Day 3: Sides & Salad

Recipe: Butter Potatoes

These are some very simple and straightforward ideas, and really need no recipe. However, I am posting a how-to recipe for the Butter Potatoes. While many might be tempted to use margarine for this recipe, don't. Use butter for excellent flavour. When a dish is simple, use the best and freshest ingredients available.

This Pumpkin Rice is gorgeously jeweled with chunks of sweet pumpkin. Start the dish by sautéing lots of onions and finely minced fresh thyme. Wash the rice and drain well (pre-soaking is optional). Gently cook the rice with the onion-thyme mixture of a minute or 2 before adding cooking liquid (vegetable or chicken stock, or water) along with pumpkin, black pepper and salt to taste. A pat or 2 of butter would be a welcome addition. Stir well, bring to a boil, for 5 minutes than cook covered for 25 - 30 minutes depending on the variety of rice you are using. Shut off heat; let sit for 10 minutes before fluffing and serving.

My mother likes a combo she puts together that she calls corn custard, this is a take on that but I call it Corn Pie/Corn Pudding because it is thicker and richer. Mix together 1 part cream style corn with 2 parts canned (drained) whole corn along with some cheese sauce (same type used to make from-scratch macaroni pie) and an egg. Top with grated cheese and bake in a 350 degrees oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the edges are browned and the pudding puffed up. Let rest for 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Tip: season the cheese sauce with finely minced garlic, thyme and hot peppers.

I eat okra all year round and that includes Christmas. Fresh sweet local corn is in season at this time too so I combine the two. Steam and cut okra. Shuck corn and remove kernels; steam cook and assemble with okra while still hot. Make a simple dressing of soy sauce and fresh lime/lemon juice and drizzle. Serve immediately.

There is no order to the things assembled here - put together whatever is on hand and serve as is or with a salad dressing of your choice. Here I have avocado, tomato, lettuce, olives and sliced red onions.

Read more...

Crispy Okra Salad

Apart from the obvious love and hate stance people take with okra/ochroe, there is a middle ground. The middle ground is where you find those people who would eat okra only if it is prepared in specific ways and in specific dishes. For example, my best friend will eat okra in Cornmeal Cou-cou but not in any other dish. This dish of Crispy Fried Okra is one of the many ways in which some in the middle would eat okra because there is none of the inherent slime/gooeyness present.

This salad is best eaten fresh for optimum crisp soon after it is made, however, when I first had it a few years ago, I had some leftover which I refrigerated. I love okra so it did not bother me that the crispness would not be there the following day. I placed the remaining salad atop slices of roast pork sandwiched between slices of artisan-style bread (think coleslaw). It was so good. On another occasion I had it with dhal and rice. Simply delicious.

Here is the recipe.

Read more...

Okra/Ochroe Fried Rice

I don't know about you but I always find that the best tasting homemade Fried Rice is the one that you make when you are desperately hungry. It's the Fried Rice you make with whatever assortment of leftovers you have on hand. We are big rice eaters in the Caribbean so there is always the main ingredient - plain cooked rice leftover in the refrigerator - perfect to toss together for Fried Rice.

Apart from being ravenous after a day of errands and wanting something quick and easy to cook, the other inspiration for this dish came from Bamboo Fire Cafe in Delray Beach, Florida run by Guyanese husband and wife team - Beverly and Donald Jacobs. I visited with friends 3 years ago and apart from the Black Pudding, Souse, Garlic Shrimp, and smokey Eggplant Choka with Garlic bread, among other goodies, Beverly served us a platter of Okra Fried Rice. It was very tasty. As I said, my recipe draws inspiration from the original dish; I made it my way - Click here for the recipe.

This dish is excellent as a side dish but also wholesome as a vegetarian dish. For protein, I added some tenderly cooked eggs which I chopped up and tossed in in the final stages of cooking the dish.

If you are squeamish about okra being in the Fried Rice and possible slime, don't be. Follow the directions in the recipe - slice the okra thinly and fry for a few minutes in very hot oil. The key is not to quickly turn the okra once it is in the pan, let it fry and crisp up before tossing. Work in batches if you are using a small frying pan.

The full recipe can be found here.

Read more...

Barbados @ 50 - Okra Slush

In most countries in the Caribbean, there is a soup called callaloo. Callaloo soup varies in terms of the main and flavouring ingredients. Callaloo is a word that is generally used to describe dasheen/eddo leaves; it is also used as an umbrella word in some parts of the region to include all leafy variety of the green vegetable known as spinach and even pak choi. B'dos not have a callaloo soup as part of their cuisine but they do have something similar that is made with okra (okra is a key ingredient in some callallo soups). Okra Slush is okra, sliced thinly and boiled with salted beef and or salted pigtails along with herbs and aromatics to become a thick silky soup that is eaten with boiled ground provisions (tubular roots). If you like okra (like I do), then you will love this dish.

Read more...

Barbados @ 50 - Privilege

"When you survey the contents of that pot, after you have taken off the lid and open-she-up, such a waft of historical and cultural goodness going to blow in your face! Such a strong reminder from the slave days, such a powerful smell of Barbadian hot-cuisine, is going to greet you that your mouth is bound to spring water and salivate, in a contemporaneous salvation of salivation." Austin Clarke, (Pigtails 'n Breadfruit).

The man referred to as the father of Independence in Barbados, the late Errol Walton Barrow, PC, QC, was a great Caribbean statesman, and from all accounts, he was an excellent cook too. He even wrote a cookbook! Privilege, it seems, was one of his signatures dishes. Privilege is simplicity at its best. It is a one-pot dish of rice, cooked with okras, salted meat (pigtails and salt beef), and seasoned with thyme, onions, garlic, scallions and hot pepper. According to the late Austin Clarke, it was Mr. Barrow that introduced him to Privilege.

Read more...

Show Me The Soup!

I know that it is very cold where many of you that read this blog live and I know that any one of these soups will warm you up good and proper. If you are in the tropics like I am, well, let's just say that the soups will lighten your eating in a fulfilling way.

This week, rather than just tell you about the soups over at About.com, I thought that I'd show it to you... entice you... Tuty, I did this post just for you. (smile)

Click on the links beneath the each photograph for the recipe.

TRIPE SOUP

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

HAM & SPLIT PEA SOUP

BEEF SOUP

Read more...

Negotiating & Bargaining

If you're anything like me, when it comes to eating certain foods, you negotiate and bargin with yourself. When I find myself in such a situation, it is quite a sight because you would swear that I have gone mad. I pace. I stop and stare at nothing in particular while the wheels in my mind roll, bounce and tumble; and yes, I talk to myself - in whispers and aloud. Let me take you through my most recent episode. And when you're done, be sure to check out my friend Mike's effort to eat healthy. Oh the lengths we go to and the things we say to justify our choices. I'd love to hear how you bargain and negotiate when you want to indulge or feel guilty having indulged.

Clockwise: skinless fried chicken, steamed corn, steamed okra, tomatoes & green plantain fries

Whenever a fruit or vegetable has just come into season, the first way I prefer to have it, is prepared simply, or, as some cases require - eaten as is. Steaming the corn may sound bland, but it isn't if you have fresh sweet corn. The kernels plump up and burst in your mouth letting out all its natural juice. It will have you knawing at the cob long after the kernels are gone.

There was a time in Guyana when a lot of imported items such as English potatoes were banned (that's a story for another time). The local fast food outlets then started making green plantain fries to go along with the fried chicken they would sell. It was a hit. Actually a friend of mine who was visiting the other day says that prefers to have his chicken with plantain fries.

Beautifully golden and very easy to make; these are best eaten while still warm. They are hearty and really compliment fried chicken or fried fish. Try it sometime.

Green Plantain Fries

INGREDIENTS

2 large green plantains
Oil to shallow fry
Salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel plantains and cut in half crossway; now cut each piece in half lengthways then cut into fries by further cutting each half lengthways into 3 each strips/wedge
2. Heat oil on medium heat
3. Fry plantain in batches until golden; drain on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with salt

Read more...

Giving in & Cornmeal Cou-Cou in 10 - Minutes!

Since White on Rice Couple posted about that very famous Vietnamese sandwich in February followed by Carolyn posting about Momofuku's pork bun/sandwich exactly one week later to the day, I just could not help myself, I gave in because all of a sudden I had some serious cravings for a pork sandwich.

All of a sudden and serious because:

1. Pork sandwiches are not common in my part of the world (though excellent pork is!)
2. You know how I feel about bread
3. It's no secret that eating bread for a meal such as lunch is not my kind of thing

While I was inspired by both posts, I did my own thing creating my own pork sandwich recipe. I went all out for this sandwich by first making my pickle the day before, marinating the pork overnight and baking my bread the following day.

Potted Pork

I used a pressure cooker to make quick cooking of my pork.

INGREDIENTS

1 + 1/2 lb pork belly cut into chunks
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons kecap manis
3 tablespoons chinkiang vinegar (black rice vinegar)
Minced hot pepper to taste
Salt (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the pork, soy sauce, kecap manis, black rice vinegar, hot pepper and salt to a bowl and toss to mix and coat meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight
2. Remove pork from fridge 30 mins before cooking
3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, when hot, add pork and spread out in a single layer. Let cook until any liquid from the meat dries out
4. When liquid has dried out, add water and stir, scrape the bottom of the pan for any bits stuck there. Cover pressure cooker and let it come up to the first whistle. After the first whistle, lower heat to medium low and let cook for 15 minutes (depending on your pressure cooker, you will not hear the whiltle during this time, just a little hissing)
5. At the end of the 15 minutes, remove pressure cooker from heat, release the value to let out steam and then open pressure cooker. Return to stove on high heat and let cook until all liquid is gone. Drain off excess oil and reserve for other use such as roasting potatoes etc

Carrot & Cabbage Pickle

INGREDIENTS

1 cup pickling liquid (recipe follows)
1 + 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 + 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
Hot peppers, de-seeded and sliced

For pickling liquid:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Add all the ingredients to a saucepot and place on medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar and salt
2. Let mixture come to a boil and boil for 1 minute
3. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using to make pickle

DIRECTIONS

1. Add carrots, cabbage and peppers to a large bowl
2. Pour pickling liquid over carrots, cabbage and peppers. Toss to coat thoroughly
3. Place pickle into a mason jar or vaccum-sealed plastic container and let sit refrigerated for 24 - 48 hours before using

The sandwich totally satisfied my craving and it was worth the effort! My neighbours were thrilled with theirs as well.

For full disclosure I have to tell you that for dinner, I sought something else, you know that there is no way I would be eating bread for lunch and dinner! (lol)

And now on to this week's column.

Cornmeal Cou-Cou is half of the dish that makes up Barbados' national dish. One of the reasons many people complain about making Cornmeal Cou-Cou is the time it takes to be cooked - 90 minutes! Well, guess what, a friend of mine who is rather adept at cooking told me how to make excellent Cornmeal Cou-Cou in 10 minutes! In the microwave! Read all about it here, where you will also find the recipe.

Read more...

Trini Callaloo & A Note

If you’re from Guyana, Callaloo refers to all varieties of spinach (bhaji) but if you’re from Trinidad and Tobago, then Callaloo is the beloved, must-have, soul food dish of the twin island republic. Callaloo for Trinis is a concoction of dasheen leaves (aka eddo leaves), okra, crab and or salt meat, along with onions, pimento peppers (a mild pepper), hot pepper, green onions and thyme all cooked low and slow in a bath of fresh coconut milk. Click here to read the rest of this column. And if you're salivating for some Callaloo at the end of the column, then click here and here for recipes.

I always advise people to adapt recipes to suit their tastes and to use whatever they have available, therefore, if you cannot find any dasheen/taro/eddo leaves, then go ahead and use whatever variety of spinach is available to you.

Assemble the Callaloo ingredients, chop, add to pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat and let it cook low and slow so all the ingredients meld together.

This is so you get a closer look at the actual leaf used to make Callaloo.

The Callaloo has been cooked and is now ready for the second stage of it's preparation.

Remove the crab, whole peppers and salt meat. Look how beautifully pink the okra seeds are.

Use a swizzle stick (read column) or a dhal gutney as I did here and swizzle, blending the ingredients.

You want it to still have some texture. If you opt to use an electrical appliance, I'd suggest a food processor as it gives you more control with the pulse button. Or use an immersion blender if you have one.

Garnish with hot pepper as shown at the top of this post, or with crab as I've done here and serve.

Callaloo can be eaten with rice, ground provisions, foo foo or dumplings. Be sure to read the column to find out more this wonderful Caribbean dish of Callaloo.

Bee's post this week at Forgive Me My Nonsense... leaves me numb :(

And now to the note. For the next three weeks I am going to be unable to blog-hop and visit your delicious blogs due to some pressing assignments. While I'll still do my regular Saturday posts and my FMMN posts, I just won't be able to visit. I know that you'll understand and look I forward to your continued support.

Read more...

Lots of Okras & Awards

Okras, lady's finger, bhindi, and gumbo are just some of the more familiar names used for this vegetable which I love very much; It is also the subject of this week's column. Okras are very important to us in the Caribbean and we use it widely in many dishes, including some national dishes.

Like bitter gourd and cilantro (and I'm sure with many other things), okra has its lovers and haters. A large part of the issue I feel is that many people do not understand how to prepare the vegetable in a way that would significantly reduce the silkiness that's too often described by that not so pleasant word - slimy :)

I hope that after reading this week's column that we can turn some haters, if not into lovers, then at least into triers (yeah, I made up the word) (LOL) Click here to go to the column.

Cut okras into rounds or lengthways as above

Place in the sun to dry

Dried okra

Fried okras also called Southern Popcorn

Here is the recipe. I adjusted the salt, using less.

Vegetable Rice-Okra

Sauteed okras with saltfish

Here is a list of my previous posts with dishes in which okras were used so that you can experiment.

Dhals
Saltfish & Okras
Mettagee
Caribbean Meal
Cou cou
Vegetable Rice
Fish Curry

Since you're fed and relaxed now, it's time for the awards ceremony. I have been honoured by a number of my fellow bloggers multiple times with various awards, which I now wear with pride and honour on my humble, little blog. I want to thank each and everyone of you for taking time out of your busy lives and hectic schedules to stop by my blog whether to comment, read or just have a look around - it is all sincerely appreciated.

I particularly want to thank my blog friends who thought me and my blog worthy of these awards. Thank you dear Pilar of La cocina de Lechuza for the Thinking Blogger Award. Thanks to Elly of Elly Says Opa! Carolyn of Mountain Meadows, and Jenn of The Left Over Queen for the Rockin Girl Blogger award. Thanks Caffeinated Cowgirl of Just This Side of Normal and Amanda of Little Foodies for the Thoughtful Blogger and Power of Scmooze award.

Just as in one of my favourite movies, Pay It Forward, I'd like to award some of my following bloggers. It is not possible for me to list all your worthy names here but I am sure that the awardees will in turn, if they choose to, award fellow bloggers. That way, the love is shared all around.

Asha, I noticed that you were already awarded but I want to say thank you for always being there...

Okay, enough talking let's get down to distributing the awards. In no particular order:

Thinking Blogger Award

Bee & Jai of Jugalbandi
Shn of Mishmash!
Carolyn of Mountain Meadows
Mathy of Virundhu
Caffienated Cowgirl of Just this side of normal

Thoughtful Blogger Award

Pelicano of Elaichi Et cetera
Anita of A Mad Tea Party
Coffee of The Spice Cafe
Nora B of Life's Smorgasbord
Melting Wok of Melting Wok

Rockin Girl Blogger Award

Sra of When my soup came alive
Manisha of Indian Food Rocks
Sunita of Sunita's World
Viji of V Cuisine
Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook
Sharmi of Neivedyam

The Power of Schmooze Award

Sia Spice Corner
Helen of Tartlette
Sig of Live to eat
Jaden of Steamy Kitchen
Pamela of Mi blog de cocina
Sylvia of La vida en Buenos Aries y afines

Don't forget that you can click here for the column.

Read more...

Fresh, Flavourful & Juicy Ginger

Fresh ginger

I am still in Guyana having a really good time. This week's column features an ingredient that is universally integral to many cuisines - ginger. From curries, to stews, to desserts and beverages, ginger often plays a flavourful role. In Guyana, one of our popular beverages, made all year-round but especially at Christmas is ginger beer. This is not the alcoholic version and our ginger beer does not require the use of yeast. It is more like a fruit drink. The Ginger Beer recipe is book-embargoed by my publisher, click here if you are interested. To read more, click here.

Ginger beer ingredients

Ginger beer

Curried Fish with notes of ginger

Ginger Ice Cream

Read more...