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Passion for Passion Fruit

12 Sep

Passion Fruit, Maracujá, Lilikoi,Maracuya,Grenadille, Fruit de la passion…I am crazy for Passion Fruit! There is something about its tart, refreshing flavor that always makes me crave it, and I never get tired of it.

You see, I was born and raised in Brazil, and Passion Fruit is abundant and a daily staple in every household. My parents never let us drink soda during the week, only on weekends, we always had fresh fruit juice instead. Some days was watermelon, other days limeade, but the one juice that was available everyday was passion fruit. Either fresh or from concentrate, it didn’t matter.

Passion fruit ice cream and mousse are also one of the most popular Brazilian desserts.  Passion Fruit is used in many ways, including as flour to increase fiber intake sprinkled in yogurt, fruits or drink; and as calming sedative in capsules or syrup.

So, I am always looking for anything Passion Fruit I can find, and when I do find it, I stock up on it, since I don’t know when I am going to be able to find it again.

I am lucky to live in California, the wonderful weather here makes it possible for almost anything to grow here. So I’ve been eagerly waiting for the end of the summer to get my passion fruit from a Farmer’s Market vendor. Well…how sad to find out that my favorite vendor is gone. I was already getting over it , and started to use concentrate again, when last week I ended up going to a different Farmer’s Market, and to my surprise….I see Passion Fruit!

I was so hysterically excited that the lady started laughing, just looking at my reaction. Needless to say, I bought a lot of it, and plan on buying even more, every week until they are gone. She promised me she has enough for a little over a month, so I will be freezing the pulp for later use. Just scoop out the juice and pulp and freeze it in ziplock bags.The seeds are great too! They are edible, and crunchy, so don’t throw them out. But if you must get rid of them, blend the juice with the seeds in a blender for 15 seconds, and strain it in a fine mesh strainer.

In Brazil, our most popular passion fruits are yellow, and bigger in size. Here they are purple and smaller. But the taste is the same.

There are some many amazing recipes with passion fruit, here is one of my favorites:

Salmon with Passion Fruit Sauce

  • 2 cups passion fruit juice
  • ½ cup parsley sprigs, chopped
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon pink peppercorn
  • salt to taste
  • sugar to taste to break acid
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 ⅛ pounds salmon
1.Cut the passion fruit in half, and with a spoon scoop the seeds and pulp out.
Put it all in a blender, and blend for about 15 seconds. Strain trough a fine mesh strainer. Throw out the seeds and reserve 1 cup of the juice for this recipe.
2.In a small sauce pan melt the butter and sautee the red onions until translucent.
Add the parsley, and passion fruit juice and let it come to a boil.
Turn it down to simmer and add the honey, pink peppercorn, and salt.
Let it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, place a lid on the pan, remove from heat and let it rest.
3.While the sauce is simmering, fillet the salmon and season it with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
4.In a hot sautee pan, add the olive oil and place the salmon with the season side down. Wait 3 minutes and with the help of a fish spatula turn it. Now season the top side of the fish and wait another 3 minutes.
5.Remove from pan, place it on a plate and drizzle the hot passion fruit sauce on top. Serve

If you can’t find Passion Fruit anywhere, or it is not in season, you can always use the frozen pulp or concentrate juice in Brazilian or Latin markets. These are my favorite brands

Frozen Pulp by Goya and juice concentrate by Maguary

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Basic Sofrito

26 Jul

Sofrito is one of those foods that has many variations and personal recipes. It is used usually as a base and seasoning for various dishes. It is very common in Latin America,  Caribbean, Spain and Portugal. It is called  “refogado” in Brazil and portuguese speaking countries. One thing in common in all these different recipes is that ingredients are minced, almost to a paste and cooked in oil.

Most versions contain garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Variations include bell peppers, lard, sweet peppers, annatto seeds, and herbs.

This is my version of Sofrito and I always have it ready in the freezer. I particularly love to marinate flank steak in it overnight, and use it on stews.

My Basic Sofrito Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound, large green peppers

1 pound, large red peppers

1 pound, tomatoes

1 pound, or one large size head of garlic (peeled)

3 pounds, large onions

1 bunch, Italian parsley

1/2 cup, any vegetable oil (I prefer grape seed oil, due to its neutral flavor and high smoking point)

2 tablespoons, kosher salt

Optional:

1 pound, sweet peppers

1/2 bunch, cilantro

Juice of one lime or lemon

* I don’t always add cilantro to my Sofrito because its flavor is very strong, and can overpower the flavor of all other ingredients.

Directions

1. Remove the seeds from the bell peppers, and coarsely chop the onions, peppers, and tomatoes.

2. Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Work in small batches.

3. Pulse until it becomes a paste.

You can use it fresh, as a sauce, or dipping (Make sure to taste it , you might want to add some olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper). It is great to use as a marinade for meats or seafood. Or, pour this mixture into ice cube trays and/or Ziploc bags and freeze.

It will be ready to use anytime you are going to cook something, just throw in 1-2 cubes of Sofrito to beans, stews, soups, and anything else you want to spice up.

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