Summer pineapple punch

Christmas Cooking with the Weekly, Sydney 2013 Australian Womens Weekly

Tea and Rum Punch

Place 1 black teabag in a heatproof jug; cover with 1 cup boiling water, stand for 5 minutes. Squeeze teabag over water, discard teabag.

Combine tea with 1 cup each of white (or dark) rum, chilled pineapple juice and chilled lime juice cordial in a large glass jug; cover, refrigerate until required.

Just before serving, halve and thinly slice a medium orange and lime. Add fruit to tea mixture; stir in 1.5 (6 cups) chilled ginger beer and ½ cup loosely packed small fresh mint leaves.

To serve, place ice cubes in glasses, top with punch.

Serves 8

For an alcohol-free punch, omit the rum.

Patti's Christmas Pudding (with added pineapple)

Patti Middlebrook generously tutored an enthusiastic group of six aspiring Christmas pudding cooks in her kitchen at Bandon Grove NSW. She taught us how to make Mabel Muddle's famous recipe using intuition and "feeling". My favourite story that Patti told was of gathering the children around when she makes her pudding each year so they each have a stir, making the process and product even more meaningful, Anne.

Christmas Pudding (Mabel Muddle’s recipe)

2 cups brown sugar; 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (I used gluten free fresh breadcrumbs); 2 cups plain flour (I used gluten free plain flour); 1 kg mixed fruit that you have already soaked overnight with 3 tblsp sherry or brandy; 1 tsp nutmeg; 1 small tsp bicarb soda; 6–8 eggs (I used 7 eggs); ¾ lb (350g) marg or butter; 1 tsp allspice; pinch salt

Soak fruit overnight with sherry or brandy. Cream butter and sugar then add eggs one at a time (take your time and mix thoroughly between each egg).

Meantime get flow ready, put sifted flour and spices, then mix breadcrumbs into fruit, then creamed mixture into fruit. Lastly add flour. (Best worked by hand).

Cook’s note: If the mix is too dry add a little black tea.

This pudding is quite big, you can cut in half to make 2 small ones.

Cloths put in colander, then greaseproof paper, dust with flour, put mixture in cloth, tie up so no water can get in.

Boil fast for 3 hours.

Cook's note: Place a plate (Patti uses an enamel one) in the bottom of the pot to prevent the pudding from catching on the bottom.

Lift the pudding out of the water, undo the string immediately and upturn the pudding onto a plate. Soak the calico in water straight away so bits of the pudding don't stick, it can then be washed and used again next year.

This is where I slipped some crystallised pineapple into the mix!

Before serving tip on some brandy (not too much!!!)  and light with a match - or a mini blow torch!!! Anne

"Is it alight?"

And, it was delicious!

Patti's daughter, Tracy Parish held a very successful soy candle making workshop at Bandon Grove Hall generously giving her time and the money raised for the renovations of the Hall. Thanks Tracy we all had a wonderful time and are looking forward to your natural soap making workshop next year! Guess what scent I used in the candles I made. Pineapple of course! Anne

Pineapple Pickles

The modern preserver: chutneys, jams, pickles and more, Kylee Newton 2015 London

Pineapple and star anise relish

Makes 4 x 350ml jars

“Don’t be too scared of this 70s combo. It reminds me of creeping downstairs at one of my parents’ parties, when I was little, peeking at them drunkenly dancing around the sofa. And also of sneaking that delicious pineapple-and-cheese teat arranged just so on toothpicks.”

1 kg fresh pineapple; 400ml white wine vinegar; 300g light brown sugar; 20g fresh ginger; 1 lime, zest and juice; 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper; 2 tsp chilli flakes; 2 star anise; ½ cinnamon stick; 1 lemongrass stalk, halved; 300g onions

How to eat: With cheese but also great with Thai food such as fish cakes

Prepare the pineapple: top and tail it then slice off the skin. Cut into 1.5cm discs then into bite-sized pieces

Mix the vinegar and sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed pan, place on a moderate heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid has reduced by a third

Add the ginger, lime zest and juice, pepper, chilli flakes, star anise, cinnamon and lemongrass to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes

Meanwhile peel and dice the onions

Once the mixture thickens, add the pineapple and onions, bring to the boil and cook, stirring intermittently, for a further 20-30 minutes, letting the mixture thicken more

Remove from the heat, fish out the ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick and lemongrass then ladle into warm, dry sterilised jars and seal

Can be eaten immediately but best left to mature in the fridge for 2-4 weeks before opening

Keeps for up to 6 months to a year unopened. Once opened, keep refrigerated and consume within 4 months

Very hot! I think next time I will only add 1 tsp chilli flakes! Anne

Pineapple and Apricot Jam

HB's Guide to … Fruit Preserving – Jams, Jellies too! The Australian Home Beautiful Centre Section, December 1959 by Jen Bowring

“Nothing can equal the flavor of good home-made jams.”

Jams: Apricot and Pineapple

Ingredients: 6 lbs (48) apricots; one medium-sized fresh pineapple; 5 lbs (10 cups) sugar; half pint (1 cup) water; 3 tblsp lemon juice

Method: Wash, dry and stone the apricots, grate the pineapple. Sprinkle with half the sugar and allow to stand over night.

If liked, a few of the blanched apricot kernels may be added, or some blanched and chopped almonds just before taking off the heat.

Bottle while hot. Seal the jars with a layer of paraffin wax and then cover with paper.

Note: If using canned pineapple in place of the fresh pine, drain the syrup and use this in place of the half pint of water.

Pineapple for Skinny Girls

Skinny Meals in Heels: Figure-friendly dishes for girls on the move, Jennifer Joyce 2011 Sydney, Illustrated by Megan Hess

Both of these recipes really are delicious! Anne

Thai pumpkin curry with pineapple, beans and tomato

Serves 4

1 tblsp vegetable oil; 3 tblsp red curry paste; 1 x 400ml (14 fl oz) tin low-fat coconut milk; 250g (9oz) butternut pumpkin (winter squash), peeled and cut into 3cm (1 ¼ inch) chunks; 1 tblsp fish sauce; finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes; 100g (3 ½ oz) green beans, trimmed and halved; 100g (3 ½ oz) cherry tomatoes; ½ small pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 3cm (1 ¼ inch) pieces; coriander (cilantro) leaves and steamed rice, to serve

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and heat until just boiling. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the pumpkin, fish sauce and lime zest and juice. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is fork tender. Add the green beans, tomatoes and pineapple and cook for 2 minutes. Scatter with the coriander and serve with the rice.

Pineapple and mint granita

Makes 1.5 litres

“Granita is brilliant because you don’t need an ice-cream maker. The fruit purée and sugar syrup are poured into a shallow pan and scraped three times during the freezing process. The result is granular pieces or fruity ice.”

300ml(10½ fl oz) water; 250g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar; 1kg (2lb 4oz) chopped pineapple flesh; 4 tblsp lime juice; 1 large handful mint leaves, finely chopped; tropical fruit such as mango or papaya, chopped to serve

Bring the water and sugar to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly syrupy. Allow to cool completely.

Purée the pineapple in a food processor, then push through a fine sieve to create a smooth puree. Discard and pulp in the sieve. Mix the cooled syrup, lime juice and mint with the purée. Pour into a shallow metal or glass tray (about 33cm x 23cm/13inch x 9inch) and place in the freezer.

After 2 hours, scrape the mixture with a fork. When breaking up the ice crystals, make long scrapes, raking the fork down the mixture repeatedly. Avoid mixing it up, which will result in a smooth texture more like sorbet. Freeze again for another 30 minutes, then repeat scraping and freezing two more times until grainy crystals have formed.

Serve with the tropical fruit.

Prep ahead: This will keep for 2 weeks in the freezer in an airtight container.

A perfect summer dessert!

Pineapples for life

Food for Life: a collection of recipes from chefs, celebrities and donors funding support for developing communities, 2005 Newcastle NSW

Macaroni Salad recipe contributed by Morris Family, Newcastle

250g cooked spiral macaroni; 1 small onion, chopped; ¾ cup cubed cheese; 1 medium grated carrot; ½ cup chopped celery; 1 tin crushed pineapple, drained; ½ cup sultanas (optional); ½ cup cashew, or unsalted peanuts; 1 apple, chopped; ½ cup mayonnaise; 1 tsp curry powder

Mix all ingredients and toss.

Really delicious! Anne

Stained Glass (Dessert) recipe contributed by Marie Smith, Possum Brush

This was great fun to make but it was quite tricky so I've included my tips in italics, Anne

1 x 85g packet raspberry flavoured jelly crystals; 1 x 85g packet ime flavoured jelly crystals; 1 x 85g orange flavoured jelly crystals; 3 cups boiling water; ¾ cup pineapple juice; 3 tspn gelatine (instead of pineapple juice and gelatine I used a packet of pineapple jelly crystals); 1 x 300ml carton thickened cream, whipped (I used about 1 cup whipped thickened cream)

Make up each packet of (raspberry, orange and lime) jelly crystals with the water separately (1 cup of boiling water only, so that the jelly will be firm to cut) and pour into bar tins to set. (So that the jelly will be about 1cm thick) When set turn out and chop into small cubes. Arrange cubes in square dish (8 cup capacity).

(I used a shallow 20cm round tin, I recommend either making a couple of small ones, to ensure the final jelly doesn't fall apart on turning out, or if only making one using the left over jelly for a trifle)  

Heat pineapple juice, sprinkle gelatine over and stir until dissolved, cool until partially set. (If you are using pineapple jelly crystals instead, use 1 cup of boiling water to dissolve crystals and then let cool to room temperature before adding whipped cream)

Add cream to pineapple mixture a little at a time, whisking to combine. Spread cream mixture on top of jelly cubes to fill any gaps. (The dessert would be stronger if the "stained glass" jelly shapes were covered in the pineapple mix but I wanted to see if the colour would be more vibrant if it just filled the spaces, luckily everything held together on upturning!)

Maybe decorate with hundreds and thousands.

                                     

Tip: To remove the coloured jellies from their bar tins, and the final dessert from the dish/tin I briefly sat the tins in a shallow dish of hot water to loosen the jelly, Anne.

                                     

                                        

Have fun making different coloured mosaics with the jelly pieces!! Anne

Pineapple recipes from the Philippines

Our lovely friend Emily is from the island of Cebu, she is a wonderful cook and loves to share the dishes from her first homeland, Anne

Emily’s Pineapple Turkey Recipe

3 medium carrots, sliced; 5 medium potatoes, cut into chunks; 4 pieces turkey legs or chicken legs (1 kilo); 1 cup tomato sauce; 1 capsicum, sliced; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 spoonful of crushed garlic; 1 tsp cracked black pepper; salt – amount depends on your taste; ¼ cup olive oil; 1 can pineapple rings

Sauté onion, garlic and pepper, add the meat, sauté until brown, add salt so it will penetrate the meat, add 2 chopped rings of pineapple and leave for 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce and pineapple juice. When meat is tender add potatoes, carrots, capsicum and 3 more pineapple slices. Taste it often and add what’s lacking.

(Cooking time 30 minutes, 10 minutes high/20 minutes medium high)

The Cook Book: Healthy and Tasty Challenge Recipe Competition, The NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (recipes from the Chinese, Filipino, Italian, Samoan and Sri Lankan communities) 2010

Winner - Adobo Supreme, a Filipino recipe contributed by Neria Soliman

15 mins preparation + 30 mins cooking

Ingredients: Cooked rice to serve; 1 kg mixed skinless chicken pieces;  ½ cup vinegar (native coconut vinegar preferred); 2 tblspn soy sauce; ½ tsp cracked black peppercorn; 1 small bay leaf; 4 cloves of garlic, minced; 2 tblspn vegetable oil; 1 cup pineapple juice from a can of crushed pineapple; 2 cups pineapple, crushed; 12 slices fresh pineapple rings for garnish

Method: Combine all ingredients except for crushed pineapple and oil and let stand for 10 minutes. Cook in pan, cover and simmer until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from the pan and place in a fry pan and cook briefly in a small amount of oil until golden brown. Return the fried chicken to the sauce. Add the crushed pineapple. Continue cooking until sauce is thick and partly reduced. Serve with rice and garnish with pineapple rings.

Serve with steamed rice and salad.

And for dessert - Nata de Piña, preserved pineapple gel from the Philippines.