Pukka Pineapple with Bashed-Up Mint Sugar
Back home, I can pick a peeled pineapple from any corner of Naga City. When I moved to Makati City, I have switched to canned pineapples which is considered nutritonally inferior to fresh and frozen counterpart. The reason was… I didn’t know how to peel one.
Last year in Shopwise, a small DOLE stand (hey this is not an advertisement) pop up in one corner of the fruit section. I watched the attendant as he peeled and sliced, placed in a styro plate and plastic-wrapped the fresh and golden pineapple in a snap. It created a theatrical action for me. I was amazed and took home a plate of Dole’s Tropical Gold Pineapple.
The following week, the stand wasn’t there anymore. But I could’t resist it’s extra taste. If you enjoy the natural taste of pineapple, you will surely love Dole Tropical Gold’s extra rich sweetness. It’s the sweetest pineapple I have ever tasted in my entire life. So I bravely took home an unpeeled pineapple. Boo shot me a dubious look, “That’s really hard to peel.” Did he think I could not peel a pineapple?! “I know how to peel a pineapple!” I shot back. I managed to do the operation but with the juice everywhere and wasted almost 40% of the meat. That was the first time I ever peeled one.
After about 6 months of mastering this skill, I can say pineapples are not that difficult to cut. I cut mine quite differently.
- Just twist off the leaves.
- Sliced off the bottom and top about half inch
- Stand upright and cut off the skin
- Cut out any black eyes that remain
- Slice the pineapple into 4, lengthways, leaving the less tasty core
- Slice again in lengthways as thin as you can manage
- I ussually keep it in a container ,keep in the fridge until after the meal, and serve in icy cold
This week I discovered a minty-fresh dessert in Oprah’s Food and Home section. It’s blazingly simple. It’s called Pukka Pineapple with Bashed-Up Mint Sugar by Jamie Oliver. Slice the pineapple as thin as you can and lay on the serving platter. In a mortar and pestle, put a 4 tbsp of castor sugar (sugar dust) and a handful fresh mint . Start bashing until the sugar turns into green and the mint scent wafts up. Sprinkle the mint sugar on the pineapple slices. You can also drizzle a yogurt (optional). Yums!
