NEW FRUIT DISCOVERED – ‘Peppadew’ (Gourmet & Speciality Foods in general)

Member Name: Redhillmum

Product:	Gourmet & Speciality Foods in general
Date:	18/06/01 (875 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful Taste, Unusual, Not too hot

Disadvantages: May be hard to find

1st fruit to be discovered since the kiwi fruit in the Seventies!

Haven’t heard of it? Nor had I.

But your first jar won’t your the last.

In fact, you had better buy at least 2 jars, because you will probably take the first into work to impress your colleagues with this wonderful little gem as I’m sure 99% of them won’t even have heard of it either.

Ok, so what is a ‘Peppadew’?

Well, it is a fruit belonging to the Capsicum family (pepper family to you and I).

It is a small cherry sized pepper, quite similar in colour and size to a cherry tomato. That is where the similarity ends. I love cherry tomatoes but this is something else!

‘Peppadew’, although a pepper, tastes quite a lot different from an ordinary pepper, it is sweet and spicy with a lovely crunchy texture. When you first bite on one the sweet taste is the first thing that surprises you, then, within seconds, this brilliant spice hits the back of your mouth.

They are only available preserved in jars as this is the way that the unique flavour is obtained by immersing them in a pickling solution to calm down the heat from the raw fruit.

The fruit itself is only grown in South Africa, where it was discovered in 1994 by Farmer Johan Steenkam. He found a group of strange plants with a small red fruit growing wild on his land.

As he knew they were edible he tried to propagate them, was successful and had its uniqueness verified by botanists.

CCL Foods are the sole importer for the UK but you should be able to find the product (in 375g jars) in the following stores:

Booths
Costco
Morrisons
Safeway
Sainsbury
Tesco
Waitrose

The uses for ‘Peppadew’ are endless. You can eat them on there own as they are, fill them with soft cheese (mmm!!!), use as a pizza topping, in stir fries etc. Don’t throw away the preservin
g liquid, you can use this as a salad dressing, a marinade, or add it to stews, sauces etc.

The ingredients are quite basic (calories are not worth thinking about) comprise of Peppadew, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid).

Nutritional Values per 100g are Energy 118kcal/470kj, Protein 1.0g, Carbohydrate 28g and Fat 0.2g.

RECIPES

Pepperoni Peppadew e Gambararetti del Madagascar

A fantastic choice as a starter
INGREDIENTS
2 x 200g TTD cooked Madagascan tiger prawns - split in half lengthways
1 x 375g jarPeppadew peppers, drained and thinly sliced.
1 x 250g Mascarpone cheese
2 x 15g Packs of lemon thyme, removed stalks and finely chop the thyme
Maldon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
250gFresh lasagne sheets
150gOrganic unsalted butter
2New J-cloths, any colour will do!
METHOD
Put the first three ingredients in a large stainless steel bowl with ½ the lemon thyme,
season with salt and pepper and mix gently.
Soak 8 fresh lasagne sheets in boiling water for 4 minutes then refresh in cold water.
Bring a pan of water to the boil. The pan needs to be big enough for a bamboo
steamer to sit comfortably on the top. Alternatively a stainless steel colander will do.
Divide the mixture between the 8 sheets of lasagne and roll
each one into a cigar shape (Rotolo).
Place the first Rotolo onto a clean J-cloth about 2" from the edge and roll length ways.
Roll each one before placing another one in and rolling again. Repeat this until all four
Rotolos are wrapped up (4 per J-cloth). The J-cloth separates each one to prevent
them from sticking.
Place both J-cloths into the bamboo steamer or colander, cover tightly and steam
for 7 - 9 minutes then remove and rest for 30 seconds.
Meanwhile add the remaining lemon thyme to the butter and gently melt over a flame.
Slice each Rotolo into four pieces and place upright on a
warm plate so that the
centre is visible. Then pour a little lemon thyme butter over each and serve immediately.


Fusilli in Malaysian satay sauce

Please experiment with quantities as this dish was made by feel.

Method

Melt the contents of one small jar of smooth peanut butter in a wide, non-stick saucepan, stirring continuously. When melted, stir in minced garlic to taste (I use five cloves) and minced ginger (I use two teaspoons).

Whisk in four to five cups of chicken stock (one ladleful at a time) to thin the sauce, adding more if necessary until sauce is smooth and velvety, thin without being runny. Stir in some brine from the peppadew jar (three to five tablespoons - check taste before adding more than three).

Boil 500g fusilli in salted water until al dente. Remove three-quarters of the peppadews in a 340g jar and slice into strips. Chop up one cup of fresh coriander leaves.

Drain the pasta (don't rinse), stir in the sauce (a small amount at a time) and toss until pasta is well coated. Add the peppadew strips and toss to distribute. Add salt and pepper to taste (if you must).

Garnish with the chopped coriander.


MEXICAN PEPPADEW™ DIP

Ingredients
465g Canned red kidney beans
90g grated cheddar cheese
2tbs oil
1/2tsp salt
6 hot Peppadew™

Corn chips for dipping

Method
1. Drain the kidney beans - save liquid
2. Heat the oil, add the beans and mash them as they cook
3. Stir in a little of the liquid and cool
4. Add the cheese, salt and Peppadews™
5. Adjust the consistency with the bean liquid

Serve hot with corn chips


TEX MEX PATTIES

Serves 6
These burger-type patties are simply splendid for breakfast. Serve them with your favorite style of egg.

Ingredients:
1 slightly beaten egg white
80ml finely chopped onion
1-2 cloves garli
c, crushed
6 Stoneys mild Peppadew™, chopped
20ml chopped fresh coriander
20ml vinegar
2ml chili powder
salt and black pepper
500g lean minced pork
cake flour
a little oil

Method:
Beat the egg white lightly with the fork. Place all the ingredients except the flour and oil in a food processor and process to combine. Divide mixture into 12-16 equal sized patties, then dust very lightly with flour. Heat a little oil over a high heat in a skottel (wok), add patties and allow to cook until a good golden colour. Turn and cook on the other side. Lower the heat as necessary. Tomato, mushrooms etc may be cooked to one side of the patties.


Prepare the Perfect Party Dish on your braai (barbecue)



PEPPADEW™ AND CHICKEN STIR-FRY

Ingredients
Olive oil
4 small leeks, thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced and blanched in boiling water for one minute
1 green pepper, thinly sliced and blanched in boiling water for one minute
25g pineapple, diced
420g Stoneys mild Peppadew™ whole fruit
3 courgettes, finely sliced
2 chicken breasts, cut into slivers

Sauce:
25ml soy sauce
30ml white grape vinegar
10ml cornflour
25ml brown sugar

Method
Heat a little oil in a wok. Stir-fry the leeks and then the peppers. Add the pineapple, courgettes and Peppadew™ and stir-fry for a further minute. Push to the sides of the wok and add a little more oil. Stir-fry the slivers of chicken until almost cooked. Stir the sauce ingredients together and add to the wok. Cook until the mixture bubbles over, stirring occasionally with jasmine rice.


No, I haven’t tried these yet, but yes, I will be giving them a try, I’ll update later.

As I haven’t visited my local Supermarket yet to purchase, I can’t tell you the price, but I will update at a later date
(unless someone can advise me in the meantime).

So, what are you waiting for?

I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

Bon Appetite!

PS - Just dicovered they are £2.19 (375g) in Sainsburys but I'm sure you'll find them cheaper elsewhere.

Summary: