Pineapple "Penicillin"

A friend of mine from Peru watched as I was about to trash what I thought were scraps and she yelled; “Wait! Don’t throw out that pineapple shell.”

She told me to cut the rind and place the pieces in a pitcher, cover them with boiling water and add cinnamon sticks. About 20 minutes later – there’s a soothing drink to be enjoyed either warmed up OR at room temp OR packed with ice for a summer refresher.

I’ve now done this numerous times. Here are just a few other ingredients that I’ve found make a most pleasant beverage that has almost zero calories and costs almost zero extra:

·      A few whole cloves

·      A broken cinnamon stick

·      A small chunk or two of peeled, fresh ginger

·      Several slightly crushed cardamom pods

·      A small piece of vanilla bean (split open)

·      Fresh mint, lemon verbena or lemon thyme

·      A slice or two of fresh orange

I am sure there are others, as with any tea or tisane, enhance the liquid with whatever you fancy. Maybe even a splash or two of rum.

This beverage sure came in handy recently during a bout with Covid, when I was intent on keeping myself hydrated.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

After all of the end-of-year holidays, a lot of us need to scale back eating and spending— which makes this Chicken Vegetable Soup such a winner. I make it with a leftover chicken carcass — there’s still plenty of meat on it (I’ve also used a turkey carcass). There are also lots of healthy vegetables (you could add others such as green beans) and a boost of chick peas (I’ve also used white beans; red beans would also be fine).

Like spicy? Add a bit of harissa or hot sauce to the liquid when you add the other seasonings.

This dish is filling, nourishing, uncomplicated and easy to make. Delicious too. And cheap.

Give it a try.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

• 1 28-ounce can tomatoes plus the liquid

• chicken carcass and scraps

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1-inch thick

• 2 stalks celery, peeled, leaves included if available, and sliced 1-inch thick

• 1 medium onion, sliced

• water to cover (or use vegetable or chicken stock)

• salt and pepper

• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, marjoram or oregano

• 1 15-ounce can chick peas or white beans, drained

• 2 cups zucchini

Cut the canned tomatoes into smaller pieces; save the liquid from the can. Place the chicken carcass, carrots, celery, onion and tomatoes plus liquid in a soup pot. Add enough water to just cover the ingredients. Add salt, pepper and the chosen fresh herb and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 3-1/2 hours. Add the beans and zucchini and cook for another 20 minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings

Vegetable Pie

Everyone who knows me or reads my blog or articles knows that I can’t stand wasting food. I make it my mission to at least try to use everything wisely, including all leftovers.

These days, during a global pandemic when certain items are scarce and it’s also difficult to shop, I’m feeling even more committed.

Fortunately I have a willing and supportive husband, who loves the idea and applauds everything I make and tells me how wonderful and creative it all is.

Last week I had an overabundance of vegetables and an extra quart of half and half. I always have cheese in the fridge.

And so, I gathered up all the leftover veggies and made a vegetable pie for dinner. We had a salad with it.

It was filling and tasted wonderful and we were both happy for a day off meat.

Bonus: this recipe is extremely versatile and easy to prepare: you can use whatever vegetables you have and if you wish, a store-bought pie crust. If you prefer to make your own crust, you can find a recipe here (it makes enough dough for a two-crust pie, but you can freeze half).

Besides all that — this is a good dairy lunch or dinner during Shavuot, which begins tonight at sundown (May 28, 2020).

Vegetable Pie

•  1 tablespoon butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large shallot, chopped (or use one small onion or 2-3 scallions)

• 1 medium portobello mushroom cap, cut into bite-size pieces (2 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms)

• 1 cup chopped cooked vegetable (broccoli, string beans, carrots, etc.)

• 1 partially baked 9-inch pie crust

• 3 ounces grated meltable cheese (Swiss, cheddar, mozzarella, Jarslberg, etc.)

• 4 large eggs

• 2 cups half and half cream

• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the shallot and mushroom pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Add the cooked vegetable, mix the ingredients and place them in the pie crust. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Beat the eggs and cream together with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the ingredients in the pie crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and set.

Makes 4 servings