October 2010 - CaribbeanPot.com

Using Salted Cod As A Base For A Delectable Caribbean Soup.

March 5, 2012October 29, 201024 Comments

Soup is a common Saturday meal throughout the islands that make up the Caribbean and it’s one of those one pot meals that truly brings family and friends together. When we first immigrated to Canada there were but a sprinkle of people with Caribbean heritage in Hamilton. My little group of friends included a fella from Jamaica, one from Dominica and how could I forget my good friend Carlos who was from Barbados. We did just about everything together, especially since when you’re new to a country you tend to latch on to anything which gives you the slightest security and comradeship of “home”. I love my Trinbagonian food and it’s something I could never repeat to my mom or grandmother, but this soup was the best I’ve ever had. Between Carlos, his sister and I, I think we ate the entire pot – no joke! The last time I was in Barbados I searched in vain for a restaurant in Bridgetown hoping to find a spot where I could sample some home style soup… no luck.

This soup cannot compare to that soup which is forever stuck in my mind from all those years ago, but when my grandmother would make this we’d eat bowlfuls.

You’ll Need…

1/2 lb salted cod (any dry salted fish)
1 carrot diced
8 ochro (okra) diced
3 medium potatoes cubed
1 lb yam cubed
1 lb eddoes
3 sprigs thyme
4 green cooking bananas
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 hot pepper (scotch bonnet or habanero)
1 large onion diced
3 cloves garlic sliced
1 can coconut milk (about 1.25 cups)
salt to taste (see note below)
1 cup split peas (dry)
8 cups of water
1 tablespoon veg oil

* In the recipe I have 1 cup split peas and this is what’s traditionally used, but I opted for a dry peas mix. Which to be honest didn’t work as well as I planned.

* In the recipe you’ll notice that I also mentioned green bananas. However my pot wasn’t big enough and I didn’t have room to add it at the end. I’ll be using those for another recipe.

* To help quicken the cooking time of the split peas, feel free to soak them in cool water overnight, then drain when you’re ready to put into the soup.

Since I had to deal with the small pot issue, I couldn’t put the star of this soup – dumplings. If you need the recipe for making the flour dumplings, do let me know in the comment section below. They’re added the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Start off by soaking the dry salted fish in water for a few minutes (normally when using salted fish like this we either soak overnight then boil or soak in boiling hot water for an hr or so, but there’s no need with this recipe) then rinse off and strip into smaller pieces.

In a large pot (be smarter than me) heat the oil on med to high heat and add the pieces of salted fish to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes (until it starts to brown and stick to the bottom of the pot) then add the garlic and onion. Cook that for a few minutes on medium heat as we don’t want to burn the garlic.

After the onion starts to go soft and translucent, add the peas (remember to wash it before adding) and sliced carrots and give it good stir. (in the pic below you’ll see the dry peas mix I used and regret. Should have stuck to the split peas instead – lesson learned.

Add the coconut milk, thyme, black pepper, hot pepper, ochro and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook covered until the split peas is fully cooked. Takes about 45-50 minutes. As it cooks it will start to thicken.

While this does it’s thing, peel and cube the ground provisions (yam, eddoes, green bananas and potato), please try to cut them all the same size so they cook uniformly when we add them to the pot. In a previous soup recipe I posted, several people said that they parboil the provision separately. Wash the pieces off under cool water, then place in a large bowl and cover with water to prevent them from going discolored while we wait for the peas to fully cook.

The peas mix I used, took about 1 hour to get soft, this is when I added the provisions to the pot. Bring to a boil again, then turn down the heat to a simmer (with pot covered) and cook for about 15 minutes (until the provisions is fully cooked). If you’re adding dumplings to the soup do so the last 10 minutes or so, of cooking. IMPORTANT! You’ll notice that I didn’t add salt. This is because the salted cod that I used is packed with tons of salt and after tasting at the end I noticed that I didn’t have to add any. I recommend that you taste the soup to see if there’s enough salt for your taste.

* If you’re worried about the hot pepper in the ingredients list, add it whole and fish it out when the soup is done cooking. For that extra kick, burst open the pepper near the end and it will blaze-up this dish.

Be prepared to fall asleep after eating a good bowl of this. I had a good nap then when back for 2nd’s! Maybe I can get someone from Barbados to share their classic soup recipe with me, as through the years Carlos and I have drifted apart and I don’t have that connection any longer. Wait! Securing that soup could be a good reason to visit Barbados again, especially when it gets nasty-cold during the winter months 🙂

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Not Your Typical Caribbean Beef Recipe.

March 5, 2012October 20, 201012 Comments

As I mentioned in the title of this post, roast beef is not something you think about when you envision Caribbean cuisine. Yes, I’m sure there are many homes on the islands where it’s common to have roast beef. But from my experience, our classic beef dishes includes, stewed beef and an assortment of soups. And how could one forget the occasional grilled steak. My love affair for roast beef started many years ago when we went out to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. I still “fondly” remember that pile of garlic mashed potatoes, topped with a good serving of roast beef and rich gravy. The beef was very tender and fell apart with the slightest movement of your fork. I’m getting myself hungry, so let’s skip directly to the recipe…

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs sirloin tip (beef)
2 cups beef broth
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 onion diced
2-3 sprigs of thyme

Rinse the beef under cool water, then pat dry. I then place it into a large enough roasting pan (one with a cover works best, but you can use one that’s covered with aluminum foil) while I dice the onions. Preset your oven to 375 degrees in the meantime.

Dice the onions into small pieces, then add it to the roasting pan. Toss in the thyme and black pepper, then pour in the beef broth.

Your oven should be up to temperature by now. Place on the middle rack (covered) and allow to slowly cook away for about 2.5 hours. Yes, this is roast beef that’s well done, so if you’re into slices of pink beef you’re out of luck. During this baking time, baste with the broth or flip the beef so it cooks evenly on both sides. With the beef broth we added, you’re almost oven braising the beef, so it will be very tender when complete.

After 2 – 2.5 hours I spoon out most of the liquid in the pan to use in making a gravy (so keep it in a small pot) and I place the pan back into the oven for another 20 minutes or so uncovered. This will dry up the meat a bit, but it will also give it a rich colour. After this cooking process, I remove the pan from the oven, place the lid back onto it and allow the meat to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. This is usually when I make my gravy.

You’re probably wondering how to make the gravy. Well there are two sort of “cheat” methods I use. The most common being… I have a prepackaged roast gravy I get at the grocery store that’s a hit at home. I find that by using the drippings from the roast (that I removed during the cooking process) it adds a personal touch to the store bought gravy. The 2nd method I sometimes use is.. I use the same roast drippings I took out earlier and I add some corn starch (about 1/2 teaspoon mixed with 2 tablespoons water) to the pot and this thickens it up into a nice gravy. But do season accordingly if necessary.

There’s no slicing this roast, as it will fall apart on you. I usually use 2 forks and rip it apart into lovely strands of tender beef.

* Remember to fish out the sprigs of thyme so it doesn’t get into your gravy, but feel free to use the pieces of cooked onions. It’s adds a great flavour and texture to the finished gravy.

* You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt to this recipe. This is a personal choice, as most beef broth comes loaded with sodium and I don’t really care for much salt.

Give this one a try, it’s simple and very tasty and a nice break from our traditional ways of preparing beef on the islands. Before you go, do leave me your comments below (it’s always appreciated) and do connect with us on Facebook. Click on the image below to get started.

An exciting curry dish using canned salmon.

March 5, 2012October 10, 201047 Comments

I had a serious craving for some curry, about 10 pm last night and I didn’t want to wait for any of the frozen meats we had in the freezer to thaw out. Kinda late to be eating a heavy meal, but eating late is the norm for me (and it shows). I hit the pantry and found a couple cans of pink salmon, so I decided to make one of those quick dishes that doesn’t get the acclamation it deserves. BTW, here’s another way to make this dish without the curry: Gourmet salmon from a can?

You’ll Need…

1 can Salmon – 213g (I used Pink Pacific)
1 small onion sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced/crushed
1/4 hot pepper (optional, but adds the kick to the curry)
1 scallion
1 teaspoon curry powder (your favorite)
1 tablespoon oil
dash of black pepper

* You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt, as I find that most canned foods are already loaded with salt. Add as you feel is necessary.

Prep the onion, garlic, pepper and scallion. Then in a saucepan on medium/high heat, heat the oil. Add the sliced onion and garlic and cook for a couple minutes on medium heat. Allow to soften and release it’s natural oils.

Now add the slices of hot pepper and allow to cook for about a minute, then add the curry powder and stir well. Let that cook (stir) cook for about 2 minutes, then add about 5 tablespoons of water and stir to pick up all the curry that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Turn down the heat to low and allow the curry paste to cook for about 3-5 minutes… until all the liquid cooks off. The next step is to empty the can of salmon into the pot and break apart (add the liquid from the can as well). Try to keep it in flakes, so there’s some texture to the final outcome. Mix in the scallion and tomato and cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer (covered).

With the lid on, it will spring some of it’s own juices. Cook this for about 5 minutes or until it thickens a bit. Remember to stir a couple times, but try not to break-up the fish too much.

I had some leftover rice in the fridge, so it was a complete meal. I really wish I could add some slices of cucumber to my plate, but cucumber and late nights does not work well for my digestion.

This is a super-fast way to enjoy a lovely curry fish meal, that’s full of body and a unique punch of flavors. Before I go I’d like to remind you to leave me your comments below (it’s always appreciated), share this recipe with your friends by sending them the link to the website and do join us on Facebook as we grow our already large Caribbean food community. All you have to do is click on the facebook image below to get started.

The Ultimate Pepper Sauce Recipe.

May 28, 2025October 5, 2010260 Comments

With the abundance of hot peppers I had in my garden this summer, you may have noticed that there are several recipes recently dedicated to the most classic of Caribbean condiments… pepper sauce (hot sauce). If you look at the very bottom of this post, there should be some links to some of the spicy sauces I’ve shared recently that I encourage you to try. As I’ve pointed out in the past, just about everyone on the islands swears that their pepper sauce is the best! Be it the heat, uniqueness of the ingredients used or overall flavor. Here’s one that follows most of the common principles of making a good pepper sauce, with a few personal ingredients I like to add. Be warned that this is very HOT!

You’ll Need…

15-20 hot peppers (scotch bonnet or habanero)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vinegar
10 leaves of Shado Beni or 1 cup cilantro
6 cloves of garlic
1/4 small green papaya
1 small bitter melon (caraili)
1 lemon or 2 ripe limes
Juice of 4 limes
8 pimento peppers – optional
1 carrot – optional (helps to balance heat from peppers)

Some notes:

a. u include the seeds of the pepper for added heat
b. add more vinegar if you like it less thick.
c. remember to remove the seeds from the lemon after cubing.

Are You A WINNER? Before we get to the recipe, I’d like to invite you to participate in this month’s contest immediately after the recipe.

I start off by rough chopping the shado beni, papaya and bitter melon to make it easier to puree in the food processor (remember to peel and remove the seeds from the papaya as well as the bitter melon – you don’t have to peel the bitter melon). I remove the skin off the garlic as well to have it prepped.

I then slice and cube the lemon and remove any seeds that I see.

I highly suggest you wear gloves for the next few steps, as the peppers can cause some pain if you handle them with your bare hands. I then remove the stems off the peppers and give them a rough chop. I retain all the seeds, but if want a milder sauce, do remove the seeds.

Now that I have everything prepped, it’s time to bring out the vintage (old) blender and put it to use. Basically all you’re doing is adding everything listed in the ingredients list to the blender or food processor and puree it until it’s a smooth consistency.You may need to add more vinegar as I pointed out above.

IMPORTANT : the amount of ingredients you’re seeing in the pictures above is not what I mentioned in the ingredient list. I’m making a bigger batch, but follow along with the ingredients I listed and you’ll be set. You’ll also notice that due to the big batch I’m making that I have a lot of bottles of finished sauce. You’ll have enough for one bottle when done.

Pour into a clean, dry bottle and store. It should be fine outside the fridge since we used vinegar, but you can certainly keep it in the fridge so it will last longer. Bear in mind that by placing it in the fridge, it will loose some of it’s heat. This is the batch I got when I was done. I have some lucky friends who’ll have their hands on the Ultimate Pepper Sauce when I see them next.

The CONTEST!

Win a copy of Hot and Spicy Kitchen Handbook: 200 Sizzling Step-by-Step Recipes for Cuisine and Fiery Local Dishes from India, Mexico, Thailand and Every Spicy Corner of the World

As with other contests I’ve posted on the site before, it’s free to participate. Here’s how…

1. Post a response in the comment section below and your name will be automatically entered into the draw.

2. For an added chance to win (get your name in the pool two times). Head over to the Cooking channel and leave a comment on the “The Ultimate Fried Chicken Recipe” and I will then add your name a 2nd time and give you an extra chance at winning. Say whatever you like (even hello) and that will qualify you for a 2nd time (providing you’ve already left a comment here). Here again is the direct link to the >>>> cooking channel.

The contest is open from today (Oct 5) to October 31, 2010. Then all the names will be entered into a pot and 1 winner chosen. I will then contact that winner so I can send them the prize ( I will also cover all shipping expenses). So good luck and do give the pepper sauce recipe posted above, a try.

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