Exotic entities
Wild guavas, a great thirst quencher, are found often on Hawaii's hiking
trails. The form, color, size, and sweetness of guava, classified as
a berry, vary widely. Guava pulp, highly fragrant, tart, and slightly
granular, was named xalxocotl (or "sand plum") by the Aztecs.
Don't peel guava because the edible rind has a large concentration
of vitamin C… five times more vitamin C than oranges, in fact!
For smoothies and other uses, puree the rind along with the pulp but
discard the hard, white seeds. Use guava puree for marinade and for
entree and dessert sauces. Guava also makes excellent sorbet and frozen
yogurt and combines well with other fruits and vegetables for salads.
Try this recipe for guava
jam, and then take the jam and use it in a
spread to use at breakfast, lunch or dinner. Use to compliment a crispy
baguette or soft, sesame seeded egg roll.
What you’ll need:
3 cup guava pulp
3 cup sugar
1 (6 oz.) package strawberry
1. Blend together.
2. Boil for 3 full minutes.
3. Pour into containers and chill.
Then use the jam to make a guava-raisin
spread:
What you’ll need:
1 cup raisins
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh orange peel
1 cup guava jelly
1. Boil raisins and water until water is absorbed, mixing well.
2. Stir in other ingredients.
3. Re-heat, mixing well.
4. Cool, then store in the refrigerator.
The breadfruit tree is a beautiful tree about 60 feet tall, with leaves
one to three feet long. Breadfruit, known to natives as ulu, does not
travel well and it would be unusual to find it in a store outside the
tropics. Ask your local grocer for a special order. Despite its name,
breadfruit is not used in making bread. It is used like a potato, in
stews, whipped and diced, and in a salad resembling potato salad. Although
the comparisons run towards a potato, the taste is blander and less starch-y.
Some compare the flavor to a chestnut or even bread (hence the name).
Think of this fruit as a potato substitute, an exotic plantain.
There is even an entire book dedicated to this unique tropical entity, The
Breadfruit Cookbook.
Use this recipe
to incorporate breadfruit as an entrée:
What you’ll need:
1 large breadfruit (full, but not ripe)
¾ lb. minced beef
¾ lb. minced ham
Small amount of pickled meat (optional)
1 small onion chopped
1 stalk scallion chopped
Salt and Island Spice Jerk seasoning to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium tomato chopped
1. Peel and parboil breadfruit whole in salted water.
2. Lightly fry chopped onion, scallion and tomato in butter and add to minced
meat and cook until meat is almost done.
3. Cool breadfruit and from stalk end, cut out the core and scoop out some
of the "meat".
4. Fill the cavity with meat mixture.
5. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) until soft and of a nice golden
brown color, about 50 minutes.
Or, try this dish of Baked
Ulu (the other name for breadfruit) from The Breadfruit Cookbook:
What you’ll need:
1 ripe ulu (skin will be yellow and brown, flesh soft)
¼ cup or ½ block butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1. Wash a ripe breadfruit and remove core by pulling stem.
2. Trim top edge of ulu if needed. Fill cavity with butter and brown sugar.
3. Cover ulu with foil and place in a baking pan with 1 cup water (to prevent
scorching).
4. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
To serve, unwrap breadfruit and cut in half lengthwise. Bring to the
table on a shallow bowl with a large spoon. Scoop ulu with a large spoon
to serve, making sure each piece is topped with some of the sugar and
butter in the center.
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Bright idea: For a
richer variation, fill with one block of butter and stuff cavity
with brown sugar. |
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