We Visit Food Again

One of the other senior missionaries told me that she doesn't think of the seasons here by spring, summer, fall, and winter, but, instead, by pineapple season, avocado season, mango season, etc.  So every month or so, we either see on the street or in the grocery store a new fruit.  Here are some of the recent ones.

Dragon Fruit

This bright fuchsia fruit is about the size a a large softball with little fuchsia “leaves” on the outside.  I tried to peel them off, but that was too hard.  So I cut the fruit in half and found this wonderful taste treat  – sort of like a smooth watermelon with little seeds sort of the size of poppy seeds.  I can’t really describe the taste, but it was quite good, and such a fun experience.

 Mangoes again

I had no idea that there were so many kinds of mangoes.  For the first couple of months, all the mangoes were about the size of a large pear and turned gold when they were ripe.  Now, he mangoes are about twice as large and either green or red when they are ripe.  They are delicious and I just blend them with cold water and ice for breakfast.  Rob likes adding some vanilla yogurt to his.  – I love mangoes.

Mamey

This fruit is really interesting.  The skin is kind of tan and about the feel of a kiwi.  They remind me of a cooked yam when you scoop out the insides.  But they taste sort of like a mango but much sweeter.  I have to dilute them more in a drink or a smoothy.   But the fruit salesman has to cut a little piece of the skin off to determine if the fruit is ripe.  If it is ripe, it will be pinkish orange – if not, they are green inside.  . So when you are stopped to wait for a light and the street sellers come to try to get you to buy their fruit, they will show you’re the slits in the mamey fruit.  At first, I couldn't figure out why there were these little cut-outs until I read about them.  

*****


Caribbean Butternut Squash and Sweet Corn Stew
Serves: 6          Prep: 15 min. Cook: 25 min.

This is one of our favorite recipes that we have about every other week.  I’m including the recipe here, in case you feel like being a little Dominican some night.  It is just a wonderful, flavorful vegetable soup. 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

I large carrot, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 butternut squash, (1½ lb), peeled and cut into ½ - 1 “ cubes

1 red pepper, seeded and sliced

1 bay leaf

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I've also added garbanzo beans instead which are good)

1 can sweet corn kernels, drained

1 ¼ c. broth (I just use water and then add 2 T. powdered chicken broth)

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, or to taste - I keep forgetting to buy this

1 tsp Tabasco sauce, or to taste- ditto above

1 tbsp sugar

1 T. balsamic vinegar

Chopped parsley to garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, garlic, carrot, butternut squash, red pepper and bay leaf. Stir well, then cover the pan and allow the vegetables to sweat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, the black-eyed beans and sweet corn, and stir to mix. Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, sugar and vinegar and stir again. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.  Sprinkle the parsley over the stew and serve at once.

Some more ideas (haven’t tried these yet)

For an Indian stew, soften the sliced onion and garlic in the olive oil for 2–3 minutes, and then stir in 2 tbsp medium balti paste. Add the butternut squash with 5½ oz. thickly sliced baby corn. Cover and cook for 5–6 minutes. Replace the black-eyed beans with borlotti beans, adding them with the canned tomatoes and stock (omit the sweet corn). Garnish with 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander instead of parsley, and serve with boiled jasmine rice or warm naan bread.