4 minute read
Step By Step
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY RENÉE KOHLMAN
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With gorgeous stone
fruits and summer-fresh berries flooding the farmer’s markets and grocery store shelves, it’s easy to overlook the wonders of fresh pineapple when it comes to summertime cooking. This fruit tastes of sweet, juicy sunshine, but the prickly fortress it is encased in can be somewhat of a deterrent.
And then there is the guessing game of “is it ripe or not ripe?” There are a few things to look for when purchasing the perfect pineapple. The crown should be bright green. If the leaves are brown and ragged, give it a pass. The rind should be firm, but yield to slight pressure. If the fruit feels hard as a rock, you likely don’t want to eat it.
And lastly, the base of the fruit should smell fragrant, like pineapple.
No smell? No purchase. Pineapple doesn’t ripen any further after it’s picked, so look for the best one you can find. Once you get the pineapple home, wash it thoroughly before peeling.
There are a few tricks here too (look for them in the recipe below), but if you have a sharp knife, it’s very simple.
Once you’ve liberated the tropical fruit from its rind, there are so many tasty ways to eat it. I’m definitely on
Team Pineapple Pizza, especially if thin slices of jalapeño and crumbled chorizo are involved. And, I’ve never met a pineapple upside-down cake I haven’t liked. But the best way to eat pineapple in the summer, in my humble opinion, is when it’s charred on the grill then tossed into fresh and herbaceous salsa.
Sweet and tangy, this salsa is the perfect companion to grilled pork tenderloin, which has a hint of chili powder and honey. Once you make the salsa, I’m sure you’ll find other ways to serve it, but grilled chicken and fish tacos come to mind immediately.
Serves 4-6 Marinade: Serves 4
Juice of 1 orange Juice of 1½ limes 2 Tbs (30 mL) canola or olive oil 1½ Tbs (20 mL) tomato paste 1½ Tbs chili powder (mild or hot) 2 tsp (10 mL) honey 2 tsp (10 mL) jalapeño hot sauce (or your favourite hot sauce) ½ tsp garlic powder ¼ tsp red pepper flakes 2 pork tenderloins approx 750 g total
Salsa: Serves 4
1 small golden pineapple 1 Tbs (15 mL) canola oil ½ cup diced red bell pepper ¼ cup finely diced red onion ¼ cup chopped cilantro ¼ cup chopped mint 1 tsp (5 mL) jalapeño hot sauce ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper
1. Prepare the marinade: Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl. 2. Trim the pork tenderloins of any silverskin (thin shiny membrane) and excess fat. Place them in a non-reactive dish (glass or ceramic) and pour the marinade over, turning to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Marinate the meat for a minimum of 4 hours for best results. Remove the meat from the fridge about one hour before you want to grill. 3. Light the barbecue and turn the dials to medium. 4. About 30 minutes before you want to eat, prepare the salsa: using a sharp chef’s knife, cut about 2.5 cm off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple on its bottom and slice from top to bottom, following the contours of the pineapple. You’ll be cutting away the peel in wide strips, but most likely the pineapple “eyes” will remain. Go back in and trim those off too, being careful not to remove too much flesh. To remove the core, slice the pineapple in half from top to bottom, then slice again lengthwise into quarters. Trim the core from each quarter of pineapple. 5. Place the pineapple quarters in a shallow dish. Rub with canola oil so evenly coated. Place the pineapple on the barbecue and grill for about 10 minutes, flipping the pieces over to ensure even cooking. You want some of those lovely charred bits on each piece. When the pineapple is nicely grilled, remove and let cool to room temperature. 6. Meanwhile, add the diced red pepper, red onion, herbs, and hot sauce to a medium bowl. Cut the cooled pineapple into small chunks and toss with the salsa ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Let the salsa stand while you grill the pork. 7. Place the marinated pork tenderloin on the barbecue and grill. Season generously with salt. Grill the meat, flipping once, for about 10-14 minutes, until a thermometer reads 145º F. The meat should still be a little pink inside. Remove the meat from the grill, place on a clean plate and tent with aluminum foil. Let the pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Top with the charred pineapple salsa.
Renée Kohlman is a busy food writer and recipe developer living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her debut cookbook All the Sweet Things was published last year.
FROSÉ
· 250ml Mateus Rosé Original · 50ml wild berry fruit juice · 50ml vodka · 30g sugar · 3 strawberries · Ice, ice, and more ice Place all ingredients in a blender and mix. Garnish with lime zest.
