Meat & Poultry Archives - Page 27 of 29

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

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

You’ll Need…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leave me your comments below and…

Happy Cooking!

Meat & Poultry

Finger licking BBQ chicken recipe.

May 27, 2025October 21, 200929 Comments

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

Meat & Poultry

Succulent herb roasted chicken breast.

May 27, 2025August 5, 200941 Comments

I must first declare that I absolutely hate chicken breast as it’s normally very dry and lacks any real flavour, but that’s about to change. This recipe I tested a couple nights ago when I was stuck on what to make for dinner. If you recall when I roasted the chicken in the oven previously I used lemon, garlic and thyme to give it that extra kick, so I though I’d do something similar. But I didn’t want to turn on the oven since it’s summer and the air conditioning is on.

I figured since the chicken breast can dry-out easily and it can be a bit bland I had to infuse it with something we all like and cook it at a slow pace to ensure it’s moist but fully cooked at the end. Below you’ll find a very simple, but succulent way to prepare chicken on the stove top. Feel free to leave me your comments or suggestions.

You’ll need…

4 boneless/skinless chicken breast (about 2-3 lbs total)
1 tablespoon fine chopped thyme
2 cloves garlic crushed/diced
2 tablespoon olive oil (marinade)
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper (fresh ground is best)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

Wash, rinse and dry the chicken breast, then place it on a dish while we get the marinade ready. In a small bowl, pour in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, fine chopped thyme and the crushed garlic. Mix well and pour onto each piece of chicken. Then using you hand (or fork) rub the chicken and marinade ensuring every piece gets coated. Allow this to marinate for about 15 minutes on the counter top.

Let’s get cooking. In a large non stick pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the butter on medium heat. When the butter melts completely, add the seasoned chicken breast. Turn down the heat to medium-low (closer to low) and let this cook in total for about 25-30 minutes. Flip every 5 minutes or so to cook evenly (don’t cover).. allow it to do it’s own thing.

After 25 or so, the chicken should feel very firm to the touch and have a nice rich brown colour. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a couple minutes before serving so the meat relaxes a bit.

TIP! Got leftovers? It’s great stripped and placed on a sandwich or used as a base for chicken noodle soup.

Remember the key is the marinade and cooking very slow, so it cooks through without drying up. Do leave me your comments below.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Cabbage with Corned Beef (bully beef) Recipe.

November 13, 2014July 27, 200964 Comments

This one can also be archived within the “bache” or bachelor food section. When you grow up on the islands at one point or the other you’ve had corned beef than comes in the can and not the sliced stuff you get at the deli in north America, on your rye bread. We’ve reinvented the use of canned corned beef with the many ways we’ve now perfected at preparing something so simple. It had been a couple decades since I last had corned beef prepared with cabbage and to be quite honest I almost forgot about this preparation method. We were visiting my parents when they mentioned that they had this for dinner a few nights ago… a rush of memories came flooding back to me and I promised myself that this would be on my menu the coming weekend.

Not to be confused with the stuff you get on St Paddy’s day, this one is straight out of a can (bully beef in the UK) and very simple to prepare.

* Tip. Please don’t settle for the cheap canned corned beef. That stuff is usually very “mush” like in texture, loaded with salt and you’ll also notice that a lot of fat is included in it.

You’ll need…

2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 of a hot pepper (your choice)
dash black pepper
1 can corned beef
1 onion diced
1 teaspoon oil

Start by shredding the cabbage, then peel and dice the onion (separate the onion in 2 portions). In a pan heat the oil, then add 1/2 of the onion that you diced and allow to cook until the onion is soft and translucent. At this point you can start adding the shredded cabbage. Keep the heat at med-high and don’t cover the pan or risk the entire thing going soggy by the liquid that will be released.

Add the rest of the onion and slices of hot pepper. I used a “young” habanero pepper, but you can add your favourite pepper (or none .. your choice). The next step is to add the black pepper and keep stirring the lot so nothing sticks or burn.

Allow this to cook for about 8 minutes (or until the cabbage is almost tender), then add the can of corned beef. Break up the beef and stir while cooking for another 5 minutes or so.

The amount of cabbage you use is entirely up to you, but 2 cups is a good starting point. When we were kids there were 6 of us in total that had to eat from 1 can or corned beef, so a lot more cabbage was added, but it still tasted the same.

If you notice I didn’t add any salt to this recipe, this is because all canned corned beef comes packaged with a ton of salt and too much of anything is never good.

Serve on a steaming bed of brown rice with a couple slices of avocado, with roti or fry bake, on buns like a sloppy joe or as a normal side dish as you would on your dinner table. BTW you can also pile bite-sized amounts on a cracker as a light snack. Be sure to leave me your comments below.

Meat & Poultry

Savory oxtail in a rich and thick gravy.

March 5, 2012July 22, 2009169 Comments

My very first experience with oxtail was not a pleasant one and it was years until I tried it again. This is going back about 19 years ago when my good friend Richard was just starting off his Dj and music production escapades. Richard, Allyene and myself were on one of our weekly runs to the Toronto to pick up the latest releases from Jamaica (I believe it was on Eglinton Ave), back in those days it was 33’s and 45’s and not cds as we have today. We stopped off at one of the many Caribbean fast-food restaurants that populate the area to grab some food to eat on the trip back to Hamilton. I don’t recall what the other fellas got, but I do remember hungrily eating away at the oxtail with rice and peas. Then it hit me. A sharp-cut bone stabbed me in the roof of my mouth. I can still remember the pain that sucker put on me. I stopped eating (well couldn’t) immediately and between cussing and grimacing from the pain, I promised to never touch the stuff again. Took me a few years to get over that fear of being attacked by sharp-cut oxtail bones.

Here’s a simple recipe for stewed oxtail which I tested perfected yesterday… no sharp edges to hurt you 🙂

You’ll need…

2 lbs oxtail cut and trimmed into 1-2 inch pieces
1 tomato diced
1 onion sliced thin
1 stalk celery diced
black pepper (fresh ground is best) 1/4 teaspoon
hot pepper (I used 1/2 habanero) this is optional
1 tablespoon green seasoning
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard (nothing fancy)
1/2 teaspoon crushed ginger 9I used the bottled stuff)
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
2-3 cloves of garlic crushed
1 lime / lemon or vinegar (4 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon ketchup

* If you don’t have the green seasoning prepared. Use a combination of green onions (scallions), cilantro or shado beni and thyme. About 1 tablespoon each…chopped very fine.

Start by placing the cut pieces of oxtail in a large bowl (remember to remove as much fat as you can – keep it a bit healthy) and squeeze the lime or lemon juice on it. Use vinegar if you don’t have limes or lemons. Pour some water (not the water mentioned in the recipe) in the bowl and wash each piece of oxtail. If your butcher used a band-saw to cut the pieces for you, there’s the chance that there may be some gritty stuff from the cut bones left on the meat. Rinse with cold water as need. Drain and get ready for seasoning.

The seasoning consist of all the ingredients mentioned above, except the oil, sugar and 4 cups of water. Mix well and allow this to marinate for at least 2 hrs in the fridge.

As we’ve done in other “stew” dishes, we have to bring the oil to a high temp in a heavy pot and add the brown sugar. Stir so the entire lot changes colour evenly and get to the perfect point to add the seasoned meat. The key is allowing the sugar get to a caramel colour, so each piece of oxtail will get browned evenly. The pics below will show you what to look for.

When the sugar gets like the pic directly above, start adding the seasoned pieces of oxtail. Stir, reduce to medium heat and cover. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Then bring the heat back to high and burn off all the liquid (remove the lid). Stir during this process so the pieces of meat gets coated evenly. Add the 4 cups of water to the bowl that had the seasoned meat to pick up any remaining seasoning that was left behind. When the liquid dries up in the pot, add the 4 cups of water.

Bring to a boil (covered), then reduce the heat so it’s a gentle simmer. PATIENCE.. allow this to cook, stirring occasionally for about 1 3/4 hours. Then remove the lid and turn up the heat so you can achieve a nice thick gravy. Remember to turn off the heat and remove from the burner when you have a thick gravy or risk not having any of that nice rich sauce.

In the coming months I’ll share a couple other ways to cook this popular Caribbean meat. One in the oven (didn’t want to turn on the oven since it’s summer time here and we don’t need all that heat in the house. And the other way is a more traditional Jamaican way. Stay tuned, and don’t forget to leave me your comments or questions in the area provided below.

Meat & Poultry

Some BBQ tips and techniques for chicken.

May 27, 2025June 26, 200918 Comments

With major holidays in Canada (July 1) and the US (July 4) coming up soon, I thought I’d share a few tips on working with chicken on the grill. These are from my experiences and though I don’t claim to be an expert… I do have guests licking their fingers when they’ve had the opportunity to experience my artistry on an open flame. My absolute favourite meat besides a good NY Strip steak to cook on the grill is chicken. But not just any old piece of chicken, it must be leg quarters. I love the flavour of dark meat, plus it stands up best to the high-direct heat of grilling.

Some tips…

To make breast quarters grill more quickly and evenly, cut through the wing joint to break it and bring the wing closer to the grill. If you’re cooking dark meat like leg quarters, pierce the thick parts a few times with a pairing knife. I usually go in near the joints. Here’s a pic of some leg quarters brushed with sticky honey-garlic sauce.

If you’re dieting and want to remove the chicken’s skin, do so after cooking, not before. Without some kind of covering, the chicken will dry out and toughen before it finishes cooking.

Turn chicken frequently, about every 5 minutes to insure even doneness and to prevent blistering.

If flare-ups occur, remove the food for a few moments and sprinkle water lightly over the flames, or smother them by covering the grill.

Cook white-meat poultry until juices run clear and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 170 to 175F and dark meat to 180 to 185F on a meat thermometer.

Grill whole birds and larger parts using the indirect method in a covered grill. Place a drip pan beneath the bird; the pan should be slightly larger than the bird. Fill the pan halfway with water or you’ll find that the drippings or grease will flare up as well. Keep adding water as needed so the pan is never dry.

Chicken should be well-done. If you don’t want to take the usual time it takes, cook your chicken partially by steaming it on low heat on a stove top or (I can’t believe I’m saying this) microwave.

Purchase one of those metal BBQ sauce cups so you can place the BBQ sauce you’ll be using to heat while the chicken is cooking. Never take bottled BBQ sauces from the fridge and brush directly onto your grilled meats and vegetables. I place my sauce cup on top of the BBQ while I cook. the heat is very low, so the sauces gets to slow heat and be ready for basting when the time arrives.

The final product… had to add some chicken flavoured rice and a wonderful Greek salad.

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or would like to contribute further to this post.

Meat & Poultry

Heavenly curry chicken with tender potato.

May 27, 2025June 19, 200946 Comments

This one is a hit on a Sunday morning whenever my mom visits (yup…a heavy brunch type dish on a Sunday). Our girls claim that only my mom can make this to their liking. Plus we get her to make roti for us, since I’m clueless when it comes to anything involving flour. The best combination for this is obviously paired with roti, but you can’t go wrong topping rice with this thick and savory dish… as I did in the pics below.

Note: I mentioned above that we usually enjoy this as a brunch dish, but you’re not limited as to when you can enjoy this. Most people I know treat this as course for dinner or big lunch.

Tip! If you live in a country that experiences winter and your house is locked up during those months and you’re concerned about that pungent scent that cooked curry seems to leave back (especially on your clothes), you have a few options…

– burn a scented candle during and after the cooking process

– ventilate (open a window or turn on the exhaust fan above your stove)

– place a stick of cinnamon in some water and simmer on the stove

– bake some cookies after 🙂

You’ll need…

3 lbs chicken cut into pieces (I like using legs with back attached – dark meat)

1 tablespoon curry powder (your choice)

1/2 teaspoon geera (ground cumin)

1/4 piece of habanero pepper (you control the heat by the amount of pepper you use)

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of black pepper

1 teaspoon green seasoning mix.

3-4 leaves of shado beni (chopped) or 3 chopped tablespoon of cilantro.

1 medium onion (chopped)

2 cloves of garlic (crushed/chopped)

1 medium tomato (chopped)

2 tablespoon lime or lemon juice (or vinegar)

2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable)

2 medium potatoes (peeled / sliced into chunks)

2 cups water

Start by washing the chicken pieces with the lime or lemon juice and water (not the water mentioned in the recipe). Then start seasoning by adding all the ingredients mentioned above, except the oil, potato and water. Allow this to marinate for a couple hrs for best results. Feel free to cook immediately if you’re in a rush.

On high heat, in a saucepan (with a lid) add the oil and wait until you start seeing gentle smoke. Try fishing out the pieces of onion and garlic from the marinated chicken and add to the now hot oil.

Allow this to cook for about 2-3 minutes (you’ll notice that other recipes will ask that you cook the curry powder – I don’t), then start adding the seasoned pieces of chicken. Move everything around so it gets in contact with the heated oil. Cover and let simmer for a few minutes. After about 8 minutes you’ll notice that the chicken released some natural juices – lets turn up the heat and get rid of that.

As you wait for the liquid to cook down, peel and dice the potatoes. Place it into the same bowl that the chicken was sitting in. When the liquid that was released is gone, add the potato pieces and stir around. Pour the 2 cups of water into the same bowl and try to get any remaining seasoning that was left behind.

After you’ve added and moved the pieces of potato around the pot a bit, add the water and bring back to a boil. Cover the pot and turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Allow this to cook for about 20 minutes or so. The goal is to have tender pieces of potato (melt and thicken the sauce) and a rich-thick sauce. If there’s still a lot of liquid left after the 20 minutes, using the back of your spoon, smash a few pieces of the potato. This will help thicken the gravy/sauce.

FYI. Just about everyone I know practices a different technique in cooking curry dishes, so feel free to use this a a base for your own unique version. Be sure to taste for salt in the event you need to add some. In the unlikely event there’s too much salt, add a sliced tomato and cook for a few minutes. It will absorb some of the extra salt.

Please leave me your comments below and share this with your friends.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Pelau, the first guest invited to every beach lime.

May 27, 2025June 16, 2009162 Comments

I can still recall sitting in our “gallery” (porch) shelling peas as the first crop of pigeon peas was reaped (btw, shelling is the term used to describe removing the peas from the pod). My parents always planted corn and peas every rainy season so we enjoyed fresh peas cooked in many different forms. Stewed, curried, in pelau and as a thickener for some of the amazing soups my mom would make. But my absolute favourite dish with pigeon peas (even to this day) is that wonderful meal-in-a-pot, called pelau.

It was the norm that every trip we made to the beach or any family outing, my mom would cook up a pot of pelau (BTW, “cook up” is also another word for pelau) to take for lunch. Nothing beats taking a swim in the ocean and making your “hungry” way back to the trunk of the car where your mom is getting ready to serve you a plate of still-hot, chicken pelau with a fresh green salad on the side. And how could I forget the hot sauce we would drizzle all over the mound of pelau?

Can you imagine writing a post and your mouth waters from nothing but a memory? Let’s hope I don’t drool all over this keyboard.

I still can’t believe that it took me this long to share this dynamite pelau recipe with you. A special thanks to Caron for reminding me to do so.

You’ll need…

4-5lbs chicken, cut into pieces and washed with lime/lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 cloves of garlic – thinly sliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh/bottled ginger – crushed. (use 1/2 if it’s ginger powder)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (one that can withstand high heat)
1 medium onion – chopped
1 medium tomato – chopped
2-3 tablespoon cilantro (or 2 tbs Trinidad green meat seasoning)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 hot pepper (only if you like your food spicy)
1 green onion or chive – chopped
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
1 large carrot sliced into “coins”
1 can coconut milk (about a cup)
1 can pigeon peas (also known as congo peas)
3 cups of long grain brown rice (washed)
1 teaspoon golden ray salt butter (optional)

Couple things before we proceed.

* If you can get fresh “shelled” pigeon peas, jump at the chance to use that instead of the canned stuff. nothing beats ‘fresh’.

* The pigeon peas comes as 2 types in the can. You have the green pigeons peas and the congo peas. The congo is the just the same green ones that were left to dry in its pod (while still on the tree), then canned. In the pictures below, you’ll notice that I used the congo variety of peas as it what I had on hand.

Cut and wash the chicken pieces, then season with all the ingredients mentioned above except, the oil, sugar, coconut milk, carrot, rice, water, golden ray and the can of pigeon peas.

Allow the seasoned chicken to marinate for at least 1 hr before you continue. You’re probably shocked by the amount of salt we used during the seasoning process, don’t fear. When we add the other ingredients, the saltiness will balance off nicely.

In a large pot on med to high heat, pour the oil and wait for it to become hot. Then add the brown sugar (same as the stewing process we discussed before), keeping an eye on things (see pictures below) until the sugar goes to a dark frothy brown. Have the bowl of seasoned chicken ready to go.

When the sugar gets to this point, quickly start adding the pieces of chicken. Move each piece around so it gets coated in the caramel that you just made. After adding all the chicken, cover the pot and allow to cook on med heat for about 10 minutes. We’re trying to “brown” the meat and also create a nice brown colour so when we add the rice, everything will look and taste amazing. Remember, that a pelau is judged by not only it’s taste, but by it’s appearance as well. Don’t worry, this recipe is fool proof!

While everything cooks, open the can of peas and place it in a strainer to wash out the sort of sryup-like liquid it’s packaged in the can with. You’ll also get rid of all that additional sodium that’s included in everything that’s canned. Wash and peel the carrot, then slice into coins. Put both the peas and carrot pieces into the same bowl you seasoned the chicken. Hopefully it will pick up any remaining seasonings that were left back. As the water starts to dry-up (see pic above) add, the peas and carrots to the pot. NOTE: You may have to turn up the heat and remove the lid for the natural juices that were released to cook down.

Cover the lid and turn down the heat as you wash the rice. For those of you not familiar with cooking with brown rice as we do in the Caribbean, you may not realize that you must first wash the rice before cooking, to get rid of the gritty taste. Many of you are probably accustomed to using that fast cooking (can’t screw up) Uncle Ben’s version. Not today! It’s a very simple process. Pour the rice into a large bowl and pour water to cover it. Then as if you’re giving the rice a massage, work it with your hand and fingers. Pour out that water (you’ll see how cloudy the water will be) and repeat this process for another couple times.

Time to kick back into action. Pour the rice into the pot, then the coconut milk and the three cups of water. Stir everything around and quickly bring back to a boil. Then cover the pot and allow to simmer for about 35 minutes or until all the liquid is gone and the grains of rice is tender and plump. There are 2 ways people like their finished product. Wet or dry and grainy. I love a nice grainy pelau, but I do know my sister makes hers gets my mom to make her’s a bit wet. Test both ways to see how best you like it.

Added Flavour!

To add an additional layer of flavor to the dish (not as if it need any more) add a teaspoon of Goldenray salted butter as you turn off the stove. Then mix around and cover the pot for about 5 minutes.

Special Note. My great aunt had this trick where she would get a branch of celery (fresh stuff from her garden – only the leafy part) and chop it really fines and top her pelau with it. STUNNING is the only word I can use to describe this added zing. Though I’ve tried over the years I’m still to recreate that unique taste … maybe it’s because I don’t have that unique celery from the Caribbean.

Do let me know your thoughts on this and the many other recipes posted on CaribbeanPot.com in the comment box below. If doing this according to a gluten free diet, do go through all the ingredients to verify they meet with your gluten free dietary needs.