Though it’s been a very hot and humid summer, the little kitchen garden we have at the back of our home is in full production. Must be all the watering I’ve been doing  and the special relationship I have with my plants   If you’ve been part of our discussion group on facebook (see Caribbean Pot On Facebook) you would have seen the pics I shared when these chorai (Jamaican Callaloo) bhaji were just a week old and how small they were. Well, the plants are now over 5 feet tall and that’s after I’ve already cut them back a couple times. No-joke, the leaves are almost as big as tobacco leaves. I’m sure I’ll be able to reap a couple more times before the season ends. If you’re looking for a vegetarian version of this recipe or you just don’t want to deal with the swine, check out : Chorai Bhaji Recipe.

You’ll Need…

1 bunch of Chorai bhaji (about 2 lbs) (same as Jamaican callaloo)
1 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion sliced
1/4 hot pepper (whatever you like using.. I used habanero) * remember to avoid using the seeds if you want to avoid most of the heat.
salt  – see notes below since we’re using salted pigtail.
1 lb salted pig tails cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup coconut milk

* Click here for a  >>> Trinbago Callaloo Recipe

It’s recommended that you try to get your butcher to cut your pigtails for you, as it can do some serious damage to your knives if you try this at home. The middle bone can be very tough, so I opted to use my heavy Chinese clever that I have. Then I rinse and place in a pot with enough water to cover  by at least 3 inches. Place the pot on a high flame and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about 40 minutes. This will do two things. It will help it get tender since the cooking time of the bhaji will not be long enough to fully tenderize this. And it will help remove most of the salt the pig tails were cured in.

If your chorai is not already trimmed, remove all the leaves from the thick stalk (discard thick stalk), but if thin ones are tender, you can include some as they will cook-down nicely. Then full your sink or  alarge bowl with water and give this a good wash. Rinse again under running water, since you really want to remove any dirt or sand from between the leaves. Then drain and make little bundles (roll) and give a rough chop. The rough chop is optional if your leaves are small, since some people like seeing the fully cooked leaves.

Slice the pepper, onion and garlic and get ready for cooking after the pig tail have cooked for the 40 minutes or so. In a large pot, heat the oil and cook half of the onions under medium heat for about 3 minutes. You can now starting adding the chopped chorai to the pot. It will look like a lot, but it will wilt and cook down. Top with the remaining onion, garlic and hot pepper when there’s room in the pot. Drain the cooked salted pigtail pieces and add to the pot as well. Feel free to add the coconut milk so everything can cook in this rich milky goodness.

Stir well, cover and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes. It will spring up a lot of it’s own juices, so after 15 minutes of cooking turn up the heat and cook-off all the remaining liquid. Watch it closely and stir to avoid sticking and burning. Should take about 5 minutes on high heat to cook down the liquid. Taste for salt, since we didn’t add any as it’s hard to determine if the remaining salt in the pigtail would be enough for the dish. I had to add a slight dusting of salt to mine.

Like all the recipes on here, it’s very simple to make and if you’re not turned off by the salted pigtails… it’s very tasty! Be sure to leave your comments below (always appreciated) and connect with via our Face Book fan page (click on image below). BTW, if you looking for other bhaji recipes, you can also check out: Pak Choi | Baby Spinach | Swiss Chard

Here’s a great way to combine two classic Caribbean recipes to form a mouth-watering delight. Usually this is made with left over stewed pork which is added the final minutes of cooking pak choi, but this approach will see you stew the pork first and then add the diced pak choi the final 10 minutes of cooking. You can also refer back to the original Stew Pork and Pak Choi recipes if you’re looking to have them separate. This recipe was passed on to me last weekend when I visited my parents, so full props to my mom for once again coming through.

You’ll Need…

1lb pork – cubed into 3/4 inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh or bottled ginger – sliced. (use 1/2 if it’s ginger powder)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
1 tablespoon Caribbean green seasoning
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup water
dash of black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (sliced thin – leave out seeds to control heat)
1 scallion – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 lime or lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 bundle pak choi (about 2lbs)

I purchased a piece of pork (leg cut) with some fat (but trimmed a bit) as I like the flavour you get from it when cooked. Plus I find that due to the long cooking process (I like the meat very tender) a lean piece of pork will be overly dry. The first step is to cut the pork into cubes about 3/4 inch and wash with the lime or lemon juice and water (not the water mentioned in the list above), then drain dry and get ready for seasoning.

Add everything to the bowl with the cubed pork, except the oil, water, sugar and pak choi, then stir around. Allow this to marinate for about 30 minutes at least, in the fridge. If you can allow for 2hrs of marinating, I find the results are much better.

Let’s get to stewing the pork. Place a solid pan on a med to high heat and pour in the oil. To which (when hot) add the brown sugar an stir regular. The idea is to get the sugar to melt and then go to a rich dark golden colour (frothy). If it goes beyond this dark golden colour you will end up with a bitter tasting end product. Refer to the pics below and do two things. 1 have the seasoned pork at easy access since timing is key and 2. use care when adding the pork (and marinade) to the pot, since it’s being added to hot oil and melted sugar. Now stir around so everything gets coated with that rich caramel we created (don’t worry it will not be a sweet dish), bring to a boil then simmer to as low as you can, add the 1/4 cup of water and allow to simmer for 40 minutes covered. It will spring it’s own natural juices as well. Remember to add the 1/4 cup of water to the same bowl you had the meat marinating in, so you can pick up anything that was left back.

While this simmers (remember to stir every 10 minutes or so), let’s prepare the Pak Choi. Pak Choi is usually planted in somewhat sandy soil and can be packaged with some of that dirt and grit. Take apart each leaf and rinse under running water. Remember to rub the stalks with your fingers while under the running water as well. Now using a sharp knife cut the stalk (white part) into strips about 1/2 inch thick (refer to pic below), then roll into a bundle and slice everything (including the green parts) about 1/4 inch thick. Place in a drainer of some sort and rinse and allow to drain.

Now that the pork has been cooking for about 40 minutes, remove the lid and turn up the heat to burn off all the liquid completely, but remember to keep stirring so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Then add the sliced Pak Choi to the pot and turn the heat back down to medium/low covered for 7 minutes. The final step is to remove the lid, turn up the heat and once agin try to burn of any remaining liquid. NOTE: Depending on how cooked (crisp) you like you Pak Choi, feel free to adjust the cooking time after you add it to the pot. In total I cooked the pack choi for 10 minutes after adding it to the pot.

There you go… a tasty combination that goes well with brown rice (as above), roti (fry bake, Sada , buss-up-shut), pita bread, on sandwiches or as a main side to accompany any dinner. Please don’t forget to leave me your comments below (always appreciated..even if it’s just a hello) and join us on Facebook by clicking on the image below.

Like the recipe I posted back in May 2009 for a Saturday favourite “Pig Tail Soup“, the base ingredients for this soup is pretty much the same. Except the final texture (consistency) and overall taste does differ. Yet another traditional dish enjoyed through the islands, with variations according to every one’s own unique way of preparation. My uncle on my mom’s side would make this soup on a Monday after a weekend of feteing (partying) to according to him..revive! Before we get to the recipe I must mention that you must be careful when stewing (browning) the seasoned pigtail. Since the meat still has it’s skin and it’s very fatty, when it hits the oil/sugar it will splatter a bit. Use a deep pot if you can and a long handle cooking spoon. Just to be safe.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs salted pig tails (cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces)
1 sweet potato (about 1lb)
1-2 lbs yams
4 eddoes (about 1 lb)
3 medium/large potatoes
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro (if you don’t have shado beni)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 carrot (cut into coins)
1/4 teaspoon blackpepper
1/4 hot pepper (adds great flavour and some bite)
1 scallion (green onions)
3 sprigs thyme
1 can black eye peas – 19 oz/540 ml (Use whatever canned beans you may have in the pantry)
6 cups hot water
3 tablespoon oil
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ketchup
1 tomato
1 pimento pepper (optional ..if you have)
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
Macaroni (optional)

* Feel free to add any other ground provision you may have (cassava, dasheen or green bananas). If you’re good at making dumplings, it would also make a great addition to this soup.

* I used black eye peas in this version, but my favourite is lentils which I didn’t have.

*NOTE: Try to get your butcher to cut the salted pigs tails for you, as it can do some serious damage to your knife if you try doing it for yourself.

The very first step is to cut the salted pig tails if you didn’t already get your butcher to do so. Then wash and place in a deep pot, to which you’ll add enough water to cover it by at least 1 inch. Bring this to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. I cook this for a fairly long time (at least 1 hr), until it’s tender. This also works to remove some of the salt the pig tails were preserved in.

While that simmer away I peel and cut the provisions/vegetables I’ll be adding to the soup (potato,yams,eddoes,sweet potato,carrot etc). I then wash and place in a bowl with water to prevent it from going discolored. I also chop/dice the other ingredients..pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, scallion, thyme, cilantro..etc.

TIP : Try you best to cut the vegetables so they’re all pretty much the same size, so they can all cook at the same time.

After 60-70 minutes the pigtails should start getting really tender. Remove off the stove and drain well. In the same pot (no need to dirty a bowl) let’s season the cooked pigtail with: onion,garlic,pimento pepper, hot pepper (I use habanero), scallion, thyme, cilantro, garlic, ketchup, black pepper and worcestershire sauce. Mix well and get ready to brown or stew.

In a large pot over high/medium heat, heat the oil then add the brown sugar. Move around the sugar so it melts and start going caramel like. You’ll start seeing bubbles (frothy) and it will change colour, going from golden to dark brown. See pic below to see when we’ve reached the right colour. Now start adding (remember what I said above about splatters) the seasoned meat. Stir well so everything gets coated evenly.

Allow this to continue browning for about 5 minutes so we get a nice rich brown colour. Remember to stir often to avoid it sticking or burning. Then drain the provisions/vegetables we had sitting in the bowl of water and start adding the pieces to the pot. Stir well so they get coated as well.

The next step is to rinse the peas (remember you can use your favourite peas) under running water. I do this since I don’t care for the liquid it’s packaged in. Then add it to the soup pot.

Stir everything well, then add enough water to cover everything. In my case it was 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 35 minutes. If you’re adding green bananas (remember to peel first) add the last 10 minutes of cooking, same can be said if you’re adding macaroni and/or dumplings . Check to see if your yams etc is cooked, by pushing a sharp knife through it. If there’s no resistance, you know it’s fully cooked.

The way to end this recipe is to add about 1 tablespoon of golden ray butter the last couple minutes. But since that butter is not the best for our health and sourcing it may be difficult if you live in North America… you can leave that out. However, that added flavour is truly unique.

Now check for salt. Notice I didn’t mention salt in the ingredients list, since the salt from the salted pic tails is usually enough for this dish. however, this is a personal preference so check at the end (after you’ve add the golden ray if you’re doing so) to see if you’d like to add some more.

I’d love to hear from you guys to know your recipe for making this. I know my mom browns the provisions instead of the pigtails (just her way I guess)… leave me your comments below.

happy cooking

chris…

With the busy schedule we live (even though I work from home) I try my best to have a family meal on Sundays. And it seems that too is becoming harder to schedule with our girls being older now and having so many plans of their own. I remember how nice it was to have a Sunday lunch (probably the most important meal in the Caribbean) with everyone when we were growing up on the islands. The scent, the food, family being together and the “ethnic fatigue” that makes you want to sleep after that amazing meal. Though our girls may never experience that, at least they will recall Sunday dinners when they grow up and have a family of their own. Do you have a tradition when it comes to meals? Leave me your comments below.

You’ll Need:

1 pork loin roast, about 4-5 pounds (you can use boneless, but I like the extra flavour from the one with the bone intact)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (fresh ground is best)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Hot pepper sauce (or Tabasco)
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons fresh squeezed)
1 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar

Note: This in NOT a traditional dish from Trinidad and Tobago, but I’m positive you’ll love it.

Note: Many pork loins you get at the butcher or grocery may have the fat trimmed off it. If you can, get a cut with a thin layer of fat on the top (see my pic below) While it cooks in the oven that fat will help keep the meat from becoming too dry.

Start by preparing the baste well be using, by combining all the ingredients (except the pork) in a medium saucepan and then bring it to a boil. Allow it to simmer for about 7-10 minutes. I use a whisk to help everything mix together properly.

Then preheat your oven to about 325 while your baste simmers. I also wash the meat off with some cool water and dry it off before placing into my roasting pan. If you don’t have a pan with a cover, you’ll need some aluminum foil to tent the pan to seal in the juices while it roasts for the first couple hours.

Now your oven should be ready. Spoon some of the baste we just made onto the pork loin, cover the pan and place on the middle rack of the oven. Let that cook for about 2 hrs at the temp we set. Continue basting (spoon on) every 25 minutes or so. In my case I like pouring the entire basting liquid I prepared into the roasting pan and baste from that. Please note that since we used vinegar in the liquid, you will get a strong smell every time you open the roasting pan. Vinegar is one of those things our noses are very particular about, since we don’t use it as much in the Caribbean as it’s done in North America. Don’t be alarmed… your entire house will have a wonderful smell as this slowly cooks away in the oven.

Allow this to cook for about 2 hours, then remove the lid and allow it to cook for another 30-45 minutes with the lid off. Remember to keep basting. With the lid off you’ll notice that the fat (BTW, place the fat side up in the pan when roasting) will start to get dark and almost look as if it’s burning. Don’t worry about that. That’s added flavour

Couple points.

1. After removing from the oven, allow the meat to rest a bit before slicing. This will allow any juices to redistribute back to the meat and help the meat itself relax.

2. The sauce at the bottom of the pan will be a bit tangy from the lemons and vinegar. It’s up to you to use it as a drizzle on the slices of roasted pork. But I find that our girls don’t really care for it.

So guess what I’m having for lunch today? Yes, roast pork sandwiches with a garlic/mayo/mustard sauce and slices of red onions.

Let me know if you have any questions by leaving me a message in the comments box below.

Happy cooking

Chris…

As I sat down to enjoy a massive plate of this scrumptious dish, I was taken back to my childhood when my great uncle would come over to our home to play cards with my dad and grandfather. It was the norm back then that whenever he visited my mom had to prepare this “oil-down” dish since he looked forward to it every visit. Additionally… as a boy my dad grew up on the family’s cocoa and coffee estate, so breadfruit was one of the staple foods my great grandmother would prepare for him along with green banana’s and other ground provisions (yam, dasheen, eddoes.. etc). He passed on his love for this “put meat on your bones” type of food to me and my brother. My sister’s are a different story.

Though this is not a traditional “oil down” way of preparing breadfruit, I’m sure it can qualify on some level since the key ingredients of meat, breadfruit and coconut milk are all used.  Here’s my take on this time-honored meal.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 pork – cubed into 3/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh or bottled ginger – sliced. (use 1/2 if it’s ginger powder)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
2 tablespoon Trinidad green seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cans coconut milk (5.6 fl oz or 165 ml)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 lime, lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 “full” breadfruit (not ripe)

* if you don’t have the “green seasoning” use:

2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 tablespoon cilantro (or shado beni if you can get it)

We’ll start by cutting the pork into small pieces. Then with some water in the bowl with the pork pieces, pour in the juice of the lime (lemon or the vinegar) and wash the pieces of meat. Rinse with a new batch of water and squeeze dry. We’ll then move on to seasoning the meat. Basically you’re adding everything in the ingredient list except the oil, breadfruit, sugar and coconut milk.

Mix and allow to marinate for about 30 minutes to 2 hours. The next step is to “stew” the pork as we did in previous recipes. See the original stew pork recipe here.

In a heavy, deep pot heat the oil on medium to high heat. When the oil is hot add the brown sugar and move around with a cooking spoon (make sure the spoon is dry). We’re trying to get the sugar to go bubbly and golden to dark brown (see pics below). Since this is an important step (easy to burn) it’s important that you have the seasoned pork close so you can add it as soon as the  sugar reaches a caramelized state. When the sugar get to the colour you see in the final pic below, start adding the pieces of pork. Be careful as you’re adding meat with moisture to very hot oil/sugar.

Quickly (but carefully) add the pieces of seasoned meat to the pot and stir so everything gets coated with the caramelized sugar. Turn the heat down to medium/low and cover the pot. Allow this to cook covered for about 30 minutes… it will spring it’s own natural juices so you don’t have to worry about it burning or sticking. If you find that the liquid is drying fast, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally!

While this cooks let’s prepare the breadfruit. You’ll notice that I said “full” breadfruit in the ingredients list. Basically this means a fully mature, but not ripe breadfruit. A fully mature breadfruit will have a lovely buttery texture when cooked. Cut the bread fruit into 6-8 wedges as I’ve done in the pics below. Now with a sharp pairing knife or potato peeler, peel away the skin and discard. The final step is to remove the core off the wedges (usually soft and not solid in texture). Now place in a bowl with water until you’re ready to add to the pot with the pork.

We’ve now been simmering the pork for about 30 minutes so it’s time to “fry it down” (burn off all the liquid) by turning up the heat to high. As the liquid burns off you’ll notice 2 things. 1 the colour of the meat will go a bit darker and 2. it will start to stick to the bottom of the pot. Keep stirring until all the liquid is gone and you can see oil at the bottom of the pot.

Add the pieces of breadfruit to the pot and pour in the coconut milk. As soon as you can tell that it’s come to a boil, turn down the heat to the lowest your stove can go so it’s a very gentle simmer. Try to stir the pot a little to release anything that may have stuck to the bottom of the pot when we had the heat on high. Allow this to simmer gently for about 30 minutes (try to stir a couple times, but be gentle as not to break-up the pieces of breadfruit). Normally my mom would place some dasheen bush leaves on top of everything to allow it to steam-cook (I’ve also seen her put cabbage leaves when she didn’t have dasheen bush), but in this simplified recipe we’ll use the pot’s lid to help seal in the juices.

After about 30 minutes you should have little or no juices at the bottom of the pot and the meat should be tender and the pieces of breadfruit fully cooked and infused with the flavours of the coconut milk plus the stewed pork.

This is a one pot meal that’s very filling. Serve hot and watch your guests lick their chops!

Tip: If you’re like me and love the flavour of ginger but hate biting into the ginger pieces, slice it thick so you can see it easily when the dish is done to be removed before serving.

If you have any questions relating to this or any of the recipes on the site, please leave me a comment below and I’ll try my best to answer. Since I do manage several other websites there may be a delay, but I promise to get to it. You may even get an answer from others who visit the site on a daily basis as well. Additionally, if you have another way of preparing this dish, be sure to share it with us.

Looking back at the difficult time we (brother and sisters) gave my mom due to the food she would prepare for us, I was overcome with a terrible sense of guilt. There were times we would refuse to eat even though she was making the most of what’s available, as well as trying to make stuff for us that were healthy. Full circle? We go through the same thing with our daughters, but we have influences like McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King and the other fast food joints all over this city that my mom didn’t have to compete with.

Cabbage was of those things which I would refuse to eat when I was younger (there are a few I’ve already mentioned on this blog), unless it was in chow mein. But I find myself drawn to it the past few years. Here’s a dish that was passed down to me by my grandmother who recently celebrated her 94th birthday. Instead of using pork, she would use left over stew chicken or salted cod to flavour it, since I don’t think she’s ever had pork in her life.

You’ll Need…

1/2 of a medium cabbage shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced thin
1/4 habanero pepper sliced thin (pepper is optional, but adds a great flavour – feel free to use any hot pepper you like)
leftover stew pork
2 tablespoons olive oil

Note: if you don’t eat pork , you can always use leftover stew beef or chicken and salted cod is also a very tasty alternative. You can also check out the recipe I posted before for cabbage with corned beef. If you’d like to have the recipe with the salted cod, leave me a comment and I’ll post it for you. Vegetarians, you can leave out meat completely from this dish and it’s still excellent.

Start by slicing the onion, garlic and hot peppers very thin. Then in a large saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion, garlic and pepper. Allow this cook for a few minutes while you prepare the cabbage.

Allow the onions etc to cook for about 5 minutes on medium to low heat. The idea is to soften it to release it’s sugars and flavours. The next step is to add the shredded cabbage (I think it was about 5 cups or so) and stir gently. The pot will seem crowded and stirring will be a bit difficult, but it will reduce as it cooks. DON’T cover the pot or risk having a lot of liquid forming and making the dish soggy.

Allow this to cook for about 15-20 minutes (medium to low heat) or until the cabbage is cooked though to the texture you like. Then add in the pieces of stew pork (chicken or beef) and stir. Allow this to cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the pork is heated through if you had it in the fridge.

You won’t believe how tasty this cabbage dish is until you’ve tried it. I was fortunate to have some roti to eat this with, but it’s just as good with rice, ground provision, in a sandwich or as an everyday side dish.

TIP! Since I’ve confessed before that I can’t make roti, when my mom is in town we get her to make up a batch for us (buss up shut) and I freeze them in individual portions in zip lock freezer bags. Now don’t get me wrong, nothing beats fresh made roti, but when you reheat these it’s very close to the fresh stuff. So the next time you have someone over who can make roti, have them make you a batch and freeze them for times like this or go to your local Caribbean restaurant and get a batch to freeze. The only other tip I can give you is when heating in the microwave, don’t set the time for too long. Give it a 45 second blast, allow it to stop.. then hit it again for another 45 seconds. For some reason it it goes continuous, it ends up being a bit soggy. If you’re heating sada roti, I would recommend that you wrap it in paper towels or a tea cloth when reheating to avoid it going sorry.

Did you know that you can also freeze and reheat doubles? YUP! The closest joint that sells doubles in 1 hr away in Toronto. So when we drive down to visit my sister or go shopping we usually get several batches that we freeze.

FINAL TIP! When putting the roti or doubles into freezer bags to freeze, try your best to squeeze out any excess air from the bag as you seal it. If you have one of those “seal a meal” gadgets, take full advantage of it.

Leave me your comments below  and…

Happy Cooking!

It’s funny how certain scents, music and even tv shows takes you back to a different time and place. Last night as I put together this recipe Tehya came up to me and asked “dad that smells good… what are you making?”. My response was “yea it’s smells like Christmas”. Like “Christmas”? I explained to her that I was making bake pork (roast pork in the oven) and I remembered that smell when her grandmother would make the traditional bake pork leg Christmas eve. To this day I can’t watch repeats of “The Little House On The Prairie or Waltons”, as it brings back a rush of memories. I still remember how we would all sit as a family to watch these shows as my mom would do the weekly ironing of our school uniforms and I miss the fact that we’ve all grown up and gone our separate ways.

Though Tehya didn’t remain wake to sample this amazing roasted pork, I’m sure when she comes home from school today she’ll be digging in. The ONLY approval I need when I cook is seeing our girls enjoy the final product. They are my judge and jury!

So what does Christmas smell like? Let’s get cooking so you’ll experience part of my childhood.

You’ll need…

5 lb pork leg (with bone)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon thyme (fresh)
1 sprig of Oregano
1 spring onion with bulb
3 cloves garlic
1 lime or lemon.
1/4 habanero pepper sliced very thin (any hot pepper of your choice)

* When you purchase the piece of pork leg do get the one with the bone and with the skin/fat. Don’t worry, you can remove the fat/skin when it’s done, but we need this to help add flavour and to prevent the meat from drying off while we slow cook it. A pork loin will not give us the desired final product we’re hoping to achieve.

Start off by putting the piece of pork in a large bowl, then squeeze the juice of a lime or lemon over it and add water to wash. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel and set aside.

* if you don’t have the spring onion with the onion bulb part 9I just so happened to have some in my garden) use scallions and a normal cooking onion as replacement.

The next step is to get the seasoning ready to coat and marinate the piece of pork. Chop as fine as you can, the onion, thyme and oregano (use shado beni or cilantro if you don’t have fresh oregano) and minced the garlic. In a small bowl place all the chopped ingredients and add the salt, black pepper and olive oil. Give it a good stir, then paste it all ove the pork leg. Make some small stab cuts into the pork leg (meat side – not the fat) and work some of the seasoning into those cuts. I also try to pull the skin back a bit and put some of the herb mixture under it. If you’re wondering why we used oil in the mixture, it’s to help combine everything and to allow it to attach to the meat.

Allow this to marinate for about 1 hr.

Tip: To get the flavour but not the heat from the habnaero, use the bottom part of the pepper and don’t use any of the seeds.

TIP : I seasoned the pork in the roasting pan I’ll be using so I don’t have to worry about transferring anything when it’s time to cook and any seasoning that falls off the piece of meat will fall to the bottom of the pan and perfume the dish even further as it roast.

Preheat your oven to 375 then place the roasting pan (covered) on the middle rack and allow to cook for about 2 hrs at this temperature. TIP: Place the pork with the fat/skin side up, as mentioned before we’ll be using the fat to keep the meat moist and to add some extra flavour

After 2 hrs, I flip the pork over the pork to allow the meat side to get some of the direct heat and get  the browned colour we’ll looking for. At this point I also remove the cover from the pan and allow it to cook for another hour. After the first 30 minutes of the final hour of cooking I flip back the meat with the skin side up and allow that side to get some colour as well. You will notice that the skin will shrink and not look how it did when we first started. A good way to know when the roast is done it to use push on the bone to see if it moves freely.

Allow to cool a bit before slicing and trimming out the fat and skin. My favourite way to enjoy this roasted pork is on a sandwich or on it’s own. I create a simple dipping sauce for it with equal parts ketchup and soy sauce, to which I add some of my homemade hotsauce. Whisk together with a few drops of fresh lime juice and enjoy.

BTW you’ll notice that the herbs we used in seasoning will become dark and give the impression that it’s burnt… that’s just the natural sugars caramelizing. Scoop some of that onto your sandwich as well.. it’s lovey!

Final TIP. You will now have a very dirty roasting pan which can be a bit of a task to clean. I usually get a sheet of fabric softner (static guard) and place it in the pan, fill with water and allow it to soak overnight. Not sure what happens, but all that baked-on grime releases from the pan and cleans up with soap and water.

I think I mentioned in a previous post that one of the most comforting things about growing up on the islands was the amazing thick and rich soups we enjoyed just about every Saturday. Pig tails, salt beef, chicken, beef, vegetarian, salted cod or the 2nd most favorite of mine… fish broth with tons of macaroni and green bananas. There were so many versions of making these soups that we never got tired of soup-Saturday!

Today I’d like to share one of the ways of making salted pig tails with split peas soup. I call this one a “loner soup”, since I can’t convince anyone else at home to eat it with me. More for me I guess! Our girls eat just about every dish I make that’s considered “Caribbean”, except they won’t touch ground provisions and/or salted meats like pig tail, beef or cod.

Note: Don’t be turned off by the ingredients, it’s an amazing soup that’s more like a North American stew. It’s heavy, full of chunks of root vegetables and very thick.

You’ll need…

1 1/2 lbs of salted pig tails (ask your butcher to cut into 2 inch pieces)

2 medium potatoes (peeled and diced)

3 eddoes (peeled and diced)

1 1/2 lbs yam (not the sweet stuff – ask for Caribbean yam)

1 cup split peas

8 cups of water

1 can coconut milk (about 1/2 cup)

1 carrot (peeled and diced)

2 sprigs of thyme

1 tablespoon of green seasoning

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 hot pepper (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 lime (juice)

EDIT (Jan 20 2010): I forgot to add 1 medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic to the ingredients list. Special thanks to Lygia for pointing this out to me. Chris…

Some optional ingredients. Feel free to add other ground provisions like cassava and green bananas as well as simple flour dumplins.

Let’s get started by washing the pieces of pig tails with the juice of the lime and water.After which place the pieces of meat into a deep sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes. We’re trying to get rid of some of the brine/salt that the pig tails were cured in. After which you drain the water out and get ready for the next step in cooking (below).

While this is cooking, let’s dice the garlic and onion. Add the oil to a very deep saucepan (keep in mind how much ingredients we have to fit in there) and heat, then add the diced onion and garlic. When the onion is soft (translucent), add the pieces of pig tails that you boiled for 20 minutes before.

After about 3 minutes we can start adding some of the other ingredients like… black pepper, thyme, coconut milk, green seasoning and the hot pepper. Wash the split peas and also add this to the pot. The split peas and pig tails will take a long time to cook and get tender. Almost forgot… add the 8 cups of water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. This will now have to cook for about 1 hr.

Note: the picture above was taken before I added all the water. This is why my pot seems like it doesn’t have 8 cups of water.

While this is simmering away (pot covered) let’s peel and dice the vegetables we’ll be adding.

You can prepare this step before-hand, but remember to place the vegetable in a large bowl and cover with cold water to prevent them from going discolored. The next step is to now add the vegetables to the pot, bring back to a boil, then reduce back to a simmer. Allow this to continue cooking for about 20 minutes. I like my yams and potatoes well cooked, to the point where it’s melting away. I forgot to mention. Cut the ground provisions and vegetables into fairly big pieces.

Let’s recap the cooking time so you’re clear.

- boil pig tails for 20 minutes then drain

- cook onions etc for 3 minutes

- then cook (everything except the vegetables) for about 1 hr

- add vegetable and cook for a further 20 minutes.

NOTE: You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt in the cooking process. This is because the pig tails should add enough salt to the entire dish, even though we already boiled it before. Feel free to taste at the end and add any additional salt if required. If there’s ever the chance that I need to add salt, I usually add about a teaspoon of “golden ray” margarine (salted butter).

The finished product…

This recipe can be adopted for just about any of your favorite meats. Including, fish, beef, chicken and shrimp. I’ve never tested it on lamb, since I just can’t stand the flavor of lamb on the grill, as well as the tough texture. I was never a big lover of jerk in the past, but it’s not only becoming a fav for me, Tehya and Indy just loves the mouth watering “kick” you get from a good piece of jerk just off the grill. The key to me falling in love with jerk pork, must be credited to two things. 1 – how fast and simple this is to prepare. and 2 – how moist the finished product is the way I marinate the meat. I’m sure you know how dry pork can get when you don’t grill it properly… good pork on the grill usually requires a lot of patience, basting and time to slow cook. Beside the time to marinate, this one is super fast!

A three ingredient recipe? Let’s get cooking!

You’ll need…

- 3 pork chops

- 3-4 tablespoon “Grace” jerk marinade.

- 1/2 lime or lemon for washing the pork.

Remove the pork and wash with water and the lime or lemon juice. You can also use about 2 tablespoons of vinegar if you wish. It’s important that you take a paper towel and dry off the water from washing. Then take a fork and pierce the pork through on both sides.. about 6 times each.

With the pork pierced, we can add the jerk marinade. Be sure to mix everything well, so it’s all coated. The piercing will allow the marinade to work it’s way through the meat while it marinates. This is the key to not ending up with a dry cardboard-like finished product. Now cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hr. If you’re in a rush – let marinate for about 10 minutes or so.

Get the grill ready by reaching a temp of about 400 C or so. If your grill is famous for sticking, you can spray some cooking spray (pam) or brush the grill with some oil.

Cover the grill and let cook about 8-10 minutes on each side. Don’t worry, with the technique we used for marinating, the meat will NOT dry out. Be sure to flip over to cook both sides and keep an eye out for flare-ups!

That’s it, you’re done! Enjoy with a nice side of salad and rice.. or whatever you feel like eating. Works great with potato or pasta salad as well.

BONUS!

How to get perfect grill marks

Place your pork directly onto a hot grill for a few minutes. Then using tongs or a spatula give your steak a quarter turn to create the second set of marks, resulting in a crisscross pattern. When it’s time to flip the steak, repeat the process of grilling for a few minutes and then give it a quarter turn.

Some grill masters claim that lightly brushing the grill with olive oil results in nice dark marks. You may need to practice a few times before mastering the art of presentation, but the good news—even the pork with not-so-perfect grill marks will still taste great.

Growing up our dad was always at work (well at the time it seemed that way). But Sundays was our day. In the dry season he’d take me and my brother on long hikes through abandoned cacao and coffee estates to hunt and search out ground provisions. He was a master at finding yams of all description, size and shape. Not that stuff you find in the grocery store in North America. Yams with names like, “juba”, ‘finger” and “kush kush” and I can still remember the joy when we found a “patch”.

We’d leave early on a Sunday morning and be back in time for my mom to prepare lunch with the yam, dasheen and eddoes we found during our trek. So part of our Sunday lunch usually included ground provision and stew pork along with all the other dishes that a Sunday lunch is so famous for in Trinidad and Tobago. Yam connoisseurs would argue that nothing beats pairing yam with fried tomato and salt fish (salted cod), but I assure you.. stew pork is the way to go. But you don’t need yams or ground provisions to enjoy the amazing flavor of stew pork.

The principle and ingredients are very much the same as we explored with the “Stew Chicken” recipe a while back, except in this case we’re using pork.

You’ll need…

3lbs pork – cubed into 3/4 inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh or bottled ginger – sliced. (use 1/2 if it’s ginger powder)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
2 tablespoon cilantro (or 2 tbs Trinidad green meat seasoning)
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 lime or lemon or 3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 small shallot

Prepare the seasoning mix by dicing the onion, pepper, ginger, green onion, garlic, cilantro, shallot and tomato.

Now lets prepare the pork. Feel free to ask your butcher to do this step for you. Cut the pork into 3/4 inch pieces, removing the majority of fat and skin. One of the reasons why Caribbean dishes are known as being heavy, is our love for fat and skin. In days gone by I’d keep some of that fatty pieces of meat and skin. With age comes wisdom, so we know that this is to be avoided.

Wash… squeeze the lime or vinegar onto the cubed pork and rinse with water.

After you’ve washed the cubed meat, squeeze any remaining water from the bowl and begin to season. Add everything except the oil, sugar and 3 cups of water. Mix well and let marinate for about 2 hrs in the fridge – covered.

Time to get cooking. In a heavy bottom pot add the oil over high heat. As the oil starts to smoke or move along freely in the pot add the sugar. With a long handle spoon (to avoid splatters onto your hand) move the sugar around. You’re looking for the sugar to melt, change color and get to the point when it’s ready to caramelize.

Quickly start adding the seasoned pork as the sugar starts looking like the picture above. Stir around to evenly coat all the pieces of meat. Then lower the heat and simmer covered for about 10-15 minutes.

Now uncover the pot and raise the heat to high. We’re trying to get rid of all the natural juices that formed while it was simmering. In the meantime, add the 3 cups of water to the bowl that had the seasoned pork. We’re trying to pick up any bits of seasonings that were left behind.

As soon as all the liquid is gone and all the pieces of pork is evenly browned, add the 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover and let simmer for about 40-45 minutes. We’d like to get a nice thick gravy and have the pieces of pork as tender as possible. If after the 45 minutes you have too much liquid, be sure to turn up the heat and let some burn off.

Questions? Leave me a comment below or use the contact link at the top of this page. I’d love to hear from you.

This day I didn’t have any yams, but I did enjoy a nice plate of brown rice with this exciting way of preparing pork.

One of my favorite memories growing up on the islands was visiting my uncle, who owned a very popular bar in the southern part of Trinidad. If you’ve ever been to the islands you know that not only are the bars “open” (not enclosed as in North America), it’s usually a hub of activity on a Friday evening. At his bar, most of the oil workers would congregate after a long weeks work and enjoy beverages with their friends. Loud music, people trying their best to be heard over the music and the occasional arguments was the norm.

As you would find “tappas” if you went into a bar in Spain, in Trinidad and Tobago our version is called “cutters” but pronounced “cuttas”. Usually deep fried meats, black pudding and slices of cheese in some cases. Served either on it’s own with lively hot sauces or made into a sandwich using a over-sized dinner roll.

I can still remember the smell of the frying pork we would get (they lived directly above the bar) as it made it’s way up the back stairs. Fatty, crispy.. but so full of flavor. Though this is not his recipe, I’ve asked around and came up with this version.

Let’s cook  “cuttas” …

You’ll need….

2 lbs pork belly

3 tablespoon salt

1 cup vinegar

Water

3 cups of oil (one that can take high heat)

In a fairly deep pot, place about 4-5 cups of water (try to average so the water will cover the piece of pork in the pot) and bring to a boil. Add the pork, 2 tablespoon salt and about 1/3 cup of vinegar. Allow to simmer on low to medium heat for about 45 minutes or so. Try to have the pork completely covered with water at all times.

Remove from the pot of water after about 45 minutes or so, then using a knife, make cuts on the skin of the pork (see picture below) in a diamond shape. I went in about 1/4  inch or so. Then brush with the remaining salt and vinegar throughout the piece of pork.

IMPORTANT. I screwed up this part, so please learn from my mistake. Place the oil into a DEEP pan. Something like a wok would be great, since it’s nice and wide. When I first made this recipe I ran into hot oil splashing all over the stove and kitchen, since I used a basic non stick (shallow) frying pan. What a mess! If you can… try making this outdoor if your BBQ has a side burner. Not only do you have to deal with the oil splashing about the kitchen.. the “fry” smell does take a while to leave the house.

Here’s a pic of the pan that caused all the problems for me…

Be very careful when placing the pork into the hot oil. BTW, heat the oil on high to medium heat, just before you see smoke. Timing will vary at this point, since I didn’t measure the temperature of the oil, so yours may vary. The idea is the get the skin golden and crispy. Yes, you will have to flip the pork as it fries.

When it’s reached the desired color you like (ensure it’s nice and crispy), remove and cut into bit size pieces. I almost forgot the dipping sauce. this is so simple…

2 tablespoon ketchup

1 table spoon soy sauce

1/4 tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce (you can control the heat here..add more if you wish)

Here’s how Tehya (our middle daughter) makes this simple sauce. Combine everything in a small bowl and get ready to enjoy. I did say it was simple! Add a little crushed ginger if you’d like to take things up a notch or two.

There are several different recipes and preparation methods for crispy fried pork on the islands, many of which are influenced by the huge Chinese community.

Thoughts? Leave me a comment below.

The one key ingredient when it comes to cooking any meat or fish dish in the Caribbean, is the green seasoning mix that’s used in the marinating process. Before we go on I’d like to mention a couple things. This recipe usually calls for 2 key ingredients “shado beni” and “Spanish thyme” (aka podina), both of which I can’t get readily get here in Canada, unless I source out a Thai or Caribbean specialty store. For the “shado beni” I’ve substituted in cilantro, which is somewhat similar but less pungent and I’ve left out the Spanish thyme. If you’re based in the Caribbean or can get those 2 ingredients, please use with caution since they can easily overpower the green seasoning with it’s strong flavors. I also couldn’t get the pimento peppers, so I opted for 1 banana pepper, but you can also use a Cubanelle

There are several variations of this seasoning mix, but this is one that I’ve tested and perfected over the years.

You’ll need…

1 bundle of Cilantro (about 1-2 cups)
1 stalk of celery (include leaves if you have it)
1 head or garlic (about 11 cloves)
4 green onions (scallions)
1 bunch of fresh thyme (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup of water
pinch of salt (optional)
2-3 shallots (optional)
2 pimento peppers (1 banana pepper or 1 Cubanelle)

*Food processor or blender.

Peel, trim and wash the ingredients and let drain.

Then rough-cut into smaller pieces so it’s easier to manage and work in the blender or food processor.

Add all the ingredients into your food processor or as in my case,  a blender (I’m sure my wife is mad at me for showing you our prehistoric blender)… including the water. You may be required to move around or push down the ingredients occasionally so it all gets worked by the blades.

Personally I like to liquify my blend to the consistency of pesto or even a bit more liquid. However you have the choice at this point to make a bit more chunky-like if you wish.

After a few pulse actions you’ll find that everything blends together quite easily. Here’s a picture of the finished green seasoning :

Storage Tips!

From this batch I have a plastic container that I pour half into and keep in the fridge for everyday use, the other half I pour into a freezer zip lock bag and freeze until I get through the batch in the fridge. Since you probably won’t be using the seasoning as much as I do, I suggest you divide it into 3-4 portions, keeping 1 in the fridge (can last for 2-3 months) and freeze the rest.

You can also get a couple ice cube trays from the dollar store and fill each ice cube area 1/4 up with the seasoning mix and then freeze. Then when it’s frozen, you can dump the cubes into a freezer bag and place back in the freezer. Now whenever you’re cooking, all you have to do is grab a cube and use.

You’ll notice that after time the once brilliant green color will go darker, don;t be alarmed. That’s natural!

Happy cooking

Be sure to leave me your comments or suggestions.

Forgot to mention… this makes about 3 cups of green seasoning.

My mouth is water just thinking about this wonderful, full-of-flavor recipe. This one was inspired by my daughter Tehya who’s love for spicy food is just like her dad’s. Remember if you’re pressed for time or just feeling lazy, you can always pick up a bottle of Grace Jerk BBQ sauce from your local grocer or Caribbean food supply store. “Grace” seems to be the one that really has that “punch” that jerk is all about.

You’ll need…

For 4 servings

- 1 kg (2 lb.) Pork back ribs

For the jerk seasoning

* 1 onion, finely chopped
* cup finely chopped scallion
* 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground Jamaican pimento (allspice)
*  teaspoon ground nutmeg
*  teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 hot pepper, finely ground
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon cooking oil
* 1 tablespoon cider or white vinegar

Method:

Mix together all the ingredients. A food processor fitted with a steel blade is ideal for chopping and combining.

The flavor of the jerk marinade may strike you as a little harsh when you first mix it, but I assure you, the flavors will all blend and mellow as the meat cooks. To increase the heat of this rather mild marinade, add hot pepper sauce. If you want less heat, remove the seeds and membranes containing the seeds from the peppers before grinding them.
Rub the jerk sauce that you just created over the ribs and let it sit for a couple hrs if you can. It will enhance the flavors of the meat as it gets time to really penetrate the meat.

Grill ribs over indirect heat in covered grill, turning occasionally, until ribs are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours (or roast ribs on rack in shallow pan in 180°C. (350° F.) for 1 1/2 hours).

Cut into 1- or 2-rib portions to serve.