Pineapples for life

Recipes for Life from the Fit for Life Kitchen, Marilyn Diamond with Lisa Neuwirth USA 1998

 

Cleansing Fruit Meal

“This tangy fruit salad is ideal on the morning after a heavy supper. The citrus juice dressing gives you that squeaky clean feeling. The fresh mint refreshes.”

1 cup diced fresh pineapple; 1 orange, peeled and diced; 1 ruby red grapefruit, peeled and diced; 2 fresh mint leaves, julienned (optional)

Dressing: Juice of ½ lemon; juice of ½ grapefruit; juice of 1 orange

 

1.     Combine diced fruit in large bowl with mint leaves.

 

2.     Pour citrus juices over salad and toss well.

 

Florida Fruit Breakfast

 

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into 1cm cubes; 2 bananas, sliced into 1/2cm rounds; 1 mango. Peeled, pitted, and diced into 1cm cubes; 1 tblsp poppy seeds; ¼ cup plain yoghurt; 2 tspn honey; fresh mint leaves for garnish; 1 basket fresh strawberries, stemmed; 1 orange

1. In a large serving bowl toss pineapple, bananas, and mango. Top with strawberries.

 

2. Grate enough zest of the orange to make 1 tspn; juice the orange by hand. Combine orange zest and juice, oppy seeds, yoghurt, and honey in a separate bowl. Drizzle over fruit and garnish with mint leaves.

 

 

 

Island Tonic

“This pure fruit tonic is a tropical vacation in a glass, sure to elevate you to a sunny mood.”

1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice, fresh or bottled; 1 mango, pitted, peeled, and sliced; juice of ½ lime; 1 tspn honey; 1 banana; ½ cup ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth

Serves 2

Oaxaca Tonic

½ fresh pineapple, peeled but not cored; 2 oranges; 1 tspn honey; ½ basket alfalfa sprouts

1. Pass pineapple through vegetable juicer

2. Juice range by hand or with a citrus juicer, or peel, leaving pith, which contains vitamin C and bioflavinoids, and pass through vegetable juicer

 

3. Combine juices, honey, and sprouts in blender until smooth and creamy

 

Pineapple Surprise

“This meal is refreshing, filling, and ideal when avocados are in season. The tomato adds a good contrasting flavour to the pineapple, or the persimmon can add to the sweetness. Use fuyu persimmons, which are hard and tomato-shaped, rather than tear-drop shaped and soft. The julienned lettuce adds texture, fiber, and colour. Don’t be afraid to mix lettuce in fruit salads, even at breakfast. The effect is very pleasing.”

2 cups cubed pineapple; 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and cubed; 1 diced tomato or sliced persimmon; 1 cup julienned lettuce; juice of 1 orange

1. Combine salad ingredients and toss in orange juice.

Serves 2

Sunny Seed and Fruit Meal

“The amounts are for a family-sized salad. For one serving make one-quarter the amount. This makes a delicious soothing supper or a cleansing morning meal. Great with tea made from chamomile and ginger.”

1 pineapple, halved, cored, and sliced; 2 cups hulled strawberries, sliced; 2 oranges or tangelos, peeled, halved, and sliced; 8 black mission figs, chopped, or 1 cup raisins; 4 kiwis, peeled and sliced; 2 cups enzymized hulled sunflower seeds; 1 ½ cups vanilla or plain soy milk; juice of 2 oranges; dashes of cinnamon and cardamom; 4 bananas, sliced

1. Prepare fruit and combine in large bowl. Add sunflower seeds and mix well

 

2. Spoon into large bowls. Combine soy milk, orange juice, and spices. Pour over individual servings.

Serves 4

Spanish salad with pineapple

Ye College Cookbook, NSW Baptists Theological College Ladies Auxiliary 1970s Sydney, cover design Ralph Edgecombe, Illustrations Ken Ross

 

Spanish Rice Salad
 

3 cups cooked rice; ½ cup each red and green capsicum chopped; ¼ cup grated carrot; ½ cup chopped pineapple; ½ cup chopped celery; ¼ cup shallots; ¼ cup walnut pieces; 2 firm tomatoes; ½ cup mayonnaise
 

Combine the rice, celery, capsicums, carrot, shallots and pineapple, mix well. Pour over the mayonnaise and toss well. Return to refrigerator to chill well. Serve in salad bowl with the walnut pieces, add and decorate with slices of tomatoes.

 

Exotic pineapple jams

http://susan-susancancook.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/pineapple-and-pineapple-guava-jam.html

Susan Can Cook: Food Fit for Sharing

 

Thanks for the guavas David.

 

Pineapple and Pineapple Guava Jam

4 cups pineapple guava pulp; 2 cups pineapple (I put mine through the blender); 1/2 cup lemon juice; 3 cups sugar

Prepare 5 half pint jars and lids and the boiling water bath. Place some spoons and saucers in the freezer.

Place all the ingredients into a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring frequently, until thick. The pineapple guava may float. To prevent this, mash them with a potato masher while cooking. Test on a frozen spoon or saucer. Once the jam cools, if it wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it is done - about 220 degrees. Remove from heat and skim any foam. Stir for one minute to distribute the fruit. Carefully ladle into hot jars, wipe the rims and close the lids. Process in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Carefully remove to a towel lined tray and allow to cool overnight. Label in the morning.

 Makes 5 half pints.

Cooking with Fruit, compiled by Mary-Lou Arnold, 1985 Sydney

 

 

One of my favourite spots in our garden - under the persimmon trees.

 

Pineapple and Persimmon Jam

4 ripe persimmons; 2 cups sugar; 1 tblsp lemon juice; ½ cup grated pineapple; shredded peel 1 lemon

Cut a cross in pointed ends of persimmons. Peel back skin. Discard skin and stem end. Combine pulp with sugar and cook over low heat 15 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened and clear.

Do not boil.

Stir in lemon juice, pineapple and lemon rind. Pour into warm sterilized jars. Seal when cool.

 

Pineapple and Eggplant and Cheese

Country Kitchen Tropical Tastes Cookbook, Golden Circle, Custom Book Company, Sydney  

 

Eggplant and Pineapple Supreme

4 large eggplants, sliced lengthways; salt; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 cup pasta sauce of choice; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 450g can Golden Circle Pineapple thins, drained and halved; basil laves; 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese; ½ cup parmesan cheese; ½ cup dry breadcrumbs

1. Place eggplant slices on a tray. Sprinkle with salt. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Rinse well. Pat dry.

2. Arrange eggplant slices on a griller tray. Brush with olive oil. Grill until golden on both sides. Remove to a baking tray.

3. Spread each slice of eggplant with combined pasta sauce and garlic. Top with Golden Circle Pineapple halves and basil leaves.

4. Sprinkle with combined cheeses and breadcrumbs. Bake at 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread, hummus and salad.

Serves 4.

Somali flatbread and pineapple

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Canberra drew my attention to this delicious recipe from Halimo Isaac. Her story of resilience and initiative can be read on this website

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2017/02/cooking-pancakes-somali-refugees-malawah

Malawah (A sweet flatbread) 

Serves 2 – 4

Ingredients: ½ tsp salt; 1 cup sugar; 3 cups flour; 3 cups milk; 2 eggs; 1 - 2 tblsp vegetable oil for frying; 20cm flat-bottom frying pan

Directions:

Whisk together first five ingredients until totally smooth. Mixture should be thin. Add water if too thick.

Heat oil in pan for 10 minutes. Spoon batter into center and use back of spoon to spread batter out. Fry each Malawah individually over medium-low heat.

Flip after bottom is browned. Eat for breakfast with spiced milk tea.

These malawah are delicious with tea, but as I was keen to feature them on this blog which is about pineapple I also teamed them up with caramelised pineapple!! Beautiful!

 

The Only Cookbook You'll Ever Need, Zoë Camrass 1977 London

 

Caramelised pineapple

Serves 4

50g butter; 2 tblspn honey; 1 pineapple, peeled, cut in 1cm slices and cored; 1 tblspn brown sugar; juice of ½ lemon; 50g toasted almonds

Melt the butter in a large frying-pan. Stir in the honey, and when the mixture bubbles add the pineapple rings. Sprinkle with the sugar and cook quickly for 1 minute. Turn, baste with the syrup and sprinkle with the lemon juice.

Overlap the pineapple rings on a warmed serving platter, sprinkle the almonds on top and serve at once.

Tipsy pineapple

Jamie Oliver's gingerbread cake with tipsy pineapple

http://www.delicious.com.au/recipes/jamie-olivers-gingerbread-cake-tipsy-pineapple/ETaUoU5q

Ingredients: 225g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease; 1/2 cup (185g) molasses; 3/4 cup (265g) runny honey; 155g muscovado sugar; 190g wholemeal plain flour; 190g plain flour; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 2 tsp ground ginger; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground allspice; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 3 eggs, at room temperature; 1/2 cup (125ml) milk; 2 tsp finely grated ginger

Tipsy pineapple: 100g muscovado sugar; 2/3 cup (160ml) dark rum; 1/2 pineapple, very thinly sliced into rounds; 75g unsalted butter, softened

Method:

 1 Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease a 24cm bundt pan with butter.

 2 Place the butter, molasses, honey, sugar and 1/2 cup (125ml) water in a saucepan over low heat, swirling until the butter has melted. Pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool.

 3 Meanwhile, sift flours, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and 1/2 tsp salt into a bowl. Set aside.

 4 When molasses mixture is warm to the touch, whisk in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Pour in milk and whisk to combine. Whisk in dry ingredients until a thick batter, then stir in fresh ginger.

 5 Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes - 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the tallest part of the cake comes out clean. Set the cake aside to cool for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges and turn out onto a wire rack.

 6 Meanwhile, for the tipsy pineapple, place sugar, rum and 1/3 cup (80ml) water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes until slightly thickened and sugar dissolves.

 7 Remove the pan from heat and, using tongs, dip pineapple into rum sauce. Spread over a baking tray in a single layer. Return syrup to the heat and increase heat to high.

 8 Cook for 2-3 minutes or until reduced to a thin caramel. Remove from heat, then stir in the butter and a pinch of salt flakes.

 9 Once cake is cool, top with pineapple and drizzle with syrup to serve

Pineapples everyday!

River Cottage: Fruit everyday!  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall 2013 London

I'm having a wonderful time discovering new flavor combinations with this book – thanks Julia!! Despite Hugh describing pineapples as . . . “TROPICAL KITSCH” !!!

I may have varied the recipes slightly due to availability in our little country town . . . but everything was just delicious and is highly recommended, Anne

In context . . . “Saving the most flamboyant tropical treat of all for last, we arrive at the pineapple. Tropical kitsch they may be – think Carmen Miranda’s hat – but they are no less delicious for that.”  Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

 

For sale on etsy!!!

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/488207099/is-miranda-verde-carmen-miranda-vintage?ref=market

Pineapple, cheddar and radicchio salad

Serves 2 as a lunch, 3 – 4 as a side dish

¼ - ½ large ripe pineapple, peeled (about 300g peeled weight); 1 radicchio or 2 heads of white chicory; 1 tblspn extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to trickle; 100g crumbly, nutty, mature Cheddar; juice of 1 lemon; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Thinly slice the pineapple, remove the core and cut into bite-sized pieces. Put these into a large bowl.

Trim the radicchio or chicory and shred the leaves fairly coarsely. Add to the pineapple. Add 1 tblspn extra virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper and toss together thoroughly. Arrange over a serving plate or divide between individual bowls.

 

Slice the cheese thinly, or shave with a potato peeler, then tear or break each slice into flakes, scattering them evenly over the pineapple and radicchio. Squeeze over the lemon juice, give the salad another trickle of olive oil and another grinding of black pepper, and serve.

Barbecued pineapple

“Some fruits have an amazing affinity with the grill, and pineapple is definitely one of them.” Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

 

Serves 4

1 pineapple, about 1.5kg

For the dry marinade: 2 tspn fennel seeds; a pinch of dried chili flakes; 2 tspn demerara sugar; 1 tspn coriander seeds; finely grated zest of 1 lime

To serve: lime juice; shredded mint

 

For the dry marinade, grind all the ingredients together as finely as you can using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder.

Cut the top and base off the pineapple, then stand it on a board and slice off the skin. Turn the fruit on its side and cut into 1 – 1.5 cm thick slices (2 per person). Lay these on a plate and scatter with the dry marinade, patting it on so each piece is well coated. Leave for about 30 minutes (after which time, the pineapple will taste pretty amazing already, before you even get around to grilling it.)

Working in batches, cook the pineapple on the barbecue or in the pan, turning each slice from time to time to get plenty of colour on each side – this can take up to 12 minutes. Transfer to a large plate.

Finish off with a squeeze of lime juice and some shredded mint. I like to serve something creamy on the side, such as ice cream, crème fraiche, yoghurt or the chilled coconut rice pudding (see below). The spiced pineapple goes well with meat too, in a savoury context.

 

The BLP

 

 

“If you think it sounds odd to augment a bacon sarnie with pineapple, think again. Bacon goes with tomato – a fragrant, sweet-tart fruit – so it should work with a tropical candidate too. And gammon and pineapple is a tried and trusted pairing. A couple of crisp, delicately bitter leaves and a smudge of mustard give the perfect edge to the salty-sweet combination.” Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

 

Per person: A trickle of sunflower oil; 2 – 3 rashers of good bacon (back or streaky, smoked or unsmoked, as you prefer); 2 slices of good white bread; butter, for spreading; a little of your favourite mustard; 1 – 2 slices of peeled ripe pineapple, 1.5 – 2cm thick; a couple of radicchio, chicory or romaine lettuce leaves; freshly ground black pepper

 

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon rashers and fry, turning once or twice, until done to your liking. Butter one piece of bread and put the hot bacon on it.

 

Rub the second piece of bread around the frying pan to absorb some of the bacon fat, then spread it with a little mustard.

 

Add the pineapple to the hot pan and fry for a couple of minutes each side, until golden and hot.

Put the hot pineapple on top of the bacon and give it a few twists of pepper. Add the salad leaves and top with the mustardy piece of bread. Leave it a minute or two for the pineapple to cool a little, then tuck in.

Variation: For a more substantial, main meal dish based on the pork and pineapple combo: fry a pork chop, then sear a couple of slices of pineapple in the fat left in the pan. Use a splash of cider, white wine or just plain water to deglaze the pan. Combine these pan juices with a little mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper to make a simple warm dressing for some salad leaves to serve alongside.

 

 

 

 

Coconut rice pudding with rum pineapple

“This is basically a pina colada pud: good old rice pudding given a makeover and taken for a night out on the town.” Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

 

Serves 6

80g pudding rice; 2 X 400ml tins coconut milk; 200ml whole milk; 60g caster sugar; ½ vanilla pod (optional); For the rum-macerated pineapple – 500g peeled ripe pineapple; 4 tblspn dark rum; 2 tblspn soft dark brown sugar

 

Rinse the pudding rice in a sieve under a running cold tap.

Pour the coconut milk and whole milk into a large saucepan and add the sugar. Snip the vanilla pod, if using, into a few pieces and add these to the pan. Bring slowly to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar and amalgamate the coconut milk

Add the rice and cook gently over a very low heat., barely allowing it to simmer and stirring often, until the rice is swollen and tender and the mixture has the texture of a very loose risotto. This should take about 45 minutes. It will thicken more as it cools.

Remove the pieces of vanilla pod, if using. Transfer the rice pudding to a dish and leave to cool completely, stirring it now and then to prevent a skin forming. When cold, cover and chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, cut the pineapple into bite-sized chunks, discarding the core. Combine the pineapple, rum and brown sugar in a bowl, cover and leave to macerate in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serve the rice pudding in bowls with a generous spoonful of the pineapple and its rummy juices.

 

 

Melon and pineapple with ginger

“Fresh root ginger gives a lovely heat to this juicy salad. Make sure you use ripe, fragrant pineapple and melon – Galia and Charentais are particularly fine melon varieties.” Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Serves 4

500g ripe melon (about ½ medium Galia or Charentais); 500g ripe, peeled pineapple flesh (from 1 medium pineapple); a large piece of ginger (about 75g); finely grated zest and juice of 1 small and ½ large orange

Remove the seeds from the melon. Cut the flesh into slices, then into bite-sized pieces, cutting away the skin as you go.

Cut the pineapple flesh across into slices, about 1cm thick. Quarter the slices and remove the core and any remnants of ‘eyes’ from the outside. Cut the pineapple into bite-sized pieces.

Grate the ginger finely, then extract the juice from it. You can do this by simply squeezing the pulp in your hands over a bowl. Alternately, grate the ginger into a fine sieve and press with a spoon to extract the juice into the bowl. Either way, you need about 25ml ginger juice.

Divide the melon and pineapple between individual bowls and toss to combine. Stir the orange zest and juice into the ginger juice. Trickle this zingy dressing over the fruit and serve straight away.

Fried fish with pineapple salsa

 

“Inspired by a memorable dish I once ate in a beach café in Thailand, this fresh and fruity salsa is exquisite with a whole fish that’s been rubbed with aromatics and soy and fried until crisp. The saltiness of the soy and pungency of the garlic and ginger combine beautifully with the flavours of the salsa. You do need a pretty large frying pan to tackle a whole fish. If that daunts you, the salsa is also delicious with a grilled, barbecued or baked fish (see the variation below).” Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

 

Serves 2

 

1 gurnard, black bream, sea bass, grey mullet, or trout (about 1kg), or 2 smaller fish, gutted and descaled; 2 garlic cloves, grated; a thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated; a dash of soy sauce; a few bay leaves; 2 tblspn sunflower oil; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

For the salsa: 200g peeled and cored ripe pineapple; ½ small garlic clove, very finely chopped; ½ medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; finely grated zest of 1 lime, plus a spritz of juice; 1 tblspn chopped coriander

 

To make the salsa, cut the pineapple flesh into roughly 5mm chunks. Combine with the garlic, chilli, lime zest, a squeeze of lime juice and the coriander. Taste and add salt and pepper, plus a little more lime juice if needed. Cover and set aside, while you cook the fish.

 

Make several diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish, without going right through to the bone. Mix the garlic and ginger with enough soy sauce to make a wet paste. Rub this over the fish, working it into the slashes and the belly cavity. Tuck a bay leaf into a few of the slashes. Season the fish with salt and pepper.

 

Heat the sunflower oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fish and fry for 5 – 6 minutes each side, until cooked through to the bone, turning the heat up towards the end to help crisp the skin.

 

Serve the fried fish straight away with the pineapple salsa, some plain boiled rice and steamed greens.

 

Variation: To oven-cook your fish, preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas5. Slash the fish, rub in the aromatic flavouring paste and season, as above. Place in an oiled baking dish and trickle over a little more oil. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.