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Meat & Poultry

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Meat & Poultry

Caribbean Tamarind Grilled Chicken.

5 Comments on Caribbean Tamarind Grilled Chicken.

 

After sharing that wonderful recipe for making your own homemade tamarind bbq sauce, I though I’d quickly show you how to put it to use on some grilled chicken. BBQ or grilling in the Caribbean usually means making your own sauce or taking the commercial stuff and personalizing it with your own herbs and spices. Unlike grilling in other parts of the world where salt and pepper is king, in the Caribbean we love to ‘season’ our meats and have it marinate (soak) to infuse it with the herbs which are grown locally (usually in our back yard).

This grilled chicken will be unlike anything you’ve ever had and I assure you, you’ll have your guests asking for more (and the recipe). If you don’t own a BBQ or grill, you can certainly do this in your oven under the broiler. Contact me for more info on that.

 

You’ll Need…

2 chickens (cut in halves)
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean style green seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Tamarind BBQ Sauce
Juice of 1 lime or lemon

* The chickens were between 3-4lbs each.

Here’s a quick video showing how we make the green seasoning …

Cut your chickens in half (see video below), remove the wing tips and discard, then pour the lime juice over the chicken and wash with cool water. Rinse and drain. Now pour in the salt and green seasoning mix and give it a good massage to ensure every piece of the chicken comes in contact with the seasoning.

Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2hrs to really infuse the chicken with the exciting flavors of the green seasoning. Before you head out to the grill, allow the seasoned chicken to come back to room temperature (about 15 minutes). Have you grill nice and hot at about 375 F and place on the highest rack, off the heat. If you only have one level on your grill, do the indirect heat technique for the first 20 minutes. Which means the main source of heat will be away from the chicken… so it cooks slowly.

In the picture above you’ll notice that I left the marinade on the chicken as I love the little kick you get as you get slight hints of it when eating. After 20 minutes on my upper rack (or indirect heat), it’s time to place it on the main grill where the real heat is. In total I left it there for 30 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes or so, while keeping an eye for flare-ups. I love working with the skin on the chicken, so flare-ups is a real threat! I find that the skin helps keep the chicken very moist and it’s great for holding the bbq sauce when applied.

TIP: I usually keep my BBQ sauce in a small metal cup on top of the grill’s cover to heat up while grilling. This way the bbq sauce is warm and spreads evenly when brushed onto whatever you’re grilling.

Now it’s time to start applying the tamarind bbq sauce on the chicken pieces. Apply liberally and remember to keep flipping as you do so, to create a nice even caramelized color on the grilled chicken. After a couple coats of the bbq sauce you’ll start having a nice glaze… very appetizing! Here’s the video on making the tamarind bbq sauce if you missed it…

It took about 7-10 minutes after I started applying the bbq sauce onto the grilled chicken pieces before I achieved the look I was going for.

As I mentioned above, this tamarind grilled chicken will be the best chicken you’ll have all summer… try it and leave me a comment below!

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

BBQ Pig Tails.

22 Comments on BBQ Pig Tails.

BBQ Pig Tails is not one of the more glamorous dishes to come out of the Caribbean and to be honest the first time I saw this being grilled in Barbados a few years back, I was a bit apprehensive. Don’t get me wrong, I loved salted pig tails in soups and stewed,  but I found the whole grilling idea a bit weird. I don’t discriminate when it comes to food, so it was only a matter of time before this piggy dish made its way on my grill.

Though it wasn’t a dish you’d hear about when I was growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, I know from speaking with my dad and uncle, that it’s quickly becoming a popular option when the charcoal grills are prepped and ready to do nice things to meats (and vegetables?). BBQ pig tails are very easy to put together and you can personalize it by the seasonings you add to it when it’s boiled and you’re free to use your favorite BBQ sauce to give it the finishing touch.

 

You’ll Need…

2 lbs salted pig tails
1 tablespoon green seasoning
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 lime or lemon

Using the juice of a lime or lemon, wash the salted pieces of pig tails and rinse with cool water. Scrape with a knife and keep an eye out for any hairs (remove). Then place in a deep pot with water and bring to a boil. Allow this to boil on a rolling boil  for 45 minutes.

After 45 mins, drain and rinse with clean water. Then place the pig tails back in the pot, top with water and bring to a boil. As it starts to boil, add the green seasoning (see here for a video on making green seasoning) and reduce the heat so it’s a rolling boil. Allow this to boil for 50 minutes. The boiling in water will do two things; remove the salt the pig tails were cured in and help the meat to become very tender. By adding the green seasoning (or any seasoning/herbs you like), you’re infusing the pig tails with additional flavors.

After 50 minutes of boiling, discard the water and get ready to grill. Don’t rinse as you want the green seasoning to remain on the pieces of pig tails.

Place on a hot grill (about 375-400F) and keep any eye on it as it’s easy to char with all the skin and fat. After a couple minutes you can start brushing with your favorite BBQ sauce.. do so liberally! Turn the heat down a bit as you really want to develop some caramelized flavors and not burn the bunch. Keep flipping and brushing with bbq sauce you so you’ll end up BBQ pig tails which are sticky and well infused with the smokey flavor of the grill.

All it takes is about 10-15 minutes on the grill, but it’s important that you keep moving them around and keep brushing with BBQ sauce. Your BBQ pig tails will now be ready to serve.. cut them (use a cleaver or chefs knife) into 2 inch pieces and top with some chopped parsley (make it pretty looking). With all the pre-boiling we did, the meat will be falling off the bones. The sweetness from the caramelized BBQ sauce from the open flame of the grill will add a wonderful flavor to the sort of salty undertones of the brine these pig tails were originally cured in.

I hope you’re enjoying all the recipes off the grill I’ve been sharing this month and don’t hesitate in giving this BBQ pig tails a try.. you’ll be surprised how tasty they are.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

Caribbean Rotisserie Chicken On The Grill.

16 Comments on Caribbean Rotisserie Chicken On The Grill.

 

We’re full steam ahead with our month of grilling with a Caribbean approach, so today it’s time for a Caribbean style rotisserie chicken on the grill. Imagine unveiling a few of these as your friends arrive for your BBQ this summer.. they’ll be blown away! Be prepared for your neighbors inviting themselves to your home after constantly peeking over the fence to investigate what that amazing aroma is!

With a sort of Jamaican Jerk dry rub influence, this recipe is not spicy as I’ve purposely left out the Caribbean sunshine – scotch bonnet peppers so those of you who are not into the ‘heat’ can also enjoy this. Unless you’re a real ‘wuss’ and think cinnamon is spicy!

You’ll Need…

1 whole chicken
lime zest (1 lime)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
4 sprigs thyme
1 lemon cut in half
1 scallion

Notes: The chicken I used was about 4 lbs (cleaned) and before seasoning I washed it with lime juice and water, then pat dry with paper towels. If you want to kick this up a bit you can dice (fine) a scotch bonnet pepper and add it to the rub. You can do this chicken in a roasting pan in the oven if you wish.. try to place the chicken on wire rack in the pan, so it’s not sitting in the fat/oil which will be released. Roast at 375F for 2hrs. Doing this on the grill as I did with the rotisserie is ideal, as the fat will self baste the chicken before falling into the pan I placed below it.

The first thing we need to do is prepare the sort of dry rub we’ll be using to season the chicken. Grate the lime zest into a bowl, then add the other dry ingredients (except the lemon, scallion and thyme) and give it a good stir.

It’s now time to prepare the chicken so it can marinate for about 1/2 an hour or so before being introduced to the grill. Before using the dry rub, open up the cavity of the bird and add the thyme, scallion (fold it) and lemon halves. Now it’s time to coat the chicken in the dry rub me made. Try to do so evenly.. then cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge. It’s important that you truss the chicken (tie with string) so it’s compact and will not toss around as it does it’s thing on the rotisserie.

Preheat your grill at 300  degrees. TIP: Place a disposable pan (see your local dollar store) directly below where the chicken will be placed on the grill (see video below) and put about 1/2 inch of water in it. As the rotisserie chicken cooks, it will drop fat and you don’t want flare-ups. This will prevent such flare-ups, but remember to keep adding water as it cooks. Now it’s just a matter of placing your chicken securely on the rotisserie bar and heading out to the grill.

Cover the lid and let this cook for 2 hrs. After the first hour it will start to develop color and the scent will start to really make it’s presence known. Do remember to keep the heat constant and keep filling the drip pan with water. After 1.5 hrs I turned up the heat to 400F to ensure it’s fully cooked inside and to give it that appealing color rotisserie chicken should have.

After 2 hrs your rotisserie chicken should be ready to join the party. Remove from the heat and allow to rest (cover with tin foil) for about 1 5mins before cutting. In total my chicken cooked for 2 hrs and 10 minutes and it was simply stunning! It may seem like a long time, but this is one of those things you don’t have to babysit, as long as your drip pan has water and you heat is controlled, you can do work on your potato salad and beverages.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

Eggplant Cooked With Leftover Stewed Pork.

4 Comments on Eggplant Cooked With Leftover Stewed Pork.

Here’s another dish where the main flavor is heavily influenced by leftovers (food is never wasted in the Caribbean?). There are many variations of this eggplant recipe, but this time we’ll be using left over stewed pork to add another level of flavor and make it more exciting for our taste buds. Hot sada roti or rice is boss with this, but this day I had it with some buss up shut roti I had in the freezer. Tip: If you ever have extra roti (doesn’t work well for sada roti)or if you go to the the local Caribbean restaurant… purchase extra roti. Simply place them in freezer-proof bags and stick them in the freezer. I have roti for months in our freezer and when I’m peckish.. in the microwave and I’m set.

 

You’ll Need…

2 lb eggplant
3 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 large onion
dash black pepper
1 cup water
1 large potato
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (anything for a bit of kick)
2 tablespoon veg oil
leftover stewed pork (I had about 2 cups)

Notes: This dish is just as good without the pork. You can also use leftover stewed chicken or beef and adding some bits of salted cod, works well also. This eggplant  dish is also known as “baigan and aloo” – eggplant and potato and can be cooked as a curry dish. There are a few versions of this eggplant recipe posted here, in the event you’re interested.

The first thing we need to to do is peel and chop the (wash) eggplant and the other ingredients. You  can always refer to the video below to follow along. Using a sharp pairing knife (you can use a potato peeler also) trim off the stem, peel the eggplant, then cut into cubes about 1 inch or so. I’ve seen this recipe done with the skin on, so the choice is yours. Also peel and cube the potato and chop the scotch bonnet pepper, garlic and onion. This way we’re fully prepped!

Heat a deep saucepan on med/high heat and add the vegetable oil (a good option would be olive oil if you have no plans of adding meat to this dish – excellent flavor from that olive oil), then add the sliced onion and garlic. Turn your heat down as we want to slowly cook the onion/garlic for a 3 minutes, to release it’s flavor. After 3 minutes, turn the heat back up to med/high and add the scotch bonnet pepper and cubed eggplant. Give it a good stir, then add the salt and black pepper..stir. Now add the cubed potato and water and bring to a boil.

With the lid on the pot it should take a couple mins to come to a boil. As it comes to a boil, turn your heat down to a gentle simmer (lid on) and cook for 20 minutes. You will notice the eggplant will discolor and start melting down. That’s cool.. just remember to stir.

The eggplant will sprout it’s own juices, so with this and the water we added, there will be enough liquid to fully cook both the eggplant and potato. After 20 mins, add the pieces of stewed pork and give it a good stir. You will have a bit of liquid, so remove the lid and cook for about 5-7 minutes until is nice and thick. The dish is supposed to be mushy and to be honest.. not as attractive as other dishes I’ve shared.

Taste for salt as you’re tolerance for salt will be different than mine.. adjust and enjoy!

I urge you to give this eggplant recipe a try as many of us don’t give eggplant a fair chance and it’s quite tasty. That lovey sort of smokey undertones, spiced up with the scotch bonnet pepper and how could one miss the stewed pork.. Excellente! Below I’ve also included a video showing how simple it is to shop for the perfect eggplant. Do remember to leave your comments below.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Simple Oven BBQ Chicken.

37 Comments on Simple Oven BBQ Chicken.

After posting the pics of bbq chicken I made in the oven on the Facebook Fan Page a couple weeks back.. you won’t believe the number of emails and phone calls I got asking for the recipe (there were eve some smoke signals originating from Detroit way asking for the recipe). Though not a recipe you’d associate with the Caribbean, I thought I’d still share this simple bbq chicken in the oven recipe, with you all. This recipe is so simple, we’re not even making the bbq sauce. However don’t let it’s simplicity have you fooled into thinking it will lack in flavor or originality.

 

You’ll Need….

1 chicken (4-5 lbs)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 cups bbq sauce (your fav)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Juice of 1 lime or lemon for washing the chicken.

 

IMPORTANT : Be sure to use a gluten free bbq sauce to make this dish comply to a gluten free diet.

* Optional, but you can add some pepper sauce or freshly cut scotch bonnet pepper in the mix to give it a wicked kick!

I’m good at taking apart a chicken, so cutting it into four pieces was not a problem. You can always ask your butcher or use chicken parts for this recipe. If you’re worried about the white meat going dry, rest assured that it won.  It will be the most moist, tender and juicy chicken breast you’ll ever have (that’s not brined). In a future episode on the Food FAQ cooking channel I’ll show you how to take apart a whole chicken.

You’ll be tempted to remove the skin from the chicken, but do leave it on. However, do trim off the fat and excess skin. Having the skin on, is one of the key things to having  tender and moist bbq chicken in the oven. Wash the chicken pieces with lemon juice and rinse with cool water. Pat dry and get ready to season

In a small bowl or plate, mix the salt, black pepper, cinnamon, dry mustard, allspice and fresh thyme, then work it on all the pieces of chicken. I know my Caribbean friends are probably saying that this is not fully seasoned, but trust me. Be sure to coat both sides of the chicken.

With your oven set at 375 F, place the baking dish with the seasoned chicken on the middle rack and let cook for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, tip the baking dish and spoon out any liquid/fat from the bottom of the dish (discard). In the picture you’ll notice that I lined the dish with foil to make the clean-up easier when I’m done. We need to get rid of all liquid as we want the bbq sauce to really stick to the pieces of chicken for that gooey goodness. Using your favorite store BBQ sauce, baste the chicken pieces and place back in the oven for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, turn the pieces of chicken over and give this side a nice coat of that BBQ sauce and back into the oven for another 10 minutes.

It’s time to flip it over again and give it a final coat of that luscious BBQ sauce. Be generous as we want this to sort of caramelize and form a sticky coating over the pieces of chicken. Back in the oven for 10 minutes. The last 3 minutes I turned on the broiler and got the perfect color on my BBQ chicken.

With the lovely scent of the cinnamon, allspice and fresh thyme, your kitchen will smell like heaven. I used (my Canadian friends will know it) Diana’s Honey Garlic sauce, so with the addition of the honey and garlic flavor, this BBQ Chicken was unreal. By cooking with a low heat, the fact that we kept the skin on and the basting with the BBQ sauce, the chicken was simply amazing. Nothing dry and tasteless here.. but then, when would I ever give you a crappy recipe?

I do hope you guys give this version of BBQ chicken a test drive, as I’m sure the results will be very pleasing to your taste buds.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

Caribbean Inspired Chicken Lo Mein.

26 Comments on Caribbean Inspired Chicken Lo Mein.

chicken lo mein

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the cuisine of the Caribbean is heavily influenced by the many cultures and people which make up the melting pot the Caribbean is. This chicken lo mein  is something I remember purchasing from food trucks in San Fernando (next to the train engine) after school. Back then the menu of the day was fried rice, lo mein (or chow mein) and five spice chicken (fried with that crispy skin). I could still taste the uniqueness the Caribbean added to these wonderful Chinese dishes. Funny thing is, there were no Chinese cooks in any of these food trucks!

You’ll Need…

8 oz egg noodle
1 carrot
2 cups bean sprouts (or cabbage)
1-2 cups of pak choi
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 scallions
2 chili pepper (I used bird peppers)
1 1/2 cup sweet pepper (bell – different colors)
1 cup broccoli
1 cup celery
2 small chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 table spoon vegetable oil (see note below)

For the sauce….

2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soya sauce

* 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Notes: Try to cut all the vegetables the same size for uniform cooking. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoon veg oil, but after cooking the chicken you may need to add an extra tablespoon of oil to the pot. Depending on how seasoned your wok is or if you’re using a non stick pan or not. I used a Guyanese style chow mein noodle (egg), which I found in the local West Indian store. I cooked the noodle according to the directions on the package, but I did cut the recommended cooking time by half as I knew I was going to cook it a bit further in the main lo mein pot and I didn’t want it to go soggy.

Start by preparing all the vegetables (wash – chop) and also slice the chicken into very thin slices, wash, dry and get ready to cook.

Heat your wok or large non-stick pot on med/high heat and add the vegetable oil. Now add the slices of chicken and cook for about 4 minutes. Remember to keep stirring so it cooks evenly. Now turn down the heat and remove the pieces of chicken and set aside. At this time you should also cook your egg noodles, drain and allow to cool.

If your wok is dry, do add a bit more oil and get ready to continue cooking. Turn the heat back up to med/high and add the onion, garlic (grated) and grated ginger to the pot. Allow that to cook for a minute or two to release all it’s wonderful flavors.

Now add the carrots (remember to slice/chop everything thin so it cooks fast), bell peppers, hot pepper, celery, broccoli  and salt. Stir and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Then in a small bowl combine the oyster, soya and hoisin sauces.. then add to the wok and stir. Now add back the pieces of cooked chicken.

Stir in the chopped pak choi and allow to cook for another minute before adding the cooked egg noodles. Give this a good stir to coat everything with the different sauces we added moments ago.

As you can tell, this dish cooks very fast so it’s important to have everything prepped and handy. Now top with the chopped scallions and bean sprouts and cook for a minute. Remember to keep stirring.

I know I didn’t mention this in the ingredient list (but it’s in the main pic above), but feel free to top the dish with about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil for a bright finish and to add another layer of flavor. I’m not a huge fan of sesame oil, so I only added a small amount.. but you can obviously add more if you wish. Remember to also check for salt and adjust accordingly.

This is a quick and absolutely wonderful dish you must try. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the Chinese influence on Caribbean cuisine, as I must admit that I have a weakness for Chinese food… especially the way we make it in the Caribbean. Once you’ve had Caribbean style Chinese food, you’ll know what I mean.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

Split Peas Dhal With Salted Pigtail.

11 Comments on Split Peas Dhal With Salted Pigtail.

Dhal is one of those thick soup-like dishes we make in the Caribbean, especially those islands where there’s an East Indian influence. Basically split peas soup, enhanced with turmeric and in some cases… salted meats, as we’ll be using today. Very similar to the traditional dhal recipe and the lentil peas mixed dhal recipe I shared a while back, this one is just as tasty but not vegetarian as those two earlier versions.

Though nothing beats a good serving of dhal, rice and tomato choka, I do enjoy a hot bowl of  dhal, cooked with pieces of salted pig tail… especially when I’m home sick and miss my boyhood days on the islands.

 

You’ll Need…

1lb salted pigtail
2 cups yellow split peas
4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (saffron)
8 cups water
1/2 small onion
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (I used 2 bird peppers)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon toasted geera seeds (cumin) * See notes below
2 tablespoon vegetable oil

* Notes: You can soak the split peas overnight in cool water for faster cooking time. Traditionally at the end of cooking toasted geera (cumin) seeds are added to the dhal for an enhanced flavor. I’m not a fan of geera, so you’ll notice that I didn’t add any to my pot of dhal. The salted pigtial should be enough to ‘salt’ this dish, but do taste near the end of cooking and adjust accordingly.

The first thing we’ve got to do is to remove some of the salt from the pieces of pig tail (trust me, salted pig tails are very salty). BTW I cut the pieces of pig tail into 1-1.5 inch pieces, then placed them in a pot with water. As it came to a boil I reduced the heat and allowed it to go on a rolling boil for about 20-25 minutes. The idea is to get the pieces a bit tender and remove some of the salt it’s been cured with. Drain, rinse under cool water a couple times and get ready to add to the main pot with the other ingredients.

Now it’s time to prep everything else and get the dhal cooking as it will take a while to simmer and get tender.. unless you’re using a pressure cooker (I don’t own one).

In a deep pot, put the 8 cups of water to boil. As this comes to a boil, place the split peas in a bowl and rinse with cool water.. drain and repeat. Try to work the peas between your fingers (massage), as to remove any sort of grit.

The water should be boiling at this point, so gently add the washed split peas, pieces of salted pig tail which be pre-boiled earlier, turmeric, the sliced onion, black pepper, scotch bonnet pepper and 2 cloves of the garlic (sliced thin). Bring that to a boil.. as it boils you will notice some frothy residue form at the top of the pot. Skim that off and discard. Now reduce to a very gentle simmer, cover the pot (leave a small crack open) and allow to cook for at least 1.5 hrs. Be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so.

After 1.5 hrs you should have peas which are starting to melt away and create that thick goodness dhal is famous for. You can now use a whisk or as I did.. a swizzle stick and break down the full peas a bit (refer to the video below). I’m sure you can use one of those electric immersion blenders, but try not to over do it or risk the dhal going foamy/frothy. Additionally, you’ll have to remove the pieces of slated pig tail from the pot before using the electric blender.

You should now have a thick soup-like consistency, that’s ready for the final step. Turn off the burner as it’s done cooking now.

In a small frying pan, heat the oil until it’s about to smoke, then add the other 2 cloves of garlic (sliced) and allow to cook for a couple minutes. The garlic will go golden, then proceed to go a bit black.. that’s what were looking for. Here is where you would also add the cumin seeds if you want to give it that unique (traditional) flavor. Now (be careful as you’re adding hot oil to liquid) add the heated oil with the cooked garlic slices to the pot with the cooked split peas (should be off the burner now). I use the lid of the pot as a shield with one hand and pour the heated oil with the other.

This step of adding the hot oil with cooked garlic to the pot with the cooked split peas is called “chunkay”. Now you can tell your friends that you’ve chunkayed dhal (smile). Stir the pot good and pour yourself a big bowl.. you deserve it! Remember we didn’t add any salt to this dhal as the pieces of salted pig tail should have been enough to give it enough flavor. However your tolerance for salt will be different than mine.. so taste and adjust accordingly.

The pieces of burnt garlic will look a bit weird (if you’ve never had dhal before) floating on the surface of the pot, but I assure you that this is normal and you’ll love the extra roasted/smokey sort of garlic flavor for it all.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

Pak Choi With Leftover Stewed Chicken.

11 Comments on Pak Choi With Leftover Stewed Chicken.

This recipe is a take on the one our mom would do with left over stewed pork, which is still something I crave from time to time (queen cud real cook). After our last trip to the Asian grocery store out in Mississauga, these baby pak choi were in the fridge waiting for some love. With some left over stew chicken in hand, I thought I’d revise my mom’s recipe and use chicken instead of the pork. Stewed beef (Caribbean style)  also works great as well. BTW, I was asked “how does one have leftover stewed chicken?” by one of our friends out in the Netherlands… I fully understand what you mean, a pot of stew chicken goes very fast.

You’ll need…

Pak Choi (2-3lbs)
1 med onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon veg or olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
fresh black pepper (pinch)

*  leftover stew chicken (see recipe here) (4-8 pieces)

Note: Do remember when using hot peppers that the majority of ‘heat’ is in the seeds and area surrounding them (sort of white membrane). So avoid using those if you don’t want to deal with extreme heat.

Wash and chop the pak choi into 1/2 inch pieces. I basically removed all the leaves from the main stem, gave them a good wash and then cut thin strips lengthwise. I then chopped those length pieces into the size I wanted. Remember to wash these good as you may find sand between the stems and trapped in the creases of the leaves. In the video below you’ll see exactly how I did everything.

As the rinsed pak choi pieces drain, chop the onion, garlic and pepper.

Heat the oil in a fairly deep pan on medium heat and add the slices of garlic and allow that to cook for 3-4 minutes on a low heat. We’re trying to release the flavors without burning the garlic. As soon as you see the edges go golden and the garlic soften, turn up the heat to med-high and start adding the cut pak choi to the pot.

Now add all the other ingredients (salt, pepper, black pepper, onion), except the leftover chicken to the pot and give it a good stir.

When this comes to a boil you will notice it will wilt down and spring a lot of it’s own natural liquid. Cover the pot and allow to simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.

After 15 minutes, remove the lid (do remember to stir ever 4-5 minutes) add the pieces of leftover stewed chicken and give it a good stir. There should still be a bit of liquid in the pot, so it’s time to burn that off. I like my pak choi with a little crunch, so I now turn up the heat and burn off any excess liquid before the pak choi overcooks. In 2-3 minutes the dish should be completely ready for partaking.

Check for salt and adjust accordingly. If you want to brighten this up a bit, you can ad some chopped tomato at the end for color. The infusion of the leftover stewed chicken (which had ginger and other goodness) will take this dish up to another level. I guarantee you!

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Meat & Poultry

Stew Chicken With String Beans.

6 Comments on Stew Chicken With String Beans.

 

Stewed chicken with string beans was usually a “Monday” dish in our home back in the day. Leftover stewed meats (usually chicken) from Sunday’s huge lunch was used to enhance the flavor of boring string beans… probably the only way our mom would get us to eat beans. She would usually cook down the beans first and add the pieces of left over stewed chicken near the end, to finish the dish off. However, we’ll do things a bit different… we’ll stew the chicken first for that rich flavor and color, then add the trimmed string beans to the pot and allow it to enjoy married life (smile).

I’m not a fan of chicken breast (white meat) as it’s so easy to go dry. But I assure you the pieces of chicken will be juicy, tender and infused with the lovely goodness of ginger, the herbs we used and the overall stewing process.

You’ll Need…

2 Chicken Breast (about 1 1/2 – 2 lbs)
2 lb string beans (see note below)
3/4 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon veg oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon grated ginger (see note)
1/4 hot pepper (habanero or scotch bonnet)
1 medium onion
1 tomato
3 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
juice of 1 lime or lemon (can vinegar as well)
2 leaves shado beni (or 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups water

Notes: Feel free to add additional herbs in seasoning the chicken (Spanish thyme, parsley and/or oregano). I used string beans, but you can also use french beans, bodi (yard beans) or any of your favorite green beans. I grated the ginger into the marinating of the chicken, but if you wish you can use a slice and remove it at the end of cooking if you’re worried about biting into the ginger. Remember when using hot peppers to keep away from the seeds and surrounding white membrane if you’re concerned about the heat.

I got boned chicken breast (on sale), so I had to debone and cut into 1 inch chunks. I then washed the pieces of chicken with the lime juice and rinsed with cool water.Then chop the onion, garlic, tomato, hot pepper, scallions, thyme and shado beni.

Add all the ingredients into the bowl with cubed chicken pieces except the brown sugar, water, string beans  and vegetable oil. Give it a good stir and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

I had already prepped my beans, but this would be a good time to do so while the seasoned chicken marinates. Trim off the ends of each bean, then cut into 1-2 inch pieces length-wise. I then like to cut each piece down the middle as I find it cooks faster and really absorbs the flavors of the stewed chicken. It will take some time and best done using a small pairing knife (better control). Please refer to the video below to see how I trimmed each bean.

Let’s get ready to put this tasty dish together. If this is your first time ‘stewing’ meats as it’s done in Caribbean (almost like caramelizing) you can refer to the video below or follow along.. I’ll try my best to describe this step. Since we’ll be working with melted sugar at a high temperature be sure to use a dry cooking spoon with a long handle. It’s also recommended that you have the seasoned chicken close.

Heat a fairly large/deep pot on a med/high heat and add the oil. Now add the brown sugar and keep stirring. The sugar will start to melt and go a sort of caramel color.. that’s what we want. Allow it to start going frothy and it will get a rich dark color. Keep stirring as you want the entire batch of sugar to work evenly. As it get’s a rich dark color and frothy.. the pot will start to smoke so have a window open or the exhaust fan above your stove on. I’ve had the smoke detector go off a few times. With care, start adding the chicken. It’s ok if the pieces of onion, tomato etc goes into the pot. Sooner or later  they will reside there. Give it a good stir to coat the chicken in the lovely brown color.

* Be careful not to let the sugar go black or your dish will have a sort of bitter taste.

Turn down the heat to low, cover the pot and allow to cook for about 6 minutes with the lid on. After six minutes you should have some natural juices at the bottom of the pan. With the lid off, turn up the heat (remember to stir) and burn off that liquid. We’re building a rich flavor base and we enhancing the overall color of the dish.

With all the liquid gone, start adding the trimmed (don’t forget to wash your beans before trimming) beans to the pot and give it a good stir (heat still on high). Pour the water into the same bowl you marinated the chicken in to pick up any remaining marinade, then pour that water (the cup and a half) into the pot. Give that a good stir and bring to a boil.

When it comes to a boil reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. I like my beans to still have a slight crunch, so 15 minutes works great for me (stir occasionally). After 15 minutes (your kitchen will have a wonderful scent at this point), remove the lid and if you have liquid at the bottom of the pan (you will), turn up the heat and burn it off. You’re Done!

I love this with plain boiled rice (brown), but it’s just as tasty with roti and it makes a killer sandwich (trust meh). Yes the vibrant green color will be lost, but if you want to brighten it up a bit for presentation, you can add some chopped tomato near the end to just heat through.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

 

 

Meat & Poultry

Oxtail Braised In Guinness.

158 Comments on Oxtail Braised In Guinness.

 

After posting a pic of this Guinness braised oxtail on the Facebook fan page a while back, I’ve been overwhelmed with requests for the recipe. Just when you thought I forgot or ignoring those requests, here it is. Absolutely one of the best oxtail recipes I’ve shared to date and though it’s not something you think when you think about Caribbean cuisine, with our love for both Guinness and oxtails… yea, I assure you this will be a hit and fits well with our culinary culture.

It does take some time to cook, but if you have a slow cooker you can create the base on the stove and let the slow cooker do the rest. If using a slow cooker, you may find that oil may accumulate at the top – spoon off. And those of you who own a pressure cooker.. do your thing. It will cut back on the cooking time.

One more thing before we get to the actual recipe… directly below the recipe you’ll have the chance to win a wonderful box of candy as part of Valentine’s Day celebration. Enter your name as I’d love to send this out to one lucky winner.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs oxtail (cut/trimmed of excess fat)
1 can tomato paste (156 ml / 5.5oz)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large onion
1 1/2 cups diced celery
2 large carrots
2 cans Guinness (see note below)
1 cup water
4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 habanero pepper (any hot pepper you like – optional)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Notes. The hot pepper is optional, but I love the heat and additional flavor. I used Guinness draft but I know we get the extra stout in the Caribbean, which is a bit stronger… rest assured that the alcohol will burn off so you don’t have to worry about that. If you want to start off with a good flavor base, replace the vegetable oil with coconut oil.

Wash the pieces of oxtail in some lime or lemon juice and cool water. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan on med/high heat and start browning the pieces of oxtail. Try not to crowd the pan (BTW if you want you can use 3 lbs of oxtail to feed more people if you wish – simply adjust the salt) or it will release a ton of moisture and you’ll notice it will start to boil and not brown. It should take about 10-15 minutes, remember to keep turning the pieces of oxtail.

Remove the oxtail pieces and set aside for a bit. Turn the heat down to low and add the onion, celery, black pepper, oregano and thyme (leave on the stem if you wish as you can remove it later on). Allow this to cook on a very low heat for about 3-5 minutes.

Now add the tomato paste and give it a good stir. We’re trying to release the natural sugars in the tomato and create a rich base. You’ll notice that it will go darker and there will be a lovely scent in your kitchen. Cook for about 2-3 minutes – keep stirring.

Return the pieces of oxtail to the pot as well as the carrots (cut the carrots in huge chunks), bay leaves and salt. Give that a good stir, turn up the heat to high and add the 2 cans of Guinness. Stir well and bring to a boil with the lid covered. When it comes to a boil, lower the heat to a rolling boil (low) and let cook for about 20 minutes. This is when you’ll add the whole habanero pepper to the pot. Remember to keep it whole for flavor and not the heat. Burst open near the end if you want the excitement of the heat.

After 20 minutes it’s time to add the water and bring it back up to a boil (this would be when I would add everything to a slow cooker or pressure cooker if that’s your plan). When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and allow to cook for about 3 hours or until the meat starts falling off the bones. Continue stirring every 15 minutes or so and if you notice you’re running low on liquid.. add a bit more water. After 3 hours it should be tender… take out the sprigs from thyme, the hot pepper (if you don’t want the heat) and turn up the heat with the pot uncovered to thicken up the rich gravy.

If you want to add a bit more Caribbean influence you can always add a few pimento berries to the pot and a 1/2 teaspoon of green seasoning paste. This is great on rice, mashed potato, roasted breadfruit, ground provisions… even roti or bread. I did a cassava mash, which I’ll share with you in the next couple days. Here’s the video I did to help you follow along the cooking process:

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—0–>Winner Wanted!<–0–

 

 

It’s that time again! Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’re giving one lucky winner a box of Marshmallow Hearts (milk chocolate coated) from Cémoi Chocolatier. The box of chocolate covered hearts will be shipped to the lucky winner after we receive their shipping address (we even pay the shipping cost). All you have to do is tell me what’s your favorite valentines day dish in the comment section below and your name will be automatically entered to win. Yea.. it’s that simple.

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’s your fav Valentine’s Day dish.

Here are the rules pertaining to winning the box of “Marshmallow Hearts –  Cémoi Chocolatier”…

– contest is open to everyone globally (even if you won something here before)

– 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 February 14 – to midnight Feb 26.

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

– the winners will have 1 week to contact us with their  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 box of chocolates to you. It’s simple, free and fellas you could give to the special lady in your life if you forgot to have something on Valentine’s day.

Good Luck!

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

How To Make Geera Chicken.

246 Comments on How To Make Geera Chicken.

trinidad geera chicken

After posting the geera pork recipe a while back, there were several emails from people who don’t eat pork wanting a different option. Though I’m a bit late with this geera chicken recipe, this one is for all the pork haters. Geera (aka cumin) is used to give this sort of bar food (similar to how you’d find tapas in Spain) a strong ‘spice’ base and the garlic, herbs and habanero (scotch bonnet peppers are normally used) pepper gives it that unique Caribbean kick. As I’ve mentioned in the past, geera is one of those few spices I just don’t appreciate, so this dish is not made often in our kitchen. Probably also explains why my love for Mexican food is very limited.

 

You’ll Need…

2 lb boneless chicken breast cubed
1 heaping tablespoon ground roasted geera powder (cumin)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 habanero pepper (scotch bonnet or any hot pepper you like)
2 heaping tablespoon of chopped cilantro (stems and everything)
4 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 lime or lemon for washing the chicken

Notes. Traditionally Shado Beni is used instead of the cilantro, but it’s a good substitute when you can source shado beni. Chicken breast or white meat is notorious for being dry, but I assure you that it’s will be moist and very flavorful when done. However, if you wanted to use boneless dark meat (legs/thighs), that work great as well. Finally, if you wanted to use the whole geera seeds (cumin) and roast it in a dry pan on high heat, then grind… you’ll really heighten the overall flavor of this dish. But be prepared for your entire house to be encased in that strong roasted geera smell (too much for me personally).

Start by cutting the chicken into 1 inch cubes, then pour the lime or lemon juice over it. Give it a good stir, then rinse off with cool water and drain. It’s now time to season the chicken so we can allow it to marinate for abut 1/2 hour.  In a large bowl, place the cubed chicken, salt, black pepper, diced scallions, chopped cilantro, chopped habanero or whatever hot pepper you have and the thyme. Give it a good stir and allow to marinate.

In a fairly deep saucepan, heat the vegetable oil on a med/high flame, then add the sliced onion and garlic. Turn down the heat so you can cook this without it burning. Stir and cook until the onion is soft.. about 4 minutes. Now add the ground roasted geera to the pot and stir. it will go grainy and darker. That is normal. Make sure the heat is down to low and cook for 3-4 minutes. What we’re doing is allowing the roasted geera to toast and release it’s full bouquet.

Start adding the seasoned chicken to the pot and stir as you add. The idea is to coat all the pieces with some of that lovely sort of paste we created and to pick up all the bits from the bottom of the pan (similar to deglazing). Have the heat at med/high and now cover the pot. It will come to a sort of boil and star releasing some natural juices. This is when you’ll turn down the heat and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes. Check occasionally and stir as well. If for some reason there’s no liquid, add a bit of water to allow the chicken to fully cook.

 After 10-12 minutes, the chicken should be almost fully cooked. Since we’re using chicken breast, we really don’t want to overcook this or risk it going dry. There should still be a bit of liquid in the pan, so it’s time to remove the lid and turn up the heat a bit. The idea is to burn off all that liquid and in doing so give the pieces of chicken a lovely coating of all the spice and seasoning we used. It should take about 3-4 minutes to completely burn off… you’re done!

If you’re having this as a snack while enjoying some beverages with friends, it’s enough for about 4 people and could easily stretch for 5-6 people as a side dish with dinner. The first time I had this, was with split peas dhal and boiled brown rice and it was quite tasty. You can certainly adjust the amount of geera and hot pepper you use to your own liking. I guess the same can be said for the salt as I know we all have a different tolerance for salt. Here’s a helpful video showing the entire cooking process for this geera chicken recipe.

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—0–>Winner Wanted!<–0–

 

 

It’s that time again! New for 2012 one lucky reader will win a spanking new copy of “Aroma – The Magic Of Essential Oils In Food And Fragrance“. A $45 value, will be shipped to the lucky winner the first week of February(we even pay the shipping cost). All you have to do is tell me what’s your favorite herb and why, in the comment section below and your name will be automatically entered to win. Yea.. it’s that simple.

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 your favorite herb/s.

Here are the rules pertaining to winning the copy of “Aroma – The Magic Of Essential Oils In Food And Fragrance“”…

– contest is open to everyone globally (even if you won something here before)

– 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 January 5 – to midnight January 31.

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

– the winners 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 would make for a great addition to your cooking library.

Good Luck!

Meat & Poultry

Turn Leftover Ham Bone Into A Comforting Caribbean Soup.

23 Comments on Turn Leftover Ham Bone Into A Comforting Caribbean Soup.

As my family and friends enjoy the blistering heat of the Caribbean sun, I have to settle for temperatures which are starting to dip below the freezing point and it will only get colder as we move into January and February. However, with a huge pot of ham bone soup simmering away on the stove, nothing brings me more comfort and memories of the sunny Caribbean. Ham bone soup is one of those meals I look forward to after the holidays… not only is it very delicious and easy to make, it helps me forget how cold it is outside as we get set for the shorter days and frigid temperatures.

Soup is a traditional “Saturday” dish on the islands and it’s one of those traditions we take with us wherever we may  now call home. Go to any West Indian market on a Friday evening or early Saturday morning and see people busy shopping for salted meats and ground provisions. No  joke.. I even saw two women almost fight for the last ‘hand’ of green fig (banana) a few years back at a West Indian store.

This is one of those soups where you put everything in the pot and allow it to do it’s thing as it takes about an hour and a half to cook. Ham bone soup is an excellent one pot meal when you don’t feel like staying hours in the kitchen and it’s very delicious and filling.

You’ll Need…

1 Ham Bone (or any smoked bones)
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 1/4 tablespoon salt (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper
1 large onion
1 large carrot
3 large potatoes
3 cloves garlic
4 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
2 cups dry yellow split peas
1 1/2 lb butternut squash
2 tablespoon olive oil (or veg)
10 cups water

Optional – (flour dumplings)
1 1/2 cup   all purpose flour
pinch of sugar
water

Notes. If you don’t have a ham bone, you can use ham hocks and if pork is not your thing, smoked turkey or beef bones would work just as well. I used about 1 1/4 tablespoon salt, but since your tolerance for salt will be different than mine, start off with a tablespoon and adjust accordingly. You can certainly use stock instead of the 10 cups of water I mentioned, but I like to get the true flavor of the ham bone, so I try not to overpower it with any sort of stock.

We’ll start off by peeling and chopping all the ingredients. With the squash, carrots and potato,  be sure to leave them in huge pieces so when they cook down they won’t totally melt away.

 In a large pot, heat the olive oil on a med/high heat, then add the sliced garlic and onion and cook for a couple minutes (until they’re soft and edges start going brown). Now add the black pepper, thyme (I left the thyme on the sprig as I love the extra flavor from it – at the end of cooking I can remove the sprigs), cubed potato, cubed quash and carrot. Give the split peas a good rinse with cool water, drain and add it to the pot as well. Give everything a good stir.

Since I had some leftover meat with my ham, I stripped what I could off the bone and gave it a rough chop (cubes). Now add the coconut milk and salt  to the pot and give it a good stir.

Add the pieces of ham, the ham bone and the scallions (rough chop them) to the pot and stir as best as you can (it may be difficult with the huge ham bone).

Now is when you add the water (make sure everything gets covered) and place the habanero (or any hot pepper you have available) whole, to the pot. By adding the pepper whole, we’ll get some flavor and not the heat. However if heat is your thing, you can chop the pepper before adding or burst it later on in the cooking process as I did.

Turn up the heat and bring the pot to a boil. As it starts to boil you’ll notice some frothy stuff at the top, skim that off and discard. Now turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and allow to cook for one and half hours. Remember to stir things every 15 minutes or so. You will notice that as the split peas become tender the soup itself will get very thick… this is when it’s important to stir as the peas can stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.

After 1 hr and 15 mins the split peas should be close to being fully cooked and there should be a wonderful scent throughout your kitchen and home. It’s now time to make the dumplings. In a bowl add the flour and a pinch of sugar, give it a stir with a fork, then start adding water to form a dough. In the video below you’ll see how I did it. Basically you’re looking for a soft, smooth dough. After the dough is made, pinch off pieces (about the size of a large marble) and form into a large cigarette and add to the pot. Basically all you do is… roll the dough between both hands to form the shape of the dumplings.


After adding the dumplings, allow it to cook for another 15 minutes, then it’s all done. Check for salt as I’m sure your tolerance for salt will be a bit different than mine. Now is when you would fish out the habanero pepper and the sprigs from the thyme we added earlier in the cooking process.

This is a huge pot of soup, so why not make it a family affair and invite some relatives and friends over. If not, put the remainder in a freezer container and freeze for a couple months at least. All you do is thaw, add some water in a pot and reheat. Additionally, this soup will get VERY thick when it cools down, so if you’re reheating on the stove, do add about 1/2 cup of water to thin it out a bit.

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.