Stewed Tamarillos
27 May 2023 01:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mific posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
gluten_freeIt’s Autumn in NZ and tamarillo season - my favourite stewed fruit. They came from South America and when I was a kid we called them tree tomatoes but later they were rebranded to sound classier. They grow well here and are cheap - not sure how common they are elsewhere?
This is how I make stewed tamarillos. It's a bit fussy but totally worth it. For the following I used 3 bags with about 6-8 per bag, so about 20 tamarillos.
1. Blanch them - needed to get the skins off. Find a container big enough to fit them all and allow them to be submerged. Prep the fruit and put them into it. Cut off the stem end and cut across it to make a place to start peeling.
Then submerge the tamarillos in boiling water - I boil it in an electric kettle. Leave them a while, about 30min, so the outer later cooks and you can put your hand in the water without scalding (makes draining easier).
2. Peel and slice - drain off the water, get a large pot, a container for scraps, and a sharp knife. Pull the skin back from the cut edge and cut through any still-stuck bits with the knife or a fingernail.
They often have small hard spots under the skin that you might need to cut through.
Discard the skin and slice each one roughly into about four thick slices or chunks.
3. Stewing - add 1 cup water to them in a large pot, and sugar or sweetener to taste. They're naturally tart so they need a bit. I use about 1.5 cups erythritol/stevia (or sugar) for a large pot, but I recommend cooking them and then trying and adjusting as needed. Simmer gently, as it's easy to boil them over or burn them if you start with the heat high. Cook until they're deep red and a little thickened - they'll thicken more when cool.
4. Final steps - Cool them then refrigerate They last several days in the fridge if you can manage to keep them that long, and of course much longer frozen. They have small seeds which are chewy when cooked so just eat them, but the little hard spots (nodules) you need to spit out. Still totally worth it.
Delicious with ice cream or Greek yoghurt.
This is how I make stewed tamarillos. It's a bit fussy but totally worth it. For the following I used 3 bags with about 6-8 per bag, so about 20 tamarillos.
1. Blanch them - needed to get the skins off. Find a container big enough to fit them all and allow them to be submerged. Prep the fruit and put them into it. Cut off the stem end and cut across it to make a place to start peeling.
Then submerge the tamarillos in boiling water - I boil it in an electric kettle. Leave them a while, about 30min, so the outer later cooks and you can put your hand in the water without scalding (makes draining easier).
2. Peel and slice - drain off the water, get a large pot, a container for scraps, and a sharp knife. Pull the skin back from the cut edge and cut through any still-stuck bits with the knife or a fingernail.
They often have small hard spots under the skin that you might need to cut through.
Discard the skin and slice each one roughly into about four thick slices or chunks.
3. Stewing - add 1 cup water to them in a large pot, and sugar or sweetener to taste. They're naturally tart so they need a bit. I use about 1.5 cups erythritol/stevia (or sugar) for a large pot, but I recommend cooking them and then trying and adjusting as needed. Simmer gently, as it's easy to boil them over or burn them if you start with the heat high. Cook until they're deep red and a little thickened - they'll thicken more when cool.
4. Final steps - Cool them then refrigerate They last several days in the fridge if you can manage to keep them that long, and of course much longer frozen. They have small seeds which are chewy when cooked so just eat them, but the little hard spots (nodules) you need to spit out. Still totally worth it.
Delicious with ice cream or Greek yoghurt.