Really Odd Fruits

When I first came to L.A. the most exotic fruits I knew of were passion fruit and mangos. It is always a joy for me to wander around the market with a produce expert and learn of new fruits to play with. Some new things can be rather intimidating like the cactus pear. I picked it up in puzzlement and the produce man took it from me and showed me how to cut it and gave me a taste right there. Just cut the top and bottom off and then make a single slice from top to bottom and peel back the thick purple or pale green skin to reveal the luscious fuchsia or yellow fruit. Star fruit gets its name because when it is sliced it looks like a star. Gaining popularity this sweet fruit is both a pleasure to eat as well as adding beauty to a presentation. Quince is a fruit that has been in favor for many centuries. The fruit, being dedicated to Venus, was regarded as the symbol of Love and Happiness. Quinces sent as presents, or shared by a newly married couple, were tokens of love. They can be used in any recipes as pears or apples. They are inedible in there raw form and they must be cooked to bring out the sweet aromatic flavor. So play with these slightly odd fruits in salads, salsa with meats and fish and bring some newness to your meals.

Pomegranate and Quince Chicken Salad

4 Poached or Grilled Chicken Breasts

1-cup pomegranate juice

1/2-cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4-cup olive oil

6 cups mixed baby greens

1/2 cup pomegranate, seeds

1/2-cup poached quince* see pound cake recipe to poach quince*

In a small saucepot reduce pomegranate juice by 1/2 until syrupy.

Allow pomegranate juice to cool and place in a stainless steel bowl.

Whisk in rice vinegar, lemon juice Slowly add in olive oil. Adjust seasoning. In a bowl mix greens, pomegranate seeds and vanilla poached quince. Toss with a little vinaigrette. Place salad in the center of a large plate. Slice Chicken breasts and arrange on top. Drizzle a little vinaigrette around and serve.

Grilled Salmon and Star Fruit Salad

1 1/2 pounds Salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

2 star fruit, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices

8 cups torn mixed baby greens

1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

1/2-cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-teaspoon thyme

1 1/2 cups olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

In a small jar mix together balsamic, Dijon, garlic, thyme and oil. Shake well.

Arrange the salmon on a lightly oiled grilling tray or broiler pan. Place 1/4 cup of the dressing in a small bowl. Brush some dressing over the fish. Grill or broil, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Turn the fish and arrange the star fruit alongside it on the grilling tray. Brush the fish and star fruit lightly with the dressing. Return to the grill. Cook for 3 to 6 minutes longer, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Combine the lettuce and cucumber in a large salad bowl. Add the remaining dressing and toss to coat well. Divide the salad evenly among 4 dinner plates. Place 1 piece of salmon on the center of each salad. Arrange the star fruit slices around each salad plate. Sprinkle with green onions.

Shrimp and Cactus Pear Cocktail

2 lbs. Shrimp, steamed

3 cactus pears, chopped

1 large red onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 cucumber

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced

1 sprig parsley, chopped

Pinch salt and pepper

Juice of 3 limes

4 tablespoons canola oil

Ever so gently toss all ingredients. Chill overnight. Great served in an over sized martini or margarita glass.

Quince Pound Cake

2 medium quinces

2 cups water

3/4-cup sugar

1/2-cup honey

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2-teaspoon cinnamon

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4-teaspoon cinnamon

1/4-teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1/2-cup heavy cream

1-teaspoon vanilla

To poach the Quince:

Peel, quarter, and core quinces. Cut quarters crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. In a 3-quart heavy saucepan bring quince, water, sugar, honey, lemon juice, and cinnamon to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, 2 1/2 hours (quince will be deep pinkish orange). Drain quince in a large sieve and transfer to paper towels. Pat quince dry and cool. Chill quince, covered, at least 1 hour.

For the pound cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with bakers joy.

Into a bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until combined well. Add yolk and whole eggs, 1 at a time, to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Beat in half of flour mixture and all of cream until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and vanilla, beating until just combined. Fold quince slices into batter until combined well and spread batter evenly in pan. Bake cake in middle of oven 1 1/4 hours, or until a tester comes out clean, and cool in pan on a rack 20 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely.

Zucchini

I am part of a team of parents that tends to the garden at my daughter’s school over the summer. I got this message from our master gardener “The garden looks beautiful. Please be sure to look for any produce that is ready to harvest. We need to pick the ripe fruit so that the plants will keep producing. Lift the tomato plants and check the beans in the beds as well as on the tipi. Please enjoy whatever you pick.” What a difference a week makes! The plants were overflowing with beautiful vegetables! I filled my basket with summer squash, tomatoes, beans, snap peas and some of the biggest zucchini I have ever seen! Growing up my dad would grow vegetables and we always had zucchini coming out of our ears! As I was picking I got to thinking I could make zucchini soup, zucchini bread, and zucchini lasagna! Thanks to the edible schoolyard I have turned into my mother! Zucchini Pie anyone?

Curry Zucchini Soup

2 pounds zucchini, diced

6 green onions, sliced

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 ½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

In a large stockpot Sautee the Zucchini and green onions for 5 minutes, Add the remaining ingredients, Simmer for ½ hour. Puree in batches and return to the pan and heat through.

Stuffed Zucchini

4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

1-tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

10 button mushrooms, finely chopped

Freshly ground pepper

2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped

9 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Using a tablespoon, scoop out zucchini centers to form "canoes," leaving a 1/4-inch border. Roughly chop centers; set aside. Arrange zucchini, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet; bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chopped zucchini, mushrooms and garlic, and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. Fold in feta, spinach and tomatoes. Turn hollowed-out zucchini cut sides up, fill with vegetable-feta mixture, and bake until top is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Lift zucchini from baking sheet with a wide spatula, and serve.

Vegetable Kebabs

2 zucchini, cut into 2" chunks

2 yellow squash, cut into 2" chunks

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, cleaned

2 red and green bell peppers cut into 2" chunks

2 medium red onions cut into wedges

2 ears sweet corn, cut into 2" chunks

16 whole cherry tomatoes

8 ounces teriyaki sauce

Wash vegetables except mushrooms. Brush mushrooms clean. Cut vegetables to size according to recipe. Thread vegetables onto skewers. (If using wood skewers make sure you soak them) Place on grill over medium-hot heat. Grill 20 minutes or until tender turning frequently.

Noni’s Zucchini Lasagna

3 pounds zucchini, scrubbed


5 cups tomato sauce

2-pounds ricotta cheese

4 eggs, lightly beaten


2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped


1/2 teaspoon each dried oregano, basil and nutmeg


Salt & pepper to taste


1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese


1-pound mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated



Slice zucchini into long slices. Cook in boiling water just until limp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Combine ricotta, eggs, parsley, seasoning and half of the Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Set aside. In a 9x13 pan, spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce. Arrange layer of zucchini over this. Spoon half of the reserved ricotta mixture on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella cheese. Arrange the rest of the zucchini over this, layer more tomato sauce and top with remaining ricotta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until top is brown. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Grandma Kay’s Zucchini Bread

1-cup vegetable oil

1-cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1-tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

3 cups flour

1-teaspoon cinnamon

1teaspoon salt

1-teaspoon baking powder

1/2-teaspoon baking soda

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1-cup raisins or dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325Oil 2 5 x 9 loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine the oil and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after every addition. Stir in the vanilla and zucchini. In a smaller bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and soda. Stir the dry ingredients into the oil and the egg mixture until just moistened. Fold in the raisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pans.

Bake for about one hour, until a knife in the center comes out clean.

Zucchini Pie

8 cups zucchini, sliced and cut in half

1-cup sugar

2/3 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1-tablespoon cinnamon

In a saucepan cook sliced zucchini, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon until zucchini is tender. About 10 minutes

CRUST:

4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2-teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups butter

Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and butter until crumbly. Pat 1/2 crust mix into 9x13 pan. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Add 1/2-cup crust mix to hot cooked zucchini mix; cool.

Pour over baked crust. Add 1-teaspoon cinnamon to remaining crust mix. Spread over zucchini filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes; cool. Cut into squares.

Back To School Lunches

As the summer comes to an end and the fist day of school is here I once again ask that age old question “What the heck to feed my kid?” I love to create fun healthy lunches that she will devour, but in truth I can not tell you how many times I have dug through her back pack only to find smooched sandwiches and half eaten pieces of fruit that I can no longer recognize. I love the bento box idea with compartments for lots of little snacks. Nuts, fruit a roll up all things that you know your child will eat. You can find these in many Asian stores or from a couple of moms in Santa Cruz who developed the Laptop Lunch idea http://www.laptoplunches.com. Their slogan is 'bento-ware for everywhere'. Reader Martha Bissell has been researching this for a while. A busy mom with two middle school students she is looking for good sturdy lunch holders that can stand up to her kids back pack throwing. She found Lock & Lock which is tried and true in her own kitchen. She bought this box for $ 12.99 at Kim's Housewares on 2940 West Olympic. It is packed with three neat little lock and lock boxes, one subdivided. There were lots of variations at that store, some much more masculine, but her heart was captured by the pink gingham of this one, especially as the fabric and construction is extraordinarily sturdy.

Once you have the packaging then it becomes the challenge of what to put in them. Lots of little things that can be grazed on all day works best for my daughter, but I have to stay one step ahead of her and really listen because the thing that was gobbled up one day comes back untouched the next. So I suspect that this will always be an ongoing area of creative cooking and I doubt that this will be my last column addressing such issues so come on into the trenches and make it a good year and good lunches!

Tuna Roll-ups

1 can (6 ounces) tuna fish, preferably packed in water, drained

Juice of ½ a lemon

1 cucumber, peeled and coarsely shredded

1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely shredded

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Two 10-inch flour tortillas

2 medium lettuce or spinach leaves

1/2 of a ripe avocado: peeled, pitted, and sliced 1/2-inch thick

Flake the tuna and squeeze lemon over it. Combine the tuna, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, carrots and cucumbers in a small bowl and mix until blended. Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Spread 1/2-teaspoon mayonnaise on each tortilla and arrange the lettuce on top of both and avocado lengthwise in rows near one edge. Spoon the tuna in a line next to the vegetables (away from the edge). Roll each tortilla up snugly into a cylinder. Cut crosswise in half. ½ is more than enough for a small child. A teen or adult could eat 2 halves.

Simple Egg Salad

6 large eggs

1tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

2 stalks celery, washed and chopped

1/2-bunch chives, chopped

2 small handfuls of lettuce

8 slices of whole grain bread, toasted

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for ten minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking. Crack and peel each egg, place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, Dijon, a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper, now mash with a fork. Don't overdo it; you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more mayo to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time. Stir in the celery and chives. Taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt and pepper if needed. To assemble each egg salad sandwich: place a bit of lettuce on a piece of toast, top with the egg salad mixture, and finish by creating a sandwich with a second piece of toast.

Make 4 sandwiches.

Roasted Vegetable Panini

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1-tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 medium eggplant, cut lengthwise into 8 slices (1/4 inch each)

1 medium zucchini, cut into 8 slices (1/4 inch each)

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered

8 slices ciabatta

1-cup fresh mozzarella, sliced

8 large fresh basil leaves

Whisk vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray; place vegetables in 1 layer on sheet. Brush both sides of eggplant and zucchini with vinegar mixture. Spray all vegetables with cooking spray and place under broiler, 7 to 8 minutes, turning once and coating with cooking spray. Lightly brush bottom slices of ciabatta with remaining vinegar mixture. Pile veggies, cheese and basil on 4 slices of bread. Close sandwiches; spray both sides with cooking spray. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add sandwiches. Place a second skillet on top of sandwiches and press down. Cook 4 minutes, flipping once. Makes 4 Sandwiches

Cucumber tea sandwich

1 seedless cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced (about 32 slices)

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese

1/2 cup chopped watercress

16 slices white bread

Salt to taste

In a small bowl combine cream cheese and watercress. Spread on one side of each side of bread. Lay cucumbers onto the cream cheese on 8 slices of bread. Sprinkle with salt. Top the remaining slice of bread cream cheese side down. Carefully cut the crusts from each sandwich with a sharp knife. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and then in half again.

Edamame Salad

1 lb frozen shelled edamame

3 cups corn kernels

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 green onions, sliced

1 small red onion, finely chopped

6 parsley sprigs, chopped

6 basil sprigs, chopped

Dressing

1/3-cup fresh limejuice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon cumin

Pinch Salt and pepper

In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, cumin and salt and pepper. In a large bowl mix together edamame, corn, bell pepper, red onion, green onion, parsley and basil. Toss with dressing. Makes 6 lunch servings.

Peanut Noodles

1 pound dry pasta- spaghetti or angel hair

1-cup peanut butter

3 Tbsp. Sugar

1/2-cup soy sauce

1 tsp. Chile pepper flakes

3 Tbsp. Toasted Sesame oil

3 Tbsp. Minced garlic

3 Tbsp. Canola oil

Garnishes- slivered carrots, green onions, red pepper s, fresh cilantro, and sesame seeds, toasted peanuts

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water. Drain the noodles, let stand and use the warm pot to make the sauce. (It helps with the thickness of the peanut butter) Wisk the rest of ingredients until blended. Mix in the pasta. Let Stand in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Before serving toss with the garnishes of your choice.