Pineapple mincemeat

Rose Elliot

Makes about 2kg of suet free mincement

• 350g cooking dates from a block
• 150ml brandy
• 225g each of currants, sultanas and chopped stoned raisins
• 75g candied peel, chopped
• Grated rind 1 lemon
• Grated rind & juice 1 orange
• 50g blanched almonds
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 350g cooking apples, peeled & grated
• 350g pineapple canned in juice, drained & chopped

1. Put everything in a bowl and mix well.
2. Spoon in clean sterilised jars 3/4 filling the jars and pressing down the mincemeat well with a spoon to remove as much air as possible.
3. Press a piece of greaseproof paper down on top of the mincemeat before you put the lid on the jar.
4. Label and store

If you store this mincemeat in your kitchen, you may find it starts to ferment if the kitchen is warm. Don't worry if this happens; the space in the jar allows for this and when the mixture has stopped fizzing you can use the mincemeat in on of the jars to fill the other up to the top. The mincemeat will be prefectly all right and taste delicious.

Put some fizzy water in the pineapple juice & drink it, you know, as a drink.

Pineapple Jam

Rose Elliot

Makes 225g

• 225g can pineapple rings in their own juice
• 2 tsp arrowroot

1. Liquidise the pineapple with the arrowroot
2. Pour into a saucepan and heat, stirring until the mixture thickens and looks translucent.
3. Cool and bottle

Chutney

Rose Elliot

makes 2kg

• 450g cooking dates from a block
• 550ml vinegar
• 450g cooking apples, peeled & grated
• 450g onions, peeled & finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp each : cayenne pepper, allspice, ground ginger
• (Optional) 2 tbsp mustard seeds, or other such things

1. Break up the dates, remove stones & stem
2. Put dates in bowl with vinegar and leave until softened
3. Stir in everything else
4. Leave to stand for 24hrs, stirring occasionally
5. Put into clean bottles

Cabbage and Pineapple Salad

Rose Elliot

• 350g white cabbage (half a cabbage)
• 425g pineapple (a whole pineapple)
• chopped mint (optional)

1. Chop both finely
2. Mix together
3. Add mint
4. Serve

Good combination, handy if you have a pineapple and a cabbage. I had it with black eyed bean dal.