With a heat wave coming through New York coconuts fit the menu right now. For sure my emphasis lies on locally sourced goods and coconuts don’t have much to do with locavore cooking since they’re a tropical plant. Coconuts are botanically considered a fruit rather than a nut as its name suggests. In my mind it evokes a romance of vacation with images of palm threes and their fruit, swaying in a hammock with a tropical coconut beverage. The dark looking coconut is encased in a beige colored husk and has a green outer skin. The inside has a layer of white coconut meat, which holds sterile coconut water. In wartime when medicine was in short supply coconut water was used to hydrate in emergencies since it mixes well with blood and has a high level of sugar and natural salts. In these days coconut water is one of the hottest, refreshing beverages to my means.
(use a heavy knife to chop away the tip of the nut
stabelize the nut with a towel and hand)
(thinly chopped coconut flesh)
Often you can find young coconuts at markets where the seller is cutting the fruit right in front of your eyes. Coconut really is an ideal summer fruit because it’s nutritious and refreshingly hydrating. The white coconut meat can be eaten raw or dried. It is commonly shredded into flakes or shaved into paper-thin slices. Coconut is unmistakably tasty and used in numerous dishes such as coconut shrimp, tropical salads, German chocolate cake, and macaroons as well as alcoholic cocktails such as Pina Colada and Batida de Coco. Coconut milk is another, well known product, which is produced by steeping coconut meat in hot water. It is worth mentioning that coconut milk has a fat content of approximately 17%. Coconut milk is commonly available in sweetened or non-sweetened canned form -- it naturally separates during storage so shake the can vigorously before opening. Pressing the white meat produces coconut fat or oil. Virgin coconut oil has medium chain saturated fat, which has a cholesterol lowering quality, and promotes blood circulation and cardiovascular health. As long as it is not refined and/or hydrogenated, coconut oil is a wonderful tasting and healthful fat to cook with. Coconuts (or palm trees) are celebrated by many cultures especially islanders as the “Tree of Life.”
Coconut cooking
The following recipe is very simple and delicious. Drop me a note and let me know if you enjoyed it.
(wilted spinach with coconut milk)
Coconut Spinach
(recipe yields four side portions alongside a main course)
4 bunches baby spinach
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- If spinach has long, tough stems and/or roots cut them off. Fill a bowl with water and rinse spinach. Dry spinach in a salad spinner or on several layers of kitchen paper towel.
- Heat a gallon-sized pot on high heat setting for 3 minutes. Put garlic on bottom of the hot pot then add spinach. Cook spinach for 5 minutes stirring every minute with a cooking spoon – spinach leaves will wilt and lose volume. If there is a lot of water from steaming the spinach in the pot, pour the spinach in a colander and press the water out with the back of a spoon.
- In the pot combine cooked spinach and coconut milk and season with cayenne and salt. Stir spinach to incorporate all ingredients. Serve immediately.
Chef’s Note: The water of young coconuts is mildly sweet and refreshing. It is the liquid endosperm of coconuts which is high in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals.
(freshly shucked local corn with coconut milk is a treat)
Did you know? Coconut trees can grow in cultivated conditions yielding up to 75 coconuts per year.
