Passionate Fruit

Here is something like nothing I've tasted before. Yet, somehow, in the recesses of my mind, the flavor is so familiar! 

My friend, Elizabeth, brought these to me, as a gift, from her own garden. 

At first, they appear as miniature eggplant, but feel so feather light, you think, "What could possibly be inside?"   Then, you cut one open, and pow!   Marvel of a fruit! 

Cavernous as a conch shell.  Sensual as a sea urchin, curious as a kiwi!  Beautiful,  almost sexual, the taste divine, not quite mango, not quite wine.....  mm......mmmm......and appropriately,  called:

~ Passion Fruit  ~

So, how to use Passion Fruit? 
There are several dessert recipes using passion fruit. But I followed a friend's suggestion, scooped out the tangy flesh, added to brewed tea (strong, Persian-type tea), then added some agave syrup, and let it all steep for a few minutes. 

Actually made a huge pitcher of this. Add some ice, and you got yourself passion-fruit iced tea, better than the stuff at your local Starbucks or Coffee  Bean! 

Another suggestion was to add the fruit to lemonade, in the same fashion as tea, stirring, adding some sugar, and there you go,   Extra dose of Vitamin C!   

Anomaly of the Week!

I just love fruit and vegetable anomalies!

 I think they are worthy of our attention. Some people may think anomalies are just freaks of nature. Well, they are.  But they are also the very living, breathing fruits and vegetables that grew wild and undisturbed. They never succumbed to human regulations and modifications imposed on our wild food source. Anomalies may look funny, but are just as beautiful and fascinating (and in most cases, delicious), as any perfectly round tomato! 

Below: Fungus likes to grow in my garden when it finds moisture combined with afternoon sun. But one of these little monsters looked quite peculiar.

 

Everything is OK with OKra...

My late grandmother, Veronica, who will have passed a year ago on October 26, had a certain culinary gift. More than her elegant food stylings and presentation, and use of the finest ingredients to feed her family, she had this gift of healing with her soothing stews, and healthy dishes. Among her super foods was Okra, a unique stalky bean known for its high nutrient content and versatility in dishes.
Though, Id be filled with joy at any one of her other hearty stews, whenever Id hear the word okra, my smile would just as quick turn to a pout. I'd make any excuse possible to avoid going to her house for dinner on those nights.  You see, not only was I not a fan of okra, I despised the darn hairy vegetable, with its nasty, slimy insides!  Still  I would grin, and chew, and add extra helpings of rice pilaf, to help offset the other flavors and textures. There was nothing more I could do, as we were fed by one source, and that source was grandmother.

One wild year, however, the year I turned 21, I visited my brother who was then living in Atlanta, Georgia. It was there that I satisfied my culinary curiosity. Among the corn grits and mac n cheese, I discovered this surprising Southern delight, in the form of fried okra!
Besides the fry factor, these diced up hairy buggers actually tasted good, almost nutty, palatable. I came back home to tell my grandma, but she, understandably, would not budge from her traditional "bamia", okra stew. After all, stewed in tomatoes and chunks of beef filet, this was the only fast track.to health!

So, in aftermath of losing a beloved best girlfriend, I had new insights and discoveries in the garden, some metaphorical, and others, quite simply symbolic, like the okra seed!   After planting the okra seed, and watching its beautiful flower give fruit, I wondered what Veronica might have done had I offered her them.  To stew, to fry...