Festive Pineapple Boat Food

FRIED RICE PINEAPPLE BOAT

Steps:

• Halve the pineapple lengthwise, right through the crown, keeping it attached. Put both halves cut-side up in front of you. On one of the halves, use a small sharp knife to cut into and around the perimeter of the fruit about 1/4 inch in from the peel. Locate the core in the center: cut it out on an angle on either side (it will look like a long V) and discard. Cut the remaining pineapple into a grid of small squares. Use a spoon to scoop the pieces out, leaving the pineapple empty. Chop any large pieces a little smaller and set aside in a bowl. Repeat with the other pineapple half, but reserve the pieces of fruit for another use.
• Whisk together the eggs and a small pinch of salt in a small bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour the eggs into the skillet and let them run freely until they cover most of the bottom. Cook, undisturbed, until the top is set and no longer runny, 4 to 5 minutes. Roll up into a cylinder and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into thin spiral slices.
• Return the skillet to high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. Once the oil just begins to smoke, add the ham, sugar, garlic, ginger, scallion whites and 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until the ham is browned, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, pepper and remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is heated through and the pepper is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pineapple pieces, cooked egg, most of the peanuts and scallion greens, the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and salt to taste.
• Fill each pineapple half with the fried rice. Sprinkle with the remaining peanuts and scallion greens.

SUNNY'S EASY SHRIMP AND RICE PINEAPPLE BOATS

Steps:

• For the shrimp: Preheat the grill or the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare the pineapple and sauce. Slice the pineapple in half. Slice the core out of the center and discard. Cut out the flesh, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around. Finely chop two-thirds of the pineapple flesh and set aside in a bowl. Add the remaining pineapple flesh to a blender along with the BBQ sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, then blend until smooth.
• Prepare the shrimp. Add the shrimp to an aluminum foil pouch (or create a pouch with aluminum foil), then sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour the pineapple BBQ sauce over the top. Close the pouch and place over the direct heat of the grill, or on the bottom rack of the oven. Cook until a quick peek inside reveals opaque shrimp, 10 to 12 minutes.
• For the rice: In the bowl with the reserved chopped pineapple, add the rice, cilantro, scallions, zest and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
• To serve: Divide and fill both halves of the pineapple with the rice. Remove the shrimp from the pouch and top both pineapple halves equally. Pour the juices from the pouch over everything. Top with the cilantro and serve with lime wedges for spritzing.

PINEAPPLE BOATS

Steps:

• Quarter a pineapple lengthwise, leaving the green top on each piece. Slice out the core and discard. Score the flesh down to the skin. Then run a knife between skin and flesh, to liberate the pieces. What you want is the whole thing to look like it's still intact, but be easy to eat in bite-size cubes. You can splash it with rum if you like.

PINEAPPLE BOAT'S A-COMIN'

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Have ready a large baking sheet and an 8" square baking dish.
• Wash the pineapple. With a sharp knife, cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, cutting through the green tops as well. Using a curved, serrated grapefruit knife, remove the pineapple flesh, leaving a 1/2" shell.
• Chop the pineapple flesh into 1" chunks and put them into a bowl. Set the chunks and pineapple shells aside.
• Coarsely chop the broccoli crown and place it into a large bowl along with the asparagus, red bell pepper, whole peanuts, jalapeno chile, garlic and ginger.
• Heat the water and 1 teaspoons of the vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the vegetable mixture and cook, stirring over high heat for about 3 minutes. Move to a bowl.
• Add the rice to the skillet and moisten it with the rice vinegar, soy sauce, and remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add a little water if the mixture seems too dry.
• Add the pineapple chunks, vegetables, and chopped green onions and mix well. Adjust the seasoning by adding more rice vinegar and soy sauce, if needed.
• Stuff the mixture into the pineapple shells and place them on the baking sheet. Put any remaining stuffing into the 8" baking dish. Top the pineapple and stuffing mixture with the chopped peanuts.
• Cover the pineapple boats with foil, shiny side down. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Take out of the oven and cut each pineapple section in half. Enjoy!