TROPICAL TASTE: Stalking the Wild Guava

In my native Cuba, a very simple dessert or snack is guava paste and cream cheese spread on crispy crackers, or a dish of guava shells in syrup and also served with cream cheese.   Guavas are just as plentiful there as they are here in Hawaii and Cubans have been very creative in their use of this wonderful fruit.

Guavas (Psidium guajava) come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from a small round ovoid to pear-shaped, weighing up to one pound.   The skin is usually yellow when ripe, but the flesh may be white, yellow, pink or red.   Fruit ranges from thin to thick-skinned and from few to many seeds. 

  The best varieties have few seeds and generous firm pulp.   Flavors vary from sweet to acid, while the distinctive aroma may be mild and pleasant or strong and penetrating.

Guavas pack a wallop of Vitamin C.  They have one of the highest contents of Vitamin C of any tropical fruit, including oranges.  A medium sized guava contains 132 grams of the C Vitamin, 3 to 6 times higher than oranges, 10 to 30 times higher than bananas and 10 times higher than papayas.  

Most of the Vitamin C is concentrated in the skin, reaching a maximum potency when fully mature but still green, and declining as fruit ripens.   Guavas (one medium) contain 69 calories per serving, scant traces of fat and about 5.6 grams of fiber.   It contains a small portion of Vitamins B1 and B2.

In some countries like Malaysia, it is believed that regular consumption of guavas helps reduce or prevent hypertension, high blood pressure and even ward off influenza.   The only other fruit to make these claims is the common garlic.

The recipes that follow can be made with any varieties, including the wild guavas growing on the side of the roads.

GUAVA SHELLS IN SYRUP
This is a very typical dessert in Cuba and South Florida, where it is usually found already canned in the grocery store shelves.  Since I could not find it here in our markets I decided to experiment and see if I could make them the way I remembered them.  Success!

Gather nice, yellow, unblemished guavas.  Wash and trim ends.   Peel, making sure to peel thinly, since you want as much of the shell as possible.   Cut in halves and, with a spoon, scoop out the seedy center.   Reserve these centers and the peelings for later use.

 Peeled and seeded guava shells in bowl on left -  Pulp and seed centers and peeling in bowl on right used for making the marmalade

SYRUP
Same as with any simple syrup.  For every cup of water, use one cup of sugar.

Bring to boil in a large saucepan or pot.   When 'syrupy', drop a few guava shells in to boil, for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they sort of fold into themselves.

Don't overcook or the syrup will get too thick.

Scoop out with a slotted spoon, and cook another batch of shells until all shells are cooked.   To preserve:  place  the shells in clean, hot sterilized jars, cover with the remaining hot syrup and seal.  Syrup will have turned a beautiful ruby color.

Serve as is, or better yet, with a slice of cream cheese or a scoop of fresh chevre (soft goat cheese) on the side.

GUAVA MARMALADE

Take the reserved peelings and the scooped-out centers of the guavas you prepared for shells, seeds and all.   Place them in a large saucepan or pot with an equal amount of sugar.   Do not add water.

Cook down at medium temperature until the mixture forms its own syrup.  When it boils down to a nice syrupy consistency, place through a food mill or medium mesh colander.   Discard the seeds and whatever chunky debris remains.   If the marmalade is still too thin, you can cook down some more until it reaches the consistency desired.

USES FOR THIN MARMALADE

*Use as syrup, over pancakes, waffles, pound cake or ice cream.  

*Blend it with minced garlic and brush over chicken or pork to be grilled or broiled.

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I have published this article a couple of days early as I have a group of foodie friends from the mainland for our Hawaii Blast 2007 foodie extravaganza....! We are having a great time, but we will be gone all day Saturday on tours of farmer's market, other foodie places and taking a cooking class at the Vanilla Company - read the article I submitted for consideration as a food correspondent

On Sunday we will be touring the Volcano Winery, do a wine tasting, picnic at one of the parks in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and take a tour around the whole area....

See y'all Monday!

		Sonia Martinez, Gather Food Correspondent
	Sonia's column, 'Tropical Taste' is a regular twice-monthly feature of Gather Essentials: Food. Sonia is a cookbook author and freelance food writer for several publications in Hawaii, and is also a Hawaii Island Journal restaurant reviewer in partnership with her son Anthony Mathis.  She lives in a beautiful rural rainforest area on the Big Island of Hawaii. You can keep up with Sonia's adventures and ongoing love affair with Hawaii by joining her network, or visiting her food & garden blog at Sonia Tastes Hawaii.