Mirliton Shrimp And Tasso Casserole Recipes

SHRIMP, TASSO, AND MIRLITON CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• Place mirliton on prepared baking sheets, and coat with oil. Roast until lightly browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add tasso; heat until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove tasso from pot, and set aside.
• Add yellow onion, green onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to Dutch oven; sauté until vegetables are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add roasted mirliton; crush about half of mirliton using a potato masher or fork. Cook over medium-high heat until mirliton has released its liquid and reduced slightly in volume, 13 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Stir in shrimp, bread crumbs, cream, eggs, thyme, Creole seasoning, and pepper. Spoon into prepared baking dish, and loosely cover with foil.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, stir together crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle casserole with cracker mixture and cheese, and bake until cheese is melted and filling is bubbly, about 25 minutes more. Garnish with green onion, if desired.

SHRIMP-STUFFED MIRLITONS

Steps:

• 1. Boil whole mirlitons in water until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain mirlitons in a colander and let stand until cool enough to handle. Split the mirlitons in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and scoop the pulp into a bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the mirliton pulp.
• 2. In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Saute onions, celery bell pepper, garlic, half the parsley, and the green onions. Cook 3 minutes. Add 4 more tablespoons butter and the shrimp. Saute just until shrimp turn pink. Add ham.
• 3. Add the mashed mirliton pulp to the skillet and stir until heated through. Add the bread to the mixture and stir to blend. Slowly pour the eggs into the skillet while stirring quickly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in remaining parsley.
• 4.Spoon mirliton mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs or cracker crumbs and dot with remaining butter. bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until dish is set and nicely browned.

MIRLITON, SHRIMP AND TASSO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In a large pot, add mirliton and cover with cold water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 hour or until fork tender. (Pierce with paring knife and you should feel a little resistance.)
• Drain. Let cool on an open space. (Note: the mirliton should be treated as a root vegetable, which have very high water content. It is important not to overcook or shock with cold water to cool. This will cause the vegetable to lose its flavor and make the casserole watery.)
• Peel the skin from the mirliton with a paring knife. Cut in half from stem, top to bottom, de-seed, lightly mash. Drain excess liquid from mash.
• In a large pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and sauté tasso for about four minutes or until brown.
• Add onions, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender.
• Stir in shrimp and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
• Add mirliton and sauté for 3 minutes, constantly stirring. Remove from heat and season.
• Run 1 tablespoon of butter into 3 inch deep, large surface casserole dish. Add mixture and pat down lightly with hand.
• Optional: For custard, mix eggs, milk, and seasoning and whisk. Mix together with other ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• For topping, melt remaining butter. Add breadcrumbs, green onions, and seasoning and top casserole with mixture.
• Cover casserole with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown..

SHRIMP AND MIRLITON CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the mirlitons and cook until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat, drain, and set aside to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, combine the shrimp with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon Bayou Blast in a mixing bowl and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• When the mirlitons are cool, cut them in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, peel, and coarsely chop. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon Bayou Blast and the thyme. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and lightly golden, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the mirlitons and cook, mashing them with a potato masher, until very tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Add the shrimp, salt, black pepper, green onions, and parsley. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp turn pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Add the eggs, 1 cup of the bread crumbs, and the pepper sauce. Mix well. Spoon the mixture into a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of bread crumbs. Bake until the topping is lightly browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William Morrow, 1993.