Freaky Can Be Fun

One of the hardest things for me to give up in this campaign of a healthier life is candy. (Also cakes, cookies, and all things baked good, but more on that later... because there are ways... oh, yes... there are ways...) I am a sucker for novelty candy especially. If Wonka creates something new I will find it asap. The stranger the better. It's all just so shiny and brightly colored... so hard to look away. So,how do you satisfy your craving for fanciful food when candy is no longer an option?

For me the answer is produce. (Say wha?) Yup. Produce. Take a look in the hidden corners of your grocers produce section, and you'll find some freaky little fruits and veggies hanging out there. (I like to picture them as the outcasts. The anti- Veggie Tales crowd, hanging out on street corners and listening to their rock 'n roll music when all the shoppers have gone home...) Or if you are feeling adventurous check out your local farmer's market, or asian and mexican groceries. (That's where the hardcore fruit freaks hang out.) Here are two of my recent finds, and what I did with them...

meet the quince.

I actually bought this guy without even knowing what it was. It wasn't labeled, but it was SO cute, and smelled SO good that I had to get one. So I brought it home, took a mugshot, and posted it on facebook asking if anyone could identify my new little friend. I got responses and recipes immediately. Apparently you CAN eat it raw, although I had trouble even cutting into it raw, but it is easier to cook them. Here's what was recommended to me (Thanks to my friends Jimmy and Joe for the tips)

"Simmer it down with some water and sugar, say 1/2 cup of each. Add a clove or cinnamon stick maybe some orange peel. Eventually it will fall apart making a rustic quince sauce, akin to apple sauce. skim out the seed and any of the whole spices and spread on toast or a scone."

I added in some ginger as well. I ate half of it on it's own, (like a rose and an apple pie got married) and incorporated the other half into a breakfast cake that I made... (baking entry to follow soon. I promise.)and I cut mine in half and cored it before I boiled. It took about 30 minutes to soften.

This is my other new food find...

Jerusalem Artichokes (aka Sunchokes)

Look like the fugliest potato, but they taste AMAZING. (Imaging an artichoke, and the perfect red potato having a baby...) They are hard to find, and a little pricey ($7.00 for a bag of 6 to 9 at Whole Foods) but for a special occasion (or a "sometimes food" as Cookie Monster says) they are a real treat, and easy to prepare.

Wash them. (scrub, but don't peel)

Put them in a baking pan with about 1/2 inch of chicken stock (or water, or veggie stock... some clear liquid) and butter (or olive oil... pick a fat...)and season them. (I used salt, black pepper, and cinnamon. Sounds crazy, but it is SO good)

Bake, covered, at 375 for 30 minutes, or until easily cut with a knife.

Drool over the smell.

Convince yourself to make something else to go WITH them...

Drool a little more. (they smell really, really good)

Then eat them all up... plain or with butter.


We had them with seared tuna (with lemon and fresh sage), and Trader Joe's Harvest Grains blend with added spinach. It was a big hit all around. (LO didn't eat the grains though. They had "green stuff")

So next time you are in the well lit produce section of your friendly neighborhood market, check out the darkened corners that the other shoppers refuse to make eye contact with. You may just find a new favorite lurking there. Beauty IS only skin deep after all.