Love pineapple? Use the scraps to make a refreshingly sweet pineapple brew, or tepache. Like many fermented foods, tepache essentially makes itself, says Sunnyvale’s Anne-Marie Bonneau, author of the new cookbook, “The Zero-Waste Chef: Plant-Forward Recipes and Tips for a Sustainable Kitchen and Planet” (Penguin Random House; $25). Bonneau’s recipe calls for organic pineapples, as peels contain pesticide residue. Serve chilled.
Sparkling Tepache
Makes about 8 cups
INGREDIENTS
1 large organic pineapple
1 cup sugar, preferably less refined, such as brown sugar, rapadura, or jaggery
8 cups water
DIRECTIONS
Peel the pineapple, retaining 1 large piece to submerge the smaller pieces in the jar. (Save the pineapple flesh for another use.)
Place the sugar and water in a wide-mouth 1-gallon glass jar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add the pineapple peels, putting the smaller pieces in first and topping with the large peel. Position a small jar on top of this large pineapple peel; the jar will push down the contents and the liquid will rise, submerging the peels and impeding mold from forming on them. To prevent impurities from finding their way into the jar, cover it with a breathable, tightly woven cloth secured tightly to the mouth of the jar. Set the jar aside at room temperature.
Stir and taste daily. The tepache will begin to bubble vigorously between 1 and 5 days. When you like the flavor, strain the tepache into clean bottles and store in the refrigerator before drinking. Save the peels for a second batch (see Note). The tepache will keep for months in the refrigerator, however, it tastes best soon after it’s ready to drink. If you leave the bottles in the refrigerator, burp them every 2 weeks.
— From “The Zero-Waste Chef” (Penguin Random House; $25) by Anne-Marie Bonneau
