We have a wonderful tradition at Rosh Hashanah of eating new fruits of the season. What did you choose? Pomegranate? Apple? And what will be suspended from the roof of your sukkah? Same old, same old?

Sukkot or "Feast of Ingathering" was agricultural in origin. Why not celebrate this thanksgiving of the fruit harvest with a truly rich bounty of all those curious, oddly shaped, colorful varieties you’ve never yet purchased because they’re just so strange.

And with more and more exotic varieties offered at Farmers Markets and even supermarkets, I’m thinking, eating new fruits should be a weekly habit, not just an annual tradition. But what do you do with them if you don’t even know what they are?

You’re shopping for produce, and you spot this spiny magenta...what? You’re curious, but what on earth is it? For a moment your hand hovers as you gauge your own adventurous spirit. But do you buy it soft or firm? peel it? cook it? eat it raw? So instead you buy plums. Again.

“The appearance of dragon fruit is downright surreal,” writes Cathy Thomas, food editor of The Orange County Register and award-winning author of “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce: Everything you need to know about fresh fruits and vegetables” (Wiley), a gloriously photographed, comprehensive guide down the produce aisles. With Thomas at the helm, each fruit, from Asian pear to yuzu, and each vegetable, from artichoke to yu choy sum, begs to be discovered, its perfume inhaled and, yes, tasted.

Dragon fruit “has eye-popping magenta skin, dotted with bright lime-green spines” and “tastes like a marriage between kiwi and pineapple,” she promises. Indeed it does, as I discovered at a recent book signing and reception. Robert Schueller, marketing guru for Melissa’s World Variety Produce, Inc., the largest distributor of specialty produce and foods in the U.S., selected a dragon fruit from the exotic fruit buffet – a riot of color like an artist’s palette – and cut into it to reveal its purplish-pink flesh.

So what do you do with it? Dice the flesh, says Thomas, and combine it with diced pineapple or mango, toss with mint or liqueur and serve in the spiny shells. Or cut into wedges and splash with fresh lime. Use dragon fruit purée in cakes or quick breads or fold into sweetened whipped cream.

Thomas and Melissa’s have teamed up to take the guesswork out of buying, storing, preparing, using and serving 120 fruits and vegetables. Brilliant photos from the Register’s Nick Koon and 100 mouth-watering recipes, plus a glossary of gizmos, make “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce” a valuable resource for the home cook or seasoned professional.

But the icing on the cake (or, I should say, the crown on the pomegranate) is the prose. Unlike other produce guide writers one consults for mere information, Thomas, with her uncanny ability to capture sound, smell and taste, invites you on a shopping adventure.

Take figs: “Fragile fig skin surrenders easily to reveal soft-textured flesh filled with a multitude of tiny seeds. A bite produces tiny seed-popping sounds, flesh saturated with honey flavor, and a moist flower-petal aroma.” Go ahead. Pass up those luscious black missions. I dare ya’.

Each fruit and vegetable fairly leaps off the page. “I want people to be able to smell each one and taste it,” she told me. “Should it give a little when you press your thumb or snap when you break it?”

Common varieties combine with the exotic, eliminating the intimidation factor. “Everybody knows common celery,” said Thomas, “but what about Chinese celery? The leaves and stalk are limp. They’re supposed to be. They’re so aromatic and delicious. I love to see people use them in stir-fries and soup.”

“I make it a point to try something different every time I shop,” noted Nancy Eisman, Melissa’s special projects director. Good idea!
So as fall days turn crisp and the soup kettle beckons, why not try the sunflower choke, also called Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke. (Alas, this vegetable has nothing to do with Jerusalem. The name derives from the Italian word for sunflower, girasole.) With its knobby appearance, you might mistake it for ginger, but its nutty flavor tells you, that is where the similarity ends. You can also cut them into sticks to serve with dip or roast, steam or boil them.

Kumquats look like tiny oranges, and the entire fruit is edible. You can poach, sauté, bake or boil them. Candy them for marmalade or relish using simple syrup. Here they team up with squash as an accompaniment to salmon, steamed in individual foil packets.

There are over 25 varieties of Asian pears. You can eat them raw or slice them into salads or slaws; dip them in warm caramel or chocolate fondue; or bake them in pies, crisps and cakes. Thomas suggests topping these turnovers with ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche or sweetened plain yogurt. A scrumptious ending to this unique fall menu.





Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family” and can be found on the web at http://www.cookingjewish.com.





Cream of Sunflower Choke Soup

From “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce” by Cathy Thomas
Yield: 4 servings

1 1/2 pounds sunflower chokes, peeled, cut in 1-inch-thick slices
1 cup milk (for parve or meat, you can use non-dairy creamer of soy milk)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, sodium-reduced preferred, or vegetable broth
Salt and white pepper to taste
3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
Optional: croutons

1. Place sunflower chokes, milk, and broth in nonreactive, large saucepan. Bring to a simmer on medium-high heat; reduce to medium-low heat and simmer, partially covered, about 12-14 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup liquid.

2. Puree in batches in food processor fitted with metal blade or blender, using caution because ingredients are hot. (The food processor, as opposed to an immersion blender, is recommended. It will be very chunky and take a very long time with the immersion blender.) Add reserved liquid if soup is too thick. Taste and add salt and generous amount of pepper. Ladle into 4 soup bowls. Top with parsley and croutons, if desired.




Fillet of Salmon with Squash and Kumquats

From “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce” by Cathy Thomas
Yield: 4 servings

1 (1 1/2 pound) center-cut salmon fillet, pin bones and skin removed, cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces
Salt and freshly black ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
1 large onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
6 kumquats: 2 cut into 1/8-inch slices, large seeds removed, 4 finely chopped by hand, divided use
2 to 3 yellow crookneck squash, trimmed, cut in 1/2-inch slices
1 1/2 tablespoons sliced fresh chives or thinly sliced green onion
Garnish: Chopped Italian parsley

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Each salmon piece will probably be thinner at 1 end. Fold thin portion under to create a similar thickness all the way across (this won’t be necessary if flap has been timed at market). Season with salt and pepper.

3. Tear 4 squares of aluminum foil, about 18 by 18 inches. Place 1 piece salmon in center of each.

4. In medium, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until nicely browned. Add garlic, half of sliced kumquats and squash; cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over salmon, dividing among 4 servings. Seal packets, scrunching sides together, and place on baking sheet with sides. Bake 10-12 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, prepare relish: In small bowl combine remaining oil, finely chopped kumquats, and chives. Stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When packets have finished baking, open and slide contents of each packet onto dinner plate. Spoon relish on top of each serving and top with parsley. Garnish with remaining kumquat slices.




Asian Pear Turnovers

From “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce” by Cathy Thomas
Yield: 4 turnovers

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 Asian pears, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted according to package directions
4 tablespoons raspberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Melt butter in saucepan on medium-high heat. Add sugars and spices; stir to combine. Add Asian pears, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. Cut defrosted, cold pastry into quarters. On a lightly floured surface, roll each quarter into 6–inch squares. Place 1 tablespoon jam in center of each square. Place equal amount of Asian pear mixture in center of each square. Moisten edges of pastry with cold water. Fold 1 corner of each square to opposite corner to form triangle. Press to seal, and pinch edges together.

4. Place on baking sheet. Bake in middle of preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until puffed and nicely browned.