Pineapple series: The Salad Bowl

It's back. Yes, the much neglected Pineapple Series, which makes you salivate, is back. I don't know for how long I can keep this up, as I've finally used my last tin of pineapple in the pantry...but I've been inspired, so perhaps you will see more...

Today's tasty recipe is from my Pineapple bible, Golden Circle Tropical Recipe book circa 1965. A simple little concoction that you can just throw together when you have a hankering for something more than just plain old salad.

It's called The Salad Bowl...with such a serious name, it is clearly THE one and only salad. It's on page 15 under 'Lunch in the tropics'.

The Salad Bowl.
I upped the colour saturation on this image. Tinned pineapples don't look as luminous as they did back in the day.

Jason was working his little heart out today on the boys' room renovation. I knew I had to pull out all stops for a wholesome lunch when I heard him cursing and cussing at the windows. So out came the Pineapple recipe book and my monkey wood serving ware to bring back the joy.

The Salad Bowl
Ingredients:
15 oz can of Sliced Pineapple (in Syrup)
1 lettuce
1 cucumber
1 onion (optional)
250 grams tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes)
salad dressing

Method:
Drain pineapple slices and cut in halves. Wash and crisp lettuce, break into thumb-size pieces. Peel and cut cucumber into finger lengths (I used Lebanese cucumbers which I didn't peel) . Cut tomatoes in quarters. Slice onion finely. Wipe wooden salad bowl with warm olive oil then rub with cut clove of garlic (I didn't have garlic so I just oiled the bowl instead). At serving time arrange prepared vegetables in bowl. Toss and add dressing.

Jason tucking in to the salad.

Verdict: A tick of approval. Jason said that it was a nice, fresh meal for a warm Spring's day and was a good contrast to the pork spare ribs which it accompanied. He was much happier after the meal.

I must admit this dish is pretty much plain old salad with pineapple in it. But it is a recipe which totally justified the use of my timber monkey wood bowls I have accumulated recently. Win. It's also good to try something different to keep things interesting around here!

And in terrific news, it seems I am not the only blogger to be dabbling in the world of the Golden Circle Tropical Recipe book. You must check out these hilarious posts by Lucy Violet Vintage and Hung up on Retro.

Go on. Pineapples are en vogue.

Pineapple Series: Sausage Tropicana and Grill'd Wintergarden

I'm resurrecting the Pineapple Series on the blog. Consider it my service to all of you stuck on quick easy meal ideas. Now that winter is fast approaching, we all need the sunshine that is contained in a tin of pineapple.

I was in a quandary about what to cook one evening. I had some sausages in the refrigerator and not much else. What could I make? Then I remembered the pineapple in the pantry and referred to the pineapple bible that is the Golden Circle Tropical Recipe book circa 1960s. Surely, it would have a recipe?

And sure enough, there was Sausage Tropicana (page 23 under Sunny dinners) screaming out to be made.

Sausage Tropicana waiting to be cooked in the oven.

Sausage Tropicana
Ingredients:
15 oz can Pineapple pieces or crushed pineapple
3 cups boiled rice, drained
1lb. cooked beef or pork sausages
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt, pepper, mustard


Method:
Place the rice in a well-buttered casserole. Arrange the browned sausages over the top. Drain the pineapple and to it add the brown sugar, vinegar and seasonings. Spoon the seasoned pineapple over the sausages. Moisten with a little of the pineapple syrup. Dot with butter. Bake in moderate oven for about 20 minutes.

Verdict: This dish is essentially rice and sausage with pineapple, so it was quite bland. The kids didn't mind it but it needed more of a flavour boost for my liking. This could have been a winner with gourmet sausages, like spicy chorizo or a herby vegetarian sausage. It was however a wholesome, filling meal that Betty Draper would have been proud to serve to Don and the kids.

And on a slightly different tangent, a lot of Brisbane bloggers around the traps get invited to some very la dee da events and launches.

We don't.

But we were invited to the launch of a burger joint in the newly-opened Wintergarden in the City - Grill'd

I was so excited! Sadly, I couldn't make it... but I did send my commissary, Jason to move it and shake it with Brisbane's 'Burgeratti' elite earlier this week. He took along Mr D the builder as his date (Mr D worked as builder on the Wintergarden site, so it was an inspired choice).

As my blog correspondents, they were entrusted to deliver me feedback (as well as return sober) and take some usable photographs. They had to work for their junket.

This was their masculine take on the evening:

"There were a lot of glamorous looking 'modelly' types with severe expressions. They needed to eat more burgers. The men were small and wore their pants too tight." (Jason's words...)

That's Mr D, the builder, cutting a rather fine figure with his Grill'd burger.

"The burgers were good. They cut them up into bite-size pieces and we could try all the different types. And they had all this nibble food. Really good olives."

'WTF is that?' I asked. "I don't know...I think it was spicy meatballs," Jason replied.

"The staff were friendly and they kept us well-supplied with food and drink at our table all night."

Jason said Mr D pointed out some of the flaws in the building finish and wasn't a fan of a large concrete post that was used as an architectural feature in the restaurant.

Anyway, the boys had a good time rubbing shoulders with the movers and shakers and have given the new joint the thumbs up. Thanks to Grill'd Wintergarden for the invitation to their launch!

Pineapple Series: Pineapple Pavlova

It's been a long time between pineapple posts. The last one was the Sweet Pineapple Omelet which just polarised people. It's taken us several months to get over the trauma of eating that sh*t...so much for the Julie and Julia aspirations I had...

Yesterday I cracked open the Golden Circle Tropical Recipe book circa 1960s after the long hiatus because we were invited to another pineapple soiree. I was asked to make a dessert. Thank the pineapple gods that be, as the savoury pineapple dishes have been very hit or miss. Usually miss.

Flicking through the yellowed pages of the pineapple tome, I spotted the perfect recipe on page 35 under the Pineapple Party Time heading - Pineapple Pavlova. Pictured was a round mess of meringue topped with sunshiney pineapple and cream. A nice simple recipe for those not looking for a challenge...

Here is the recipe:

Pineapple Pavlova
Ingredients:
15 oz Can of Golden Circle Crushed Pineapple in syrup
2 tablespoons cornflour or arrowroot
Your favourite recipe for a 3 or 4 egg Pavlova*

Method:
I made mini pavs, so I spooned tablespoons of the pav mixture onto a tray lined with baking paper. I got around 12 pavs. Bake until firm in a slow oven. Cool.

12 mini pavs baking in a slow oven. I let them cool in the oven. They had a very crispy texture.

Empty pineapple into saucepan and heat to boiling. Thicken with cornflour or arrowroot. Cool, then spoon into meringue shells. Serve with cream or ice-cream.

Boiling crushed pineapple. It smelt like Nana food, remember that smell?
 I threw in a vanilla bean so it wouldn't taste so bland.

It really is as simple as that.

We added extra fruit and passion fruit pulp because someone had made a killer fruit salad. It was delicious.

The dress code was strictly tropical.
Our hostess Y is modelling her tropical attire as she prepares the pineapple dishes.

The verdict? A winning combination. I thought the pineapple mixture would be too sweet teamed with the meringue. Indeed it was sweet as far as pavlovas go, but the addition of the cream and other fruit salad made it into something very special. A good dessert for those with a poorly stocked pantry.

Happy Easter everyone.

*My Pavlova recipe is four egg whites mixed with a pinch of salt, then mix the buggery out of it while adding 200g caster sugar gradually until it is glossy and stiff. Bake in a slow oven for approximately 2 hours. The texture is very light, crispy and fragile.

Pineapple Series - Sweet Pineapple Omelet...and 2nd year blogiversary

Two words I've never thought of as a combination is pineapple and omelet.

1960s Queensland was clearly avant garde with unusual food combinations as I am discovering in the Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book. And people think we're backwards up here?

After the dramas from yesterday's broken deck roof fiasco, Jason needed a bit of a sunshiny pick-me-up for Sunday brunch. So out came my pineapple bible and off to work I went to create the taste sensation that is the ....

Sweet Pineapple Omelet

15 oz can crushed pineapple
6 eggs
pinch of salt
2 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp butter

Drain syrup from pineapple. In a small saucepan melt 1 tsp butter, add drained pineapple, heat till bubbling hot. Melt remaining butter in omelet pan and keep hot. In separate bowl beat eggs lightly with a fork adding the water and salt. Then pour egg mixture into hot butter and cook quickly over high heat. When set, place half of the pineapple in centre and fold omelet over. Slide onto hot dish and spoon remaining pineapple over top. Serve immediately. Sufficient for 2 to 3 servings.

Sweet Pineapple Omelet

This was a very simple meal to prepare. But how did it taste?

Jason said it was okay. "I don't think I'd want to have this again though," he said through a mouthful of sweet omelet.

I'm not too sure it was his dour mood which gave him the dour outlook on his meal...But I have to say, it was disconcerting tucking into a what looked like a big greasy traditional omelet and then tasting that zingy sweet pineapple. This type of food plays with your mind.

I think a nice piece of crispy bacon could've worked well with it. Bacon makes everything taste better.

And on a completely different topic, it is Fun and VJs second birthday!! Who would've thought, two years today, where this first post would lead...actually nowhere really...just a lot of photos of Jason shirtless and lots of posts about the changes to the Sow's Ear.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the nice people (and not so nice, because let's face it, I really don't know who reads this blog) out there for taking the time to read the blog, leave comments or send me emails.

It's been fun and let's hope it will continue to be so!

Pineapple Series - Hawaiian Toast

It's becoming a sort of Sunday tradition for me to prepare Jason a wholesome pineapple meal. It's lucky he's not too discerning with his food....

Today we tried Hawaiian Toast from the Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book circa 1965.

This Hawaiian toast is as Hawaiian as a Hawaiian pizza. Not very!

Retro Hawaiian toast

Here is the recipe for those who like to experiment with their food:

15oz can sliced pineapple
5 slices bread
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 dessert spoon  vegetable extract (like Promite, but I used Vegemite)
5 thin rashers bacon

Toast the bread (I toasted lightly). Mix cream cheese with vegetable extract and spread on toast. Drain pineapple slices and place one on each piece of toast. Trim and cut rashers into halves, placing criss-cross over each pineapple slice. Place under medium hot grill to crisp bacon and brown the pineapple. Serve immediately.

The verdict? You know, it wasn't half bad. It is certainly a variation on the toast theme for breakfast. And it was quick and easy to prepare.

The cream cheese and Vegemite concoction on the toast frightened me a little, but tasted quite fine. Jason said it added a certain 'zing' to the meal. His words, not mine.

I have a feeling Mr Rooney would've approved of this meal after his lukewarm response to Trinidad Eggs a few weeks ago. The pieces of bacon really made the dish.

Tinned Pineapple Series - Trinidad Eggs

Here is another breakfast dish from the Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book circa 1965.

I made Trinidad Eggs because of its rather catchy title. Sadly, there were no food styling images accompanying this particular recipe. 

Why this dish is called Trinidad Eggs is any one's guess?

I Googled it and I only found information about wholesale eggs in Trinidad. Funny that.

Perhaps the addition of the tinned pineapple gives it a calypso feel. Jason and Mr Rooney, our Rastafarian builder, were treated to this fare on Sunday morning. Yum, yum.

Mr Rooney suggested that smoking ganja was a possible requirement to eat the meal...Jason bemoaned the fact he could never have a dreadlock holiday...West Indian Cricketer jokes were being told with wild abandon.

Trinidad Eggs

 Trinidad Eggs Recipe:
15 oz can Pineapple pieces in syrup
6 eggs
2 tbsp butter
1 chopped onion
500 g sliced tomato skinned ( I used tinned)
1/2 cup green capsicum chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Drain pineapple pieces. Melt butter in frypan, fry onion for 5 minutes. Add sliced tomatoes, green capsicum. Cook covered about 5 minutes. Add pineapple pieces, stir to blend. Break eggs into frypan, one at a time, making a nest for each with back of spoon. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley. Cover and cook until eggs are set about 5 minutes. Serve hot with buttered toast.

Jason's plate. He was tucking in and even wanted seconds.

How was it?

The verdict was mixed. Jason gave it a thumbs up and could have eaten more! Mr Rooney was less enthusiastic saying a nice piece of crispy bacon was needed to counter-balance the sweetness of the dish.

At any rate, the meal was quite substantial and sustained them until the afternoon, so it served its purpose. And on that note, I'll leave with this little ditty as you ponder whether to Trinidad Eggs or not to Trinidad Eggs....

Bris Cannery & Brismod

Shove over Julie & Julia, there's a new kid on the block. Yes, that's right, this is my year of cooking dangerously tropical with a tin of pineapple.

I'm inspired to prepare every recipe in the Golden Circle Tropical recipe book circa 1965, after our pineapple dinner party a few weeks ago. 

The recipe book is one which defines Queensland. There are about 140 recipes to master - from Rainbow Salad to Saucy Seafood Casseroles. 

My goal is to chronicle this life-changing journey in my blog...the trials, the tribulations...you get the picture.

I can see the movie and book deal now (there's always a movie and book deal with my hair brain schemes)!

With a tin of pineapple in the pantry, one never need eat pedestrian food again.

Today, I made Sunny Sausages for brunch. Never let it be said that I don't know how to treat my man. It was like a real worker's breakfast - the perfect meal to start the day of renovating ahead. 

Mr Rooney, our culinary builder, joined Jason for this uniquely Queensland feast.

Sunny Sausages
This was the food styling as suggested by the recipe book. Classic!
(Subliminal sexual innuendo runs rife in the book  and would make the most hardened home economist blush!)

 Sunny Sausages Recipe:
15 oz can sliced pineapple (in syrup)
required number of sausages
required number of eggs
tomato (I left this out because I didn't have any)
flour
parsley (for garnish)

Method:
Prick sausages, then lightly dust with flour. Place in greased pan and cook until richly browned. Place egg rings in pan and fry eggs. Place sausages and eggs on warmed serving plates. Pan fry the drained pineapple slices until golden on both sides. Serve with sausages and eggs. Garnish with tomato and parsley (I served with buttered toast instead).

Mr Rooney gives the meal the thumbs up

 The meal sustained them throughout the day using the mobile scaffold to finally install our window hoods. More on that in the next blog post.

mobile scaffold

So, I suggest to you the meal was a success.  And well done the Reds!

Retro pineapple food

Our friends Chris and Susan invited us to a pineapple dinner party a little while ago. We were asked to prepare a dish, however it had to be a recipe from a vintage Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book. (The Golden Circle Cannery is like an institution in sub-tropical Brisbane)

We were all given our own personal copy of the book prior to the dinner party.

Vintage Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book

The 'pineappley' menu for the evening was an interesting assortment of retrolicious food. And yes, every dish we consumed contained pineapple.

Pineapple dinner party menu

I had the honour of preparing the sweet potato casserole. It was layer upon layer of boiled (but I roasted instead) sweet potato and pineapple topped with fatty pork chops. It was actually kind of good in a heart attack inducing way.

As everyone said on the night, all the food was wholesome - the type of meal your elderly aunty from Queensland would make if you were invited over for tea. The key to success was to use the pineapple in syrup to get that extra sweet taste that some savoury food had back in the old days. Hmmm..syrup....as my fillings quiver in anticipation...

Pineapple in syrup

My favourite meal of the evening was the Pineapple and Lamb Curry that another guest made. She steamed some rice rather than serve it with the suggested egg noodle. I've made a chicken version of it which worked quite well too.

Pineapple and lamb curry recipe

Here is the Pineapple and Lamb Curry recipe:

Ingredients:
15oz can of Pineapple Pieces (in syrup)
2oz butter
2 medium onions sliced
1/2 red capsicum
1/2 green capsicum
1lb lamb, cubed
1 desert spoon curry powder
1 tbsp sultanas
1desert spoon rice flour/corn flour
1 tbsp chutney
1 tbsp coconut
1/2 cup syrup reserved from can
1/2 cup stock or water
salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:
Melt butter,add onions and capsicums (cut in small wedges) and half cup pineapple pieces and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. Brown meat in butter, add curry powder, sultanas, rice flour, coconut and chutney. Gradually add pineapple syrup and stock. Season to taste. Return vegetables and pineapple, cover pan and cook slowly for 1 to 2 hours, until meat is tender. Add lemon juice just before serving. Serve with fluffy boiled rice or noodles.

I warn you, this food is not gourmet...it's vintage comfort food at its tropical best.

As an aside, I had the pineapple cook book lying on the kitchen bench while Mr Rooney, our cordon bleu builder, was over having a coffee. He was taking a keen interest, flicking through the book for inspiration.

He emailed me recently to get the recipe for the savoury pineapple sauce for roast pork. Mr Rooney was having guests for dinner and he was cooking. He's a classic.

Also, if you'd like the recipe for the chocolate coconut slice from my previous post, just click here. It is a winner. Thanks again Natasha!