Ayote-o-Lantern

[Sam Wilson]

Hi LiCR,

Many of you will be familiar with Ayote or Ayote Sazón o la miel de ayote.  Around this time of year in our household we call them Ayote-o-Lanterns... jajaja.  I believe up North, they would call Ayote a type of winter squash that is similar to a butternut squash on the inside.  Don't hold me to that.  I was an avid squash avoider when growing up and it still taints my world view to this day.  In English, the popular Costa Rican treat Miel de Ayote or Ayote en Miel would be called something like Candied Squash in Syrup.  I'm not sure if that is even a thing due to my twisted mental filter, but it seems like that would be right.  Even if you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll probably recognize it if you live in Costa Rica.

In the verdulería o super you'll see them mostly like this:

I can see Gene's wheels turning already and he knows where I'm headed with this...  ;-)  In our household we've got little kids running (or crawling) around from less than 1 year old to 14+, sometimes (or not) in tow by the older kids in their 20s and 30s.  Everyone likes to learn about American traditions, like Enchiladas for Día de Acción de Gracias (okay, I made that one up, but please don't tell my family!) and Pay de Manzana for 

Dia de la Madre (okay, I made that one up too!) so naturally we make...  Ayote-o-Lanterns for Día de la Mascarada (Halloween in Costa Rica.)  

This year's winning contribution to the cultural interchange comes to you by way of our 13 year old who needed a little help finishing it up because these ayotes are thick and harder to carve than your typical pumpkin.

Ah... the lovely smell of ayote lid roasting over the candle flame... brings back memories of my youth!  

For the culinary among you, and as a token morditita for keeping my evil enchilada scheme a secret, here is how to make Miel de Ayote per Marissa (of Día a día con Marissa fame - one of my favorites references in la cocina costarricense):

Ayote en miel, una receta muy típica de Costa Rica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2UEmeKeA18

Van a necesitar:

🍊 1 kg de ayote bien sazón
🍊 2 tazas de "Tapa de dulce" o pilloncillo molido
🍊 ½ taza de agua
🍊 1 cucharadita de clavos de olor enteros
🍊 1 astilla de canela
🍊 1 rodaja de cáscara de limón

1. Corte el ayote en tiras y límpielo bien. Pártalo en pedazos pequeños. Por mientras, revuelva la tapa de dulce, clavos, canela y cáscara de limón a una olla junto con agua y lleve al fuego para comenzar a hacer el dulce. Agregue los pedacitos de ayote y deje cocinar por 10 minutos a cada lado y hasta que el ayote esté completamente suave y la miel se haya penetrado.

Happy Halloween!

--

Sam