Now is good time to buy kiwifruit

Press, 2 July 1985, Page 12

Now is good time to buy kiwifruit

Kiwifruit is at its best at the moment and probably the cheapest fruit available this year. Now is the time to buy in bulk to make preserves and jams or to use simply in budget-priced meals and dishes.

Kiwifruit is particularly versatile and can be used in sweet and savoury, and hot or cold dishes. The secret to using it in hot dishes is to add the kiwifruit just before serving, or to include it in dishes which cook very quickly. It is successful added to sauteed chicken livers or served in sweet kiwifruit fritters. As an uncooked accompaniment to savoury dishes serve it with schnitzel, lamb or pork chops; as a topping to melted cheese on toast; as a garnish to savoury creamed chicken in patty shells; or in French dressings and salad sauces.

Sweet suggestions include serving chopped kiwifruit with cystallised ginger and sprinkled with rum; using it as a “dipper” in chocolate fondue; combining it with orange segments and serving accompanied with meringue shells; using kiwifruit layers in gateau or pancakes; folding kiwifruit into whipped cream flavoured with cointreau or chilled coconut custard. If the fruit is still very firm when bought, place it in a plastic bag with an apple or banana. It is ready to eat when soft and will remain in a satisfactory condition for several days. Kiwifruit can be stored in the refrigerator to maintain its firmness. Tamarilloes are also plentiful this week and the quality is good. As with kiwifruit, tamarilloes can be used successfully in sweet and savoury dishes. In the

former, serve them with sausages or bacon, use as a pizza topping, or use as a flavouring in casseroles.

In sweet dishes it can be used uncooked in fruit salads, chiffon pies, bavarian cream, or serve hot baked with banana slices, crumbles, upside-down cakes, or as a filling to scone braid doughs.

Other fruit available in Christchurch this week will include rockmelons and honeydew melons from Australia which have been imported to supplement a lack of New Zealand supplies. Citrus fruits are plentiful and include a good selection of New Zealand produce. These include grapefruit, lemons, and satsuma and clemintine mandarins. Sunkist oranges from Australia are hoped to be available later in the week. Avocadoes should be more realistically priced this week as supplies at Christchurch produce markets yesterday were better. Last week retail prices reached as high as $8 each but prices surveyed yesterday were about $2.79 each.

A demand for the basic winter vegetables was strong at the markets yesterday and supplies were reasonable in quantity and price. Silver beet and brussels sprouts have proved favourites as have leeks and celery. All are particularly

popular during the colder weather and prices have remained steady in spite of

the demand. Local supplies of yams are plentiful as are excel-

lent-quality cauliflowers. Both are cheap at the moment. Chinesee cabbage, still considered a newcomer, is steadily increasing in popularity. It is a no-waste vegetable that can be used to wrap around a meat filling and baked, or sliced finely and cooked and tossed in oyster sauce (available at most Chinese food stockists). When cooking this way, add the sliced vegetable to boiling water, plunge it in cold running water, and then put it back into boiling water. This retains the vegetable’s crispness. Swedes, parsnips, carrots, kumara, and pumpkins, should all be readily available this week and reason-ably-priced. Spinach was scarce yesterday and quality was variable.

KIWIFRUIT JAM Ikg kiwifruit 2 oranges 1 lemon 4Mse sugar water Method:Cut the kiwifruit in half and scoop out the pulp. Thinly peel one orange and cut the peeled rind into fine shreds. Squeeze the juice of the oranges and make up to one cup with water. Squeeze the lemon juice. Place the kiwifruit pulp, orange rind shreds, orange juice and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for five to 10 minutes, mashing to a pulp with a potato masher. Add sugar and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Boil for 30 to 45 minutes or until the setting test is reached. Pour into hot, dry jars. Seal. Makes about five cups.