2 quart casserole, layer mirlitons, onion, green peppers and white sauce. Cover with crumbs, dot with butter. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Serves 4.

White Sauce: Melt 3 tablespoons butter over low heat; blend in 3 tablespoons flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gradually add 1 1/4 cups milk, stirring constantly. Cook until thick and smooth. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

The vegetable pear, also called mirliton, chayote or mango squash, is a member of the cucumber family that produces delicious one-seed fruit in the fall. This vining plant resembles cucumbers, but is much more vigorous in growth and more prolific in fruit production. The fruit has a flavor similar to squash and is used much like squash in recipes.

The vegetable pear will grow in any section of the state (Louisiana). It is a perennial and will renew its growth from the roots each year if protected from freezing. It requires a well-drained, highly fertile soil with lots of organic matter. In ideal growing conditions, a single vine in the yard or garden will produce more than enough fruit for the average family. The plants require days in which the number of hours of daylight are 12 or more to begin blooming and setting fruit. Normally, fruiting begins in September and continues until frost. Occasionally in the spring, if the plant makes enough vegetative growth by May, a few fruit will set and develop a late spring crop. The main crop is produced in the fall.

Recently we have received new information about growing mirlitons. It seems that to grow them successfully, you must start with mirlitons that were grown in south Louisiana, not ones that you buy in the grocery that come from South America or other countries. After Hurricane Katrina, it was very hard to find locally grown mirlitons to get a start, but now they are making a comeback and they are easier to find.

Mirlitons are easy to plant. All you have to do is lay one of the fruits down on its side and cover it with dirt. The plant comes out of the fat end from a single "seed" that is inside. We start ours in the greenhouse during winter and then plant them out when all danger of frost has past. They will even start sprouting vines while they are inside the house, sitting on the counter. You can plant these, too.

New Orleans is so crazy about mirlitons that there is a festival each year sponsored by the The Bywater Neighborhood Association in association with The Bywater Art Market. Food, Fun, Music and Art, what a great combination!


2006 poster courtesy of Bywater Neighborhood Association