My Ideal Birthday “Cake” (is Meatloaf!)

A savory dish made with ground meat, my ideal birthday cake is meatloaf! This one is filled with curried carrots and covered with buttery cream potatoes. Happy Easter to all who celebrate and an early Happy April Fool's Day to all!

We all love a good prank for April Fool’s Day but I can’t remember the last time I actually pulled one. Probably when our girls still lived at home and that’s was a very long time ago – COVID days excepted. 

If you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you probably know that I’m not much of a sweet eater so when our Sunday FunDay host for this week challenged us to make a dish that looked like something else for April Fool’s Day, I knew I’d make a savory dish. 

I also wanted to make a fun recipe that we could actually enjoy for a main course. I created this meatloaf recipe to fit the bill. Doesn’t it look like cake?!!!

My Ideal Birthday Cake is Meatloaf

I used two 6-in or 15cm round “smash” cake pans to bake the meatloaf layers. A tradition that started well after my two girls had turned one, smash cakes are little cakes baked so the birthday baby can put her whole face in. I presume there’s another cake for the rest of the guests at the birthday party.

Ingredients

For the “cake” layers:

2 slices sandwich bread (brown or white)

1/4 cup or 60ml milk

1 small onion or 1/2 medium onion

1 lb or 450g ground beef

1/2 lb or 225g ground pork

2 eggs

1/4 cup or 60ml ketchup

2 teaspoons dry mustard powder (like Colman’s)

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the cream potato “frosting”:

4 medium Russet potatoes (weight peeled: about 1 lb 6 oz or 625g)

1 teaspoon fine sea salt to boil, plus extra after mashing, if needed

1/2 cup or 120ml whipping or heavy cream

1/4 cup or 57g butter

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

For the savory carrot filling: 

3 medium carrots (weight peeled: about 7 3/4 oz or 215g)

1/4 medium onion

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon salt  

For decorating:

1 teaspoon paprika

Large piping tip

Piping bag

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Cut the bread into small squares and pour the milk over it in a small bowl, pushing the pieces down into the milk. Soak until all the milk is absorbed.

Mince your onion finely. I usually use a small food processor for this to make sure there are no big bits because no one wants to bite into a big bit of onion.

In a large bowl, add your onion, ground beef, ground pork, eggs, ketchup, mustard powder and salt. Mash the soggy bread with a fork till it falls apart and then add it to the large bowl with all of the other ingredients.  Mix well.

Divide the mixture in half and press it into the smash cake pans. My whole mixture weighed 1062g so each pan holds 531g.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the meatloaf is browned nicely and cooked through to a safe internal temperature of 160°F or 71°C.

While your layers are baking, make the filling and "frosting." Peel your potatoes and cut them into chunks. Boil them until tender with the teaspoon of salt. 

Warm the cream and butter together till the butter is just melted. I do this in a microwaveable vessel, with quick zaps, watching carefully so it doesn’t boil over. 

Drain the potatoes and mash them right away. I find they mash with fewer lumps while still hot. Add in the melted butter/cream and the white pepper. 

Stir well till combined. Taste and add more salt if needed. 

Peel and cut the carrots into chunks. Finely mince the onion (or use a processor) for the filling. 

Boil the carrots until very tender then drain and mash them right away. 

Transfer the carrots to a heat -proof bowl and melt the butter in the pot you used to boil them. Sauté the curry powder and chopped onions in the butter until the onions are translucent and very soft. 

Add the carrots back into the pot with the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and mix well. Set aside.

When they are done, remove the meatloaf layers from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Run a silicone spatula around the edge to loosen. Carefully remove them to plates.

Top one meatloaf layer with the carrot filling. 

Carefully put the second meatloaf layer on top. 

Cover the “cake” with the cream potatoes. 

You should have plenty left over so don't be shy.

Add the paprika to 3/4 cup or 170g of the cream potatoes and mix well.

Fit a large tip on your piping bag and use a spatula to add the paprika potato down the insides of the bag in stripes. Spoon the rest of the cream potatoes in the middle of the piping bag. Decorate the “cake” by piping on little rosettes or stars.

I did a row around the bottom, then a row around the top. And because more is more, I piped rosettes to cover the top. You do you. 

(You will probably have potato leftover at the end unless you choose to cover the whole cake with rosettes. Eat it as is or follow these instructions to make baked Marquis potatoes with the rest. 

I must confess that by the time I finished assembling the “cake” it was closer to room temperature than hot so we sliced it up and warmed it by the slice in the microwave. Delicious! 

If you make one to trick your family, I’d love to hear about it!

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and, as mentioned above, we are sharing April Fool’s Day recipes. Many thanks to our host, Camilla from Culinary Cam. Check out all the illusion recipes below:

• April Fools Calzone Donut by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• April Fools' Day Chicken Nuggets & French Fries by Sneha's Recipe
• Big Ice Cream Taco by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Grogu's Frog Egg Dessert by Palatable Pastime
• Hot Beef Sundae by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• My Ideal Birthday "Cake" by Food Lust People Love
• Potted Plant Cremeux by Culinary Cam

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Everything Pizza Tartin

This Everything Pizza Tartin aka Upside Down Pizza is baked with the crust on top, so you can load up on "toppings" like Italian sausage, onion, artichokes, jalapeños and olives and still have a crunchy crust. 

Back when I had an oven heated by bottled gas, I struggled to get it hot enough to bake a loaded pizza crust crunchy on the bottom. Putting too many toppings – a particular problem I have – meant my crust was often soggy. Sure, I could put fewer toppings but no one wants a skimpily topped pizza, do they? 

Then suddenly a solution occurred to me. Everything Pizza Tartin is baked upside down, French apple pie style, with ALL of my favorite ingredients, so the thick crust is still extra crunchy. Just flip to serve!

 

Here it is, straight out of the oven, before flipping. 

I use this particular pan because it can go from stovetop to oven. I brown the Italian sausage, then I take it off the heat to layer on the rest of the ingredients, finally tucking the dough in on top.

But you can cook the sausage then bake your everything pizza tartin in a large pie plate or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. You do not want a pan that sticks. And don’t forget to cut some slits in your crust to let the steam escape. No soggy tops, or rather, bottoms!

I cannot tell you how pleased with myself I was when I figured this out!

Everything Pizza Tartin – Upside Down Everything Pizza 

You do have to be careful to cook it just long enough so the crust is golden brown but the bottom doesn’t burn. When it’s starting to get just a little bit dark in places, it’s absolutely perfect. I figure about 25-30 minutes, depending on how many toppings you’ve added.

Ingredients


For the 10in or 26cm round thick crust:

2 1⁄4 cups or 280g flour


1 rounded teaspoon active yeast – about 4g 

3⁄4 cup or 180ml warm water


1⁄2 teaspoon salt


1 teaspoon olive oil 

For the topping: 

2 links Italian sausage, approximate weight 4 3⁄4 oz or 135g 

Olive oil


Generous handful sliced pepperoni – say 10 or 12 slices


1 cup or 110g grated mozzarella cheese 

1⁄2 cup or 120ml pizza sauce


Other possible toppings:


Small artichoke hearts, well drained and halved


Sliced jalapeños, pickled or fresh


Finely sliced onion


Black olives


Your favorite pizza topping -­ no need to limit your toppings! 

Recommended: Fresh basil leaves for serving 

Method

To make the crust, mix 1 cup or 125g flour with the yeast and add in the warm water. Leave to prove for about 5 minutes. You should see some bubbling. 


Add the salt then the rest of the flour, a little at a time, mixing continuously until you have a soft dough. You might not use quite all of the flour. Knead for about five minutes or until the ball of dough is smooth and elastic. 


Leave to prove in a warm place, covered with cling film or a damp towel, for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Pizza dough can be prepared one day ahead. Leave to rise, covered, in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before rolling out and baking. You can also substitute store-­bought pizza dough.)

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C when the dough has about 15 minutes rising time left. 


Meanwhile, prepare your toppings. In the bottom of your ovenproof skillet, brown the sausage in small balls, adding a drizzle of olive oil. 


Remove from the heat once browned and spoon off some of the excess fat cooking the sausages might have created. 


Sprinkle in the finely sliced onion, the artichokes, jalapeños, olives and other toppings, distributing them evenly. Top these with the pepperoni slices. 


Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese. Spoon on the pizza sauce, spreading it around gently with the back of the spoon.

 


Roll or press your crust out so that it’s just a bit larger than the
diameter of your fillings in the pan. Cut three slits to allow steam to escape while it’s baking. 


Fit the crust over the fillings and tuck it in all around the sides. Use a pastry brush to brush olive oil over the top of the crust and down the tucked sides. 




Bake the pizza tartin in your preheated oven for about 25­-30 minutes or until the crust is a lovely golden color and quite crisp on the outside. When you tap it, it should sound hollow. 


Leave the pizza tartin to cool for about 5­-7 minutes then invert it carefully onto a serving plate. 


If any of the bits do stick, just scoop them off the pan and replace on the pizza tartin. 


Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and cut in wedges and serve hot. 


Enjoy!

Welcome to the fifth installment of our Alphabet Challenge for 2024. Today’s recipes are brought to you by the letter E. Many thanks to our challenge creator, Wendy of A Day in the Life on a Farm. 

Check out all the recipes brought to you by the letter E. 

• Sneha’s Recipe : Egg Roast 
• Culinary Cam: Elderflower & Roasted Strawberry Layer Cake 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Tomato and Eggs 
• Palatable Pastime: Easy Homestyle Chicken Enchiladas 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: English Muffin Bread 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Egg Pulao 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Egg Bread Hoagie Rolls 
• Blogghetti: Bacon Cheddar Egg Salad 
• Magical Ingredients: Edamame Paratha 
• Food Lust People Love: Everything Pizza Tartin
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Buttery Everything Bagel Seasoning Biscuits

Here are my posts for the alphabet challenge, thus far: 

A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs

B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly

C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw

D: Cajun Chicken Eggpland Dressing

E: today's post! Everything Pizza Tartin

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Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing

Spicy and delicious, this Cajun chicken eggplant dressing can be a side dish or dinner! Either way, if you like eggplant, you are going to love it. 

This was one of my mom’s favorite dishes and one I absolutely detested growing up. For too many years she’d make me put some on my plate, just to try it, until she suddenly said, “Hey, the more for me!” and quit forcing me. Hallelujah! 

When I finally learned to love eggplant through the Italian gateway dish/drug of eggplant parmigiana,  I started cooking Mom’s old eggplant-based favorites and, sur-PRISE, sur-PRISE, sur-PRISE, as Gomer Pyle used say, I loved them all!

Side note to my overseas/younger readers: Gomer Pyle was a character in a terribly hokey 1960s tv show I watched as reruns when I was a kid in the '70s. One of his standard lines "Sur-PRISE, sur-PRISE, sur-PRISE" - emphasis on the last syllable - was always uttered with a big wide eyes, possibly followed by another of his favorite interjections: SHAZAM! He was innocent, easily amazed and we loved him. In case you want to look it up, he was on The Andy Griffith Show.

If you love eggplant like I love eggplant, you might like to try my Cheesy Eggplant Pork Roast Rolls, my Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant or Mom’s other huge favorite, Cajun Shrimp Eggplant Casserole. All delicious but the Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant is especially lovely if you need a pretty main dish for the vegetarians in your life. 

Isn't it amazing how our taste buds and aversions to texture can change as we grow up? 

Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing

You can make this dressing with your preferred chicken parts but know that chicken with skin on and bones helps make the dish more flavorful. If you choose bigger pieces, like thighs, just make sure you cook them till they are tender. On the cooked rice, I like long-grained basmati rice but my Cajun grandmother would have used short grained, grown locally in southern Louisiana. You do you. 

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs or 1134g chicken wing parts (use the tips to make stock!) 

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

ground cayenne

1/4 cup or 60ml canola oil

1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced

1 medium bell pepper, de-seeded, stem removed, finely minced

2 stalks celery, finely minced

2 medium eggplants (about 2 lbs or 900g in weight)

3 cups or 400g cooked rice

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon cayenne (use less if you don’t like things spicy), plus more to taste 

Freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Optional: chopped parsley for garnish

Method

Season the chicken with salt, black pepper and a good sprinkle of cayenne then pan-fry in the canola oil, uncovered, in your Dutch oven until golden brown on all sides. Remove to a plate and set aside. 

Add the onion, bell pepper and celery to the pot and sauté over a low heat until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent. I find putting the lid on helps this go faster but don’t forget to stir frequently. 

Peel the eggplant in strips, leaving some peeling on for color, then cut them into cubes. You can leave all the peels on but the color of the dish will be markedly darker. My mom used to say that when her grandmother made it, the eggplant turned even the chicken kind of black. I cannot verify this as I always peel mine thusly. 

Once the onion mixture has softened, return the golden chicken pieces to the pot. (For the eagle-eyed, I just removed the pot from the stove for photos. My stovetop doesn't have great lighting.)

Pile the eggplant cubes on top and season with the salt, cayenne and a few generous grinds of black pepper. 

Add a half cup or 120ml water to the pot and put the lid to your Dutch oven on snugly. Cook over a high heat for a few minutes, until you start to see a little steam trying to escape, then turn the heat down to simmer. 

Cook for about an hour, checking periodically to see if you need to add a little water, if it looks dry. With a proper tight-fitting lid, the eggplant releases enough liquid that this shouldn’t be necessary but best to check. 

This is after about half an hour. 

This is after a full hour. You will notice that I did not stir so the chicken remains submerged. 

Take the lid off the pot and add in the cooked rice. Now you should mix well. 

Cook, covered, for about five minutes or until the rice is heated through. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t start to stick to the pot. 

Taste the dressing and add more salt, cayenne and black pepper if needed. Mine is usually good for salt but we like more pepper. Again, you do you. 

Pile the dressing in a serving bowl and garnish with a little chopped parsley for color. My grandmother would never have missed this step! Every savory dish she cooked was finished with a little parsley. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the fourth installment of our Alphabet Challenge for 2024. Today’s recipes are brought to you by the letter D. Many thanks to our challenge creator Wendy of A Day in the Life on a Farm. 

• Sneha’s Recipe: Dill With Chana Dal & Potato 
• Culinary Cam: Dark Chocolate-Juniper Panna Cotta 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Dark Chocolate Mousse 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Durum Wheat Sesame Bread 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Devil’s Food Cake Mix Cookies 
• Blogghetti: Deviled Egg Crostini 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Dangella | Tawa Handvo 
• Magical Ingredients: Dates Walnut Paratha 
• Food Lust People Love: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Italian Deviled Eggs with Heart-Shaped Tomatoes
• Palatable Pastime: Durkee’s Famous Sauce

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Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly

Tender morsels of pork simmered with ginger, garlic, chili peppers, brown sugar and soy sauce make this spicy braised ginger pork belly the most succulent meal!

This is a recipe I’ve been sitting on a long time because I never seem to have time for good looking “after” photos when it’s done. So please excuse the terrible lighting. I promise that this dish is much tastier than my photos make it look! I chose to share it now because with B for braised and B for belly, it is perfect for today's Alphabet Challenge post. (More on which after the recipe.)

I like to serve this dish with fluffy steamed rice, either long-grained basmati or brown, and stir-fried greens, like baby kalian. A good substitute, if you can’t find baby kalian, is broccolini aka tenderstem broccoli. 

Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly 

It takes a while to braise so that the pork belly is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Also, you don’t want to rush the process by using a high fire when reducing the sauce or it could burn. This dish is so worth the wait. Your patience will be amply rewarded.

Ingredients

800g or 1.75 lbs pork belly

2 red chili peppers

4 cloves garlic

2 inch or 5cm knob ginger

1/2 cup, firmly packed, or 100g dark brown sugar

1/4 cup or 60ml soy sauce

1/4 cup or 60ml Shaoxing wine or substitute dry sherry

1/4 cup or 60ml rice vinegar

To garnish: fresh cilantro leaves

Method

Trim any gristly bits off of the pork belly and discard. Cut the pork belly into small chunks. 

Peel and chop your garlic and ginger. Slice the chili peppers. 

Add the pork, ginger, garlic, peppers and brown sugar to a wide pan that has a tight-fitting lid. Add in the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and rice vinegar. Stir well. 

Now add just enough water to almost cover the pork. This amount depends on the size of your pan.

Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. 

Cover with the tight-fitting lid and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding a little water, if necessary. Remove the lid and raise the heat a little, cook till you have reduced the liquid to deliciously thick stickiness. 

At the very end, a spatula or spoon should leave a gap that the sauce doesn’t immediately run in to close again. 

Garnish with some fresh cilantro leaves when ready to serve. 

Enjoy!

As mentioned above, I'm sharing this recipe today as part of the 2024 Alphabet Challenge. Every other Wednesday we will share a recipe starting with the next consecutive letter of the alphabet. Many thanks to my friend and fellow blogger Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for including me. This is our second post so, of course, we are highlighting the letter B. If you missed A, you can find those links here in my Anchovy Deviled Egg post. 

• Palatable Pastime: Blueberry Biscuits 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Bisque of Lobster 
• Blogghetti: 20 Minute Bean and Beef Tostadas 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Bagel Chips from Leftover Bagels 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Beetroot Mezhukkupuratti 
• Food Lust People Love: Braised Brown Sugar Pork Belly 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Spicy Barbecue Seasoned Rice Chex Mix 
• Culinary Cam: Börek with a California Twist 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Beetroot Tomato Soup 
• Magical Ingredients: Beet Fennel Paratha 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Brooklyn Blackout Cake
• Sizzling Tastebuds: Barley Karamani Adai

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Roasted Salmon with Crispy Chickpea Salsa

This roasted salmon with crispy chickpea salsa has tasty flavors from the spicy chickpeas, garlic, cilantro and garlic and a lovely mix of textures.

This dish is easy and quick to make so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal, but it’s pretty enough for a dinner party. It elevates the humble chickpea into something sort of fancy, as a topping, rather than main ingredient in a main course.

If you are a fan of chickpeas, this is your lucky day! Make sure to scroll down to the bottom to check out the other chickpea recipes my Sunday FunDay group are sharing. 

Roasted Salmon with Crispy Chickpea Salsa

This dish can be made with farmed salmon as well with the caveat that the farmed fish is thicker so it will take longer to cook. Wild salmon is best when cooked till just done (or even a little bit less since it keeps cooking even after it’s taken out of the oven.) 

Ingredients

For the salmon:

1 side wild salmon (about 1.5 lbs or 680g)

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter) melted

For the chickpeas:

1 can (14.11 oz or 400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the salsa:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed then minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup or 35g pumpkin seeds

small bunch cilantro, about 1 3/4 oz or 50g, hard stems removed 

Method

In a nonstick skillet, lightly fry the chickpeas over a medium heat, along with the oil and seasonings, until golden and crunchy. 

Be patient with this step. If you try to rush and turn the flame too high, you risk burning the chickpeas. Shake the pan and stir occasionally. 

This could take 15-20 minutes but meanwhile you can get on with the rest of the recipe. 

Put the vinegar, garlic, olive oil and pumpkin seeds in a small processor along with 1/3 of the cilantro. Process until slightly chunky.  

Set aside a few sprigs of cilantro for garnish then lightly chop the rest.

To roast the salmon, preheat your broiler (UK Eng: grill) to its highest setting and line a baking sheet or sheet pan with aluminum foil. Pat your salmon fillet dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. 

Place the salmon fillet skin side down on the foil-lined sheet and season it with the fine sea salt and black pepper. Then brush it with the melted ghee. 

Pop it under the broiler and keep a close eye on it. Your salmon should be ready within 4 to 6 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. 

While the salmon is roasting, mix the ingredients in the food processor with the chickpeas and chopped cilantro. 

Garnish the whole salmon with the reserved cilantro.

Serve the crispy chickpea salsa spooned on top of each portion of salmon.

Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, it’s Sunday FunDay and we are sharing recipes with chickpeas. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. Check out the links below: 

• Sneha’s Recipe: Air Fryer Roasted Chickpeas 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Chickpea and Farro Soup
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Chole Bhature
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Greek Seasoned Roasted Chickpeas
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Pearl Couscous & Chickpea Salad with Basil
• Food Lust People Love: Roasted Salmon with Crispy Chickpea Salsa
• Palatable Pastime: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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with Crispy Chickpea Salsa!

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Cape Malay-ish Pineapple Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

Slightly sweet, savory and spicy, this pineapple chicken with pineapple salsa is easy to make and so flavorful! Serve it with coconut or plain rice.

Back at the beginning of the first pandemic lockdown, I was already addicted to finding reading material through the Libby app and my own library cards. I borrowed lots of books, of course, but I also searched for magazine with recipes.

One day I came across one called Koe’sister from South Africa. It was brand new, created from a desire to share and preserve family recipes during the pandemic. Published in a mix of English and Afrikaans, it opened a window on a world I had only touched tangentially, through South African friends. 

Funnily enough, as I read one issue, I discovered that one of my expat friends was a contributor! How tiny is this world of ours? 

I also discovered that South African cuisine is as diverse as ours in the United States and includes a subset of culture and recipes from Malays who settled in the Cape area, bringing their love of spices and curries. I was introduced to cookbook authors like Fadella Williams who wrote The Cape Malay Illustrated Cookbook, Cariema Isaacs who has authored four cookbooks - all focused on her Cape Malay heritage and recipes - as well as blogger and author Salwaa Smith and her self-published Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights.

Both The Cape Malay Illustrated Cookbook and Smith’s blog have many wonderful flavorful recipes but two in particular caught my eye because New York Times Cooking had shared something similar just before I found them. Williams calls hers “pineapple peri-peri chicken” and Smith titles her simply “pineapple chicken.” Both use canned pineapple but Smith’s was closer in flavor profile to the NYT Cooking version.

Of course, these three recipes for chicken with pineapple sent me down an internet rabbit hole, looking for more Cape Malay recipes. Hey, we were on lockdown. I had all the time in the world. 

Cape Malay-ish Pineapple Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

As you can tell from my title, I did finally get around to making some pineapple chicken and I’m here to tell you, it is SO GOOD. I took some liberties by using fresh pineapple and adding the pineapple salsa recommended by NYT Cooking, hence the -ish. 

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds or 680g boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the marinade:

3 packed tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 

3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

½ teaspoon ground cayenne

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons finely grated fresh pineapple, including accumulated juices

For the pineapple salsa: 

¼ medium red onion, finely diced

1 cup or 170g fresh pineapple

Small handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced

For serving:

Cooked white or brown rice (also nice with coconut rice)

Method

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks. 

In a large Ziploc bag, stir together the brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, minced garlic, ground cayenne and black pepper.

Transfer 1 generous tablespoon of the mixture to a medium bowl and add the chopped onion. Stir well. 

Cut the pineapple for the salsa into 1/2 in or 1 cm chunks. Add them to the onion bowl along with the cilantro and chili pepper. Toss until well-mixed and set aside.

Finely grate two tablespoons of the remaining pineapple. Add the pineapple and any juice to the marinade in the plastic bag.

Add the chicken chunks and toss to coat. Squeeze all the air you can out of the bag and seal. Set it aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes (and no longer, otherwise the chicken turns mushy.)

Once the chicken is done marinating, pour the chicken into a sieve or strainer over a bowl to collect the leftover marinade. 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Cook the chicken pieces in batches so they don’t touch and are in a single layer. 

Cook until the bottoms are browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn them and continue cooking, until browned on all sides, a few minutes more. 

Remove to a plate and repeat with the next batches of chicken pieces (adding a little more olive oil to the pan if necessary) until all are browned and almost cooked through. 

Once the chicken is all on the plate, pour the leftover marinade into the pan and whisk while it cooks. Make sure to heat it to bubbling for several minutes to make sure it’s cooked through.

Tip the chicken pieces and any juice that has accumulated on the plate back into the pan.

Stir well to coat the chicken in the cooked marinade and heat until the chicken is piping hot and ready to serve. Serve with rice and the spicy pineapple salsa.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes from African cuisines and cultures. Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastimes. Check out the links below:

• Cape Malay-ish Pineapple Chicken with Pineapple Salsa from Food Lust People Love
• Chicken and Jollof Rice (Nigerian) from Palatable Pastime
• East African Chapati from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Githeri from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Red Harissa Chicken from Sneha's Recipe
• Rgaif (Moroccan Flat Bread) from Karen's Kitchen Stories

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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