Baked Papaya with Lamb and Cheese

I have so many different recipes and meal ideas lined up that it is very seldom for me to make the same dish twice, unless it made it to the list of my absolute favorites. This one tops that list.

There is something absolutely magical about pairing the sweetness of the fruit with the distinct taste of the lamb, and even though some people find the combination little "unusual" at first, it really only takes that first bite to fully fall in love with the dish.


INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Ground Lamb
1 cup mushrooms - chopped into smaller pieces
1 onion - finely chopped
2 garlic cloves - minced
4 tbs fresh thyme


3 tbs tomato paste
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes

2 Mexican papayas (they are the ones that are about 12 + inches long)
1 cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese


PREPARATION:

1. In a saucepan, saute onions, mushrooms, garlic and thyme for about 3-4 minutes. Add the meat and cook until browned. Drain the juice.

2. Stir in tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Cook for additional 1 minute. Set aside.

3. Prepare papayas by cutting them lengthwise into 2 halves. Scoop the seeds out. You will need deeper hole in the middle to be filled with the meat mixture, so you might need to scoop some of the pulp out as well.

4. Fill papayas with meat mixture, place into a baking dish. Fill the dish with boiling water - you want the water level to reach at least 1.5 inches.

5. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and put back to the oven until the cheese had melted.

Makes 4 servings.

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I really like the versatility of this dish. You can add, take away or adjust the ingredients to your liking. For example if you fancy spicier filling, dash of chili powder, cayenne pepper or 1 small jalapeno pepper will do the trick. If you're not a mushroom fan, simple leave them out. The dish goes the best with lamb but if lamb is not your favorite meat, use beef, veal, or even chicken instead.

Enjoy your meal!

or as we say back at my home country of Czech Republic

Dobrou Chut!