  
bring me sunshine
If you catch yourself gazing at a luscious pineapple and dreaming
of sun-drenched beaches, you are suffering from that classic British
malaise, the winter glooms, writes Sybil Kapoor. Officially, March
heralds the beginning of spring, but from the cook’s perspective
these months can be a dreary time. After an entire season of cooking
roots, cabbages, apples and pears, there are few of us who don’t
long for some culinary excitement. The answer is simple - head
straight for exotic ingredients such as sweet potatoes, lemon grass
and papaya and transform them into delicious dishes suggestive of the
sun.
Before you don your dark glasses, do a little research. After all,
what on earth does one do with horned melon or prickly pear? Half the
fun of trying out new ingredients is discovering how best to utilise
their flavour and texture. Only then can you decide how to integrate
them into your repertoire.
The first step is to test a small amount of a new ingredient. Fresh
fruit and herbs can be nibbled raw, but certain vegetables, such as
okra or sweet potato, should be cooked - simply fry a chunk or two in
a little oil. A sweet potato will reveal itself to be far less starchy
than a normal tattie. At first bite, its sweetness can take you by
surprise, but, if you combine it with other flavours, such as roasted
garlic, thyme, salt or chilli, it develops a wonderful, rich flavour.
And, again, if you try eating a raw kumquat, your mouth will pucker
with its lemony tartness. But slice the fruit and fry gently for a few
minutes in butter and sugar, then flambé with Grand Marnier, and you
will have a breathtakingly vibrant sauce.
The texture of a food can prove as problematic as its taste. Many
people avoid okra because it releases a sticky liquid when cut, even
though its delicious flavour can rival any green bean. It is widely
eaten in India, the Caribbean, parts of Africa and Louisiana in the
southern United States. The green finger-shaped vegetable is delicious
and succulent, and good briskly fried in dry curries or gently
simmered in rich gumbos. Since every culture evolves techniques and
flavourings to enhance its local food, it is worth turning to
specialist cookbooks to discover how best to use the various
ingredients. Open the pages of any cookery book by Madhur Jaffrey or
Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme and you will discover a fascinating new
culinary landscape.
Your kitchen will become an exotic world as you peel tamarind pods,
dice ripe papayas, marinate prawns in ginger and lime, and grill fresh
tuna. The cold March winds will seem far away as you simmer pineapple
with rum and fresh orange juice. Who needs winter holidays
KIWANO (Cucumis metuliferus) Also known as the horned melon, the
kiwano belongs to the melon and cucumber family.
Taste and properties Its inedible skin contains pale-green
seeds in jelly like flesh with a flavour similar to cucumber.
Preparation Halve or quarter and scoop out the flesh and seeds.
Uses Lightly season with salt and pepper and toss in lemon
juice with pears and grapefruit for a refreshing savoury salad.
TAMARILLO (Cyphomandra betacea) Also called tree tomato, this fruit is
popular in the Caribbean, Asia, and its native South America.
Taste and properties The glossy, orangey skin is tough and
bitter but the golden-pink flesh is deliciously complex, if somewhat
tart. Can be eaten raw or cooked in sweet or savoury dishes.
Preparation Plunge the fruit into boiling water for a minute to
remove the skin like a tomato, then remove the black seeds.
Uses Eat raw with sugar, chop into spicy salsas with lime,
chilli, salt and pepper, or poach (peeled) in a sauternes syrup.
OKRA (Hibiscus esculentus) Okra was brought to the southern us and the
Caribbean by African slaves. The green, tapered, ridged pods are
always picked when tender to ensure they are ripe.
Taste and properties Valued for its mucilaginous nature which
acts as a thickener for soups and stews but often avoided for being
slimy.
Preparation Choose green okra and trim the stalks before
cooking.
Uses Cook in soups, stews, gumbos and curries
POMEGRANATE (Punica granatum) Grown throughout Asia, the Mediterranean
and in California, the best pomegranates look plump and shiny and feel
heavy for their size.
Taste and properties The seeds are sweet and jewel-like but the
yellowish membrane surrounding them is bitter and contains tannin.
Preparation Scoop out the seeds and remove the bitter membrane.
Uses Can be eaten raw or added to fruit salads or pressed to
make a bitter-sweet juice for drinks, jellies or Middle Eastern meat
stews.
RAMBUTAN (Nephelium lappaceum) A rambutan is about the same size and
shape as a lychee but with soft, spiny hairs.
Taste and properties The flesh is creamy-white, juicy, smooth
and delicately sweet. Choose large plump fruit heavy for their size.
Ripe fruit should be eaten as soon as possible.
Preparation Shell and remove the large, glossy seed before
eating.
Uses Lightly poach in a lemon grass syrup or mix raw with other
tropical fruit for a refreshing fruit salad. Delicious on their own
PHYSALIS (Physalis peruviana) Often known as the Cape gooseberry,
physalis originated in South Africa but are now grown in South and
Central America and the us.
Taste and properties A smallish golden berry is protected by a
paper-like husk and has a deliciously tart flavour.
Preparation Peel back the husk and pull fruit from the small
stem.
Uses Delicious combined with passion fruit or pineapple or made
into jam. Also good dipped in fondant and served as a petit four.
PASSION FRUIT (Passiflora edulis) Named not for its aphrodisiac
properties but because (according to Spanish missionaries in South
America) the flower resembles the symbol of Christ’s crucifixion.
Taste and properties Purply, dimpled skin hides golden flesh
with a perfumed, sweet-tart flavour and edible black seeds.
Preparation Halve fruit and scoop out flesh.
Uses Eat raw or as a flavouring for sauces, ice creams and
sorbets.
CHERIMOYA (Annona cherimola) The cherimoya is a member of the custard
apple family, grown in Spain and South America.
Taste and properties Hand-grenade-shaped, its green skin hides
a creamy-white flesh the texture of firm custard, with black seeds.
Tastes creamy and redolent of vanilla.
Preparation Halve the fruit and scoop out the flesh, removing
the largeish seeds as you go.
Uses Makes a delicious sauce when sieved, or a sweet fool if
seasoned with cream or lime juice.
Source: Waitrose Magazine, March 2002 |
