Sunday 28 June 2015

Children, storytelling and pineapples





Handa’s Surprise a beautiful book about a girl's eventful journey with a basket of fruit by Eileen Browne 1997 UK






One Lonely Seahorse an imaginative counting book by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers  2000 USA 





Little Pineapple: The little Hawaiian truck (who learns about sugar cane trains) by K. Joseph Hill, illustrations by Scott T, Lowe 2012 USA



The Cryptic Casebook of Coco Carlomagno and Alberta: The perplexing pineapple by Ursula Dubosarsky, with puzzles and illustrations by Terry Denton  2013 Australia

A funny story about the Chief of Police in Buenos Aires (who happens to be a guinea pig) and his cousin who solve a crime/puzzle which involves a pineapple shaped balloon!

Monday 22 June 2015

Eggs in pineapple sauce

Ginger Up Your Cookery, Edited by Charles Seely, decorations by Kate Simunek, London 1977


Eggs in Pineapple Sauce


6 hard-boiled eggs; 4-6 portions boiled rice


Sauce: 2 onions, chopped; 1 tblspn oil; 350g tin pineapple cubes; 1 level tblspn cornflour; 2 tsp vinegar; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 1.4 tblspn ground ginger; salt and pepper to taste


Fry onions in oil till brown. Drain pineapple, reserving syrup. Blend cornflour with some of the syrup; break up pineapple cubes. Add cornflour paste, rest of syrup, pineapple and vinegar to onions, stirring as sauce thickens. Add tomatoes, ginger, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Place halved eggs on bed of rice, pour sauce over. Serves 4-6.


Saturday 20 June 2015

Pineapple Hip

Vicki from Unusual Coleslaw http://unusualcoleslaw.blogspot.com.au/  recently drew our attention to this article:

“Before cooking was fashionable there were these books” on news.com.au in which Dr Blake Singley (cultural historian from the Australian National University and former chef) discusses some of the unique features of cookery books enjoyed by Australians past and present acknowledging the important part they play in our cultural heritage.

Maybe you have one or two on your kitchen shelf?

Thanks Vicki.


People send me the darndest things! Thanks for this photo from Tumblr Robyn!


Tuesday 16 June 2015

Roald Dahl must have had a giant pineapple too

Roald Dahl’s Cookbook, Felicity and Roald Dahl, photographs by Jan Baldwin, Penguin Books 1991




Spiced Pear Jam with Pineapple (recipe of their friend Phoebe)

Makes 4-5 450g jars
1 ½ kg pears; 1 orange; 1 lemon; 4 slices fresh or unsweetened canned pineapple; 6 cloves; 1 cinnamon stick; 3cm piece of fresh ginger; 3 cups sugar

1. Wash and quarter pears and remove pips.
2. Quarter orange and lemon, remove end rind and pips. Place in food processor with pineapple, and pulp.
3. Place pulp and pears in pan. Add sugar and spices ties in a muslin bag. Boil gently, stirring occasionally, for 30 – 40 minutes, until soft and mushy.
4. Pour into clean jars, allow to cool and seal. 



Friday 12 June 2015

Pineapple Cream

The Australian Women’s Weekly Picture Cookery: A pictorial guide to home cooking, Sydney c1950


Flyleaf: “We may live without poetry, music and art;
We may live without conscience and live without heart;
We may live without friends, we may live without books,
But civilised men cannot live without cooks.” 
Owen Meredith, Lucile, Pt. 1, canto 2, st. 19


This recipe was in a newspaper clipping glued into the cover of the book.

"From a new book - "Ice Cream Dishes" by Getel Beer - I liked Pineapple Cream."


Ingredients: 1 slice of pineapple per person; 1 block vanilla ice cream; 2 large tblspn ground almonds; 1 cup crushed pineapple; a few drops of kirsch

Method: Halve ice cream brick. Fold ground almonds into one half - crushed pineapple in the other. Place sliced pineapple in each sundae glass, cover with vanilla-almond ice, top with vanilla-pineapple ice. Pour over a little kirsch - or it could be maraschino.

Saturday 6 June 2015

Celestial Pineapple

The Longevity Chinese Cookbook: Pritikin Style – No added fat, oil, salt, sugar or MSG by Margaret Gee and Graeme Goldin 1985 Sydney

Celestial Chinese Fruit Salad


1 cup watermelon balls; 1 cup honeydew melon balls; 2 cups diced fresh pineapple or canned unsweetened pieces; 1 cup kiwi fruit circles; 1 cup diced apple; 2 cups fresh lychees; 1 cup sliced fresh mango; 1 tblspn finely chopped fresh ginger; ½ clove crushed garlic – optional (I opted not to!); 1 cup fresh orange juice; 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice; Garnish: fresh rose petals and violets
Combine all ingredients except garnish. Chill before serving and garnish. Fruit salad can be made with any seasonal fruits.
Serves 6



Wednesday 3 June 2015

A Party Pineapple Favourite

100 Hostess Party Favourites, forward by Margaret Fulton, promoting Tupperware NSW 1971


“Some Guidelines for a Successful Dinner Party: be ready at least 15 minutes before your first guest is due to arrive. Make sure that your dining room is a comfortable temperature and the atmosphere is fresh.

Create a bright feeling throughout your home with flowers in the sitting room and bedroom which is kept free for coats and as a place where your lady guests can tidy up. Have available a guests’ towel.

Do not stay in the kitchen while your guests are arriving, stay with them until everyone is settled.

Have some soft music playing in the background. It is a good idea to have wall lights, table lamps or candles for illumination, rather than a central light. Put some small tables around the room with ashtrays on them.

Introduce your guests to each other and start a conversation with them before you circulate. Only break into conversations if you wish to get people to mix.

Allow yourself to relax and enjoy yourself and you find your guests do the same” Margaret Fulton.

Beef and Pineapple Amandine

Standard 225ml measuring cup is used. All spoon measurements are level.

675g topside steak cut into 2.5cm cubes; ½ cup seasoned flour; 50g butter; ½ cup diced spring onions; 1 x 440g can well-drained pineapple chunks; 2 tblspn finely sliced preserved ginger; 1 beef cube dissolved in 1 cup water; ½ cup sweet vermouth; ½ cup toasted almond halves

Toss beef in seasoned flour. Melt butter, sauté meat till brown on all sides. Remove, sauté ginger, spring onions and pineapple chunks for a few minutes. Stir in liquids till boiling. Return beef. Cover, simmer or oven bake in moderately hot oven (190°C) in a casserole for 1 – 11/2 hours. Garnish with almonds. Serve with buttered rice.
Serves 4 – 6.