The fine pineapple
*It may look intimidating but once you get past its prickly exterior,
you'll be hooked.
*Pineapple, the excellent fruit has diverse uses in cooking.
 Sir Walter Raleigh called it the "princess of fruits", but when
sailors returning to Europe managed to grow pineapples and presented one
to Charles V, "he refused, with characteristic hesitancy, to touch it"
(Alan Davidson, The Oxford Companion to Food). Well, it does look like
an intimidating creature, and peeling and cutting one is so daunting.
Apparently pineapples contain something similar to papain, the enzyme
made by papayas. This is bromelin, an enzyme that breaks down protein.
So while it is used commercially as a meat tenderizer, overuse can break
down meat so much that it disintegrates.
And workers handling it must wear rubber gloves or their hands will
get eaten away Another quality of pineapple, thanks to the bromelin, is
that a jelly made of fresh pineapple with gelatin just doesn't "gel"; it
won't set. So no Pineapple Bavarian Cream. In any case, I don't think
that the taste of milk or cream combined with some fruit - like
pineapple, watermelon and oranges - works, so that's no great loss.
Combinations
Fiddling with fruit and cooking and spicing, it is a luxury that
should be enjoyed by those who have the fruit in abundance. But there
are some combinations that have become classics. Pineapple salsa with
pork chops is one and kebabs, cubes of pineapple and pork, skewered
alternately and then grilled. Many people do a whole ham for special
occasions, at times you can have it covered the whole thing with mustard
embedded with pineapple rings.
Courtesy: The Hindu
Pineapple and cardamom chicken with mint
Ingredients
4 green cardamoms
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp finely grated lemon peel
4 chicken breast halves,
skinned and boned
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cups pineapple,
peeled, cored,
cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
Method:
Powder cardamom seeds and mix in a small bowl with salt, pepper and
lemon peel. Pierce chicken pieces all over with a fork. Rub
cardamom-lemon peel mixture onto chicken. Heat oil in a heavy large
skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saut‚ until soft but not
browned. Push onion to sides and add chicken to skillet. Saut‚ until
brown on bottom, about two minutes.` Turn chicken, sprinkle with
pineapple, and cook on low heat, uncovered, until chicken is cooked
through. Check if it's done by piercing the largest piece with a knife
tip. The chicken should be opaque and whitish.
Add broth and pineapple juice and bring to boil over high heat.
Transfer chicken to platter. Add butter to sauce and boil until thick,
scraping in browned bits.
Add mint leaves and stir briefly. Spoon sauce over chicken.
Pineapple Chilli Salsa (Makes about 2 cups)
 Ingredients
2 cups pineapple, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp fresh pineapple juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp sugar, dissolved in a spoon of water
3 spring onions, finely chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
2 tsp chopped fresh coriander
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Method:
Toss all ingredients together in a bowl and let stand, stirring
occasionally, 30 minutes, to blend flavours. Salsa can be made a day
ahead and chilled and covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.
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