Hey, All!
Here's a recipe to bring in the summer. I'm gonna try it; how about you?
Kathey
Courtesy of The Associate Press
By J.M. HIRSCH
As I stood at the cutting board slicing slabs of thick skin off a fresh pineapple, a
thought occurred to me — the strips of skin were an awful lot like the cedar planks
some people use to add flavor to food on the grill. Perhaps they could be used the
same way.
Cedar plank grilling is pretty basic. You soak a cedar wood plank (be certain they
are meant for cooking and have not been treated with anything) in water for a bit,
then set your food (salmon and chicken are nice) on it. Place the whole thing on the grill
and let it cook. The plank gets charred and infuses the food with an earthy, savory,
smoky flavor.
I wondered what would happen if I used pineapple skin (or what I like to think of as
pineapple bark). And I wouldn’t even need to soak it because the skin contains its own
juices.
I tried it both on the grill and in the oven and it worked great. The pineapple infused
the meat with a delicate sweetness, and kept it moist and juicy. The enzymes in the
pineapple also helped tenderize the meat (I sandwiched chicken breast cutlets
between two strips of pineapple bark and let them “marinate” for a bit).
The same technique also worked on fish. I tried it with hake with delicious results,
though any firm white fish would be appropriate. Just don’t prep the fish or
meat with the pineapple skin too far ahead of time, as the acidity of the juice will make
the flesh mushy.
To use the rest of the pineapple, I decided to accompany the chicken with grilled
pineapple and guacamole.
PINEAPPLE BARK CHICKEN WITH GRILLED PINEAPPLE GUACAMOLE
Start to finish: 2 hours 45 minutes (45
minutes active)
Servings: 3
1 large whole pineapple
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper
Ground cumin
Cayenne pepper
½ small red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced
2 avocados, pitted and chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Carefully cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple. These can be discarded. Stand
the pineapple upright. Cut the skin off the pineapple, removing it in 6 long strips. To
do this, begin cutting at the top of the fruit and slice downward, letting the knife follow
the curve of the fruit. Leave about ½ inch of flesh on each strip of skin. Rotate the fruit
and repeat. Set aside.
Place each chicken breast between sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or
rolling pin to pound to an even ½ inch thickness. Season each on both sides with
salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne. Lay each piece of chicken over the cut side of one of
the slices of pineapple skin. Set a second strip of pineapple skin, cut side down, on
top. Use kitchen twine to tie the bundles to hold them together. Refrigerate the chicken
bundles for about 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, heat one side of the grill to high, the other side to low.
Meanwhile, cut the skinned pineapple (the flesh) into thick rounds. Use a small round
cookie or biscuit cutter (or a paring knife) to cut out and discard the core from each
round.
When the grill is hot, arrange the chicken bundles on the cooler side of the grill. Cook
for 15 minutes per side, or until the chicken reaches 165 F at the center.
During the final 10 minutes, add the pineapple rings and cook for 5 minutes per
side.
While the chicken cooks, prepare the guacamole. In a small bowl combine the
red onion, jalapeno, avocados, lime juice and cilantro. Gently mix, then season with
salt and pepper.
To serve, place one chicken bundle on each plate. Set a grilled pineapple ring
next to it, then spoon some of the guacamole into the center of and over the
pineapple ring.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number):
430 calories; 190 calories from fat (44 percent of total calories); 21 g fat (3.5 g
saturated; 0 g trans fats); 70 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrate; 31 g
protein; 12 g fiber; 280 mg sodium.
