Jackson Pollock, with added pineapple

Six friends capturing the spirit of abstract expressionism with . . .

Dinner with Jackson Pollock: Recipes, Art and Nature, Robyn Lea 2015 New York

This is a fabulous cookbook, a stunning publication, highly recommended, Anne

Tablecloth and wine label appropriated by Sue in ink from Pollock’s c1950 ink on paper work ‘Untitled'

Phyl and Anne’s cheese splatter

Jackson’s Famous Spaghetti Sauce (Rita Benton’s recipe) with applied pineapple rings - Anne

Serves 4

2 tblsp olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 lb (450g) pork tenderloin or pork chops, finely cut by hand; ½ lb (225g) mushrooms, sliced; 6 oz (175g) can tomato paste; 1 can water; 1 bay leaf; salt and pepper, to taste; 1 lb (450g) spaghetti; 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

In a heavy-bottom skillet, heat the oil and brown the onion. Add meat, mushrooms, tomato paste, water and seasonings; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until pork is tender.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in salted water 8 – 10 minutes, drain.

Toss spaghetti with sauce, and serve with cheese.

No food was wasted in the making of this entrée

French-Style Roast Chicken with Herb Stuffing (Arloie McCoy’s recipe) – Greg and Phyl

Serves 4

FOR THE CHICKEN: 3 lb (1.5kg) organic free-range chicken; ½ cup olive oil; 2 ½ tsp sea salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 2 tblsp fresh thyme leaves; 12 cloves garlic, skins on and rinsed well; 12 shallots or small onions, peeled ad kept whole; 1 lemon, zest and juice

FOR ARLOIE’S STUFFING: 2 tblsp butter; 2 medium onions, finely chopped; 2 stalks celery, finely chopped; 2 cups rough-cut bread crumbs or crumbled dry bread; 1 tblsp each fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme; parsley, chopped; 1 pinch powdered ginger; salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350°°F (180C). Remove giblets from chicken, rinse the bird inside and out, pat dry. Rub all over with ¼ cup olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and thyme leaves. Set chicken aside to come to room temperature while making stuffing.

To make the stuffing: In a heavy-bottom pot, melt butter, add chopped inions and celery, and cook until soft. In a large bowl, combine all stuffing ingredients and moisten with a little water.

Fill chicken cavity loosely with stuffing and tie the legs together with kitchen string.

In a large cast-iron casserole, Le Creuset pot, or roasting pan, on the stovetop, warm the remaining olive oil, add garlic and shallots or small onions, and cook about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and place chicken in pot, breast side up. Baste chicken all over with pan juices until well covered; roast 1 hour. Baste with pan juices and lemon juice and sprinkle with lemon zest.

Increase over temperature to 430°F (225°C) and roast 15 minutes more, or until skin is crisp and golden, Let chicken rest 15 minutes, then carve to serve.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Walnut and Maple Dressing – Anne

Serves 6

FOR THE VEGETABLES: 1 lb (450g) each baby beets, baby carrots, and baby parsnips, washed and peeled; 4 tblsp olive oil; salt and freshly ground black pepper; ½ cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped, for garnish; ½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish

FOR THE DRESSING: ½ cup sherry vinegar; 2 tblsp pure maple syrup; ½ cup extra virgin olive oil; 4 tsp shallot, minced; 1 large pinch cayenne pepper; ¼ tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Wash and peel the vegetables. In a large bowl, coat vegetables with olive oil, salt, ad pepper. Spread vegetables on a large baking paper-lined tray and place in the oven. After 20 minutes, turn the tray and roast another 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a lidded jar, combine all dressing igredients and shake until blended and thick.

In a pan over low heat, toast the walnuts for five minutes, being careful not to burn them; when cool, roughly chop.

To serve, arrange vegetables on a platter, drizzle with half the dressing, and sprinkle with parsley and walnuts. Serve with remaining dressing.

Earth-Goddess Stuffed Peppers (Rita Benton’s recipe) – Sue

Serves 4

4 medium pepper (red and yellow, as desired); ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for baking and serving; 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 stalks celery, finely chopped; ½ lb (225g) ground beef or lamb; 2 tblsp tomato paste; 1 cup mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, and oregano; sea salt and black pepper; water or broth, as needed; 2 cups rice, cooked; 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated; 1 cup bread crumbs; ½ cup white wine mixed with ½ cup water or vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 380°F (190°C). Cut tops off pepper, remove seeds, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, gently heat olive oil, add finely chopped onion and celery, and cook, covered, until soft, stirring often. Add ground meat and sauté until browned, add tomato paste and fresh herbs, and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Cover and cook for half an hour, adding a little water or broth as needed to keep mixture just moist and simmering. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked rice.

Rub the outside of the peppers with a little olive oil; stuff each pepper. Top the stuffed peppers with parmesan and bread crumbs and a drizzle f olive oil. Place peppers in a baking dish lined with lightly greased baking paper. Pour white wine and stock mixture in the bottom of the dish; cover and bake 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake 20 minutes more or until peppers are soft and golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Sue’s painterly spinach and mozzarella combo

Upside Down Cherry Cake (Stella Mae McClure Pollock’s recipe) with  added pineapple ring - Anne

Serves 6 – 8

FOR THE CHERRIES: 2 cups unsweetened pitted cherries in syrup (canned or jarred, or use homemade); ½ cup sugar; 1 ½ tblsp cornstarch; ¼ tsp salt

FOR THE BATTER: 2 tblsp butter; 1 cup sugar; 1 egg, beaten; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 cup milk; ¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325°F (190°C). To make the cherry syrup: In a saucepan, drain juice from cherries and add enough water to make 1 cup of liquid; add sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring, to thicken the cornstarch and cook out its flavour.

Butter a 9-inch (23cm) round cake pan and cover the bottom with a layer of cherries. Pour syrup over cherries.

To make the batter: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar; add beaten egg and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour and baking powder into the creamed mixture, add milk and salt, and mix thoroughly. Pour batter over cherries and bake about 50 minutes.

Invert onto a platter and serve, either hot or cold, drizzled with cream.

Photo by Martha Holmes (from the book)

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

Ananas la via Italiana ?

Davis Dainty Dishes, 1^st ed 1922 ; 1927

Sweet Napoli   

Ingredients:

2 cups of clear gelatine jelly; ½ tin preserved pineapple; 4 tblsps sugar; 4 tblsps of macaroni; 1 cup custard

Directions:

Wet a border mould, and coat it with jelly, cut the pineapple in dice and put in. Then pour I the remainder of the jelly coloured with a few drops of cochineal. Boil the macaroni in milk till quite tender, sweeten, drain, and set it aside to cool. When the jelly is firmly set, turn out and fill with the macaroni, pouring over it the custard, and serve.

Plain jelly can be made, using 1 dstsp of gelatine, to each cup of hot water, and sweetened as required.

I think I would have to be very hungry to attempt the next recipe from 'Davis Dainty Dishes'! Luckily it doesn't use pineapple so I don't feel at all tempted! Anne

Two disappointments

Well, what can I say?  I reheated it for lunch, hoping it had improved overnight but alas no.  Ruby, you have let us down with this one, I certainly won’t be repeating it. Even with a generous grating of parmesan it was barely palatable. Ann.

Continental Veal Ragout with Spaghetti.

440g can Golden Circle Pineapple Pieces, 250g thin spaghetti, 1 tblspn butter, ¼ cup red capsicum, 1 kg boneless veal, 3 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 onion, 1 cup chopped skinned tomatoes, ½ cup dry white wine, ½ cup  veal stock or water.

Drain pineapple pieces and brown in butter. Cook and drain spaghetti, add pineapple pieces and butter. Line heat-proof serving dish with this. Cook chopped carrots, celery and onion in oil until beginning to brown. Add cubed veal, season to taste with salt, pepper and chopped marjoram. Add tomatoes, wine and stock. Simmer until veal is tender. Thicken if you wish with 1 tblspn cornflour blended in ¼ cup cold water. Serve very hot over the hot pineapple and spaghetti. Sprinkle veal with chopped parsley.

Note: The fabulous pineapple keyring

Ruby said “You’re a magician with quick, sunny sweets when your frig holds cans of Golden Circle’s vitamin-rich Tropical Pineapple.” 
I think she would have been disappointed with the can of fruit salad I bought for this recipe – it was mostly crushed pineapple with a little chopped pear, and I counted one passionfruit seed in the whole can! However it was fun to prepare with Raffeallu, the orange halves made great little dishes and the jelly was enjoyed! Anne.

Jewel Islands.

Encourage young people to eat what’s good for them. Serve Golden Circle Tropical Fruit Salad in a scooped-out orange with bright chopped jelly garnish.

Note: The beautiful glass dessert dish!

Well, what else would you call it?

Inventing the names for the colours of a Revlon lipstick range or Dulux colour chart or the recipes in Ruby Borrowdale’s ‘Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book’ would be a wonderful occupation! How did she arrive at "Eggs Flamenco" for this breakfast dish? Anne.

Eggs Flamenco.

440g Golden Circle Pineapple Pieces, 220g can spaghetti in tomato sauce, 2 rashers bacon, 2 to 4 eggs, parsley, butter, salt and pepper.

Butter individual heatproof dishes and line with cooked spaghetti. Break one or two eggs into the centre of each. Season with salt and pepper. Place a trimmed bacon rasher on either side of the eggs. Add a spoonful of drained pineapple pieces to each dish. Bake in moderate oven (180°C) about 30 minutes, or until eggs are set. Garnish with parsley and serve hot. Serves 2.

Old favourite with a new twist.

Macaroni  Tropical from Ruby Borrowdale's Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book.

440g can Golden Circle Sliced Pineapple, 250g macaroni, 1 ½ cups grated tasty cheese, 1 tblsp butter, ½ cup each cooked green peas, chopped onion, chopped red capsicum and chopped celery, 475ml thin white sauce, 4 rashers crisply-fried bacon, salt and cayenne pepper.

Drain pineapple slices. Chop 1 slice and add to white sauce. Lightly fry onion, capsicum and celery in butter, add to white sauce together with the peas, 1 cup of the grated cheese and chopped bacon. Cook macaroni according to directions but do not rinse. Add white sauce mixture to macaroni, stirring to blend. Turn into buttered casserole. Top with remaining cheese, bake in moderate oven (180° C) till bubbling hot. Top with remaining pineapple slices during last 5 minutes of cooking time. Serve immediately.

Instead of using one casserole I dished out the Macaroni Tropical between individual ramekins, Anne.

Tropical Spaghetti.

When my friend Maria offered me some lean farm fresh beef steaks and mince recently I decided it was time for Spaghetti with Meat Sauce Tropical – I have never mixed pineapple pieces into my meat sauce before and it wasn't bad. I was disappointed with the Pineapple Sunshine Pudding as it was a bit too sweet, Anne.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce Tropical.

440g can Golden Circle Pineapple Pieces, thin spaghetti, 500g topside mince, 1 small can tomato soup, 1 clove garlic, 2 onions, 250g grated cheese, 1 tblsp butter.

Drain pineapple. Cook and drain spaghetti. Melt butter in pan and fry chopped onions and garlic, add topside mince and cook. Add undiluted tomato soup and cook until evenly blended. Add pineapple pieces, reserving a few to garnish. Arrange alternative layers of spaghetti, cheese and savoury mince on large heated platter. Garnish with pineapple pieces, green peas or parsley. (This dish could be served for family dinner).

Pineapple Sunshine Pudding.

440g can Golden Circle Crushed Pineapple, 3 oz lemon-flavoured pudding mix, ¾ cup water, 2 dstsp sugar, 2 egg separated, 1 tsp gelatine, ¼ cup cold water.

Combine the undrained crushed pineapple, pudding mix, water, sugar and beaten egg yolks in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from stove, stir in gelatine soaked for 5 minutes in cold water.

Meringue: Beat 2 egg whites until frothy then gradually beat in 3 tblsp sugar.

Fold meringue into hot pineapple mixture. Beat well. Pour into shallow pan (approx. 17cmx28cmx2.5cm) lined with crushed biscuits. Chill till firm. Cut into squares, serve topped with whipped cream or ice cream.