Take a recipe, any recipe, add pineapple, and presto! You’ve got a dish with sweet-tart tropical flavor that offers a hint of the exotic. From Hawaiian-style fried rice to a sunny cobbler, the following recipes show how the spiky, scaly fruit can make simple dishes taste special.

Nutritional Profile
1 cup raw pineapple chunks contains the following:

- 82 calories
- 2 g fiber
- 79 mg Vitamin C
- 180 mg potassium
- 1.5 mg manganese
- 30 mcg folate

Choose a Good One
LOOK  A ripe pineapple is vibrantly colored and gold or bright yellow near the base. Scales should be uniformly sized. Deep green leaves are a sign of freshness; avoid fruit with brown, withered leaves, dark spots, or wrinkles.
TOUCH  Gently squeeze the fruit to find one that is slightly yielding to the touch, not mushy, and feels heavy for its size.
SMELL  A ripe pineapple has an aromatic, subtly sweet smell. If it smells too sweet, there is a good chance the pineapple is past its prime and has begun to ferment.

How to Prep a Pineapple
Cut off the top of the pineapple 1/2 inch below the crown, then slice off 1/2 inch from the bottom. Stand pineapple upright, and slice off the skin, working from top to bottom all the way around the fruit, making sure to remove the tough brown eyes. Quarter the pineapple lengthwise, then cut out the light-colored core. Cut the fruit into cubes, wedges, or slices according to the recipe.

Pineapple Types
While the pineapple family comprises more than 1,000 varieties, there are three cultivars you’re most likely to find in the United States.

SMOOTH CAYENNE Golden flesh, long leaves, and a sweet-tart flavor
RED SPANISH Brownish skin and pale, fibrous flesh
GOLD BRIGHT yellow, extra-sweet flesh and higher vitamin C content

January/February 2012 p.62

Grilled Pineapple and Macadamia Nut Salsa

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Grilled pineapple and macadamia nuts give this salsa a hint of the tropics. Serve with chips or as a topping for grilled tofu cutlets. If you can’t find macadamia nuts, replace them with toasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts.

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Teriyaki Tofu & Pineapple Kebabs

Serve these glistening skewers with Pineapple Fried Rice.

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Pineapple Fried Rice

The Hawaiian answer to the stir-fry, this dish is exotic, colorful, and bursting with flavor. To fill out the dish with more veggies, add 1/2 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms along with the onions and garlic, and 1/2 cup peas just after the carrots.

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Pineapple-Ginger Elixir

Not Yet Rated

To turn this sweet-and-spicy cooler into a cocktail, add a shot of rum to the bottom of each glass and stir well. Don’t forget to break out the drink umbrellas.

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