Pineapple Upside-down Cake

This one comes from the June 2009 Super Food Ideas. It was easy and fun to make. On top of all that it was delicious. Best served warm (a little heavy when allowed to cool) and with ice cream. I didn't have any trouble with over browning at all.


PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
440g can pineapple slices, drained: (I think I'll use pieces next time)
125g butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups self raising flour, sifted
½ cup plain flour, sifted
½ cup milk
CARAMEL TOPPING
75g butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 6cm-deep, 22cm round cake pan.
2. MAKE TOPPING- whisk butter and sugar together in a bowl until combined. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Pat pineapple dry. Arrange over caramel, pressing down gently.
4. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add flours and milk. Stir to combine. Spoon mixture over pineapple. Smooth top.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (cover with foil if over browning during cooking). Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto wire rack. Serve.

PER SERVE: 1264kj; 15.2g fat; 9.6g sat fat; 242mg sodium; 3.8g protein; 119g carbs; 1.2g fibre; 75mg cholesterol
SFI, JUNE 2009

Sausage, Bean & Fennel Hotpot

Last week in our 'New Food Adventure' we decided to experiment with fennel. As an initial test, as with so many other foods, we roasted it. This method has proven successful many times in discovering new foods to love, but it has also proven that foods taste differently depending on how they are prepared. Take parsnip, for example. Roasted it gets a whopping 5/5 from The Child, while prepared as a soup it takes a nose dive down to a 3/5.
Fennel, roasted, was given a big thumbs down. She gave it a dismal rating of 1/5, a rating that few foods get. That hasn't stopped me from trying it again in a new incarnation.
This recipe has been adapted from Good Taste.

So what was The Child's rating for this one? 3/5- but if the beans were taken out it would jump to 4/5! (5/5 is reserved for absolute favourites... you know, chocolate, ice cream, gratin... so 4/5 is excellent). This doesn't surprise me, she's never really liked beans.


SAUSAGE, BEAN & FENNEL HOTPOT
2tbs olive oil
3 sausages (or 1 chorizo), thickly sliced (faux sausages)
1 red onion, sliced
1 baby fennel, sliced
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock (vegetarian, obviously)
1tbs rosemary
420g can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed

1. Heat oil over moderate heat. Cook onion and fennel for 5 minutes or until golden (if using chorizo cook it before the veg; however because the sausages I am using are pre-cooked I put them in...)
2. Add sausages. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add tomato, stock and rosemary. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. Uncover and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Add beans and cook for 2-3 minutes or until beans are warmed through and sauce has reduced a little.
5. Serve with crusty bread.