Two new foods, found locally~!

While examining the seasonal foods widget, I encountered two products available in late november in RI that I'd never heard of. These being the "Quince" and the "Tat Soi". I decided to do a bit of research on these two, and to offer recipes for them both.

Quince (pronounced Kwins), is a fruit native to Southwest Asia. They are related to pears and apples, and are bright yellow when ripe. Quince are full of vitamin C, and originally "marmalade" refered only to jams made of quice. They are best used for baking, stewing, jamming, or jarring.

Recipe:

Quince Jam

6 cups packed Quince, rinsed and grated
4 1/4 cups water
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon juice

Bring the water to a boil, and add the quince, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the sugar, and bring up to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer until the temperature reads 104-105 degrees celsius on a candy thermometer. (I'm not kidding, you have to use a candy thermometer here. Don't try and fudge this one. I have had jams turn to candy in pots, and it is a very unpleasant experience trying to scrape solidified fruit candy out of your best crockery.)

Pour the jam into steralized jars and seal tightly. Allow to cool, and store in a dry, dark place.

Serve on toast, bagels, or with corn muffins. :)

_________________________________________________________________

Tat Soi turned out to be a leaf green, related to one of my favorite vegetables, Bok Choy. The plant hails from Asia, but has become quite popular in North America. It is a very hearty vegetable, and can be harvested in the snow. The greens are spoon shaped, and bright green in color.

Recipe:

Simple Steamed Tat Soi

I find that with veggies like this, the simpler, the better. You don't want the integrity of the veggie to be lost!

Ingredients:

1 bunch Tat Soi, washed and chopped
1 bottle Newman's Own Sesame Ginger Dressing
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup cashews

Using a vegetable steamer, flash steam the Tat Soi until the leaves are bright green and slightly (SLIGHTLY!) wilted. This will happen very quickly, keep an eye on them. (you could also chop up half an onion and sautee it, then mix in the pieces for added flavor).

Combine the bottle of Newman's dressing with the orange juice, honey, salt and pepper.

Drizzle the sauce over the leaves, enough to coat them. Save the left over sauce for future salads. It's great on plain old iceberg lettuce.

Scatter the raisins and cashews over the top, and you're ready to eat! ^_^

_____________________________________________________________

Never be afraid to use ingredients you've never worked with before. Some of them you may not like, but you may discover your new favorite food, just by experimenting! Try and get something new each time you visit the market. This will keep your recipes current and stimulate your creativity!