CURRY FAVOURS

Boost your immune system this winter and keep bugs at bay, says Susan Jane White, with this spicy little number

Pineapple is great. Try blitzing it with fresh ginger and a splash of coconut milk in a blender to make a virgin pina colada. It should help service your body during the winter months. Your veins will do the cha-cha.

Top of the bill is bromelain, an all-star enzyme that works by soothing dodgy digestion and inflammation — good to know as Hangover Season approaches.

There's vitamin C, to arm your frontline defences against bugs. And there's manganese, an essential trace mineral, to help keep your skin super lush. The goodness is in the pineapple’s stalky centre, so try not to bin it.

HOT PINEAPPLE, CHICKPEA AND GOJI BERRY CURRY

Serves 8.

There's a secret pressie in this recipe. Pineapple, gojies, red onions, ginger, garlic, chilli and turmeric are all members of an anti-inflammatory squad. Many are flush with flavonoids, too; these are heavyweight antioxidants that fight ageing and disease.

You can play around with the flavours here — try vindaloo, Bengali or Chinese five-spice blends. Let your taste buds vote. Green Saffron, spice specialists based in Cork, do over 30 different Indian spice mixes; for stockists, see www.greensaffron.com. No need to stick to canned chickpeas, either. I often cook adzuki beans for 20 minutes, or butter beans for 90 minutes, before adding them to the tomato base.

You will need:

2 large sweet potatoes Splash of extra-virgin olive oil 3 red onions, peeled and quartered 2 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped 2 x 400g (14oz) tins whole tomatoes 1 cup vegetable stock 1 x 400g (14oz) tin chickpeas ½ cup dried goji berries (optional) 4 slices of pineapple, skin removed and chopped 1-2 tablespoons hot curry powder 1 teaspoon fresh or dried turmeric 2 garlic cloves 1 red chilli, deseeded if necessary 1 x 8cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled Sea salt flakes Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Tumble with a little extra-virgin olive oil and roast for 30-40 minutes until they are caramelised and soft. On a separate roasting tray, toss the peeled and quartered red onions with the chopped peppers and a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. I keep a bit of raw red onion to scatter on top of the curry before serving. Roast, until semisoft, for 20 minutes in the same oven.

Meanwhile, heat up the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock in a large casserole dish. Add the drained chickpeas, the goji berries, if you’re using them, the chopped pineapple, the hot curry powder, and the fresh or dried turmeric, whichever you’re using. Let this gurgle away for 10-15 minutes, by which time the roasted onions and peppers will be ready.

Remove the tray of onions and peppers from the oven, and shake the veg into your pot of bubbling tomatoes. Turn down the heat very low and prep the last few ingredients while the sweet potato is finishing off in the oven.

In a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic, chilli and ginger with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes to make a paste. Stir the paste through the curry and warm, rather than cook, these ingredients to retain most of their medicinal qualities.

As soon as the potato is soft, add it to the curry and roar at everyone to take their places at the dinner table.