Cook with Aloha

Get Creative with Kiwifruit

Eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day is recommended by the American Institute for Cancer Research and other health experts. That recommendation is easy to follow but simply adding two kiwifruit into your daily diet. This will not only add variety to your meals, but you'll derive over twice the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin C and as much potassium as in one banana.

Buy firm kiwifruit and let them ripen at room temperature. Once slightly soft (like a ripe peach or avocado), kiwifruit can be stored for two to three weeks in the refrigerator. The skin is edible although it is slightly bitter and not very tasty. Kiwifruit are easy to peel (see diagram) or scoop out the pulp, depending on your intended use.

Uses

Add sliced kiwifruit to the ordinary dishes from your kitchen and transform them into unforgettable meals. With its unique tart-sweet flavor, kiwifruit can bring new life to your favorite fruit salad or compote. Instead of the regular tomato-based salsa, make a fruit salsa with kiwi, strawberries and melon cubes. Simply add sautéed chopped shallots, cilantro, and raspberry vinegar to make a great dip for tortilla chips, or a tangy topping for grilled fish or chicken.

Sprinkle kiwifruit slices on a salad made with radicchio or endive, just as you might use orange slices on a green salad. Kiwifruit can even stand up to a barbecue flame, as part of a refreshing grilled kabob made of skewered ginger-marinated fish and sweet onion chunks.

Pureed kiwifruit can also be an easy way to add variety and taste to a healthy diet. Be careful not to over-puree kiwi, as it can crush the seeds and result in a bitter flavor. Once liquefied, rub the kiwi puree on lean cuts of beef for 15 minutes to increase the tenderness of the meat. Sweetened with maple syrup or honey, kiwi puree makes a dessert sauce that transforms ordinary poached fruit and angel-food cake into a unique treat.

New Zealand Brown Rice Salad

1 cup brown rice
2 Kiwifruit
1 Granny Smith apple
2 cup celery, thinly sliced
2 cup red pepper, cut into strips
3 cup walnut pieces, toasted
3 cup green onions (scallions) thinly sliced
2 tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
3 tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 tbsp. Olive oil

1. Cook rice in water according to package directions until grains are tender and the water is absorbed.

2. Peel kiwifruit and cut into 1- inch thick slices; cut again in half to form semi-circles. Core and dice the apple into 2 inch cubes.

3. In a salad bowl, toss together the fruit with the rice, celery, red pepper strips, walnuts, green onions and parsley.

4. Mix together the vinegar and olive oil and drizzle it over the salad and toss to mix well.

5. Cover and refrigerate salad for 1 to 2 hours allowing the flavors to blend before serving. Each of the six servings provided 201 calories and 6 grams of fat.

For a free brochure on how you can add other fruits and vegetables to your diet, write to the American Institute for Cancer Research, Department FF, Washington, DC 20069.

More on the Chinese Gooseberry

The roots of this fuzzy brown fruit are in China where it is called Yangtao. The first seeds of this Chinese Gooseberry were successfully propagated and grown in New Zealand. It was there that a larger, tastier fruit was produced. The fruit was given the name kiwifruit after the fuzzy flightless Kiwi bird that has long been a symbol of New Zealand. Today, the Chinese themselves sell canned kiwifruit.

Kiwifruit that is currently available in most markets nationwide and is imported from New Zealand. It is harvested there in May and is in plentiful supply from June through the end of October. California kiwifruit are harvested in October and are available in the marketplace into May.

Kiwifruit facts....

Kiwifruit contain an enzyme (Actinidin) which prevents gelatin from setting.

Enzymes in fresh kiwifruit can act as an effective meat tenderizer.

Two pared kiwifruit contain only 90 calories

Two kiwifruit contain 450 mg of potassium and 2500 mg of crude fiber.

Information Source: New Zealand Kiwi Fruit Council