pineapple prawns with snow peas and cashews in black bean sauce You can also use asparagus or green beans, all good. Put 1/4 c. water, 1 T. rice wine vinegar, 1 T. black bean paste, 1 t. cornstarch into a bowl and mix well; set aside for later. In a pan over high heat, put 1/4 c. canola oil, 16 prawns, 1 t. black pepper, 1 T. grated fresh ginger, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, and sauté until the prawns start to turn pink. Add 12 chunks of fresh pineapple, cut about the size of the prawns, and continue to sauté until the prawns are cooked and the pineapple is tender. To finish, add 1 handful of snow peas and the black bean mixture; stir until the sauce has thickened and simmered for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve over rice. Serves 4.
pineapple jerk chicken I love the spices of Jamaican jerk, but I find a traditional jerk, with the scotch bonnet chiles, too intense. This is my take on jerk, which is much less fiery. Grate 1 small onion, put it in a bowl and mix well with 2 T. molasses, 1 T. salt, 1 T. grated fresh ginger, 1 t. ground cloves, 1/2 t. allspice, 1 t. ground black pepper and 1/2 t. chile flakes. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a casserole dish, put 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, 1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks, 1 red pepper, cored and diced, 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered. Pour the sauce over top and roll to evenly coat all. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and pulls away from the bone easily. Serves 4.
pineapple fritters These fritters are a great alternative to pancakes. This is one of my favourite recipes to cook in coconut oil. The combination is quite memorable. Put 1-1/2 c. flour, 1/2 t. nutmeg, a pinch of salt and 1 t. baking powder into a bowl, whisk together, and set aside. In another bowl, put 1 egg, lightly beaten, 2 T. brown sugar, 1 t. vanilla and 1/2 c. milk. Lightly beat together and stir in 2 c. crushed pineapple, drained. Add the dry ingredients and stir into a paste. Put 1 c. coconut or canola oil into a pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, spoon about 1/4 c. of batter into it to make each fritter. Fry until golden. Serve with maple syrup and berries. Makes 8 to 12 fritters.
recipe photos by Chris Halpin
rum baked pineapple with chocolate ice cream This is simply a great dessert with no fuss. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Cut 1 fresh pineapple into thin 2-inch spears. In an ovenproof skillet over medium heat melt 2 T. butter and add 1 c. brown sugar and 1/2 c. dark rum; stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture starts to bubble. Simmer without stirring for 2 minutes, add the pineapple and stir until evenly coated. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pineapple is tender. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve warm over chocolate ice cream. For a bit of fun and to turn the simple into the sublime, give your guests a jigger of rum to pour over the pineapple and a book of matches to set the rum alight. Serves 4 to 6.
Chris Halpin has been teaching Calgarians to make fast, fun urban food since 1997 and is the owner of Manna Catering Service.
CITYPALATE.ca JANUARY FEBRUARY 2016
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