Alcayota Jam - Pilar Hernández's Chilean Kitchen
Here in the US, I've never seen a chayote squash in the supermarket, but it's very easy to find a squash that's clearly from the same family, called spaghetti squash.
- 1 alcayota or spaghetti squash in the US or chilacayote
- sugar, approximately 1/2 kg.
- zest of 1 orange
- 3 cloves
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted in a pan over low heat for 6 minutes or until they begin to smell fragrant
- Bake the whole chayote in the oven at 200C or 400F for 45 minutes or in the microwave until soft. Let it cool.
- Cut open and remove the seeds, shred the pulp of the chayote and weigh it; in my case I obtained 1100 grams of pulp.
- Add half the weight in sugar and stir well.
- Let it rest for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator; this is important for the final texture of the fruit in the jam.
- Cook over medium heat until it starts to boil, then adjust the heat so that it continues to boil.
- After 20 minutes add the orange zest and cloves, continue cooking at a boil for another 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Meanwhile, toast the nuts.
- Test the consistency; take a teaspoonful onto a plate and taste it cold. The idea is to evaluate the consistency; some people like it more caramelized.
- Let cool and add the toasted nuts if desired.
- Package and refrigerate once cold.
- I never vacuum seal it; I prefer to refrigerate or freeze all homemade jam.
Another option in the US is to buy seeds and grow the chayotes yourself. I've spent two summers in Seattle experimenting with my friend Jimena, and we've been successful.
The seeds are called Figleaf gourd or they can be found by the Mexican name Chilacayote.
They are grown like any other storage squash; they need quite a bit of space because they are vigorous plants and grow like vines. I have successfully purchased seeds from Clayton Farms.
If you've never made jam before, please read this article with all the steps and details on how to make homemade jam in general.
Other jam recipes available on the blog:
Description
A Chilean classic.
- 1 orange
