Day 5: Alternative Breakfast

Recipe: Breakfast Casserole

While this is the time for the traditional stuff, it is good idea to mix things up. This casserole can be served for a late breakfast or brunch.

Those returning home from the cold for the holidays would welcome a plate of salt fish; add a couple of sunny-side up eggs with creamy yolks to mix in with the fish. Serve with homemade bread.

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Ditch The Mayo For This Egg Salad

Creamy with a hint of inherent sweetness, avocados make an excellent substitute for mayonnaise for certain salads. Coleslaw, tuna, potato, and egg salads are among my favorites to use this fruit as a cream-based dressing. Sometimes I add it 2 ways - as a dressing and as one of the main ingredients by cutting the avocados into chunks or slices.

This salad is certainly a different kind of green eggs.

Click here for the recipe.

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Cheddar-Scallion Biscuits

Best on the same day they are made, these soft, savoury, cheesy biscuits with herby scallions are excellent with pats of butter melting into the leafy layers. Yum!

Want to make them? Get the recipe here. Enjoy!

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Caramelized Onion Flatbread

Many moons ago I came to realize that I have certain food phases; periods of time when I make variations of a particular dish. The phases come and go, sometimes quarterly and annually. I made this Caramelized Onion Flatbread when I was going through one of my flatbread phases a few years ago. I went through another intense flatbread phase last year and will post those other flatbreads in due time.

Caramelized onions - onions sliced and cooked until they soften releasing their natural sugars, browning - are slow food and a labour of love. I do not like to add sugar to my onions to sweeten them or hurry along the process. If you're going to make caramelized onions, give yourself at least an hour. You do not have to stand and watch over the pan, just check on it at varying intervals.

The collage below shows the varying stages of cooking that demonstrate that patience and time is required.

You can find the recipe to make the onions and flatbread here. The recipe calls for yellow/brown onions but use whatever you can find. Some onions are sweeter than others, hence the recommendation for the yellow/brown onions.

Flatbread prepped for baking

I like the contrast of sweet and salt for this flatbread so I added cubes of aged sharp cheddar cheese and thin slices of mild hot peppers. A few thyme leaves would work well too.

Now when I say it is a flatbread, I really mean it :) Look at that slice.

Don't forget the recipe is here if you would like to try making this flatbread.

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We Call It Fried Eggs

One of the main things I set out to do as a food enthusiast is to put our own food in front of us; it matters not which part of the region you are from. My goal is simple - appreciation. It is my hope that through the appreciation of our bounty, variety, and freshness, that we will strive to cook at home more often, buy what we produce, pass along cooking techniques that can only be learnt by doing, and share know-how that cannot be found in a cookbook.

Sometimes the familiarity of our food can make us think that it is simple, ordinary, and unflattering. Way too often, it takes outside sources to make us realize that what we have is special and that it is food/dishes to be celebrated and uplifted. A few years ago I watched as a very famous TV chef rubbed her hands in glee in anticipation of a guest coming on her show to make Mexican-style scrambled eggs. Her enthusiasm was infectious so I stayed glued to the show; I'm always looking for new and different ways to cook familiar ingredients. When I saw the dish being made - onions, tomatoes, minced hot peppers being sautéed with beaten eggs mixed in - I laughed, not in mockery, but with the pleasure that I already knew how to cook eggs like this :)) I grew up on this stuff!

What I took away from the show is that what is ordinary for someone is extraordinary for another, and, that we must constantly showcase and celebrate all of our food. Over the years, my preference for the ways in which I like my eggs has meant that I have not had this style of fried eggs in years. I made it the other day, and having not eaten eggs this way in such a long time, it brought back warm memories of growing up in Guyana. The eggs were absolutely delicious. I don't know why it has taken me so long to get back this childhood favourite.

Here is how I made it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• Finely minced hot pepper, to taste
• Salt to taste
• 2 scallions, white & green parts, sliced wafer thin
• 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Add oil to pan and place over medium heat until the oil is hot. Toss in tomatoes and hot pepper along with salt to taste, stir to mix then reduce heat to low and cook until the tomatoes are soft.
2. Mix scallions with eggs and then add to pan with tomatoes; raise the heat just a little and cook, gently scrambling the eggs with the tomato mixture. Cook until the eggs are cooked through with big tender pieces of egg.

NOTE

• Use white/yellow onions in place of scallions and parsley or finely minced Chinese celery (aka known as Guyanese celery), leaves only for the herb flavour.

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Breakfast Avocado Bruschetta

With advancements made in growing and planting food, in many countries, certain fruits and vegetables can be found all year round. While it is a plus for some, it seems to fly in the face of seasonal food. What do you think?

Here in the Caribbean, even though we have a year-round tropical environment in which certain produce thrive, they are not necessarily available all the time. At various times of the year it gets too humid, too wet or too dry. Butterflies, and other insects that are prevalent at varying times throughout the year affect the planting and harvesting of certain foods. The soil itself needs time to recover from each planting as well as the plants and trees from harvesting. It is the same with seafood, at different times of the year you get only certain types of fish. In very many ways, we continue to eat seasonally.

Avocados/pears/zaboka are currently in season. Open-air markets, supermarkets, and small roadside stalls are all stocked with the pear-shaped to round, green to purple fruit in varying sizes. We like to eat it simply - halved with a sprinkling of salt or just as is. Another way is to serve it sliced along with breakfast or lunch. I especially like it on toast - mashed or sliced.

Made in the style of a bruschetta, I toasted artisan-style homemade bread then rubbed the crust with cut garlic, layered the sliced avocado and dressed it with the limey-brine of Lime Pepper Sauce, along with freshly ground black pepper. The softened pepper from the pepper sauce was mashed lightly with the back of a spoon and carelessly smudged over the avocado.

On another occasion, I mashed the avocado and added thinly sliced green onions/scallions along with some of the Lime Pepper Sauce and generously smeared it over toast.

How do you like to eat your avocados/pears/zaboka?

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Tomato-ee Eggs

If you've been reading me for a while you will know that I do not like to make my own breakfast. You will also know that breakfast, for me, can never be the same thing day after day. In other words, I'm not the type of person that can have cereal everyday for breakfast, or oats, eggs, or even the same fruit every morning. If I had Harry Potter's wand, I'd summon something different every day and breakfast would easily become my favourite meal of the day. Alas, I'm only a muggle.

With college closed, and having some time to dilly-dally in the mornings, I set about making myself breakfast. I felt like eating eggs but I wanted it to be saucy so that I could drag my bread through and  mop up my plate, hence this tomato-re eggs.

There's no particular recipe, you just need to get some tomatoes, a couple of eggs, salt and pepper and a sprinkling of green onions or chives which pair well with eggs and tomatoes.

Start by chopping up the tomatoes finely. Heat some oil in a pan, add the tomatoes along with salt and pepper to taste and cook the tomatoes until they are soft, and can be mashed easily with the back of a spoon. Lower the heat after you add the tomatoes so that they can cook gently. Once the tomatoes are mashed and become a pulpy sauce, break a couple of eggs and add them to the pan and cook to your preference. No need to add any more salt and pepper as there should be enough seasoning in the tomatoes. Garnish with chives or thinly sliced green onions and eat!

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Coconut Scones WITH Coconut Oil

Lately I have been testing various recipes using coconut oil made by a small Guyanese farmer here in Barbados and the results have been truly delicious. The textures and flavours of the baked goods have been outstanding. So far I've used the coconut oil to make pastries - sweet and savoury and one of my all-time favourite things, scones.

I start by pouring the freshly made, freshly bought coconut oil into a container and refrigerating it overnight. In no time, it is rock solid, harder than very cold butter. It is from this stage that I chop off (too hard to cut) what I need, weigh, and then go to work. I simply replace the hardened/solid coconut oil in place of butter, ounce for ounce.

These Coconut Scones are not only made with coconut oil but also freshly grated coconut. It has the right amount of sweetness and the cinnamon sugar coating creates a delicate crust. Just look at it.

Click on this link to get the recipe and please follow the instructions carefully by first reading the NOTES in the recipe. If you have any questions, leave a comment below or inbox me directly.

If you do try this recipe, please let me know what you think.

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Shrimp Cakes & A versatile mixture

These shrimp cakes celebrate the wonderfulness of the baby shrimp so prevalent in Guyana, which we simply call, "white belly shrimp". It is so called because the body of the shrimp is plump and white with the head and tail, a kiss of pink.

These shrimp cakes, however, can be made with any variety of small shrimp. Sure you can use the larger shrimp (prawns) but the texture will not be the same and the cooking time will vary.

The mixture for these cakes is versatile and it can be made into patties and fried as is shown here, rolled into small balls for appetizers or a little larger to be steamed and added to soups. It can be stuffed into vegetables like okra, sweet peppers and be steamed for sautéed; enclosed in wanton wrappers... really, there is a lot you can do with the mixture.

The recipe is simple and very flexible so I am not giving precise measurements but you if are looking for an exact recipe, let me know and I'll send you a copy of October's newsletter. If you would like to subscribe to monthly editions of the newsletter - TASTESMONTHLY, then simply type the word SUBSCRIPTION in the subject line.

SHRIMP MIXTURE

ingredients

• Rinse, drain well and pat dry shrimp
• Make a paste of ginger, garlic and hot peppers
• Thinly slice green onions (white and green parts)
• Use 1 egg to 1 pound of shrimp
• Use 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs to 1 pound of shrimp
• Salt to taste

directions

• Pulse together the shrimp and ginger-garlic-pepper paste to a coarse texture
• Transfer mixture to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well to incorporate
• Let rest for 10 minutes before using

note

• The mixture will be a little pasty; lightly oil your hands when working with it

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Fuss-free Egg Salad

Hey, I know it's been a while since I've posted but I am still around. Just like you, I'm trying to balance life and work and to make times for the things that I do enjoy, like sharing with you.

The most "difficult" part about  making this egg salad is boiling the eggs just right. You want it hard boiled but not overcooked so much that the yolks become rubbery and dry. You want to cook the eggs and cool them down immediately so that that grey sulphur ring does not develop around the yolks.

Everyone has their way of boiling eggs but here's what I do and it that works for me, every time.

• I always bring the eggs up to room temperature - this enables even cooking
• Add the eggs to a large enough sauce pot so that when they boil, they don't bump into each other  and crack, there is room for each egg to move around freely.
• Cover the eggs with tap water, cover the pot and bring to a boil, once the pot comes to a boil, cook for 6 minutes exactly and then transfer the eggs to an ice bath - lots of ice and just enough water to make it very cold. Remember that the ice is going to melt some when the hot eggs are plunged into it.
• Let the eggs rest in the iced water for about 7 minutes before attempting to peel them.

Now when it comes to egg salad, I am looking for creamy, not runny, so I add just enough mayonnaise and mustard to give me that texture.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

• 4 eggs, room temperature, boiled, cooled and chopped in large pieces
• 2 - 3 teaspoons real mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt (or to suit your taste)
• A few grinds of fresh black pepper
• Optional: a small squirt of lime or lemon juice
• 1 scallion/green onion sliced thinly, white and green parts

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all the ingredients except the green onions/scallion to a bowl - mash and mix. Do not over mash, you want the eggs to have some texture.
2. Fold in the green onions.
3. Serve immediately or chill in an airtight container until ready to serve (best consumed with 2 days).

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Egg & Chips

One afternoon I went over to visit some family friends. Before I go on, I should tell you that they are retired. Like so many Caribbean folks, back in the 50s - 70s, especially nurses, Adele & Ivan had set sail on one of those many ships to go and work in the medical field in England, (in-GEER-land) as some would say (smile). Anyway, on that fine afternoon, I dropped in to say hello. As ever, whenever you visit the home of Caribbean folks, especially if they are of a particular generation, the first thing they do is to insist that you be fed. You must have something to eat or drink. It could be a whole meal, a snack, anything. It was no different on the afternoon I stopped by.

They were just about to sit down for a bite and a spot of tea. I saw Adele's plate of Egg & Chips and immediately felt hungry. I was more intrigued by the combination. Know this, I love chips but I had never thought to have them with eggs. What a great idea! That afternoon, I did not have to be asked twice if I needed something to eat nor did I need persuading to have just a little bite. I was hungry to try this combo!

As I finished the last chip and after taking a sip of tea, I asked Adele & Ivan how they came about this combination of having chips with eggs. I was quickly corrected, egg and chips. You see, there is a particular order of saying name of the dish. They went on to explain that "egg and chips" is a very popular low-cost meal that's eaten at tea time in England. The term working-class came up but given that that term is relative depending on which part of the world you are, they preferred that I explained it as such: low-cost, a budget meal. You can read more about it here.

Whether it's low-class, working class, low cost or a budget meal, let me tell you, a plate of egg and chips hits the spot - breakfast, lunch or dinner and anything in between. To feel less guilty about the chips, I baked them rather than fry them. I can't remember the last day I fried chips, I always make it in the oven. Oh but the fried chips are really good aren't they? They're definitely something special.

Making oven fries are easy and dressing them up with herbs or spices really takes the chip into a different realm.

GARLIC CILANTRO FRIES

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs potatoes - Idaho or Yukon Gold which ever you prefer, scrubbed and cut into french fries, wedges or thick-cut chips
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 heaped teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro (coriander)

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Insert a wire rack into an 18 x 13 sheet pan and set aside.
3. When the water comes to a boil, salt the water.
4. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Time starts when the water comes back to a boil.
5. Drain potatoes well and blot off excess water with paper towels. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl.
6. Drizzle oil all over potatoes, sprinkle black pepper and granulated garlic, toss gently to mix and coat.
7. Spread potatoes out in a single layer on wire rack and place in oven.
8. Roast for 30 minutes or until potatoes are deep golden with some gently browned edges.
9. Remove the pan from the oven. Carefully and quickly remove the rack and transfer the chips to a large bowl, sprinkle the cilantro all over the chips and toss to coat.
10. Serve with fried eggs.

NOTES

• Roasting the potatoes on the wire rack helps the heat to circulate evenly all around the potatoes and prevents you from having to tossing the potatoes half way through the cooking process. However, if you do not have a wire rack (aka cooling rack), add the potatoes directly to the sheet pan and toss the potatoes half way through the cooking process.
• You can use parsley instead of cilantro if you like.
• Fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, marjoram and oregano can be minced and be added to the potatoes at stage # 6 to give you flavoured chips. Or you can add cumin (ground and or ground), garam masala or your favourite dried spice mix.
• The potatoes should be adequately salted from being cooked in the salted water so there should be no need to add more.

Enjoy!

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Guyanese Cheese Pies

The cheese pies we make in Guyana is a riff of the Portuguese Egg Tart, pastel de nata. And, in essence, it is like a mini quiche, drawing influence from the British proclivity for custards baked in pastry. I suspect that what we did in Guyana, as is done throughout the world with food that has travelled, is that we adapted the tart and married it with our penchant for English pies and came up with a Guyanese cheese pie.

The pie is simple, it is a mini pie with short crust pastry filled with an egg and cheese custard and baked. That's it. Use only the finest quality ingredients, especially because they are so few in this recipe.

You can find cheese pies at many snackettes and other eateries in Guyana that sell pastries.

GUYANESE CHEESE PIES

Yield: 13 - 15

INGREDIENTS

For Pastry:

2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon table salt

2 oz cold vegetable shortening, cubed

6 oz cold unsalted butter, cubed

3 - 4 tablespoons iced water

For Filling:

2 cups grated (sharp) cheddar cheese (get the best you can)

3 eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

For Pastry:

1. Add flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
2. Add shortening and butter to flour and pulse until the mixture is coarse with pebbles of butter and shortening. Alternately, cut in the butter and shortening to the flour using a pastry blender or two dining knives or use your hands.
3. Add water and pulse until the dough starts to come together. Do not over mix.
4. Transfer the mixture to a floured surface and bring the dough together in one mass. Pat into a round disk and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before use.
5. When you are ready to make the pie, remove the dough from the refrigerator and rest for 5 minutes before starting to work with it. This time will vary depending on the temperature in your kitchen.

For Filling:

1. Add eggs, milk, salt and pepper to a measuring cup (for easy pouring) and whisk together.

For Assembling:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Lightly brush muffin pans with oil and set aside.
3. Flour work surface and roll dough into 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 4-inch cookie cutter or anything with a round 4-inch diameter and cut into as many circles as you can.
4. Arrange each piece of cut pastry into muffin pan. Gather the scraps of the pastry and roll and cut again until the pans are filled. Refrigerate the pans for 10 minutes or until you are ready to add the filling.
5. Remove the chilled pans and fill each muffin cup with cheese.
6. Whisk the egg mixture as it might have settled and then pour in a little of the custard into each muffin cup, just shy of the top of the pastry.
7. Bake pies for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden. Cool pans on wire racks for 5 - 6 minutes then remove pies from pans and continue to cool on wire racks.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature - as is or with a salad.

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Blueberry Scones & Thank You

It's been ages since I've posted some food on this blog! But before I get to the recipe for these amazing blueberry scones, I wanted to take the time to say thank you to all of you - for sending words of encouragement, support and congratulations for the two events in the USA at which my book was featured. The trips have been a success and it's nice to settle down just a bit and get back to doing some routine things. When I've downloaded and edited the images, I'll be sure to share them with you.

I'm in the US on vacation and am absolutely loving all the fresh blueberries! I snack on them as is, toss them into my cereal and yogurt. I've made blueberry clafoutis, blueberry jam, blueberry compote, blueberry smoothies and these wonderful blueberry scones. Tomorrow, it's time for some blueberry pancakes! Yum!

The benefits of eating blueberries are numerous so I'm enjoying the guilt-free eating, well, when I'm eating them by themselves :)

Grab a cartoon of blueberries and makes these tomorrow.

Blueberry Scones

Yield: 12

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons white granulated sugar
• 4 oz cold unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream (full fat)
• 2 eggs
• Zest of 1 lemon or lime
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Demerara sugar for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar to a large bowl and mix well.
4. Cut butter into small pieces and cut/rub into flour until the mixture resembles a coarse texture.
5. Toss blueberries into flour-butter mixture.
6. Add milk, sour cream, 1 egg, lemon zest and vanilla into another bowl and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to mix gently and bring the dough together (it will be crumbly). Turn the contents onto a floured work surface and gently bring the dough together. Do not overwork the dough.
7. Pat dough into a 1 + 1/4 inch thick round and cut into quarters and then cut each quarter into two.
8. Transfer cut dough to baking sheet.
9. Beat the remaining egg and brush scones. Liberally sprinkle with Demerara sugar and bake for 22 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Once baked, transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

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Roast Bakes (bake bake)

Last week, it was all about the Pouffy, Fluffy Bakes, well this week it is about another variety of bakes. The ingredients are the same but the method of cooking is different.

Chennette's post in February, titled, Language Problems was a lesson not only in the varying language in the Caribbean when it comes to food; it was also an education in the different kinds of bakes one can find in this region.

If you're looking for a quick bread that only needs 30 minutes for the dough to rest and no yeast is involved, well then I think that you will like this bread. It's one of those things that you can afford to get up in the morning and make fresh. It is used as a bun for sandwiches as I have done there. Or, simply toast it and have it with butter, jam or jelly. Click here for the recipe. If you like, you can choose to shape the dough as a loaf.

Have a great week everyone!

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Caramelized Perfection & Giveaway Winner!

Like I said in my column, I had a different idea planned but it got tossed the minute I popped one of these babies into my mouth. I am not going to say much, I'll let the photographs do the talking and give you the opportunity to head over to the column, get the recipe and make these as soon as possible.

Be warned, you will have to have to restrain yourself from eating way too many.

Eat one now...

And immediately have another... and another, and another...

TEA SPOT GIVEAWAY WINNER

Thanks everyone for participating in the giveaway and sharing your thoughts on tea and preferences. The random generator picked Pat of Mille Fiori Favoriti as the winner of a Tuffy (loose tea steeper) and three cans of loose tea of her choice! Congratulations Pat! I'll be in touch to get your mailing info. Thanks again for playing along everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and readers!

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Eating at Home & Jamie's Asparagus Potato Tart

This week I'm writing to you from Guyana. I am here for 2 weeks and the eating has been interesting. The food scene continues to rapidly expand with numerous eating establishments that can be found all around. Unfortunately, with the expansion, there has been a lapse in the quality of flavour and taste of many things. I have been asking around for recommendations and the response has been incredibly varied. There have been hits and misses as indicated in this week's column.

Simplicity still rules the day such as these bakes and eggs.

**************

There are some chefs who make their food really accessible. By that I mean that it is easy to replicate their recipes in your own kitchen at home. And the best part is that the results surprise and delight. One such chef is Jamie Oliver. I love, love, love his simple, straight forward approach to food. When I saw his recipe for Asparagus Potato Tart I know that it was a must-make.

I do not have a tart pan, yet, so I made mine in two mini loaf pans. The recipe is exactly as stated here. The only thing is that the baking time took longer because I did not use a tart pan. The baking time in the loaf pan is 30 - 40 minutes.

Serve as suggested, with a salad.

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