| Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 50 mins | Difficulty: Moderate | Serves: 6 |
| kcal | fat | saturates | carbs |
| 345 | 18g | 5g | 31g |
| sugars | fibre | protein | salt |
| 7g | 6g | 9g | 0.2g |
Why I Love Portuguese Vegan Cheese Chayote Gratin
There’s a certain artistry that comes from creating a dish like the Vegan Cheese Chayote Gratin. It’s not drawn from merely the vibrant colors or the enticing aroma or even the perfect interplay of tastes. This artistry resides in weaving together worldly flavors that touch upon both my Californian and Gujarati roots, while creating something fundamentally independent and fresh.
Traditions Reinvented
It’s undeniable that I derive a lot of my culinary influence from my dual-cultural upbringing. My palate has developed a certain fondness for the spicy and robust flavors of my Indian heritage while simultaneously craving the fresh, organic, and farm-to-table lifestyle synonymous with California. But the Vegan Cheese Chayote Gratin isn’t about adopting a certain culture or tradition. It’s more about honoring diversity and exploring uncharted culinary paths. It marries the characteristics of various cuisines to create a fusion that is uniquely its own.
Take this Portuguese recipe, for instance. Born from the kitchens of Portugal and influenced by the likes of top chef José Avillez, it has traveled across continents to my home in California, metamorphosing into something new, fresh, and delightful. With simple ingredients like chayotes and cashews, it still manages to project an explosion of complex flavors on your palate.
The Process is the Experience
The Vegan Cheese Chayote Gratin isn’t just a recipe with instructions to follow. It’s an experience. There’s a certain rhythm to blending the soaked cashews with nutritional yeast, almond milk, and tangy lemon juice. A harmony that exists in sweating onions in olive oil till they are translucent and golden. Each clove of minced garlic amplifies the symphony of this dish.
The gratin itself is a delight – a creative spin on the traditional version. It’s layered with thinly sliced chayote, a fruit native to Mexico that has a texture akin to potatoes when cooked. The chayotes are carefully layered over the cashew cream before it’s all sprinkled with vegan bread crumbs and a drizzle of olive oil. Freshly chopped parsley shallow dances atop the dish, ready to crackle under the heat. An incandescent masterpiece.
This recipe rests not only on the balance of sweet and savory but also on the journey each ingredient undergoes. And through this journey, I invite you to a rich, layered experience. Whether you’re cooking for yourself or for someone else, every element of the Vegan Cheese Chayote Gratin brings you closer to a culinary discovery.
Through food, we are storytellers, narrating tales of places we’ve been, people we’ve met, and cultures we’ve glimpsed. The Vegan Cheese Chayote Gratin is my story, and I dearly hope it becomes a part of yours.
What You’ll Need
- 3 large chayotes
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup of cashews, soaked for 2 hours
- 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
- 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp of turmeric
- Salt, as per taste
- Pepper, as per taste
- 1/2 cup of bread crumbs (Vegan)
- 2 tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Method
Step One
Begin by preheating your oven to 400°F (200°C). While the oven is heating, peel the chayotes and slice them into thin pieces. Set aside.
Step Two
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and continue to cook until fragrant.
Step Three
While your onions and garlic are cooking, prepare the vegan cheese sauce. Drain the soaked cashews and put them in a blender. Also, add nutritional yeast, unsweetened almond milk, fresh lemon juice, and turmeric. Blend until smooth and creamy, seasoning it with salt and pepper to taste.
Step Four
Place the sliced chayotes in a gratin dish. Pour the cooked onion and garlic mixture over the chayotes. Then, evenly pour the prepared cheese sauce on top.
Step Five
Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the gratin. Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the top and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.
Step Six
Put the gratin dish in the preheated oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the chayotes are tender. Once done, remove from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.
