Paw Paw Montespan

As mentioned in my gluten-free guide to Bermuda, here is the traditional Bermudian dish of unripened green papaya casserole from my mother in-law. This makes for a delicious casserole though locating unripened papayas might prove a challenge but well worth the effort to locate them.  This is a cheesy gooey casserole of deliciousness.

My mother in-law recommends serving this dish with a nice salad.

Here is what you will need:

4-6 Green Papayas 2 lbs. hamburger  (top round ground) 2 medium onions diced 1 lb. cheddar cheese grated 1 tsp. pepper 1 large tin of stewed tomatoes 2 tbsp. Canola oil

Let’s get prepping:

This is one easy prep — just peel the green papayas.  Mom in-law recommends peeling the papaya with gloves, as it has lots of meat tenderizer papain in it.  It makes one’s hands feel yucky.  Cut the papayas into halves then scoop the seeds out and cut lengthwise into thin slices.  Easy peasy!

Let’s get cooking:

Par-boil the green papayas and drain.  Cook the hamburger and diced onions in 2 tbsp. Canola oil.

Put 1/2 the hamburger/onion mix on the bottom of a baking dish, then 1/2 the tomatoes cut up, and 1/2 the grated cheese and 1/2 the papayas.  Do the same again.

Put in the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit  for approximately 40 minutes.