Stuffed Mirlitons Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the mirliton halves cut-side down in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add 1 cup of water, cover tightly with foil and bake until soft, cooked through and easily poked with a fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on.) Scoop out the pulp--making sure to leave a 1/4-inch border all around--then chop the pulp and reserve. Discard the water from the baking dish and return the scooped-out mirliton halves cut-side down.
• Meanwhile, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter with the Cajun seasoning in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery, garlic, bell pepper, onion and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and just begin to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the sausage, hot sauce and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the sausage is warmed through and the tomatoes start to release their juices, about 3 minutes. Add the crab, shrimp and reserved mirliton pulp and continue cooking until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Microwave the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small microwave-safe dish until melted, about 30 seconds. Add the breadcrumbs and parsley and stir until well combined.
• Turn each mirliton half over so the cut side is facing up. Stuff each with about 1/2 cup of the crab and shrimp mixture--it will seem like a lot, but that's OK. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture and bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the breadcrumbs turn a deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with additional hot sauce if desired.

Steps:

• Cut mirlitons in half and scoop out the large seed in the middle. Boil in salted water to cover for 25 minutes, or until tender when punctured with the tines of a fork. Be careful not to overcook.
• Drain and cool for 15 minutes, then scrape out insides into a colander to drain. Leave 1/4 inch of flesh inside shell, being careful not to puncture skin.
• Chop drained mirliton flesh and add to a medium bowl. Mix in butter, lemon juice, parsley, salt, pepper, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup bread crumbs; set aside.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a medium saucepan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery and sauté until almost translucent. Add garlic, green onion and tomatoes for just about 2 minutes. Add shrimp for 30 seconds to give them a touch of color. Quickly remove pan from heat and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes to cool slightly. Fold sautéed ingredients into mirliton mixture.
• Scoop stuffing mixture into each mirliton half. Place mirliton in an oven-safe 1 1/2-inch deep pan. You may need two pans. Dust top of each mirliton evenly with remaining bread crumbs. Pour stock into pans to a half-inch depth, before covering and baking. Cover pans tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.

Steps:

• Cut the Mirlitons in half lengthwise, remove the seeds.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt as you would pasta water. Add a few Bay leaves and a bundle of fresh Thyme. When the water comes to a boil add the mirliton halves, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until tender. Cool.
• When the mirlitons are cool scoop out most of the pulp, leaving a shell about 1/2 inch thick. Dry the shells by patting with a paper towel. Reserve 1/2 of the the pulp and drain on paper towels, as they hold a lot of water. When dry, chop.
• In a large cast iron skillet melt the unsalted butter over medium heat, when hot add the andouille. Cook stirring often until slightly browned.
• Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and the creole seasoning, cook for 8- 10 minutes stirring often until the onions start to carmelize and the vegetables are soft.
• Add the garlic, Mirliton flesh and Thyme, cook for 2 minutes more.
• Add the shrimp and green onions and cook until the shrimp turn pink.
• Add 1/2 Cup water (or Shrimp Stock if you have any on hand) and 1 Cup of the bread crumbs. Stir until the mixture comes together. More bread crumbs or water may be needed. The mixture should be thick, yet moist, and it should hold together. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.
• In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the topping.
• Divide the stuffing amongst the 4 mirliton shells and cover with the topping. Place into a 350 degrees oven until hot and the topping is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Simmer mirlitons until tender.
• Cut each in half, remove seeds and carefully spoon out pulp.
• Set aside.
• Saute onion, garlic& margarine until tender.
• Add french bread that has been soaked in water and squeezed until almost dry, then chopped.
• Cook a few minutes, then add thyme& parsley, continue to cook another 5 minutes.
• Add mirliton that has been chopped& mashed.
• Add salt& pepper.
• Cook 12-15 minutes, then add ham.
• Cook 8-10 minutes.
• Put in greased casserole dish& top with bread crumbs.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
• 1/4 lb.
• shrimp or 3-4 slices of bacon can be substituted for the ham.

Steps:

• Put mirlitons or eggplants in a large pot, cover with cold water and place over medium heat. Cook gently 30 to 40 minutes, till tender; drain.
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until fairly crisp. Add the onion, garlic and scallions and cook for 7 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add crayfish tails and cook 3 minutes more. Remove from heat, add a quarter cup of bread crumbs, salt and Tabasco; set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Use a sharp knife to cut the mirlitons in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the pulp. Mince the pulp and add to the crayfish mixture. Put the mirliton halves on a baking sheet and divide the crayfish mixture evenly among them. Sprinkle the remaining bread crumbs over the mirlitons and bake for 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add mirliton, and boil until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel. Cut in half, remove seeds, and cut into cubes.
• When the mirliton are almost done, bring another pot of water to a boil. Add shrimp, and cook for about 5 minutes, until pink. Drain shrimp, reserving the water for later. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add the shrimp, ham, and cubed mirliton. Beat the egg in a small dish with a tablespoon of the water from the shrimp; pour into the baking dish. Mix in the bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper until evenly blended. If it seems a little dry, add a little more water from the shrimp. You have the choice to freeze, refrigerate, or bake at this point. Sprinkle some more breadcrumbs on top if desired.
• Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown on top.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375° F.
• In a large pot, boil the mirlitons in lightly salted water until the flesh is tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from the pot and cool under running tap water. Halve them and, using a metal spoon, remove the seeds and discard. Gently scoop all of the flesh out of the shells. Set the flesh and shells aside.
• In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, green onions, ham, and garlic. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted. Add a little of the chicken broth if the mixture becomes too dry. Add the mirliton flesh and cook for 20 minutes. Add the shrimp and parsley and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in 1 cup of the bread crumbs.
• Mound the stuffing mixture into the mirliton shells. Put the halves in a baking dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and pour the remaining broth in the baking dish. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crumbs are golden brown.