So you’re confused if you’re not form the Caribbean, tambran is just the local way of saying tamarind. This was a favorite of mine as a kid in primary school on the islands. Today I still search them out whenever I make a trip back home or when I go shopping at the many Asian stores locally. The only difference with the ones that comes in a small plastic box at the Asian stores is that there’s no real kick to it and they’re really tiny in size. Probably the size of a small marble. But the ones I grew up eating every recess in primary school, where as big as ping pong balls. Back then I think we got 50 cents to buy treats at recess and lunch break and most of my money went to the vendor with the preserved fruits and tambran balls just outside the school compound. It was a tough choice to make when there were “penna cool” (freezies) on sale and the days were hot and sticky. The tough choices we had to make on our own as kids!

You’ll Need…

200 grams of tamarind (see note below) – a little less than 8 ozs
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (or any hot pepper you like)
2 cups golden brown sugar
3 tablespoon white sugar (granulated)
2 cloves garlic

Note: Usually the tamarind (tanbran) we get in the Caribbean are a lot bigger in length and thickness than the packaged ones I got from the local Asian store. If you want less work, you can always buy the tamarind paste that’s already free of seeds and the hard shell exterior. I left the seeds in my finished tambran balls as I find they hold a lot of flavor and as a kid I like spitting the seeds at the end. But if you do, remember not to sink your teeth into them or you’ll be making a visit to the dentist. or cussing Chris!..

Start by creating the spicy sort of paste we’ll need to give it that kick … to know that we’re eating tambran balls. In a bowl (as in my case) or a mortar and pestle place the hot pepper, garlic and about 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar and pound to smooth paste. I put the little bit of sugar to give it a bit of grit to achieve a smooth paste.

Set this aside and lets get the tambran ready. A s in my case (since I didn’t buy the pulp) remove the outer hard shell and pull the ‘meat’ or pulp out.. try to remove that sort of stringy fibers that may be holding them together. You have two options now, remove the seeds or not. I didn’t as I mentioned in the notes above. Break up the pulp into pieces and add it to the pepper/garlic paste we made.

The next step is to add the brown sugar and give it a good stir, then using your hands start forming the ping pong tennis ball size. If you find that it’s not holding well, add about 1 teaspoon of water to the bowl. Remember you’ll be playing with extremely hot peppers so you may want to wear gloves. If you find that the mixture is too soft/runny and not taking shape, add some more brown sugar. Additionally if the room is hot they may give you a hard time shaping as the heat from your hands and room temp will melt the sugar. Place the mixture in the fridge for a few minutes and try again.

I was in too much of a hurry to eat these so my ball did not shaped well. But I’m sure you’ll do a better job than I did. The final step is to spead the granualted sugar on a plate and roll the tambran balls to give it that extra finishing touch. You can always set them in the fridge to chill a bit and remain in it’s ball like shape.

Remember, though this is basically a sugar rush waiting to happen, it will be spicy from the raw garlic and scotch bonnet peppers.

Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Gadget

Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker – Gadget Of The Week.

March 5, 2012June 18, 20113 Comments

What seems like a winter that would not end, is finally giving way to some beautiful weather here in Southern Ontario. Today it’s about 32 Celsius, but with the humidity if feels more like 38 Celsius, so this usually means it’s time to break out the trusty old ice cream maker we got a couple years back, for some frozen delights. If you recall the coconut ice cream recipe I shared with you last summer “A Vintage Trinbagonian Coconut Ice Cream Recipe” you’ll know that we’ve got one of those “pail” type ice cream makers, with the small motor on top which moves the container with the liquid, surrounded by chunks of ice. To finally freeze the custard-like liquid inside.

Now don’t get me wrong, some would argue that these types of ice cream makers are the best, but it’s not as convenient as some of the more modern ones. My dad would say that the best one for him would be those wooden pail ones, that you had to hand-crank. Like the one in the picture to the left (White Mountain Ice Cream Maker). By the way, if you’re old school like my dad or looking for some exercise, you can click on the picture to buy one. I’m sure many of you would have some good childhood memories of this type of vintage ice cream maker, like I do.

If it’s convenience and versatility you’re looking for, then you may want to get your hands on the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC that I asked for this Father’s Day! Lets hope someone was listening! Here’s why I made this the gadget of the week for June. Yea, I realize that I should title it gadget of the month.. Oh well!

Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC

Looks sexy eh! Attractively styled and simple to use, Cuisinart’s ICE-30BC efficiently yields up to 2 quarts of frozen yogurt, sorbet, or soft-serve ice cream in as little as 25 minutes.

The 9-inch square brushed stainless-steel base houses the heavy-duty motor, bottom cord storage, and the black and chrome on/off dial. The 2-quart capacity freezer bowl has a smooth metallic silver-toned inner cavity and a deep gray hard plastic exterior with an outer diameter of 7.5 inches. Complete assembly of the unit takes only minutes, but fully freezing the cooling liquid within the freeing bowl’s double insulated walls can take from 6 to 28 hours prior to use, depending on your freezer temperature. Thoroughly freezing the canister is the key to successful results. We suggest storing the bowl in your freezer to ensure quick and easy use of your ice cream maker.

Once frozen, the bowl seats perfectly into a cylindrical opening in the base. A gray plastic mixing arm fits into the bowl and a transparent lid locks into place with an easy twist. Once assembled, a simple half turn of the dial starts the motor and the frozen bowl begins to turn. A 3-foot cord conveniently allows flexibility in positioning the base on your table or counter and a 3-inch top opening in the lid serves as a spout for adding your pre-mixed recipe ingredients.

The churning motor “hums” audibly–but not excessively–during use and features an automatic safety shutoff to prevent overheating. The clear lid allows easy viewing and monitoring of the mixing process. Soft-serve mixtures are deliciously ready in minutes and firmer consistency is easily accomplished with a few hours in your freezer. Numerous recipes are included.

I can only imagine making up a batch or two of rum and raisin (my fave) or how about some mango pineapple ice cream this summer. But wait, for you frozen sorbet lovers like Tehya and Indy, you won’t be left out. Yes, this bad boy makes Sorbet and frozen yogurt as well. I’ll just have to find some recipes or make some concoction of my own.

To own one of these Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC, click on the link below. They’re reasonably priced and comes with a 3 year limited warranty. Convenient, durable, and actually a lot of fun, the Cuisinart’s ICE-30BC churns out homemade ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt you, your family and friends will enjoy during those beautiful days of summer.

CLICK HERE >> Get your very own Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC

If you already own one of these ice cream makers, I’d love to get your feedback on it. What you like, dislike and overall performance (if you don’t mind). Leave me a comment below in the area provided. I will do the same once I get mine on Father’s Day morning and have time to put it to use… lets hope they were listening!

Happy Cooking!

Chris….

p.s. This makes a great gift as well!

Meat & Poultry

Sancoche, Memories Of A Bush Cook.

May 27, 2025June 14, 201129 Comments

Sancoche, is one of those soups we make in the Caribbean which can be identified by various other names from island to island. Basically is a thick soup with everything but the kitchen sink in it. Loaded with ground provisions (yam, dasheen, cassava, eddoes, sweet potato.. etc), split peas, flour dumplings, coconut milk and some sort of salt meat or smoked bones for additional flavoring, it’s one of those meals where the ethnic fatigue kicks in after a bowl or two.

As a young fella growing up on the islands one of my favorite things to do, was go with friends when they were making “bush” cook. I grew up in the country and that usually meant most of our weekend off from school was spent in the outdoors. I recall swimming for hours in the river while this pot of soup would be bubbling away on three rocks made to support the pot while allowing room for fire wood beneath it. Usually set under the confines of the shade from a bamboo patch. With the cool temperature of the spring fed water as it makes it’s way down the mountain to the spot where we’d swim, a hot bowl of soup would definitely hit the spot. When it wasn’t sancoche, it would be fish broth, some sort of “wild” meat with provision or if times were hard for us to source ingredients it would be dasheen bush cooked in coconut milk and served with some massive flour/cassava dumplings.

Note: This pot of soup is enough to feed a small army. So you may want to cut back the ingredients list by half and it will serve 5-7 people as a main course. I usually freeze the leftovers, but for some reason the ground provisions does not reheat well after freezing.

You’ll Need…
1 1/2 cups split peas
2 lbs. pigtail (see notes below)
2 cups. pumpkin, peeled and chopped
1 lb. eddoes
1 lb. dasheen
1 lb. yam
1 sweet potato (abt 1lb)
4 medium potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
6 cooking bananas (green fig)
12-16 small ochroes (see notes below)
1 carrot, chopped
1 bundle spinach (see note below)
5 leaves chadon beni
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
4 sprigs thyme (fine leaf)
3 scallions
1 tablespoon salt (see notes below)
1 hot pepper (I used a scotch bonnet)
1 can coconut milk (14 fl oz | 400 ml)
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
16 cups water
2 packs Grace cock soup (spicy) See Notes below

Notes:

Pigtail – I used salted pigtails and wish I had some salted beef to add as well. You can also use regular beef cubed, smoked bones or any sort of soup bones. I guess you could also make this with chicken as well or leave meat entirely out of it and have it vegetarian style. You’ll have to adjust the salt if you’re not using salted meats.

Spinach : The traditional thing to use would be young dasheen leaves, but since I couldn’t source any, I opted for regular spinach.

Ochroes: I used about 16 small ochroes (about 3 inches long), but all I could get was the dark green variety. Avoid those if you can and look for a lighter green variety. I find that they stand up better to the slow cooking process and the texture is a bit different than the dark green ones.

Salt : Since I used salted pigtial in this soup, I only needed about 1 tablespoon. I would suggest that you not add any salt, but taste about 15 minutes from the end and add according to your preference.

Grace Cock Soup : If you can’t get Grace Cock soup, feel free to use a couple cubes of Maggi chicken bouillon or as a matter of fact, any chicken stock/bouillon cube should work well. I use the Grace cock soup as I love the extra level of flavour it adds with it’s unique spiciness.

It looks like a lot of ingredients but as I mentioned, I’m cooking a huge pot..

The fisrt thing to do is to prepare the salted pig tails. Using a large chef knife or cleaver (or ask your butcher to cut it for you), cut into 2 inch pieces. Rinse off under cool water, then place in a deep saucepan and cover with water (not the water mentioned in the ingredients list above). Bring that up to a boil and keep it at a rolling boil for about 25 minutes. This will take some of the brine and salt the pigtails were preserved in. After the 25 minutes, drain, rinse and set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat the vegetable oil and then start adding the chopped onion, garlic, thyme, chandon beni (alternative – use 3-4 tablespoon of chopped cilantro) and scallion and cook for a few minutes on med/low heat. Then add the pieces of salted pig tail, the split peas (wash before adding) and top with about 8 cups of water. Bring this to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about 45 minutes with the pot covered. This will allow the split peas and pig tail to get tender before adding the other ingredients.

While this cooks, lets get the ground provision, carrot, green banana and potatoes peeled and cut into chunks. You’ll notice that I tried my best to keep the size of each piece uniform. This will allow it to cook evenly. I cut the pieces of pumpkin a bit smaller, as I like for it to dissolve a bit while cooking so it helps to add a wonderful overall color as well as it gives it some body.

Remember to wear gloves (latex or rubber) when peeling/working with ground provisions, especially the eddoes and green bananas. Or rub some vegetable oil over your hands. This will prevent the sort of staining and avoid your hands going itchy.

After the soup base has been cooking for about 45 minutes, it’s time to add everything else. Add the ground provisions, salt, cock soup and scotch bonnet pepper (keep whole if you want the flavor and not the heat). Then trim off the stems off the ochroes and cut in 1/2 before adding to the pot. You’ll need to add a further 8 cups of water as well as the coconut milk at this point. Just make sure everything is pretty much covered by liquid.

The final step is to rinse off the spinach and give it a rough chop before adding to the pot. It will look like a lot, but it will wilt down as it cooks. Bring everything back up to a boil, cover the pot and reduce to a gentle simmer. Allow this to cook for another 45 minutes or so. Stir occasionally and don’t fret if you find that the ground provision starts to dissolve. We want this soup to be thick, like a North American beef stew.

You will notice that some stuff will start building up at the top while this boils… skim it off with a spoon and discard. Remember to taste for salt the last 15 minutes or so and adjust accordingly. For extra heat, burst the pepper near the end as well, and at this point you can remove the sprigs from the thyme.

Traditionally you’d find flour dumplings in this soup, but I simply ran out of room in my pot… yea I could hear some of you saying “where’s the dumpling Chris”. Another way to add extra flavor and some additional body to this soup, is to add a couple packs of chicken noodle soup instead of the chicken bullion or stock powder. And if you have some Goldenray butter, feel free to toss in a tablespoon or 2.

If you guys join the chat on the Facebook fan page, you’ll notice that Anthony K, made a very good observation… “you either have to try to make it or know a trini who will make it for you, (the only problem is you can’t make a small amount)…it’s great and I don’t really care for soup”. Which so true, I’ve never seen a small pot of this cooking.

Before you go, why not take a couple minutes and leave me your comments below. Even if it’s just to say hello… it’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to check out the Caribbean Cooking Videos.

Happy Cooking

Chris…

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

The Ultimate Jerk Pork Recipe.

May 27, 2025June 13, 2011179 Comments

Today we’ll induct yet another dish into the series “The Ultimate” (keyword search ‘ultimate’ in the search box – top right of this page for more recipes in the series). This time we’re doing one of those classic Jamaican dishes… Jerk Pork. The first time I made this dish was about 5 years ago when our friends were getting married and they were having the stag / doe and asked for us to bring along a dish. Since then, we’ve only heard good things from the many guests who were there that night. This weekend being Tehya’s birthday and knowing that my mom is a fan of jerk pork, I thought it would be perfect for the bbq we were having.

If you read the piece I did titled Jamaica One Plate At A Time, you’ll know that I went in hunt of the perfect jerk while we were in Jamaica and found (more like stumbled.. stretch our legs and use the bathroom) a spot called “Supreme Jerk Center” on our way to Negril from Montego Bay. The fella doing the jerk had some skills. Not only was the pork perfectly cooked over the open coals, but we could tell that he allowed the meat to marinate for quite some time. As the pork was infused with that authentic jerk flavor and the smoky taste from the pimento wood was divine. Though I don’t have the use of the open coals, I’m positive that my jerk pork could easily rival his.

For this recipe you’ll need to refer to the jerk marinade recipe I shared with you a few months ago or see below for quick instructions. If you don’t feel like making your own marinade, check out the selection of Jamaican Jerk Marinade and BBQ Sauces you can purchase.

You’ll Need…

Jerk Marinade

5 scallions (green onions)
5 sprigs of fresh thyme (about 1 tablespoon chopped)
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 scotch bonnet peppers
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 onion
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger

* Basically all you have to do is give everything a rough chop and place in a food processor or blender as I did and pulse until you get a smooth consistency.

Then you’ll need…

1 boneless pork loin (about 7-8lbs)
2 cups of the jerk marinade

Let’s get started. Give the pork loin a good rinse under cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Then place the pork in a large dish/pan and using a pairing knife, make some stabs into the meat (about 1 inch deep). This will help in the marinating process. This step will get a bit messy, so using gloves may come in handy. Remember we used scotch bonnet peppers in the marinade so you may find that your bare hands may catch on fire! Pour 1 cup of the jerk marinade over the pork loin, then using your hands, massage and work it well. You can certainly bush the marinade on, but I much prefer to work this with my hands. Now cover and leave to marinate for at least 5 hours in the fridge.

Take the pork out of the fridge about 25 minutes before you start to grill, to allow it to come back to room temperature. I’m using a gas grill to cook this but if you have a wood or coal burning grill, do your thing. Basically you want to bring the temperature of the grill to about 300 degrees and brush the grate with some vegetable oil. All you do is take tongs, grab a piece of paper towel and dip it into a bowl with vegetable oil an brush the grill.

The goal is to slow cook this so you have 2 options. Grill on the top level grill or sort of warming rack (as I did) or grill with indirect heat. The flame would be on one corner of the grill surface and the meat on the other. This way you don’t get direct contact with the meat and flame/heat.

Basically all you’re doing for the next 2.5 to 3 hours is basting every 20 minutes and turning over when you do, so the meat cook evenly. When you removed the pork loin from marinating, do save the left over marinade and add a further cup, to use for basting during the cooking process.

When I purchased my pork loin I looked for a piece with a thin layer of fat. This allows the meat to basically self-baste while cooking… so you don’t get an overly dry finished dish as the loin is usually very lean. Remember to try to maintain the 300 degrees, keep the lid on the grill closed and brush on marinade every 20 minutes or so. You will notice that it will start going dark and have a sort of burned look, but this natural. It’s just all the sugars doing it’s caramelizing thing. Good jerk is supposed to have that sort of colour… but remember – no direct heat or it will become burnt!

Do allow this to rest a bit before slicing, so some of the natural juices are allowed relax the jerked pork loin. We had over 25 people here and I still had enough to pack a doggie bag for my parents when they left. But we did have many others dishes as well. Conservatively, this is enough for about 10-15 people as a main meat side..

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a gluten free soy sauce to meet with your gluten free dietary needs when doing this jerk pork recipe.

— Winner Wanted!—

It’s that time again – we’re giving away the following book (see below) to one lucky person for the month of June. All you have to do is leave me a comment in the comments section below (please say something about this recipe) and your name will be automatically entered to win this amazing book on organic gardening and cooking with herbs, vegetables and fruits.

Yea! Not your typical Caribbean book, but a wonderful way to learn about organic gardening and cooking. Focusing on plants that are easy to grow, Adam Caplin takes an illuminating new look at the delights and challenges of cultivating edibles, showing how they can be grown – on their own in beds and containers, in mixed borders, and decoratively with flowers – for their ornamental as well as their nutritional value. Celia Brooks Brown presents 35 mouthwatering vegetarian recipes – for soups and starters, main courses, salads and light dishes, salsas and chutneys, and sweet things. This book features glorious photography by Caroline Hughes and William Shaw.

There are two bonus ways you can have your name entered in the contest, giving you 3 chances at winning. Along with leaving a comment below, go to the Facebook fan page and/or the Youtube cooking channel and leave a comment there. I don’t care what your comment is, but it would be nice if you could tell me what you like about Caribbean food and if the recipes I share are helpful.

Here are the rules pertaining to winning the copy of “New Kitchen Garden”…

– contest is open to everyone globally

– there are 3 ways to enter your name (see above)

– 1 winner will be chosen at random (if you left 3 comments, your name will be entered 3 times)

– contest is open from June 13 – to midnight June 30.

– winner will be announced within 1 week of the official close date.

– the winner will have 1 week to contact us with mailing address

– we will cover all shipping expenses (standard mail)

I hope you take a moment to enter your name as I’d really like to mail this book out to you. It’s simple, free and a great way to experiment with some organic gardening and cooking. Good luck to everyone who enters.

—————————————————————————————->

Oye! before you go… Remember you can watch the cooking videos on the recipe channel and we’d love to interact with you on our Facebook fan page. There’s a few thousand of us already causing commesse on there… so do check it out.

Main Dishes Vegetarian

Pommecythere Amchar Talkari.

May 28, 2025June 1, 201142 Comments

You’re probably wondering what the heck is wrong with Chris, when you read both Amchar and talkari as the heading of this recipe. I didn’t know if this would be considered amchar, talkari or curry Pommecythere considering I didn’t use any curry in cooking it. All I know is that the few times I had this growing up, was the occasional time I would purchase some from the many street food vendors outside the gates at our high school. Are there still food vendors outside schools today in Trinidad and Tobago?

This is the first time I was making this dish and I must say that I’m quite proud of the results.

You’ll Need…

3 Pommecythere (green / fully developed)
2 tablespoon amchar massala
1 teaspoon salt
1 scotch bonnnet pepper (any hot pepper would work)
3 cloves garlic – crushed
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoon brown sugar (golden.. not dark)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 medium onion sliced thin (optional)

Note: Depending on how sour or tart your Pommecytheres are, you may need to add a bit more salt. The idea is to get a sort of savory taste, with the richness of the brown sugar and amchar massala. So if at the end you find it to be a bit tart, add a bit more salt or sugar.

Some people tend to pre-boil the Pommecythere pieces before actually cooking it in the massala. By doing so you achieve two thing. 1. Speeds up the cooking time, as it will already be tender. And 2. The pre-boiling tends to remove some of the tartness from the Pommecythere. If you decide on pre-boiling, you’ll only need about 1/4 cup water as mentioned in the ingredients listed above and you’ll cook it only a few minutes after adding all the ingredients to the pot.

If you’re wondering what Pommecythere is…

From Wikipedia : Spondias dulcis or Ambarella, (and its alternative binomial, Spondias cytherea, Malay Apple), Golden apple, is an equatorial or tropical tree, with edible fruit containing a fibrous pit. It is known by many names in various regions, including Pomme cythere in Trinidad and Tobago, June plum in Jamaica, Juplon in Costa Rica, Jobo Indio in Venezuela, and Caja-manga in Brazil.

Give the Pommecythere a good rinse under running water, then using a cleaver or heavy knife, cut through them into wedges (see pic below). Give them a another rinse if you like. Then get the other ingredients ready. You’ll notice that I didn’t bother peeling the Pommecythere as I find that the skin adds to the overall texture at the end. And you will find that the center of the Pommecythere is somewhat spiny and tough.. this is why I used a heavy cleaver to cut through them.

Heat the vegetable oil in a fairly heavy/deep pan and add the onion and garlic. Allow that to cook for a few minutes, then add the slices of pepper. Remember (I learned the hard way today) that the fumes from the pepper meeting the heated oil will be strong and cause you to cough. Open your kitchen windows and turn on the vent fan if you have one over your stove.

Allow this to cook for about 3 minutes, then add the pieces of cut Pommecythere and give it a good stir. Next up.. add the amchar massala and stir again. Now add the sugar, salt and water and bring to a boil.

After it comes to a boil, reduce the flame to between a rolling boil and simmer.. place the lid on the pot and allow this to cook for about 25-30 minutes. Basically until it’s tender and becomes a thick sort of sauce. Remember what I mentioned in the note above and check to ensure it’s not to tart or sour as we would say on the islands.

This is used as a condiment for many curry dishes, spicy snack or as a side with roti in many instances. Before you go I invite you to leave me your comments below.. even if it just to say hello. It’s always appreciated. And don’t forget to join us on facebook and do check out the cooking videos.

Desserts

Coconut Drops With Your Tea.

March 5, 2012May 22, 201146 Comments

As kids would have to eat their cereal before heading off to school every morning in north America, we grew up (if we didn’t want actual food) drinking tea. Now here’s the thing about “tea”… basically this would mean just about any hot drink. So it could well be coffee, Milo, Ovaltine, chocolate tea, actual green tea.. the list is fairly long. Along with tea we usually had a slice of cake, sweet bread, crackers or coconut drops.

I must confess that I’ve not had coconut drops in quite some time, so when the scent of them baking in the oven blanketed the kitchen, it brought back a rush of childhood memories. I was one of those kids who loved school and looked forward to it, when most kids didn’t.

You’ll Need…

3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 stick butter (about 2 oz or 4 tablespoons)
1 large egg
3 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Angostura Bitters
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup shredded coconut (see note below)
about 1/2 cup water

For the glaze

2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup water

Notes: Traditionally, fresh grated coconut is used for this recipe. But since I don’t have access to the fresh stuff, I had to settle for the packaged shredded coconut. I did end up using the sweetened variety, but if you have the unsweetened one, feel free to use that. Since my dough was a bit dry, I had to add some water. I ended up using about 1/2 cup as noted in the list of ingredients above, but this may vary for you. Use it as a guide. You’re looking for a dough which is somewhat firm and can keep it’s shape while baking.

Start by creaming the butter and sugar in a bowl. Make sure the butter is at room temperature to make this easier. I started off using a large spoon (use the back of it to work the butter/sugar combo against the walls of the bowl) but I ended up using an electric hand mixer. You’re looking for a smooth, creamy sort of texture with no feel (gritty) of sugar left back. I then added the egg, vanilla and bitters to the mixture and give it a good whisk.

Then in a large bowl, I put the flour, cinnamon and baking powder and gave it good whisk to make sure everything is blended well. Then I poured in the creamed butter mixture and created a dough. This will be a bit tough to work, so I add the water I mentioned in the notes above. I’m not sure how this would work in an electric mixer, but manually it takes a bit of muscle. I ended up using my hands at one point.

The final step of preparing the dough is to fold in the shredded coconut and raisins.

With your oven at 350 degrees, grease a cookie sheet, or as I did.. line it with parchment paper. Now spoon on the batter onto the cookie sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes. It will start to go golden. I did two batches of 12.

After about 25 minutes remove it from the oven and brush on the simple glaze. Basically it’s sugar dissolved in warm water and brushed onto the tops of the coconut drops. You can also sprinkle on some sugar on top of each, to add that extra touch. Place back in the oven for 2-3 minutes.

The true master at these drops as well as coconut sweet bread is my grandmother, but she’s turning 95 this year so baking is out of the question these days. Reminds me that the next time I head down to the islands I’ll have to make sure and get her recipe. Before you head to your kitchen to make up a batch of these coconut drops, do leave me your comments below and be sure to connect with us on Facebook. And don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos.

Vegetarian

Lentils And Split Peas Dhal

May 26, 2025May 10, 201138 Comments

This recipe is pretty much a clone of the traditional dhal recipe I shared with you a while back, except this one we’ll be using lentils along with the yellow split peas. I still recall our grandmother making this when we were kids and eating it as we would soup. Last week I was going though the menu of a local Caribbean restaurant when I noticed they had dhal on their menu. Sold by the bowl-full (small $4.50 and large $9… imagine that). Right away I was taken back to those days when we lined up in my grandmother’s kitchen with bowl in hand, jostling with my cousins for the first serving. I just had to make some – the craving was on.

I didn’t follow my grandmother’s recipe, as she would use geera (cumin) somewhere along the line of cooking, but I’m not a huge fan of that spice so I tend to avoid it when I can.

You’ll Need…

1 cup yellow split peas
1 cup lentils
4 cloves of garlic diced (divided)
3/4 teaspoon salt * see note below
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 small onion sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 hot pepper (I used habanero – use whatever you like)
8 cups water * see note below
3 tablespoon vegetable oil (I like using olive oil for it’s sort of nutty taste)

Note:

– It’s easier to add more salt if necessary than remove excess salt. So at the end, do taste to see if there’s enough to your liking. It took me a few tries of making this before I got the salt just right. I added too much at the start and had to work with salty dhal. So take my advice and start with a little and add accordingly. BTW for some reason this goes a bit more salty when it cools down.

– I started with 8 cups of water, but if you find that it becomes overly thick, feel free to add more.

Sort out the split peas and lentils to ensure there’s no foreign particles between them (I’ve seen twigs and pebbles at times), then give it a good wash with cool water and drain. Also get the other ingredients ready.

In a large pot, put the water to heat and when it comes to a boil, add everything except 1/2 the garlic and the oil (including the split peas and lentils). Bring back up to a boil, then lower to the most gentle simmer you can get. Now place the lid on the pot slightly ajar and allow this to cook for about 80 minuets or until the split peas are tender and starts to dissolve. If you have a pressure cooker, this will only take about 15 minutes or so.

You will be required to stir occasionally and do remove any sort of build up which may float to the top of the pot.

After the 80 minutes both the lentils and split peas should be tender but still keeping it’s shape. We’ll now use a wire whisk or swizzle stick as you’ll see in the picture below and give it a good whisk. This will break down most of the peas and give the dhal and nice thick consistency. I’m sure you can use one of those electric submersion blender, but try not to overwork it r risk having a sort of frothy final dish (see note above regarding water)

Turn off the heat from the dhal and in a small frying pan heat the olive oil, then add the remaining sliced of garlic. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes, until you start seeing the edges of the garlic start to go a dark brown.

This final step you must show some caution as we’ll be adding that hot oil to the pot with the split peas and lentils that we cooked down. I usually use the lid of the pot as a shield when pouring in the heated oil/garlic mixture to the pot. So with one hand I have the lid protecting my body and the other, the frying pan with the oil. Pour and then give the entire pot a good stir. now check to see if there’s enough salt to your liking.

This will be enough for about 4 people if you’re drinking it as a soup, but if you’re having it with rice and something else (like curry chicken or tomato choka), you’ll have enough for about 6-8 people. I usually freeze portions in freezer containers and heat them up the next time I have a craving. So far I’ve had them last in excess of a month in the freezer. When it’s time to reheat, I free it from the container add a little water to a pot and put it on a very gentle heat to thaw. I guess you could also use the microwave.

Before you go I’d love for you to leave me a comment below… it’s appreciated (even if it’s just to say hello). Remember you can always connect with us on Facebook and watch the cooking videos on our Caribbean Cooking Channel.

Happy Cooking

Chris…

Site News

Spreading The Culinary Culture Of The Caribbean – St Croix Food and Wine Experience.

May 28, 2025May 6, 20115 Comments

It was a cold winter’s night back in December when while doing a “viewing” of a Thai restaurant that was up for sale, my friend turned to me and asked “will you be keeping the Thai menu?” To which I answered NO! The plan is to have a Caribbean menu. It’s been my dream to add a little Caribbean sunshine to the culinary delights which our city seems to hunger for. Especially during those cold winter evenings when the temperature hit’s – 15 C. His response was not what I expected – “but what will you serve, you guys don’t have many dishes!” He (tried) explained… all you have is roti, curry goat/chicken, jerk and rice and peas. I kinda took offense to his remark, but I knew where he was coming from. The average Canadian exposure to Caribbean food, is the limited menu those take out Caribbean restaurants serve. Yes, some sort of curry with roti or jerk with rice and peas. Don’t get me wrong, I’m VERY proud of those dishes, but it’s pains me to know that our rich culinary heritage is not really showcased as so many other cultures in North America (Italian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian, Asian etc).

So where am I going with this post?

When my friend Steve @ UncommonCaribbean.com sent me a copy of a cookbook he contributed to, I figured it was your typical cookbook and it sat on the far right corner on my desk for a couple weeks. It’s only after I saw Caron going through it (isn’t funny how we show interest in things only after someone else is using it) that I decided to see what Mr Bennett was up to…

St Croix Food And Wine Experience – A Culinary Guide To The Island Featuring More Than 100 recipes From Island and Celebrity Chefs.

Yes, there’s a recipe for roti with sweet potato and chickpea filling, but that’s where the typical Caribbean food begins and ends in this masterly crafted book. Masterly Crafted? Hear me out…

This is a comprehensive look at not only a list of interesting recipes with instructions for you to follow and hopefully be successful at recreating, but you’re taken on historic trip of St Croix and I especially love the section dedicated to long tradition of rum making on the island. What can I say.. I’m an island boy who appreciates a good rum (hold the coke) ever so often.

The Recipes – On this blog I try to relive more of the traditional foods I grew up with on the islands and the feedback I get from the 1000’s of readers daily is always positive. But as a foodie I also enjoy trying new and exciting dishes, so maybe this is why I love the sort of fusion twist the recipes presented take. You have the “Lime and Coconut Ceviche, with ginger and fresh fish. Then there’s the Pig Foot Cake (yea not the most appealing when you read it out loud… but sounds very interesting when you go through the ingredients etc) with egg and fois gras torchon. If you know anything about Caribbean people you’d know that “wasting” is not an option, so pig feet or trotters are used in many delicious ways. So to see the humble pig feet paired with fois gras, was somewhat exciting for me. But I could not contain myself (will be trying it this weekend) when I saw the Mango rum Pulled Pork recipe. I’ll definitely share that one with you guys in the upcoming weeks.

Crucian Painkiller – wicked name for a drink and from the sound of things – seems like a must try! In the section of the book dedicated to ‘beverages” you’ll find a lovely mix of classic cocktails and an an assortment of drinks I’m sure you’ve never tried. Here’s your chance to be the star bartender at your BBQ this summer with drinks which will impress all your guests.

Speaking about rum and cocktails… I’m not a wine drinker and I’ve been known to say that wine drinkers are phonies. I guess that’s the typical comment when you don’t know much about something. We were in Trinidad and Tobago for carnival a couple years ago and my sister had friends visiting from Switzerland who were not only amazing at preparing ‘fancy’ meals, but they were very knowledgeable when it came to wines. They tried to give me a quick lesson, but my mind was on one thing at that point- Carnival. Wasted opportunity I guess!

If you’re anything like me and would like to learn more about wine, especially when it comes to Caribbean food, you’ll love the chapter dedicated to just this. “Wine In The Tropics” A Simple Guide To Pairing Wine With Caribbean Cuisine”. I’m no wine aficionado now, but I have a foundation to build on and I’m confident enough to hit the specialty wine section of the liquor store without being intimidated when the clerks comes around asking questions etc.

This treasure is broken down into several sections as do all cookbooks …Wine, Beverages, Appetizers, Soups and Stews, Entrees, Vegetarian (yup they though about everyone’s choice) and desserts. And there’s the “meet the chefs” section, where you get to know the chefs who contributed on a more personal level. So you get a sort of insight as to where the inspiration came from for the recipes they present.

Can you tell I love this book? Steve, if you’re reading this my friend THANKS for sending me the copy (next time can you hit me a little autograph?) You guys did the island of St Croix very proud by the way you captured the true essence of the Caribbean in words , pictures and with island vibe we all love.

How do I get a copy of the St Croix Food and Wine Experience?

Click on the image below or click here to learn more about the book and to try and reserve a copy.

Before I go, I’d like to announce the winner (sorry for the delay in making this announcement) of the Italian cookbook giveaway for the month of April.

WINNER!

It’s with great pleasure we call on Anandi Beharrysingh to contact us with your mailing address! You’ve been chosen the official winner of the “Pasta Step By Step” cookbook. Please contact us with your details so we can rush this out to you. We’d like to thank everyone who participated and hope that you’ll take part in the new giveaway we’ll be doing early next week. Trust me! You’ll love the next prize we have up for grabs. Shims, I almost forgot… thanks to my sexy assistant who helped with the draw!

Seafood

Steamed Fish With Cabbage And Ochro.

March 5, 2012April 26, 201126 Comments

Here’s another dish we tore-up while on our Jamaican trek a few weeks ago. As a youth on the islands I enjoyed fish three ways.. curried, stew and in fish broth. Non of which was an easy sell for our to get us to eat. So this steamed fish was new to me… especially when I saw it being served with crackers and bammy (cassava flat bread). At first seeing a fish that looked as if it was boiled and with no real color to it, was not all that appealing to me. However after the first bite I could only think “I was missing out all these years”.

It was day 5 into our 1 week vacation and we were out about town in Portmore around 11 pm, when we decided on having fish tea. But that only sparked our appetite and we ended up with plates platters of massive steamed red snapper. The most exciting yet funny thing about this meal was the fact that you’re led to a huge fridge with freshly caught fish and you have the opportunity to choose which fish you want cooked. So there we were standing in front of this sort of chest fridge and it was my turn to choose a fish. The red snappers were huge and I knew I would struggle to finish one, but the next option were parrot fish. Have you ever seen a parrot fish? There was no way way I could eat something so beautiful. I didn’t say I couldn’t eat that pretty fish (though they were the perfect size), so I settled for the big-ass red snapper.

Here’s my take on this classic Jamaican steamed fish dish.

You’ll Need…

1 lime or lemon
2 fish (about 1 lb each)
2 cups fish stock (or water)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (divided)
1 1/2 cups cabbage
10 ochro
1 1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic (see note below)
6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 scallions (green onions)
2 medium tomato
1/4 teaspoon salt

* I didn’t have any garlic, so I opted to use about 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Traditionally I’ve seen vinegar and some butter used in preparing this dish, however I’m no fan of vinegar and we could all do without the fat from the butter.

* I opted for Sea Bass, but a more sturdy fish like Red Snapper is better suited. Not only was the sea bass cheap (don’t ever go looking for fish around Good Friday at the market), it’s a nice mild fish which I find works well with the other ingredients in the recipe. The dish is not over-powered by a fishy taste.

Start by heating the fish stock or water in a fairly large pan (one with a cover) and allow to simmer. If you can’t get fish stock, try to get a package or 2 of fish tea. I suppose you can use vegetable stock as well if you wish. To that we’ll add the ochro (okra) which we trimmed the stems off and cut in half. We also gave the onion a rough chop and added it to the simmering stock, as well as the chopped cabbage. Place the lid on the pan and allow to reduce for about 5-7 minutes on low heat.

Place your fish in a large bowl (I assume you already have it cleaned), squeeze the juice of the lime or lemon over the fish, then rinse off with cool water and drain. We’ll now chop the scallions into halves, then keep the green ends about 4-5 inches or so and dice the remaining pieces. Fine chop the 1/2 of scotch bonnet or habanero pepper and rinse off the thyme under cool water, but keep intact (on the sprig). You’ll notice that I trimmed the gills, fin and tail off my fish.. I can’t stand seeing those things on the fish when I’m eating it.

If your fish is not cut down the middle of the belly, do so, so we can stuff it with the seasoning. Take about 3 sprigs of thyme, 1/2 of the scallions (greens), 1/2 of the chopped scotch bonnet pepper and a dash of black pepper and stuff the cavity of each fish. In the pics you’ll notice that I forgot to make a couple cuts along the sides of the fish (I did so later on). Please do so now so the fish will cook faster and the flavors will absorb nicely into the fish itself.

Now add the chopped tomato, garlic (or garlic powder), the rest of the black pepper and the seasoned fish into the pot. You may need to make room so the fish sit deep as possible in the pot. Give the pot a shake and spoon some of that rich broth we created over each fish. Bring to a boil, place the whole scotch bonnet on top, then reduce the heat to a simmer and close the lid. Let this cook for about 10 minutes. Remember to add the salt and near the end do taste to see if you need more. The fish stock I used had salt in it already, so that accounted for some of the salt in the overall dish. Do adjust accordingly.

As I mentioned above, this steamed fish is usually served with crackers and/or bammy, but I was quite full with one of these, some of the ochro and cabbage. Before I go I encourage you to join us on Face Book, Twitter and do check out the cooking videos. Yea.. leave me your comments below – it’s always appreciated!

Before you go calling me a wuss, take look at how pretty this fishy is…

Gadget

Bodum Fyrkat Portable Charcoal Grill – Gadget Of The Week.

March 5, 2012April 21, 20116 Comments

If you live in northern climates as I do, you’ll know excited one gets when winter is at an end and spring showers promises the warmth of summer. Don’t get me wrong, snow and bitter cold will not prevent me from venturing outside to crank up the propane BBQ and get my grilling on. But as far as charcoal goes… that’s a summertime tradition. Especially when doing picnics in the parks and by the beach (well… lake side). If you’re fortunate enough to live in the Caribbean or anywhere where you don’t have to deal with cold winters, power to you!

Nothing beats that lovely smoked flavor you get from cooking over coals and no matter how hard you try, you could never duplicate it on a gas grill. I’ve tried, with packets of wood chips etc, with no real success. Don’t even bother with those liquid smoke crap they sell!

Introducing The Bodum Fyrkat Portable Charcoal Grill…

Not really designed for the kitchen, but it will work great on your back porch or backyard grilling area. This 13.4-inch grill is for cooking whole fish, steaks for 4, chicken, pork and more in the great outdoors. The compact design is for easy car transport to the picnic and for grilling on small balconies. The enamel-coated steel construction for corrosion- and scratch-resistance and easy, scrub-free cleaning makes keeping the grill looking great super simple. It features a latching lid which makes it easy to pick up the grill and carry with one hand and keeps charcoal contained during transport.

Imagine the impression you’ll make when you start grilling some tasty island style chicken or how about some pork marinated in some wicked Jamaican jerk marinade. Compact, sturdy, roomy for it’s size and available is many striking colors, you’ve got to get one of these Bodum Fyrkat Portable Charcoal Grills.

Bodum Fyrkat Portable Charcoal Grill Features…

– 13.4-inch grill for cooking whole fish, steaks for 4, jerk chicken, and more in the great outdoors
– Compact design for easy car transport to the picnic and for grilling on small balconies
– Enamel-coated steel construction for corrosion- and scratch-resistance and easy, scrub-free cleaning
– Latching lid makes it easy to pick up the grill and carry with one hand and keeps charcoal contained during transport
– Uses charcoal for true barbecue flavor; measures 15.4 by 15.4 by 11.5 inches; 1-year warranty

To own one of these beautifully designed portable charcoal grills, click here >>> Bodum Fyrkat Portable Charcoal Grill I’ve used my one countless times and I’m quite pleased by the results I get every time I BBQ.. so too our friends. See if you can guess which color I got!

Happy cooking!

Chris…

p.s. Forget meats for a minute.. imagine the rich taste you get when you roast tomato or eggplant (baigan) over open flames just before you make an extra spicy choka! I bet you could also easily roast a breadfruit on this baby.

Vegetarian

A Delectable Trinidad Corn Soup Recipe.

November 12, 2014April 18, 201173 Comments

I think it was about 6 years ago when for my birthday, we (my sister and I) surprised our parents with a visit down the islands. That visit marked the first time in about 15 years that my mom had all of her children in the country at the same time. My sister who lives in Trinidad knew of our planned visit, but my mom, dad and brother (who now lives in NY) didn’t – Yea! it was a good birthday gift for me… to all be under one roof. On that trip, we spent a couple days on the sister island of Tobago and one night while out a bar called “Shade” I recall my sister asking me if I’d like a cup of corn soup. Corn Soup? I had been away from the islands too long. I had no clue what corn soup was and I’ll be honest, a soup made from corn was not appealing to me. Long story short… it was another 3 years later that I had my first cup of corn soup. That one was from a street vendor around the savanna in Port Of Spain late one night.

Normally I like my soups with some sort of meat in it and there are times when I use salted pig tails in making this dish, but this time we’ll go strictly vegetarian. FYI – corn soup is one of those hearty meals on the go, you get after fetes (party / night club) and a meal that’s made it’s way into the fabric of good street food on the islands.

You’ll Need…

2-3 corn on the cob
2 tablespoon chopped shado beni (substitute – cilantro)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon chopped chives
3 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoon parsley
1 cup yellow split peas
1 scotch bonnet pepper (any hot pepper you like)
3 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 large sweet potato cubed
4 medium potato (I used Yukon gold) cubed
1 lb pumpkin (about 1 1/2 cups) cubed
1 can coconut milk (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can creamed corn
1 large carrot diced
EDIT: Seems I forgot to list the 1 cup of celery (special thanks to Renata for pointing this out)

* If you’re making this with salted pig tails, remember to pre-boil the pigtail first to remove some of the salt, and you may not need any added salt in the soup itself. The remaining salt from the pig tail will be enough to flavour the entire dish.

For the dumplings…

– 3/4 cup flour
– pinch of salt
– pinch of sugar
– water *

* Add 2-3 tablespoon water when making the dough for the dumplings and add more as necessary. You’re trying to achieve a firm dough.

Start by preparing the vegetables for the dish. Peel, cut, chop, cube etc. You’ll notice in the pic below that I cut the scotch bonnet into pieces, this is because I love the heat. Feel free to leave it whole in the dish and remove after cooking, if you’re concerned about the heat level. I also add the sprigs of thyme whole, but later in the cooking process I’ll fish them out of the pot.

With the cobs of corn all you have to do is clean them, rinse under cool water and cut into 1 inch pieces.

* I encountered a problem with my camera while putting this recipe together, so I do apologize for the lack of pics depicting the steps as I normally do.

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat, then add the diced onions, garlic, celery, herbs and hot pepper (see my note about the pepper above). Let that saute for a couple minutes, then add the split peas and stir well. Now add everything else mentioned in the ingredients list above, except the pieces of corn and dumplings. Bring that up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 70 minutes. The idea is to cook the split peas and allow everything else to cook-down and melt away into a lovely thick soup. Leave the pot slightly ajar and remember to keep stirring the pot.

After the 70 minutes, go ahead and add the pieces of corn and dumplings. Allow that to come back up to a boil and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes. Remember to keep stirring the pot and if you notice that it’s overly thick, feel free to add more water of vegetable stock if you have.

Here’s how simple it is to make the flour dumplings.

Basically all you’re doing is making a dough from the ingredients listed above, then allow that to sit for about 10 minutes. Then pinch off small pieces of the dough and roll that into small cigars using both hands.

NOTE: I’ve seen people add the sweet potato, pumpkin and potato later in he cooking process so it’s doesn’t melt away too much. But I like putting everything in the pot and allowing it to do it’s thing. Not only do I cube the potatoes and pumpkin rather large, I love my soup thick and rely on these ingredients melting away.

This makes enough soup that could easily fill 4 adults as a main course, and about 6-8 people as a starter. I encourage you to give this recipe a try as it’s very simple to follow along and it makes for a very hearty and tasty soup your entire family will love. Especially if you’re based in colder climates and you’re looking for something to warm you up on those cold winter nights. Or maybe you’re having a party this summer and you’d like to do as we do in Trinbago and have some soup for after the main festivities.

Before you go, don’t forget to connect with us on Face Book, Twitter and do check out the cooking videos.

Share your thoughts below… maybe you have a different way of making this soup that you’d like to share? All comments are appreciated.

Seafood

The Ultimate Ackee And Saltfish Recipe.

November 3, 2014April 14, 2011218 Comments

As many of you know, there’s been several “Ultimate” dishes I’ve shared in the past and I’d like to add this Ackee and Saltfish dish to that list of amazing meals. We were fortunate to have visited Jamaica a few weeks ago and even more lucky to have our friend’s mom cook us a traditional breakfast while we were at their home in Portmore. I have to confess that it was my first experience with ackee and saltfish and how quickly did I fall in love with this, the national dish of Jamaica.

I don’t ever recall seeing any ackee trees or even hearing about eating it while growing up in Trinidad and Tobago (have to ask my dad the next time we chat), but I assure you that it would make a great addition to our rich landscape and I know it would quickly become a hit on many breakfast tables throughout the twin island republic.

In this recipe I’m using canned ackee, but I assure you that though it’s very delicious, it cannot compare to the fresh ackee that was prepared for us. (BTW, do you know that in Ontario, we pay in excess of $11 a can for ackee? That’s over $72 TT or $970 Jamaican dollars) Really have to go plant some trees and cash in on this.

You’ll Need…

1 can ackee (use fresh if you have – about 2 cups)
1/3 lb saltfish – boneless/skinless (salted cod or other)
1 medium onion sliced
1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
fresh thyme (couple sprigs)
1 medium tomato cubed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil (see note below)
2 scallions
1/4 medium sweet bell pepper
2 cloves garlic

Note: I like using olive oil, but you can use vegetable oil or butter as I’ve seen some people do. Since we’ll be using salted fish, there’s no need for any salt in this dish. Finally, if using canned ackee as I did, do handle with care or it will break-up easily and become “mush”.

Start by putting the dry salted fish to boil in a pot on high heat, then simmer for about 20 minutes (you can also soak in cold water overnight before boiling if you wish). I try my best to get the boneless/skinless saltfish as it makes for less work. After boiling drain, rinse under cool water and squeeze dry. Now break apart into the size pieces you like. I’ve seen people use a fork to sort of shred the saltfish, but I find that I like the texture of large flakes. Also, this allows me to actually taste the saltfish when eating.

While the saltfish was boiling to remove the excess salt that is was cured in (also re-hydrates and tenderizes the fish), I prepared the ingredients that we’ll be using in this dish.

In a large sauce pan, heat the oil on medium heat (or if want you can use butter or margarine), I love the flavour the cold press extra virgin olive oil gives to this dish. Then add the garlic, sliced onions and scotch bonnet pepper. Allow that to cook for a couple minutes (until the onion softens up a bit), then add the sweet pepper (bell pepper) scallion, black pepper, and thyme. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes, then add the pieces of saltfish and cook for another 3-5 minutes. To prevent the tomato becoming too mushy, I now add it to the sauce pan and let it warm through for about a minute or two. Remember to stir, so all the ingredients get a chance to marry and explode with spectacular flavor.

Now is time to add the star of the show. Now here’s the thing about canned ackee.. it’s VERY fragile. So after I open the can, I pour everything into a strainer and run cold water over it. Just to remove that liquid it’s been packed in. After this drains, I add it to the saucepan with everything else, but I DON’T stir with a spoon. I use two forks and gently toss it with the other ingredients. The trick is not to break it apart, or you’ll end up with a huge pot of mush. After adding the ackee, it takes a minute or two for it to heat through and absorb all those wonderful layers of flavor we built.

It’s amazing how simple, yet tasty this dish is. Very similar to the tomato and saltfish we make in Trinbago, except you add the ackee which gives it a unique taste and texture. It looks very much like scrambled eggs, but I assure you that no scramble eggs will ever taste like this.

That lovely morning outside Kingston we had boiled green banana (green fig), yam, dumplings and some of the best bread I’ve ever had (hard dough) and we washed it all down with a piping hot cup of Milo sweetened with my favorite… condensed milk.

WIN! CONTEST! WIN!

It’s that time again – we’re giving away the following cookbook (see above) to one lucky person for the month of April. All you have to do is leave me a comment in the comments section below (please say something about this recipe) and your name will be automatically entered to win this amazing cookbook, highlighting the art of mastering pasta dishes. Yup! Not Caribbean, but a wonderful way to learn some Italian cooking with easy step by step recipes. There are two bonus ways you can have your name entered in the contest, giving you 3 chances at winning. Along with leaving a comment below, go to the Facebook fan page and/or the Youtube cooking channel and leave a comment there. I don’t care what your comment is, but it would be nice if you could tell me what you like about Caribbean food and if the recipes I share are helpful.

Here are the rules pertaining to winning the copy of “Pasta Step By Step Cookbook”…

– contest is open to everyone globally

– there are 3 ways to enter your name (see above)

– 1 winner will be chosen at random (if you left 3 comments, your name will be entered 3 times)

– contest is open from April 14 – to midnight April 30.

– winner will be announced within 1 week of the official close date.

– the winner will have 1 week to contact us with mailing address

– we will cover all shipping expenses (standard mail)

I hope you take a moment to enter your name as I’d really like to mail this cookbook out to you. It’s simple, free and a great way to experiment with some Italian cooking. Good luck to everyone who enters.

Happy cooking

Chris…

Chris De La Rosa

Sweet Spicy Sour Tambran Balls.

Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker – Gadget Of The Week.

Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC

CLICK HERE >> Get your very own Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker ICE-30BC

Sancoche, Memories Of A Bush Cook.

The Ultimate Jerk Pork Recipe.

You’ll Need…

Then you’ll need…

— Winner Wanted!—

Pommecythere Amchar Talkari.

Coconut Drops With Your Tea.

Lentils And Split Peas Dhal

Spreading The Culinary Culture Of The Caribbean – St Croix Food and Wine Experience.

St Croix Food And Wine Experience – A Culinary Guide To The Island Featuring More Than 100 recipes From Island and Celebrity Chefs.

How do I get a copy of the St Croix Food and Wine Experience?

WINNER!

Steamed Fish With Cabbage And Ochro.

Bodum Fyrkat Portable Charcoal Grill – Gadget Of The Week.

Introducing The Bodum Fyrkat Portable Charcoal Grill…

Bodum Fyrkat Portable Charcoal Grill Features…

A Delectable Trinidad Corn Soup Recipe.

Here’s how simple it is to make the flour dumplings.

The Ultimate Ackee And Saltfish Recipe.

WIN! CONTEST! WIN!

Here are the rules pertaining to winning the copy of “Pasta Step By Step Cookbook”…