Posted at http://mynew30.blogspot.com/
8 medium sized Mirlitons
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 small white onion, chopped
1/2 of a large green bell pepper
2 stalks of green onions, sliced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes, with juice
1 tablespoon of dried parsley
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon of Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning
1 bay leaf, crushed
Pinch of kosher salt
About 8 turns of the pepper grinder
3/4 of a pound of cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped coarse
1/2 cup of plain dried bread crumbs
1/2 pound of crabmeat
1/4 to 1/2 cup of chicken broth, only if needed
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
Cut off the stems of each of the mirlitons and slice in half lengthwise. Steam flesh side down for 20 minutes and set aside to let cool. Once you can handle them, use a spoon to scoop out most of the pulp, leaving about 1/4 inch of shell. Save the pulp and discard or save the seeds for another use.
In a large skillet, melt the butter and saute the onion, bell pepper, green onion and celery until tender. Add the minced garlic and saute an additional minute.
Stir in the undrained tomatoes, squash pulp, parsley, thyme, Cajun seasoning, and bay leaf and simmer on medium for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and bread crumbs and stir to mix well. Add the crabmeat and gently turn to blend. Add chicken broth only if mixture is too dry and needs a bit of moisture; otherwise, leave it out.
Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mound mixture generously into the mirliton shells and arrange in baking dish. Drizzle each with the melted butter. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Garnish with lemon wedges.
This stuffing is also excellent when used for other types of stuffable vegetables such as summer squash, zucchini, mushroom caps, eggplant, and even bell peppers! Use the pulp of the vegetable where you have it, and in cases such as peppers where you don't, use chicken broth as needed to moisten the stuffing.
