Hi I am Linda and I am so blessed to be able wake up each day and come to work doing something I love. Cooking and Creating in the kitchen at Intelligent Gourmet is my  innamorato, Italian for passionate love.

Getting Vegans and Vegetarians more protein is always a challenge, and something I spend a lot of time contemplating, then I heard about Jackfruit. To say that jackfruit is a big thing is a big understatement. It is the largest tree-borne fruit on the planet – it isn’t unusual to come across beasts weighing up to 70 lbs. in South America and South-east Asia.

This all-natural, non processed ingredient has a wonderful fibrous flesh that can take on flavor from most anything. Green jackfruit can replace carnitas in tacos, braised beef in burritos, spiced lamb for gyros and more.

As we try to come out with new creative ways to provide clients protein without using any actual meat. Jackfruit, is just one of the ingredients we are playing with.  Jackfruit’s natural flavors  give you that meaty texture and taste that so  many crave, even though it’s just a fruit with some amazing health benefits.

Interested in giving this fruit a try?  Check out this recipe:

2 jalapeños, finely chopped

2 tbsp vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp chilli powder

2 tsp cumin

0.5 tsp cayenne

6 ounce of ketchup

4 ounce lime juice (adjust with a bit for a little more tanginess )

1 cup coconut palm sugar

4 tins of jackfruit in brine

2 tbsp of your favor nut oil or avocado oil

1 tbsp dijon mustard

Fry the garlic & jalapeños in oil for a minute. Add all the spices, stir and cook until fragrant (a minute or so). Add ketchup, lime and coconut palm sugar. Stir until all the sugar has melted. Partially cover and keep cooking on a low heat until sauce has thickened to the consistency of ketchup.

Drain and thoroughly rinse the tinned jackfruit. Use your hands to tear the strands of jackfruit from the harder core. The fruit will come apart very easily. Put the pulled jackfruit into a bowl and put the cores into another bowl. Once everything has been pulled apart use a knife to finely chop the harder cores. It doesn’t matter if these are still a bit chunky once chopped as it adds more texture to the dish.

Heat oil in pan and add the pulled jackfruit. Cook until it gets a bit grey and loses some moisture. Add the dijon mustard and stir in. Add a little water if it starts to stick to the pan.

Add about half the BBQ sauce (more if you want a very sticky dish) and stir in to coat. Cook until it’s almost starting to get a little crispy and sticking to the pan a little.

Spoon on top of warm corn tacos and top with chopped lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and a squeeze of fresh lime