Hot Dish


In Season: Pineapples

Chef Kristina San Filippo of Purple Spoon Culinary shares a recipe starring the local crop.

BY September 21, 2016

As their spiky silhouette stands for a laid-back tropical life, pineapples themselves are easy-breezy when it comes to growing. (If you've never tried it, plant a crown in a potter, wait two years and voilà.) Our Southwest Florida farmers are able to raise fields of them, and they're being plucked right now. Chef Kristina San Filippo of Purple Spoon Culinary, a Bonita Springs center featuring cooking classes and more that opened in September, shares a favorite recipe incorporating the golden fruit.

 

Chilled Pineapple Soup with Spiced Shrimp

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Soup:

1 pineapple, skin and core removed, cut into 1-inch dice


1 cup diced sweet onion

1 cup peeled, diced cucumber


2 cups vegetable stock, chilled


2 tsp. kosher salt



Spiced shrimp:

1 Tbsp. ground coriander


1 Tbsp. ground cumin


1 Tbsp. chili powder


1 tsp. cayenne pepper


1 tsp. kosher salt


1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined, cut into 1/2-inch pieces


Olive oil 



Basil oil and fresh basil, for garnish (optional)

1. To make soup: Place pineapple, onion and cucumber in the freezer for at least 1 hour or until icy. Puree frozen ingredients in a blender with 1 cup of the chilled vegetable stock and salt. Strain soup through a medium mesh strainer, pressing as much liquid as possible from the solids; discard solids. If soup is too thick, add more chilled vegetable stock. Keep soup chilled until ready to serve. 


2. To make shrimp: Mix coriander, cumin, chili, cayenne and salt together. Toss shrimp with enough spice mixture to coat well (all of spice mixture may not be needed; reserve for another use). Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat, pour in 1 to 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, sauté spice-coated shrimp until just cooked through, about 1 minute.

3. Portion pineapple soup into 6 to 8 small bowls or martini glasses; top soup with hot shrimp. If using, drizzle basil oil and garnish with fresh basil.

 

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