Welcome Quirky Pineapple

Crushed fresh pineapple

Welcome, welcome O Pineapple! Your season is here.

How can you have too much of this quirky looking, all singing all dancing, multi purpose, vitamin C packed fruit?

It is delicious raw but do not forget to count the leaves at the outset *see ritual below. Cut in round slices or sliced from top to bottom into quarters

Next there are a mass of popular puddings such as pineapple upside down cake, pineapple cheesecake, pineapple meringue pie, pineapple cobbler, pineapple pie, pineapple bars and cookies and many more.

Finally come the possible preserves and there are so many ways. Try jams, marmalades, jellies, relishes and chutneys and Beryl has seventeen recipes to choose from. She lists a number of the jams in combination with other fruits and, as pineapple is low in pectin, choosing a version such as pineapple and apple jam seems a good combination to ensure a set.

This week, as as a speedy option, I am throwing together the ingredients for Beryl’s pineapple relish. I love the way that fruits can so often complement different meats and this preserve recipe, which includes mustard, is perfect with hot pork and ham dishes or  can be served with cold ham and salads, added to a ham sandwiches and it is also wonderful with hot dogs.

It is best made with fresh pineapples but you can substitute canned fruit. It will not keep long but if there is any left over, I store it in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

PINEAPPLE RELISH

225g (1/2 lb) crushed fresh pineapple, 56g (2oz) onion, 56g (2oz) butter,

28g (1oz) parsley, 28g (1oz) dried mustard according to taste*

* For serving with hot baked ham you may choose to reduce the amount of mustard by a quarter to to about one teaspoon, as I do, and or to your liking.

Chop the onions and put in a pan with butter until soft but not brown. Then mix all the remaining ingredients adding the dried mustard to your liking.

  Makes one large  or two medium jars

If serving with hot ham, stud the ham with cloves and brushed with honey before baking and
serve with new potatoes and seasonal vegetables accompanied by
pineapple relish

Pineapple leaf counting ritual

To add further to the pineapple occasion, the head of the table, who cuts and serves the fresh pineapple, asks each of the diners to guess the number of leaves on the fruit. The solemn process then begins of pulling the leaves away and counting.

Note that those who are familiar with this game will know that it lies with the head of the table to continue plucking the many tiny brown leaves at the base until the total number has soared.

The winner is the diner whose guesses the nearest and they have the honour and glory of winning.

Yeah!!!

Pippa