Pineapple Drink

There I was, cutting up a pineapple (nice and ripe!), when my housekeeper said "don't you use the shell?"

After a few moments of confusion, I finally understood that she was telling me how to make a drink from all that stuff I normally throw away! 

Piña con Arroz

Boil in a pot, for approximately 1/2 hour:

• approximately 1 liter water
• one handful uncooked rice
• one stick of cinnamon
• all the shell, core, seeds and plugs from one large pineapple (piña)

 Using tongs, fish out the cinnamon and pieces of pineapple skin and throw them away.  Put the rest in a blender and liquify - some of the core will simply never get chopped up.  Add milk if you prefer.  For a stronger cinnamon flavor, leave in the cinnamon stick when blending.  Pour through a strainer and cool the liquid.  Makes about 1 1/2 liters.
Sweeten to taste.
I added some mora juice, because I like the mixture of the two flavors.

The pineapple itself is excellent eaten as is.  Or you can chop it up and freeze it for later.  Fresh or frozen, it's good cooked in stir-fries, curries, sprinkled over salads, or used as part of a glaze for roasts (especially good with pork or chicken).  Note: if your pineapple is ripe enough, you can eat the core right along with the flesh, but this reduces what is available to put in your drink.  Either way, enjoy!