Ginger Soup with Chayote

Today's the final day to enter the BSI challenge with this week's ingredient of choice Bell Pepper. (here) You've got until tonight. I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow as well as who will be the next host
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It's been a while since I've done some type of soup. The last one was my creamy tomato, a couple months back. The weather was rather on the dreary side here in SoCal, I figured it would be a perfect time to make myself some soup. I only had a few ingredients on hand. Half an onion, chicken stock, ginger, and chayote.

Cha-what?

Chayote (pronounced chah-yoh-teh). It is a part of the squash family. In tagalog, it's sayote. You can read the history of this vegetable here via wikipedia. It comes in two kinds. Smooth and prickly. A native plant of Mexico. But can also be found in various parts of the world. It has a mild flavor and is a good substitute to green papaya. This vegetable is probably near the top of my favorite vegetables list. I grew up eating it usually sauteéd with some onion or in tinolang manok (chicken ginger stew with vegetables). I realized when I had already started peeling the chayote, I had forgoten to take a picture of it for those who may not know what it looks like. Thank goodness for the interweb.

Picture from Gourmet Sleuth

It can be eaten raw or cooked. You have to be careful when you peel them because they have a slight sticky residue on them that can be annoying to remove from your hands. It's best to wear a glove or hold it in a towel or produce bag. After that, you can handle it however way you want. Be sure to remove the little pit inside also.

I used chicken stock because it reminded me of the stew dish I mention above. But you can use vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian soup. Really easy to make. No complicated ingredients or tricks to do. Takes minutes to cook. Plus ginger is good for the throat and voice. At least, that's what I've been told all these years.




Ginger Soup with Chayote

1 Tbsp sliced fresh ginger
1 sliced chayote (peeled, pitted, sliced) or your vegetable of choice
1 12oz can chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 medium sweet onion (sliced)
1 glove garlic (minced)
salt
pepper
3-4 Tbsp Extra Vigrin Olive Oil

Heat the olive oil in pot on a medium flame. When the oil is hot enough sauté the garlic for 30 seconds.

Add in the onions and toss for roughly 2-3 min. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in the ginger and chayote or your vegetable of choice. Toss again for 2-3 min. Add in the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Add more salt, if needed.

Serve with a couple of crackers or bread.

Of course, I don't need to tell you my bread of choice.