Sandia Loca with pineapple

 Crazy pineapple and watermelon salad!!

Scoop out a watermelon half, chop the flesh and combine with chopped pineapple, cucumber (and whatever other fruit you may have), soya chips, Japanese peanuts or other cruchy nuts. Sprinkle with lime juice and enjoy straight away.

Chicken Chimichangas with Avocado Pineapple Salsa

Adapted from https://www.rockrecipes.com/pork-chimichangas/

Ingredients

For the Chimichangas:

4 flour tortillas, 20cm in diameter; 226g shredded cheese; 3 cups cooked chicken, very thinly sliced and roughly chopped; 2 roma tomatoes, de-seeded and diced small; 1 tsp chili flakes; 1/4 tsp cumin; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/4 tsp black pepper; pinch salt; canola oil for frying

For the Avocado Pineapple Salsa:

1 ½ cups fresh golden pineapple, diced small; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeño pepper; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp brown sugar; ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro; ½ red pepper diced small; 1 large avocado diced

Instructions

To prepare the chimichangas:

Toss together the tomatoes, olive oil, chili flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the chopped chicken and toss together well.

Place the cheese in the centre of the tortillas. Add 1/4 of the chicken mixture beside the cheese. Bring two opposite sides of the tortilla toward the centre, they don’t need to meet. Begin rolling from one of the ends, making sure that the seam is on the bottom of the chimichanga.

Heat oil to 160°C in a deep fryer and place the chimichangas seam side down in the basket. Lower into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Serve with the Avocado Pineapple Salsa.

To prepare the salsa:

Toss all ingredients together well in a glass bowl.

Let stand for about 2 hours before serving, stirring occasionally.

Serve at room temperature.

Chicken manchamanteles with fried pineapple

 https://taste.co.za/recipes/chicken-manchamanteles/

Chicken manchamanteles

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

4 dried red chillies, deseeded; 1 medium onion, peeled and halved; 3 cloves garlic, peeled; 1 stick cinnamon; 4 cloves; 4 black peppercorns; 1 tblsp blanched almonds; 3 tblsp sunflower oil; 3 large ripe tomatoes; ½ tsp dried oregano; ½ tsp dried thyme; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 chicken (about 1.5kg), cut into portions; 1½ cups water; 1 tsp salt; a few sprigs of parsley; 500g peeled and cubed sweet potato; 1 tblsp butter; 1 small pineapple, peeled and cubed; fresh coriander leaves, for garnishing; soft warm flour tortillas, for serving; 2 firm bananas, sliced

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

To bring out their flavour, first toast the *chillies in a heated cast-iron pan. Press lightly for a minute or two, until they begin to change colour, taking care not to burn them.

Cover with hot water and leave to soak for 20 minutes, then drain and chop roughly.

In the same way, roast the peeled onion and garlic in a cast-iron pan until charred on the outside, then chop roughly.

Pan-roast the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and almonds, stirring to prevent catching. First crush the cinnamon stick, then blend or process all the roasted ingredients with the drained chillies.

Stir-fry the mixture in 15ml (1T) heated oil for 4 or 5 minutes, until fragrant.

Pan-roast the tomatoes in the same way or slide under a hot grill until charred. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins and chop roughly.

Blend or process the tomato, then stir into the chilli mixture with the dried herbs and cook briskly for about 10 minutes, stirring all the time. Season lightly with salt.

Heat the remaining 30ml (2T) oil in a heavy casserole. Add the chicken, in batches, and fry until lightly browned. Return to the casserole. Add the water, salt and parsley, and bring to a bubble.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the chilli sauce and sweet potato, and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken and potato are very tender. Check seasoning.

Heat the butter then fry the banana and pineapple pieces until lightly browned and starting to catch. Spoon over the chicken. Sprinkle generously with coriander leaves.

Serve with warm flour tortillas for mopping up the sauce.

Pineapple Mexican Chicken

https://ohsweetbasil.com/instant-pot-or-slow-cooker-pineapple-mexican-shredded-chicken-recipe/

Instant pot or slow cooker pineapple Mexican shredded chicken

“This shredded chicken is a cinch to make. Here’s what you need:

Chicken Breasts

Chunky Salsa Verde

Crushed Pineapple

Heavy Cream

Coriander

Cumin

Smoked Paprika

Everything gets tossed into the instant pot or slow cooker and you walk away! That’s it!”

Pineapple lunches across the Pacific

Luncheon Dishes compiled by the National Trust Shop Committee, Hobart

I think this is the littlest cook book I’ve ever used! Anne

Tasmanian Beef Casserole

2 lbs (1 kg) blade steak; 1 dstsp brown sugar; 2 unpeeled apples (chopped); 1 small tin crushed pineapple; 1/3 tin condensed tomato soup; salt and pepper; 1 maggi beef stock cube; 1 stalk celery; 1 diced carrot; 1 small chopped onion

Method: remove any fat from meat and chop into small cubes (I browned these in a little oil, before . . .) Mix well with all remaining ingredients and cook at 350°F (180°C) covered for 2 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetables or rice and noodles.

Mexican Fish Dish (Salmon)

1 tin salmon; 1 tin crushed pineapple; ¼ cup rice (measured before cooking); 2 tblsp chutney; 2 tsp curry powder; ¼ tsp salt; 2 cups milk; ½ cup plain flour; ¼ cup margarine; 2 hard boiled eggs (chopped); parsley as garnish

Method: Place fish and cooked rice in casserole and mix well. Make thick white sauce with margarine, flour and milk. Add pineapple, salt, curry, chutney and eggs. Pour over fish and rice. Re-heat and garnish with chopped parsley.

Tacos with roasted pineapple

Tacopedia, Déborah Holtz and Juan Carlos Mena, 2015 Mexico

A fabulous book, a study of culture through food. Roasted pineapple is delicious with tacos! Anne

“Everything fits in a tortilla: As Mexican as mariachi music, the taco is, without a doubt, Mexico’s most popular food . . . A taco, at its simplest, is a tortilla, filling, and salsa – the other holy trinity in Mexico – yet when these three elements are prepared with the proper care and ingredients, tacos can be raised to the status of haute cuisine . . . the humble tortilla has an extraordinary capacity for adapting itself to fillings of every possible kind – meat, vegetables, fruit, cheese – and anything placed in a tortilla is, by definition, a taco.” Alejandro Escalante

Roasted Pineapple

Serves 4 – 6

1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced; sugar; sea salt; corn oil, if frying

1. Dust both sides of the pineapple slices with a little sugar and salt

2. Roast the slices on a hot grill or griddle, or else fry in a skillet with a little oil, on each side for about half a minute, or until golden

3. Cut the slices into small chunks and serve on a plate next to the salsas

Gringas

Serves 4

9 oz (250g) Oaxaca, chihuahua, or asadero cheese (or another melting cheese); 6 – 12 4 ½” (11 cm) flour tortillas; 11oz (300g) meat prepared al pastor style (steaks marinated, roasted on a griddle and sliced into strips); salsa, roasted pineapple, chopped onion, and fresh cilantro, to garnish

1. Make a quesadilla: put some cheese in a flour tortilla, fold the tortilla in half, then warm both sides on a hot griddle until the cheese has melted.

2. Open the quesadilla and add the prepared meat to the melted cheese

3. Serve immediately with garnishes of your choice

Mexican pineapple and pork

The Around the World Cookbook: Over 350 authentic recipes from the world's best-loved cuisines 1998 London Lorenz books

Pork with Pineapple: Mexico

Ingredients: 30ml/2 tblsp corn oil; 900g boneless pork shoulder or loin, cut into 5cm cubes; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 large red pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 1 or more jalapeno chillies, seeded and finely chopped; 450g fresh pineapple chunks; 8 fresh mint leaves, chopped; 250ml/1 cup chicken stock; salt and freshly ground black pepper; fresh mint sprig, to garnish; rice, to serve

1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté the pork in batches until the cubes are lightly coloured. Transfer the pork to a flameproof casserole, leaving the oil behind in the pan.

2 Add the finely chopped onion, finely chopped red pepper and the chilli(es) to the oil remaining in the pan. Sauté until the onion is tender, then add to the casserole with the pineapple. Stir to mix.

3 Add the mint, then cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours, or until the pork is tender. Garnish with fresh mint and serve with rice.

Cook’s Tip: If fresh pineapple is not available, use pineapple canned in its own juice.

Pineapple and Coconut Puddin'

Mexican Cooking, including Latin American and Caribbean Recipes, Bay Books Round the World Cooking Library, recipe contributions by Susan Bensusan, New York 1977

 

Pudim de abacaxi e coco – Pineapple and coconut pudding

6 servings

1 425g can condensed milk; 1 1/3 cups milk; 2 egg yolks, beaten; 3 tblspn cornstarch; ½ ts vanilla; 1 prepared 23cm sponge cake layer; 1 cup pineapple juice; 1/3 cup rum; 1 450g can pineapple slices, drained; ¾ cup grated coconut; 1 cup heavy cream, whipped; cherries

Mix the condensed milk, milk, egg yolks, cornstarch and vanilla. Place in a double boiler and cook over hot water, stirring constantly, until thickened. Continue cooking without stirring for 10 minutes. Cool.

Cut the sponge cake layer into 6cm squares and place in the bottom of a serving dish. Mix the pineapple juice and rum and sprinkle over the cake. Cover with ½ the custard mixture. Cut up ½ the pineapple and arrange over the custard. Sprinkle with ½ the coconut. Add a layer of the remaining custard and cover with whipped cream. Decorate with the remaining coconut, pineapple slices and cherries.

Mexican Pork and Chicken Casserole

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

Mexican Pork and Chicken Casserole
 

500g lean pork loin, cut in cubes; 1 tblspn oil; 1 tblspn butter; 2.5kg chicken, jointed; 1 tblspn blanched almonds; 3 tspns sesame seeds; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 green capsicum, seeded and finely chopped; 1 cup tomato sauce; 4 cups chicken stock; 1 tblspn chilli powder; 2 tblspn honey; 3 tblspn dry white wine; ¼ tspn cinnamon; 3 whole cloves; 1 bay leaf; 1 tspn salt; 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced; 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced; 1 cup diced pineapple; 2 bananas; parsely to garnish
 

Brown pork in hot oil and butter. Remove with slotted spoon. Brown chicken in same pan. Remove. Lightly fry almonds and 1 tspn sesame seeds in same pan. Stir in onion and capsicum. Sauté a few minutes more. Add tomato sauce and puree in blender or food processor. Combine puréed mixture with stock, chilli, honey, wine, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and salt. Cook for 15 minutes. Strain. Return meat to pan, pour over sauce and simmer for 45 minutes. Add sweet potato and simmer for 15 minutes. Add apple and pineapple and simmer for further 10 – 15 minutes. Just before serving, slice bananas into stew and sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds and finely chopped parsely.

Serves 8.

Dancing with the pineapples

Thanks very much to Val in Sydney who gave us permission to use this great photo of the colourful and joyous Flor de Pina dance in Oaxaca, Mexico.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/71072750@N00/5369671064/