Thursday 27 October 2016

Ginger up your pineapple

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

Pickled Pineapple

225g tin pineapple slices (unsweetened preferably); 1 tblspn brown sugar; 4 black peppercorns; 2 cloves; 1 cm stick cinnamon or ¼ tspn powdered cinnamon; 2 tblspn wine vinegar; 3 tblspn grated ginger; pinch of salt

Drain pineapple slices and put them aside. Measure pineapple juice and make up to 150ml with cold water. Boil juice with rest of ingredients. If using sweetened pineapple, omit sugar. Add pineapple slices after 10 minutes wither whole or cut in chunks. Boil for further 10 minutes. Remove pineapple with slotted spoon. Place in shallow bowl. Discard cloves and peppercorns. Continue boiling liquid until syrupy. Pour over pineapple and chill. Serve with cold meats, hams and fish.

Saturday 22 October 2016

Pineapple rice puff

Woman’s Day Just Desserts,1983 Sydney   
 

Pineapple Rice Puff 
 
Cooking time: 1 ¼ hours;  Serves 6
 
¼ cup short-grain rice; 600ml milk; pinch salt; 2 tspns butter (or margarine); 2 eggs, separated; 3 tblspn sugar; 1 tspn vanilla essence; 1 tblspn desiccated coconut; 425g can pineapple pieces, drained
 
Place rice, milk, salt and butter in a saucepan. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender – about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
Whisk egg yolks together with a fork and add to rice mixture with sugar, vanilla essence and coconut. Stir until well combined.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks just form and fold gently through rice mixture. Grease a 20cm square casserole or ovenproof dish and arrange pineapple pieces over base. Pour over the rice mixture and bake in a moderate oven (180°C) for 1 ¼ hours, or until golden brown and firm to touch. Serve warm or cold.
 
 

Saturday 15 October 2016

Pineapple juices and smoothies

The Australian Women's Weekly Juices and Smoothies, 2016 Sydney

 
Pineapple Mint Slushie
Serves 2
 
½ small pineapple (450g), peeled, cored, chopped coarsely; 1/3 cup (80ml) lime juice; ½ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves; 1 ½ cups ice cubes
 
1 Blend ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately
2 Serve with mint sprigs and lime wedges, if you like
 
 
Thanks Krystal and Jess!

Watercress and Pineapple Soother
Serves 2
 
2 cups firmly packed watercress sprigs; 2 celery stalks (300g) trimmed, chopped coarsely; ½ medium pineapple (625g), chopped coarsely; 2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
 
1 Push ingredients through a juice extractor into a jug. Stir to combine
2 Serve immediately, topped with crushed ice, if you like


 
Summer Sunrise
Serves 2

½ cup (125ml) coconut water; 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh orange juice; 1 medium apple, quartered, cored; ½ small ripe pineapple (450g) peeled, cored, chopped coarsely; 1 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thinly; 1 cup ice cubes
 
1 In this order, place coconut water and orange juice, then apple, pineapple and ginger in a blender. Add ice cubes; blend on high-speed for 1 minute or until smoothie
2 Serve topped with chopped pineapple, mint and pineapple fronds, if you like


 
Passionfruit and Pineapple Spritzer
Makes 1 litre (4 cups)
 
1 small ripe pineapple (900g); ½ cup (125ml) passionfruit pulp; 1 ½ cups (375ml) chilled sparkling mineral water; ½ cup torn fresh mint leaves
 
1 Peel, core and coarsely chop pineapple. Push pineapple pieces through a juice extractor into a jug; you need about 2 cups (500ml) juice. Refrigerate until chilled.
2 Place chilled pineapple juice in a large jug with passionfruit, mineral water and mint; stir to combine
3 Serve topped with crushed ice, passionfruit pulp and micro mint, if you like

Electrolyte Booster
Serves 2
 
1 cup (250ml) coconut water; 200g frozen pineapple; ½ small avocado (100g); ¼ baby fennel bulb; ¼ cup loosely paced fresh mint leaves; 1 cup firmy packed baby spinach leaves; 1 tblspn lime juice; ice cubes
 
1 Blend ingredients in a high-speed blender until smoothie
2 Serve immediately over ice, topped with lime slices, if you like


 
Mojito Mocktail
Serves 2
75g green kale; ¾ cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves; 350g peeled pineapple, chopped coarsely; 1 medium lime, peeled; ½ cup chilled unsweetened coconut water

Mint salt rims: 1 tblspn sea salt flakes; 1 tblspn fresh mint leaves; 1 lime wedge
 
1 Make the mint salt rims
2 Push kale, mint, pineapple and lime through a juice extractor into a jug. Stir in coconut water
3 Pour into prepared glasses, over crushed ice, if you like
Mint salt rims: crush the salt and mint in a mortar and pestle; transfer mixture to a small plate. Run the lime around the rim of two glasses. Press the rims into the salt mixture


Nashi, Pineapple and Lemon Grass Juice
Serves 2
 
15cm stalk fresh lemon grass, chopped; 2 large nashi, unpeeled, quartered; ½ medium pineapple, peeled, chopped coarsely; 2 small limes, peeled
 
1 Starting with the lemon grass, push ingredients through a juice extractor into a jug. Stir to combine
2 Serve immediately with crushed ice, lime wedges and lemon grass stalks, if you like


 
Love Potion
Serves 2
 
400g chopped seedless watermelon; 250g peeled pineapple, chopped coarsely; 1 long fresh red chilli, stem removed, chopped coarsely; ¼ (60ml) pure pomegranate juice; 1 tspn honey
 
1 Push the watermelon, pineapple and chilli through a juice extractor into a jug. Add pomegranate juice and honey. Stir to combine
2 Serve immediately with extra chilli, if you like
 
Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Serves 2
 
½ cup (125ml) freshly squeezed orange juice; ½ small pineapple (450) chopped coarsely; 1/3 cup (80ml) strained passionfruit juice; 250g low-fat yoghurt; 1 tblspn wheat germ
 
1 Blend or process ingredients until smooth
2 Serve smoothie topped with crushed ice and passionfruit, if you like
 
Frozen Yo-Berry
Serves 2
 
1 ½ cups (420g) Greek-style yoghurt; 1 tblspn honey; 200g peeled, coarsely chopped pineapple; 250g strawberries, halved; 250g fresh mixed berries
 
1 Blend yoghurt, honey, pineapple and strawberries until smooth. Pour mixture into 3 14-hole ice-cube trays (1 tblspn capacity), Freeze for 4 hours or until frozen
2 Serve fresh yo-berry cubes with fresh berries and, if you like, topped with micro mint
 
 
Thanks for the cute pineapple ice cube trays Marisa and Isami !
 

Wednesday 12 October 2016

Pineapples in the family

This beautiful little girl is our great niece, Matilda, totally loving her first pieces of pineapple!
 
A Princess for sure!!
 
 
And this wonderful mistress-piece was painted by Lizzie, 
Les's first cousin once removed (I think) as Tahlula Bird Face Painting in Sydney.

 

Wednesday 5 October 2016

Pineapple plants that arn't really pineapple plants!

Pineberry (Fragaria X Ananassa Pineberry) "Pineberry Strawberry is a hybrid-cross variety with fragrant, white flesh fruit, with flavour notes of strawberry and pineapple . . . need a good quality red strawberry to act as a pollinator in order to fruit" from the notes on the pot.



This Eucomis, Pineapple Lily, is growing in our garden. Originally the bulbs came to Australia from East Africa. They have a lovely perfume and last a long time as a cut flower in a vase. This ABC website has more info, Anne.

Salvia elegans - Pineapple sage is an herbaceous perennial with scarlet red flowers, growing 1.2 to 1.5 meters. . . This sage is native to Mexico and Guatemala and is found growing naturally in the temperate, pine oak forests at 1800-2700 meters above sea level. It is a great butterfly and bird attractant, with studies indicating it is one of the local hummingbirds’ three most commonly visited plants.

Pineapple sage has a different flavour to common garden sage and it is not considered to be a culinary substitute for normal sage. It is best used fresh to preserve the flavour . . . The leaves and flowers are both edible and may be used as part of salads or as garnishes. They are a nice addition to fruit salads as the crushed leaves will impart a pineapple aroma. They can also be used in cold soups, to garnish cool drinks and iced or herbal teas. An interesting idea is to mix chopped leaves with cream cheese for a tasty spread."
 

 
Thanks for these photos of pineapple sage from your beautiful garden in Katoomba Sue P!

 

 
 
And thanks for this fabulous pot, Sue H!
 

Tuesday 4 October 2016

Pine Lime Tingle

Gelatine Home Cooking Secrets 1975 Australia

Pine Lime Tingle   
 
4 tspn gelatine; ¼ cup hot water; 440g can crushed pineapple; 250ml lime fizzy drink (not cordial).

Dissolve gelatine in hot water. Add to crushed pineapple and juice, together with the chilled aerated lime drink. Pour into a mould, refrigerate til set. Unmould. Serve with cream.

Saturday 1 October 2016

Pineapple and snags

Australian Lifestyle Cookbook 1990 Polly Book Publishing Company, Melbourne
 
Hawaiian Sausages

8 thick beef sausages; ¼ cup pineapple juice; 3 cups of hot water; 2 tblspn of honey; ¾ cup of crushed pineapple; 1 tspn soy sauce 2 tblspn sultanas; 2 large tomatoes; 1 tblspn desiccated coconut; 4 tasty cheese slices; 4 new potatoes; 2 cups frozen peas; 1 tblspn brown sugar

1. Place hot water in a frying pan, add sausages, cover cook over medium heat 7 minutes, while the sausages parboil, combine together pineapple, sultanas and coconut.

2. Boil potatoes in a large pot of water 15-20 minutes. Drain sausages, set aside. Mix together pineapple juice, honey and soy sauce.

3. Halve tomatoes, top with cheese slices, place onto oven tray, set aside. Slit sausages lengthwise, fill with pineapple mixture. Transfer to a shallow baking dish, pour over the honey mixture. Bake at 230°C for 7 ½ minutes, brush with honey mixture from base of baking dish. Top each sausage with 12 teaspoon brown sugar. Cook tomatoes and sausages at 230°C for 7 ½ minutes.

4. Meanwhile bring a pot of water to the boil for peas. Cook 5-6 minutes.

5. Serve sausages accompanied with boiled potatoes, baked tomatoes and peas.
Serves 4