Chris De La Rosa, Author at CaribbeanPot.com

Couple weeks back when we were on vacation in Trinidad we took the drive “down south” (San Fernando, the second largest city in Trinidad and Tobago) to enjoy some BBQ. Last February when we went down for Carnival I had mentioned to my sister that I felt like eating some good island BBQ so she took us down to Cipero in San Fernando to eat at a BBQ joint run by some Muslims. I’ve now been there 2 times and I’m still to remember the name… the food is so good you tend to blank everything else out!

This BBQ recipe for chicken is not like the one we enjoyed while we were there, however it’s very tasty as it’s infused with many of the typical seasonings we use when cooking meat on the islands. BTW, if you know the BBQ joint I’m speaking about, do leave me a comment below so I can tell others the name.

* You have 2 options when making this BBQ chicken. You can precook it as I’ve done, or you can let it marinate for a couple hours (be sure to make some cuts in the thickest part of the chicken) and grill directly on a medium heat grill. I would even recommend that you grill it a bit on indirect heat to avoid flare-ups. Remember if you don’t precook the chicken it will take much longer to cook on the grill.

Note: If you’re feeding the average Trinbagonian BBQ chicken (any BBQ meat) it’s important to note that we don’t want to see any “red” or “pink”. It’s an immediate turn-off and we probably won’t eat it. However over the years I’ve learned to appreciate a medium done steak.. still trying to convince my dad that it’s good tasting like that.

You’ll Need…

7 chicken legs with back attached. (or about 3-5 lbs chicken pieces)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon thyme
1 scallion chopped
2-3 tablespoon shado beni (or chopped cilantro)
1-2 leaves of Spanish thyme minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes (or fresh sliced scotch bonnet/habanero pepper)
dash of black pepper
1 table spoon ketchup
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 pimento pepper
1 medium onion rough chopped
1 tomato diced
2 cloves galic.
1 lime

* You’ll need about 1 cup of your favourite BBQ sauce.

Note: I didn’t have the items in “bold” above, so I used a tablespoon of the prepared green seasoning paste I have handy in my fridge. it’s made up of basically the same thing.

Start by trimming off any excess fat or skin from the chicken and wash with the juice of the lime (or lemon) and water (drain). Then place in a fairly large pot and toss in all the ingredients mentioned above. On medium to low heat, cover and allow to simmer (gentle) for about 30 minutes. Please ensure it’s a very low simmer as we don’t want to over-boil the chicken pieces. Stir every 10 minutes or so.

You will notice that there will be a lot of liquid formed during simmering. Remove the chicken pieces (dump out the remainign liquid from the pot) and get the grill ready for the final step (the chicken will not look all at that appealing at this point). Try to get the BBQ at about 300 degrees and start grilling the chicken. Since the chicken is already cooked, this point is just to get the meat firm, add some colour and flavour from the BBQ sauce.

In the pic above you’ll notice that I have the pan with my BBQ sauce and brush sitting on the BBQ. This allows the sauce to heat up so I don’t brush cold sauce onto the chicken pieces. Within 10-15 minutes your chicken will be ready. Just remember to flip a few times and brush with BBQ sauce to give it all that wonderful sticky BBQ goodness.

Back to that BBQ joint on Cipero Street in San Fernando… I would recommend that you stick with the chicken (comes with fries and salad) as I’ve found that the beef and lamb is very tough. And do be careful with the hot sauce that’s provided. If you can’t tolerate much heat, don’t try to follow the locals and pour in a ton of hot sauce. You’re just asking for pain then 🙂 And do try the sort of garlic mayo they have as well.

Happy Cooking

Chris…

Vegetarian

Seasoned breakfast potato wedges.

March 5, 2012October 18, 200926 Comments

Caron’s been asking me to make this for her quite some time now and when I finally got around to making it, I realized that she had come from working nights and would be sleeping in. So like any responsible adult I devoured it with other breakfast fixings so it didn’t go to waste. I must have been about 7 years old when I first had these seasoned fries. I was sleeping over at my Uncle’s place and my cousin (he was older) decided that since we didn’t have chicken to fry we would season the fries and pretend we were eating chicken. Now there’s no substitute for delicious fried chicken, but these fries were amazing. The liking for these fries stayed with me right into my adult life. Funny thing is I don’t ever recall making it for our girls, but Tehya did have some and she too is now hooked.

I made these into chunky wedges, but you can cut the potato to any size or shape you like and follow the recipe for wonderful seasoned fresh cut fries.

* Here is the recipe for the green seasoning we’ll be using.

You’ll Need…

4 medium/large potatoes (I like Yukon Gold)
Salt to taste
Dash of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon green seasoning mix.
Oil for deep frying

Peel and cut the potatoes into chunky wedges, rinse with water to remove some of the starchy residue off them and pat dry with a paper towel. Then in a bowl add the potato wedges, a dash of salt and black pepper and mix in the green seasoning. Allow this to marinate for about 10-15 minutes.

Now it’s time to deep fry as you normally would. I used a faily deep frying pan with about 4-5 cups of vegetable oil over medium to high heat. Once hot I slowly placed the potato wedges (I did mine in 2 batches) into the hot oil. Beware of hot oil splattering onto you. Allow this cook until you get to the desired golden brown colour you like. Can take about 8-12 minutes depending on how big your chunks of potato are and the temperature of your oil.

Remove, drain on paper towels to absorb some of the excess oil and toss with a bit of salt (to taste). Serve as part of your breakfast or on it’s own.

Maybe you have a different way of making seasoned fries you’d like to share? Leave me you comments below.

Happy Cooking

Chris…

Pong-up yam with saltfish!

March 5, 2012October 15, 200915 Comments

For those of you not familiar with the Trinbagonian accent… “pong” simply refers to “pound”. So basically we’ll be pounding or mashing the yam in cooked salted cod and other ingredients to bring out the true essence of this wonderful “country” dish. This dish may have different names such as “yam choka” or “yam talkari”, but to me it’s pong up yam with saltfish. Besides using saltfish to flavour this recipe, I recall my mom also using left over stew pork as well. Usually this is a dish we would enjoy the day after we’ve had ground provisions. My mom would take the leftover pieces of yam, along with the saltfish or stew pork that was part of the original meal and cook it together for us to eat sada roti or fry bake with. Since I’m a novice at making roti (just waiting to get a good food processor that will help me make the dough), I make it into an entire meal and enjoy with a couple slices of zaboca (avocado).

Note: The yam I’m using in this recipe is NOT the type of sweet yams you get and use around Thanksgiving time in North America and will not come in a can. This yam is the real deal and makes up what we call ground provisions in the Caribbean. Also note that there are many varieties of this yam, including “Finger”, “Kush Kush” and “Juba” to name a few. All of which is rather soft when cooked and is fairly white in colour. However I’ve been to the local Caribbean grocers and have come across some varieties that comes from Jamaica (sort of a yellow yam) that very hard when cooked. I personally think that variety will not work with this recipe, as it it will be to hard when boiled.

Final yam note… this yam my dad purchased at an Asian store in Toronto for me, but I don’t know if it’s actually Asian in nature or actually African. I do know that unlike most yams from the Caribbean, this one cooks (gets soft when boiled) very fast and has a wonderful texture when cooked.

You’ll Need…

1-2 lbs of yam (not the yams you have for Thanksgiving in North America)
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion sliced
dash of black pepper
4-6 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 hot pepper (habanero or scotch bonnet) optional
1/8 of a green bell pepper diced small (sweet pepper)
4 oz salted fish (cod is great for this recipe)

Place the salted cod in a fairly deep bowl and cover with boiling water to remove the extra salt it was cured in. Allow this to soak for a few minutes until it’s cool enough for you to work with. In the meantime, peel the yam (see video below) and cut into pieces. Try to ensure that all the pieces are the same size so they all finish cooking at the same time. Rinse off the pieces of yam under cool water and place in a deep pot. The pot must be deep enough for water to cover the pieces of yam when boiling. Now place the pot over med-high heat and bring to a boil. When it starts boiling add the salt and turn down to the heat to a steady simmer/boil.

* Depending on the variety of yam you used and when that yam was harvested (if it’s harvested too early it will affect the cooking time) the time it takes to cook will vary. With the yam I used, it was cooked in under 15 minutes, but with normal Caribbean yam it won’t be done for at least 20 minutes +. Here’s how to test the yam to know if it’s fully cooked. Run a sharp knife through the pieces and if there’s no resistance, it means it’s done.

After you’ve tested that the yam is cooked (it will be soft, but firm) drain the water out and set it aside as we get ready for the next step. By now the hot water we poured over the salted fish should be cool. Drain that water, rinse with a new batch of cool water and squeeze off any excess water. The next step is to rip the fish into small pieces. I don’t think I mentioned it above, but I purchased the boneless type of salted fish.

In the same bowl you have the pieces of slated fish, add the sliced onion, hot pepper, black pepper and bell pepper.

Then in a fairly large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the fish and all the other ingredients and allow it to cook for about 6 minutes. Remember to stir occasionally.

The final step is to pour in the cooked yam and crush it, then stir to allow all the ingredients to combine. I used a wooden “pounder” (pestle) that I have, but you can also use a potato masher as well. If you don’t have either, simply use the back of your cooking spoon to mash or crush the yam pieces. It’s important that you stir often and prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. Cook for a couple minutes (until everything is blended) and serve hot.

As mentioned above this is amazing as a side for roti or fry bake and just as great all on it’s own.

Do remember to leave me your comments and if you’re on Facebook feel free to add me as your friend: Connect With Chris On Facebook.

Here’s a video I did a while back showing you how to peel yams…

Meat & Poultry

A Traditional “Trini” Thanksgiving Turkey?

May 27, 2025October 14, 200920 Comments

When in Rome! Yes, this past Monday was turkey day in Canada and as any good Canadian (I have the people passport) I prepared a turkey for dinner as we’ve done since our girls were born. This is part of their culinary culture and I/we try my best to give them a balanced education and experience as far as their multi-cultural heritage is concerned. My experience with turkeys as a child was the “big chicken” that moved around our yard that me and my brother were warned not to pelt with stones (we tested our mom). If I recall correctly, one of my dad’s friends gave him 3 turkeys and from that we had about 8 running around the yard for a few years. Still don’t remember what happened to them, since I don’t ever recall eating turkey until I came to North America. BTW one of the best animal fights I’ve ever witnessed was two male turkeys at war! Must have been over one of the females in the yard.

I’m no expert at roasting turkey and I don’t get into the whole “make it a production” as most North Americans do when it’s Thanksgiving. However, I do get compliments even though I cheat when it comes to the stuffing. But I do add a little twist that makes the boxed stuffing delightful.

Though I don’t recall roasted (bake) turkey being among the common dishes enjoyed on the islands, it’s enjoyed in our home so I thought I’d share my recipe with you. BTW, my mom makes a deadly stew (like our stew chicken, beef, pork etc) with turkey wings and drumsticks which I’ll share in the months to come.

You’ll Need..

1 Turkey (the one I used was about 6 kilos – about13 lbs)
2 cups diced celery
1 large onion chopped in large pieces
2 carrots chopped in larger pieces
8-10 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 cups of chicken broth (low sodium)
Salt (depending on the size of the bird) ..I used about 1/2 teaspoon.
Black pepper – fresh ground works best (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 stick butter (soft)

For the stuffing (we’ll cheat)
1 box Paxo (Pepperidge Farms) – 227 g or 8 oz
300g pure pork sausage (just over 1/2 pound)
1 stalk celery (sliced thin)
dash of fresh black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley.

Before we begin I must mention that cooking a turkey is very simple and it should not scare you. The key is to have some patience and allow it to cook slowly in the oven. You will notice that there are many (probably hundreds) of recipes for roasting a turkey, but don’t get confused by all the different options. Find a recipe where the instructions are clear, the ingredients used are those you like (no sense making one with stuff you hate) and where you can add your own personal touch.

Let’s prepare the stuffing first. You’ll notice that I cheated and used a pre-packaged stuffing. I’m sure the made-from-scratch stuff is excellent, but we’ve found this brand to be tops in our books. Plus I add a few things which makes it a bit more than just a package stuffing mix.

Slice the stalk of celery in thin slices and chop about 1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsley which you’ll add to a bowl. Then dump in the stuffing mixture (usually bread crumbs and herbs like sage etc). Now follow the directions on the package. Except in my case I didn’t add the butter they suggested for a richer stuffing. Instead I added the pork sausage (meat), as well as a dash of fresh ground black pepper. You’re basically following the directions on the package, except you’re adding the extra ingredients I mentioned above. You won’t believe what a nice flavour and texture the sausage adds to the stuffing.. gives it some “body”.

Let’s get to the bird now…

Be sure that the turkey is at room temperature (you may have to thaw it overnight in the fridge, if you purchased a frozen bird) as you begin to prep it. Remove the giblets and neck (see inside the cavity or under the skin in the neck region), then rinse the bird under cool water and pat dry with a paper towel. It’s important that you pat it as dry as you can.

If the legs were secured when you first purchased it, detach it (usually held together with the skin from the tail or bottom area) so it’s easier to stuff. Be sure to drain out any water from the cavity area by holding over the sink, then using the stuffing we made earlier… stuff that sucka!

You’ll notice that I’ve gone back and secured the legs to keep it together as it roasts. I’ve also tucked the wings under the back to help give it a flat area so ti can rest evenly in the roasting pan. Here is a close up picture of how I tucked the wings under the back.

The next step is to (using your fingers) put pieces of the soft butter all over the turkey (with the turkey’s breast facing up, so it’s sitting on it’s back), then massage the butter all over all exposed skin, especially the breast area. this will help you achieve that golden brown colour when it’s all done cooking. A bit more work, but you can also work your fingers between the skin (breast area) and the meat and work some butter into that area. I didn’t do that method this time, but by placing the butter there, it supposedly gives you a more moist turkey. After you’ve worked the butter all over the bird, sprinkle on the salt and fresh ground black pepper. The butter will help it stick to the turkey.

Let’s get the roasting pan ready…. pre-heat the oven to 325. (remove all the upper racks from the oven, since you’ll be using the lowest rack)

Rough chop the celery, onion and carrots, then place on the bottom of the roasting pan along with the fresh thyme. This will form a bed for the turkey to rest on while roasting.Place the stuffed turkey on top of the cut vegetables then gently pour in the 2 cups of chicken broth. Feel free to toss in the neck into the pan if you have room (providing you like the neck).

Tip: To avoid the legs and breast going too dark (early) you can rip some aluminum foil and place it over those areas. Then remove it the final 30 minutes of cooking.

Tip: If you don’t have a roasting pan with a lid like I used, use an open roasting pan but be sure to tent it with aluminum foil. This will aviod the bird getting burnt during the long baking period (also helps self baste it) Remove the tent the final 30 minutes of so to help it achieve that golden brown colour. If you find that it’s taking a long time to get to the desired colour you like, do what I did and turn up the heat in the oven. But be sure to keep a close eye on things, as it can become very dark quickly.

I’ve read that there’s never been any real proof that basting the turkey helps with keeping the final product moist, but it’s the way I learned to do it so I try to follow that technique. If you choose to baste, using a baster or spoon every 30 minutes pour some of the broth from the bottom of the pan over the turkey.

If you purchased a packaged turkey there should be cooking times posted on the packaging. You can also roast 18 minutes for every pound. As you can see you’ll need at least 3 hours for a fully cooked, golden brown and succulent turkey. I’ve also noticed (and used) the turkeys that come from the grocery store with a thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the breast. When it reaches the desired temperature it pops out to let you know that the turkey is fully cooked. Cheating? Not really, just being smart!

When the turkey is done please don’t rush to carve it. give it some time to cool and rest a bit. Then scoop out the remaining juices at the bottom of the pan (strain off the vegeables) and make into a rich gravy.

Remember to scoop out the stuffing! Leave me your comments and/or suggestions in the area provided below.

Happy Cooking

Chris…

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

A sensational pepper choka for the grown.

May 28, 2025October 10, 20096 Comments

I recall my mom making something similar as a young fella and being warned that I/we should not touch it due to the high pepper content. Like everything your parents didn’t want you to do.. you did. The overwhelming heat was simply unbearable as a youth and I did learn my lesson, however that was the start of my love affair with extremely hot peppers and sauces made from such peppers.

Note: This is not like other chokas you’ll find on here that’s part of a meal. This pepper choka is more of a pepper sauce which is added on the side (in very small quantities) to add a bit of flair to any dish as you would normally use hot sauce. I just love this as a side when I’m enjoying a steaming hot plate of chicken pelau.

You’ll Need…

12-14 green (but mature) habanero or scotch bonnet peppers.
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 medoum onion sliced thin
1/2 head of garlic (about 5 cloves)

* If you can’t source habanero or scotch bonet peppers or maybe the heat is too much for you, feel free to use any pepper with a bit of heat to them.

TIP: I highly recommend that you roast your peppers in an outdoor grill, since while roasting it will give out a very strong peppery scent that can overwhelm your home and even cause you to cough. If you’ve ever allowed water to run onto a plate with hotsauce, you’ll know what I mean when I say it will choke you and cause you to cough.

This is one of the simplest recipes you’ll find on here. Start by getting half a head of garlic and using a sharp knife, cut the end off (I’ll explain why later) Then using foil wrap, competely enclose the garlic (you’ll notice that I didn’t completely enclose mine in tin foil, but that was a mistake) and place it away from direct heat on the grill. Then place the peppers onto the grill on low to medium flame/heat.

Allow the peppers to roast/grill for about 15-20 minutes and be sure to turn them often so each side gets in contact with the grill and flames. You’re trying to char the skin as it gives the pepper a smoky flavour and somehow intensifies the heat of the pepper.

Allow the garlic to roast for about 25 minutes or so then remove. Remember how I asked you to cut the tips of the garlic (see pics above)? Now, with the cut tips facing a small bowl, gently squeeze the head of garlic (remember to allow it to cool a bit first), it should easily squirt our the lovely roasted flesh of the garlic. In the same bowl place the salt and roasted peppers. Remember to remove the stems from the pepper first. Then using a masher or in my case a “pounder” crush everything into a chunky paste. This is meant to be rustic, so don’t worry about crushing everything uniformly.

The next step is to place the thinly sliced onions on top of the now crushed peppers and garlic, then heat the oil on medium to high heat. When the oil starts to smoke, gently pour it over the onions and mix thoroughly. You’re done!

Tip! : Be sure to use a pair of disposable latex gloves (or any water proof gloves) when handling the hot peppers. The oil that’s released can and will irritate your skin.

Tip! : By roasting the garlic you’ll find that it gets a bit sweet and loses some of the true “garlicky” taste. If you looking for a more traditional pepper choka, don’t roast the garlic but only use about 2-3 crushed cloves.

Final Tip! Yes, you can use a food processor instead of pounding away as I did. But you’ll need to add a couple tablespoons of oil when processing the roasted peppers, garlic and salt. Then pour it into a bowl before adding the sliced onions and pouring the heated oil. Remember to keep you face/nose away from the container if you used a food processor. The smell will be VERY peppery.

Again, I must warn you that this is incredibly hot and should be used in moderation. This can be made and left out for a couple days, then store in a covered contained in the fridge. However there are 2 things you must know.. 1. When using from the fridge I recommend that you heat it in the microwave before serving to bring it back to it’s original state. 2. When stored in the fridge you will find that it will lose some of it’s heat. I’m not sure why this happens, but from experience I know it does.

So what do you think my mom said when I went against her wish and took some of the pepper choka she made? “Who doh hear does feel”! In typical Caribbean parenting way.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Curry Beef or Beef Curry?

February 2, 2021October 8, 200948 Comments

I do apologize for being an absent chef the past couple weeks. As mentioned in my last post we were off to Trinidad and Tobago for my sister’s wedding and for a short vacation. And though I had all intention to cook and blog while we were there, there was so much to see and do that I got side tracked. Plus, the MAC computer I had access to, didn’t allow for me to upload my pics via a card reader and I totally forgot to pack my firewire to connect the camera directly.

Curry beef is not something we grew up on, actually the first time I ever tasted curry beef was when I lived with my aunt after first moving to Canada. To date I can probably count the number of times I’ve had curry beef. Not as if I don’t like it, it’s just that I grew up with a taste for stew beef. Looks like I may have to cook this more often as both Indy and Tehya both enjoyed dinner tonight.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 lbs cubed beef
3/4 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon roasted Geera (powder)
2 table spoon curry powder (madras)
1 onion separated (1/2s) – diced
2-3 cloves of garlic – crushed/chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
2 cups water
1 tomato diced
1 tablespoon green seasoning
2 leaves of shado beni (shandon beni)
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/4 hot pepper (I use habanero) Don’t include seeds if you’re afraid of some heat.
1 lime or lemon (juice) to wash the cubed beef before seasoning

Tip: If you don’t have the green seasoning, simply use 1 scallion chopped, a pimento pepper if you have access to one, 1 table spoon thyme, 1 table spoon celery chopped fine, 2 tablespoons cilantro. NOTE: If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to read the label of the curry powder you plan on using to ensure it meets with your specific gluten free diet. Some curry powder contains flour as a filler.

Start by cutting the beef into 1 inch cubes and then pour the lime or lemon juice over it and rinse with running water. Squeeze off all excess water then season with the… tomato, salt, black pepper, green seasoning, 1/2 of the onion, ketchup, shando beni and roasted geera. Stir well and allow to marinate for about 1 hour.

In a heavy pot, heat the oil on medium to high heat (in the pic I’m using the new iron pot I purchased on my trip.. notice how shiny it is?), then add the remaining onion, garlic and pieces of hot pepper. Allow this to cook for a couple minutes. In the meantime, in a small bowl put the curry powder and add 2 table spoons of water. Stir to form a paste. Then add this paste to the semi cooked onion / garlic and allow this to cook for a few minutes.

Now that the curry is cooked a bit, start adding the seasoned pieces of beef and give it a good stir. Bring it to a boil, then cover and turn down the heat to low. You will notice that a lot of natural liquid will form. That’s ok, we’ll use those wonderful juices in the first step of cooking. After you’ve emptied the bowl with the seasoned beef, pour in the 2 cups of water into it and try to pick up all the remaining bits of seasoning… we’ll use this later on.

Allow this to cook for about 25 minutes covered, then remove the cover and turn the heat back up to high. we want to burn off all the liquid that was released. Stir so it doesn’t burn and when you can see the pot’s bottom dry, add the 2 cups of water we prepared earlier in the bowl that had the seasoned beef. Stir, bring to a boil and reduce the heat back to low. I like my curry beef very tender, so I usually allow it to cook for about another 40 minutes or so.

After the 40 minutes or so feel free to check for salt (you may need to add more if you like a lot of salt) and bring the gravy to a thickness you like. if you find that it’s still a bit runny, turn up the heat to allow it to thicken. TIP. If you’d like you can add a couple cubed potatoes the final 25 minutes, but you may need to add a little more salt. Makes for a great curry potato and beef, the kind you’d find when you purchase a beef roti.

There you go, a simple and tasty curry beef that’s great on rice or as a side for roti… or to enjoyed as you please. Remember to leave me your comments below.

Sauces & Condiments

Red Mango – Spicy Preserved Fruits of Trinidad and Tobago.

May 28, 2025October 6, 200918 Comments

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of taking the drive over the Northern Range to the most popular beach in Trinidad, there’s no way you could miss the lookout stop where everyone stops for pictures and to enjoy some of the preserved treats that are sold by local vendors. If you’re lucky (we’ve not seen him the past couple times we were there) you may even encounter a fella with a guitar who serenades visitors with his guitar and calypso music.

Last week we took the drive a couple times as we tried to make the most of our vacation and enjoy the amazing weather, since we knew we were coming back to almost winter-like weather in Canada. Here’s a short video clip showing some of the preserved fruits that are sold at the look-out stop. I believe this way of preserving is influenced by the Chinese part of our heritage. It’s a combination of boiling or drying the fruit, then cooking it briefly in some sort of red food dye and a combination of spices and hot pepper.

As a boy I remember buying such preserves, but the options were limited to mango, plum and cherries. I was quite amazed to see the many other fruits that are now preserved.. even ones not found in the Caribbean, like peaches and olives.

BTW, the vendors also carry a wide selection of packages snacks (cookies, corn chips etc), as well as other island favourites like, tamarind ball, toolum, sugar cake, mango chow and “chinee” prunes.

In case you’re wondering what the name of the beach is, it’s called Maracas Bay and it’s a great place to cool off on the weekends. But be warned that the beach is a favourite with locals on the weekend, so expect crowds. We went 2 times during the week and we pretty much had the beach just to ourselves. And though it was not busy, the life guards were still on duty.

Meat & Poultry

Pineapple glazed grilled chicken.

May 27, 2025September 23, 200916 Comments

This was supposed to be a guava glazed grilled chicken recipe, but like old Mother Hubbard… the cupboard was bare when I went rummaging. My mistake. My sister gave me a bottle of jam she had brought back from the islands her last visit and for some reason I though it was guava jam. After-all, that’s one of the main jams we make on the islands. It turns out it was pineapple jam, so I had to improvise. The final texture of the glaze was a bit different, since the pineapple jam was a bit fibrous and not as smooth and gelatin-like, like guava jam.

I leave for the islands in a few hours (been counting down the hours just like when I was a kid and we had to go on a school trip) so I’ll try to get some homemade guava jam to use when I return on the guava glaze. If all fails, I’ll just pick up some local guava jam in the grocery store.

This is very basic, but adds a new twist on regular grilled chicken. Normally when I do grill chicken breast, it’s usually the ones with the bone and skin still attached. However this time all I had were the skinless variety, but at least it wasn’t boneless. Boneless and skinless chicken breast can become dry very fast on the grill if you don’t know how to control your heat and proper grilling technique.

3 chicken breast
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup pineapple jam
2 tablespoons orange juice
3-4 table spoons pineapple juice
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Remove any excess fat from the chicken breast and rinse with the juice of 1/2 a lime or lemon and water. Then sprinkle with a little salt and fresh ground black pepper.

For the glaze.. put the jam, pineapple juice, dash of salt / pepper, mustard and orange juice and heat on low to medium heat in a saucepan. Using a whisk, blend everything together as it comes to a simmer and allow to form a smooth thick texture (less than 5 minutes). Place this in your metal bbq sauce pan with brush. I use a metal container so I can put it on top of the BBQ as the chicken cooks, so it remains warm.

Grill your chicken as you would normally do, but don’t start glazing until the last 5 minutes of cooking. If you put the glaze on too early, you’ll find that it will burn before the chicken is fully cooked due to the natural sugars in the glaze. I normally bring my grill to between 350 and 400 degrees and cook the chicken (depending on thickness for about 20 minuets or so. During the grilling process I flip the chicken a couple times and turn them on the angle to get the lovely grill marks.

here is the chicken when it’s 5 minutes to being completely cooked…

Here’s the same chicken after I’ve glazed it a few times with the pineapple glaze from the recipe above. I usually turn the heat down a bit on the BBQ and brush the glaze on as I flip the chicken over a few times.

As mentioned above, I’ll be away on the islands for a little under 2 weeks, so I may not have time to post any recipes until then. However, if I become the designated cook during our stay I’ll be sure to give my sister’s kitchen a test drive and post some recipes here. Also check out the CaribbeanPot YouTube channel on a regular basis as it’s my intention to show you a bit of the culinary culture of the islands during my stay! Including street food, markets and anything else relating to food and dining.

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

A savoury and explosive mango talkari.

May 28, 2025September 20, 200933 Comments

Talkari or talcarie is a term used to describe a curry or side dish on the islands, and is East Indian in origin. Mango talkari (my mouth still waters as I recall my school boy days) or Mango Amchar was sold by vendors just outside the gates of my primary and secondary school. At breaks it would be a mad dash to fork out your 50 cents daily allowance to grab a pack of this spicy mango snack. There were times that the vendor would use too much pepper in it’s creation and you’d be gasping for air with the heat, by the time you’d be back in English Lit class.

Before we get to the actual recipe I’d like to point out that there are different variations of making this talkari. Some people pre-boil the mangoes or you can cook it directly in the amchar massala as I’m about to show you. There’s also a difference in ways you can finish. You can try to keep the mango pieces whole or in my case, try to get it to melt a bit and form a gooey texture.

You’ll need..

2 green mangoes (cut into wedges)
2 tablespoons Amchar Massala
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper (optional)
1 habanero pepper – sliced thin (or your favourite hot pepper)
3 cloves garlic crushed/chopped
2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Wash and cut the stem of the mangoes and get ready to cut into pieces. I’ve created a short video (see bottom of page) showing you how to go about cutting the mangoes to the required size. Bear in mind that I’m making this mango talkari with the skin and seed still attached. However you can also peel and cube the mango into pieces if you don’t want to be bothered with the time and effort it takes to cut the hard seed of the mango. If you do go this route, it will decrease on the cooking time and chances are you will end up with a more “melted” texture to the mango talkari.

After you’ve cut the mango into 1 cm pieces, wash and set aside to start cooking (be sure to remove the inside white pieces of seed that inside the mango seed itself) . In a heavy bottom pot/pan add the oil and allow to heat. Then toss in the garlic and slices of hot peppers, allow this to cook for a minute or 2 on medium heat.

Now we’ll add the pieces of mango and the amchar massala and stir to coat every piece of mango with the massala. After a couple minutes turn down the heat between medium and low and add the salt and sugar. Cover the pan and allow to cook for about 30-45 minutes. Depending on the type of green mango you used the cooking time will vary, as well as the tartness when you bite into it. Keep this in mind as you taste near the end for salt and sugar… add more accordingly. You’re looking for a taste with a combination of the massala, sweetness, tartness and heat from the hot pepper we used. You’re probably saying in your head “Chris how the heck should we know what you mean?” trust me, once you taste it you’ll know if you need to add more sugar and/or salt. If all you can taste is the massala or a tart taste… you need more sugar and a pinch of salt. BTW, the ideal mango talkari will have a lingering taste of the hot pepper and not be overwhelmed by heat. Unless this is to your liking!

I have a feeling I missed something in the description so let’s recap…

– remove the stem and cut the mango into pieces (wash and remove seed pieces)

– heat oil and cook garlic and hot peppers

– add mango and massala

– add sugar and salt, turn down the heat and cook with pot covered for about 40 minutes or until tender and coated. Stir often to prevent sticking and burning.

* Remember for faster cooking and to avoid having to cut the mango seed.. peel and cube the green mango.

Couple things I’d like to mention before I finish up with this recipe.. be sure to get “full” mango for best results. A full mango is one that’s mature enough to go to ripe soon and will be a yellowish shade when you cut it open (it will be less tart or sour) . The second thing I’d like to mention is that the hot pepper is an important part of this recipe, so even if you can’t handle the habanero or scotch bonnet, you can use a milder pepper. One that you can handle!

Be sure to leave me your comments or questions below.

Happy Cooking!

Meat & Poultry

Smells like Christmas in my house, though it’s September.

May 27, 2025September 17, 200929 Comments

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.

Vegetarian

A chef d’oeuvre macaroni pie.

March 5, 2012September 14, 200976 Comments

I still recall coming back from playing football (soccer) or cricket on a Sunday morning and the house would be filled with the wonderful aroma of Sunday lunch being prepared. Though I was never a fan of it, macaroni pie is an integral part of a Trinbagonian Sunday lunch. For me the rice, stew chicken (or baked), callaloo (or stewed red beans), plantain, sweet potato and salad was all I ever had room for. I saw macaroni pie as a filler that took up prime real estate in my tummy.

Since we’re heading down to visit my parents before they head down to Trinidad for the winter months, I thought I make a batch to share the recipe with you and take some for my dad. I still don’t fancy it and he’s usually stuck with anything we have a hard time finishing.

* You’ll notice in the pics below that I used macaroni the length of spaghetti, but I’m almost positive you won’t be able to find this in grocery stores in North America, so feel free to use the elbow type we usually get here.

* I used cheddar (medium), but feel free to use a cheese “mixture” if you’re buying the pre-shredded variety you can now purchase at the grocers.

You’ll need…

400 grams (14 oz) macaroni
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 can evaporated milk (370ml – 12.5 oz)
1/4 habanero or scotch bonnet diced fine (optional)
1/2 medium onion diced very small.
fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon butter
paprika (dust onto pie before baking)
1/3 teaspoon dry mustard

In a large pan put enough water to cover the macaroni, to boil. When the water starts boiling, salt and add the macaroni. Try not to overcook the macaroni, so we’ll only boil it for about 5-8 minutes or so. While this boils, we’ll prepare the other ingredients.

Start by dicing the onion and hot pepper as fine as you can. Then in a large bowl, add the diced pepper and onion, dry mustard, dash of black pepper, salt, eggs, butter and evaporated milk. Whisk together so everything is mixed thoroughly. Grate the cheese and add to the mixture, but keep back about 1/2 a cup to spread on top of the pie before baking.

The macaroni should be cooked by now, so go ahead… drain and allow to cool a bit, then add to the mixture we just made. Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Grease a baking dish (fairly deep) as you would if you were making a cake or bread so the pie does not stick to the sides. Then add the macaroni mixture we just made. Using a spoon push down and level off. The final step before baking is to sprinkle the remaining cheese and dust with the paprika. When the oven comes to temperature place on the middle rack and allow to cook for about 30-40 minutes. You’re looking for a firm pie with a golden top. Allow to cool a bit before slicing.

Tips.

1. If you don’t like biting into onions, you also have the option of grating the onion so it’s more fine than you could possibly dice. The other option is to use onion powder. Personally I love the flavour and texture of the diced onions. While we’re still on onion topic, if you can get sweet onions like a Vidalia, try using those as the dish won’t be overpowered with onions. (other types of sweet onions include the Sweet Imperial, the Spring Sweet, and the Walla Walla)

2. To reduce the heat from the diced habanero peppers, avoid using the seeds or close to the stem. The bottom part is usually less potent. The heat from the pepper does give the dish a nice finish so if you can’t stand the heat from the habaneros or scotch bonnet, try using something a bit milder.

3. If you’d like to add some more flavour to this you can always add a crushed chicken bouillon cube to the liquid mixture we made.

Do leave me your thoughts on this recipe in the comments box below and remember to share you own recipe or unique way of making this classic Sunday side dish.

If only I had some stew chicken or beef.

BTW, all my talk about not really liking macaroni pie turned out to be crap. The craving I got while the aroma permeated the house while cooking.. here’s a pic of my plate ( I didn’t even wait long enough for it to cool)

Seafood

Game day tomato and saltfish?

March 5, 2012September 9, 200933 Comments

It’s tradition whenever the “Soca Warriors” play a game I try to cook up a batch of pelau. Nothing beats watching your favourite football (soccer) team and enjoying one of your favourite dishes. Today the “Warriors” are scheduled to play a very crucial game against the US, so normally by now I’d have seasoned chicken marinating to cook up as game time approaches. But today is a bit different. Lately I’ve been having a craving for ground provisions so I went out and purchased some eddoes. I was about to make some stewed beef to go with the eddoes, but since time is against me I’ve settled for tomato and saltfish. After all it’s fairly quick and easy to prepare and it doesn’t require having to thaw out frozen meat from the freezer.

So I’ve gone ahead and made up a batch of saltfish with tomatoes (which I will reheat later) and about 30 minutes before the game starts I’ll put the eddoes to boil. If you’re not familiar with eddoes, do a keyword search in search box (top right) above.

You’ll need…

4-6 oz of salted fish
1 large tomato sliced
1 scallion sliced
1 medium onion sliced
1-2 cloves garlic sliced thin
2-3 chili peppers (optional) or use whatever hot pepper you have or like
fresh ground black pepper
couple sprigs thyme (optional)
1 teaspoon ketchup
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Start by placing the saltfish in a fairly deep bowl, then pour enough boiling water to completely cover it. Allow this to soak from about 25 minutes, then rinse and squeeze out any extra water (remember to make sure the water is cool so you don’t get burn). Then shred the saltfish as we did when we made the saltfish buljol recipe.

The next step is to slice the onion, galric, tomato and scallion. Then in a saucepan heat the oil and toss in the pieces of saltfish. Allow this to cook for about 1-2 minutes so the oil is flavoured with the salted fish. Then add the garlic, pepper and onion and allow this to cook for another couple minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Be sure to add a dash of fresh ground black pepper and stir everything around. Allow this to cook for another couple minutes, then it’s ready for serving. If you wish, at the end you can toss is a teaspoon of Goldenray butter, but you have to be careful that the dish doesn’t go salty. Remember the fish was cured in salt, so it can easily have too much salt by adding the Goldenray butter.

Since I added whole chili peppers and not sliced scotch bonnet or habanero, near the end I use my spoon to crush the pepper in the pot so it releases some of it’s heat into the dish. But as mentioned, the pepper is totally optional.

Not only is this great with ground provisions like eddoes, yam, cassava, green bananas and dasheen, it’s also excellent with roti or fry bake. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong using it for sandwiches as well (just use less oil).

Let’s just hope I can get a link online to watch the game tonight.

Happy Cooking and don’t forget to leave me your questions or comments below.