Tamarillos: Old Fruit, New Tricks

You may need a formal introduction to the tamarillo, the fruit with a generous shelf life that can expand your quick-meal horizons. Its name suggests hybrid; does it sound too much like tomatillo? However, once you've cut into one -- with its distinctive dark seeds in reddish-golden flesh that tastes a little tart, a bit apple-banana -- you won't mistake it for a tomatillo, tomato or anything else.

The smooth-skinned, crimson-colored, egg-shaped tamarillo is hardly new. It was among the "lost crops" of the Incas that were rediscovered a while back. It was called the "tree tomato" until it was renamed commercially in 1967 in New Zealand, where most of the commercially grown tomatillo crop is now exported to the United States, according to Carolyn Lister of the New Zealand Tamarillo Growers Association.

New Zealand cooks and restaurant chefs tout its virtues in newsprint and on the Web (see http://www.tamarillos.com ) and use tamarillos in condiments that accompany beef and pork, in muffins and slightly sweetened in sauces.

The fruit, a little larger than a jumbo egg, can be eaten plain, once the bitter skin is peeled, and retains its brilliant color when it's cooked. A little sugar or honey and a few hours' time can turn the fruit into an interesting and unusual dessert sauce.

Besides their versatility, tamarillos are otherwise handy to have around. Stored in the refrigerator, they can last up to three weeks, increasing the ease with which you can toss together a fresh-ingredient relish, such as the one featured in the quick dish below.

And, yes, they are nutritionally good for you: A single tamarillo contains 36 calories and is fat-free, cholesterol-free and a good source of fiber. It is rich in iron and potassium, with vitamins A, B6, C and E.

Look for tamarillos in some Washington area stores, such as Harris Teeter, until November.

Lamb Chops With Tamarillo Relish

4 servings

This light supper dish takes about 20 minutes to prepare. Serve with a pine nut and chopped parsley-studded couscous. Recipe adapted from Marlene Brown's "International Produce Cookbook & Guide" (HP Books, 1989).

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 tamarillos, peeled, seeded and sliced*