Day 5: pineapple, but not in pudding?
I don’t have fond memories of pineapple used in anything other than a cake or dessert. At school, it was often seen floating about in the radioactively-orange sweet and sour chicken that was served, much to my dismay, at least once a week and also scattered across cheap takeaway Hawaiian pizza, alongside anaemic cheese, flavourless ham and a soggy base (much thanks to the pineapple juices I should imagine).
I appreciate continuously starting on a negative can be a bore, but I just wanted to get across the gravitas of the situation here. I’m not just talking about something I’d rather not eat, I’m talking about something that has repulsed me through much of life so far. I even managed to keep it exiled from my store-cupboard at Uni, where sweet and sour sauce - from a jar - was a much-favoured, low-cost meal choice.
The important thing here though; my 365 Days of Nigella challenge is not about choosing only the recipes and ingredients I know we will like. It would be an affront to the huge array of choice on offer throughout Nigella’s books, and the time she spends on sharing her many eats and ideas with us, for me - in this challenge - to only pick what I am comfortable with. This might be playing it safe to some, but pineapple in a savoury dish is actually a huge step for me.
Nigella’s Stir-Fried Rice with Double Sprouts, Chili and Pineapple
In total contrast to my opinion only three or four years ago, any recipe I now see with brussels sprouts - I like to try. Going from the one compulsory, annual brussel that I had to eat each Christmas, to now buying probably 1 kg every few weeks throughout winter, is is a big feat. But, this ramble isn’t about brussels sprouts.
The downside to this recipe - it featured pineapple and I have to admit when I first saw it in Simply Nigella, I just wasn’t ready. Although, yes, I could have easily omitted the pineapple. But in this challenge, we don’t omit, unless we have to, and if it’s easily obtainable then I will not shy from trying something new.
Well, after Nigella’s Stir-Fried Rice with Double Sprouts, Chilli and Pineapple, we have another convert! My husband and I loved it. It’s strange to think I’ve been avoiding pineapple in savoury food for all of these years. I’m not sure I have the same ambition to have it on pizza, but I won’t turn my nose up until I try it. As for sweet and sour sauce, I’ve never liked the takeaway edition, or the jarred - so with the right recipe, I’ll sure give it a shot.
This recipe is also great inspo for leftover-style stir-frying. I didn’t have beansprouts, neither the room in the fridge the giant bags they are sold in, but I did add some leftover green beans. So it was a single sprout edition for me.
Flavour musings
Pineapple boasts a very unique flavour, one I don’t think mimicked by any other fruit, so it’s certainly worth integrating into your cooking where possible. And, I say this gladly now - that can be either sweet, or savoury. It has a delicate sweetness and an element of sharpness that pairs fantastically with the ginger and chili and coconut in this recipe. The first time I made it, just several days before this time, I didn’t have any coconut oil. I used coconut oil this time, and health benefits aside, I recommend it - as suggested in the original recipe. It’s an entirely different dish to just using olive oil, and it becomes that little bit more exotic - a welcoming factor in the cold, grey days of British winters.
