i Lead Recipes

Originally from southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America, the papaya is now cultivated in most countries with a tropical climate, such as Brazil, India, South Africa (where it is wrongly called the Paw Paw), Sri Lanka, Haiti, and Southeast Asia. The ripe fruit is usually eaten raw, without the skin or seeds. The unripe green fruit of papaya can be eaten cooked, usually in curries, salads and stews. It also has a relatively high amount of pectin, which can be used to make jellies.

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Butternut squash is a fruit that can be roasted and toasted and also be puréed or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads, and muffins. It has a sweet, nutty taste that is similar to pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. In Australia it is regarded as a pumpkin, and used interchangeably with other types of pumpkin. A common vegetable in South Africa, it makes a very tasty soup and can be cooked on a barbecue wrapped in foil with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. It is a good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. It is also an excellent source of vitamin A.

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Often called the banana, plantains can be used for cooking at any stage of ripeness, and very ripe plantain can be eaten raw. As the plantain ripens, it becomes sweeter and its colour changes from green to yellow to black, just like its cousin the banana. Green plantains are firm and starchy and resemble potatoes in flavour. Yellow plantains are softer and starchy but sweet. Extremely ripe plantains are softer, deep yellow pulp that is much sweeter than the earlier stages of ripeness. Plantains in the yellow to black stages can be used in sweet dishes. Steam-cooked plantains are considered a nutritious food for infants and the elderly. A ripe plantain is used as food for infants at weaning: it is mashed with a pinch of salt and is believed to be more easily digestible than ripe banana.

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Gem squash is a variety of summer squash that was domesticated from two wild varieties. Cucurbita texana found in the southern and central United States and Cucurbita fraterna found in Mexico. The dark green spherical fruit, when fully ripe, is about the size of a softball ball (slightly larger than a tennis ball). The fruit needs to be boiled in order to render it palatable. The young fruit is often harvested before it is ripe (about golf ball size) because the young fruit have a more delicate flavour and texture.

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When used for food, zucchini are usually picked when under 8in/20cm in length and the seeds are soft and immature. Mature zucchini can be as much as three feet long, but are often fibrous and not appetizing to eat. Zucchini with the flowers attached are a sign of a truly fresh and immature fruit, and are especially sought by many people. Unlike cucumber, zucchini are usually served cooked. It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as soufflés. It also can be baked into a bread. Its flowers can be eaten stuffed and are a delicacy when deep-fried, as tempura.

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