I had problems choosing the title for this recipe. Pine nut and sweet corn pilaf, spinach and pineapple pilau - they all sound good. This recipe is pure invention, although the pine nut and sweet corn combination was something I saw in China. I was feeling creative and decided to start with those two ingredients and then I had a look in the fridge to see what else we had. We had spinach and pineapple. I imagined that the combination of all four ingredients would lead to an exciting taste sensation. I liked the idea of a sweet-sour contrast and figured the spices would pull everything together.
So, that was my line of thinking and I enthusiastically set about creating my anticipated masterpiece. The result wasn't quite that, but the finished article did make a very pretty picture. Sunny shades of yellow contrasted with the rich green of the spinach. And it tasted great too. Really great. Every mouthful was bursting with contrasting favours. This is a recipe I'm proud of. If only I could sort out the name.
Set the rice cooking while you prepare all the other ingredients. Wash and shred the spinach, then heat some oil in a frying pan. Fry the pine nuts for a few seconds, throw in the spices, give it a good stir then add the spinach to the pan. Cover and cook for a few minutes until the spinach is soft then add the pineapple, corn and a little salt. Cook just enough to heat everything through and then turn off the heat.
When the rice is ready, gently stir it into the pan with the other ingredients and the pilaf is ready to serve.