I’m sure you’ve seen those tiny little bananas in the supermarket… normally called “baby bananas”. But have you ever given much thought as to what people do with these cute little bananas that look like they forgot to grow up? They’re quite tasty when fully ripe and can be enjoyed just as you would a…
Looking back at my childhood it puzzles me as to what was our facination with imported fruits like apples, pears and grapes? It’s funny how when you move away from home you crave the things you took for granted. Like off-the-tree mangoes and oranges. Mangoes with such names as Julie, long, hog, dou dous (sp),…
One of the first things you learn to cook as a kid growing up on the islands is Vienna sausages for breakfast or a snack. I don’t recall when I first started making this but I ‘v gone and passed this simple recipe on to my cousins and now our daughters. Kieana was in love…
Though close to the real deal, this recipe is NOT how traditional saltfish buljol is made. My dad would tell us that his grandparents buljol was very simple.. shredded saltfish topped with hot oil. Sliced onions, hot peppers and tomato if you were lucky enough to have those things. In the Caribbean saltfish is “king”….
Last week while briefly helping my sister in the kitchen at the King and Queen of Caribana event, I saw how easy it was for my mom to make up batches of fry bake to stuff with saltfish and/or shark. She made it seem so effortless I was convinced that I could easily master this….
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…
The traditional dish is Curry Crab with Dumplings when visiting Tobago, the sister island of Trinidad. However I’m a bit too lazy today to make dumplings, but I promise to post a recipe soon enough. It was about 3 years ago we were in Tobago for a few days when at Store Bay getting ready…
A few years ago Caron’s aunt and grandmother had stopped by for a visit as I was getting ready to put an eggplant on the BBQ to get it roasted for one of my favourite childhood dishes, baigan choka. When I explained what I was about to do, they mentioned that they had something similar…
The taste and texture is totally different than if you were lucky enough to have fresh picked and shelled pigeon peas, but that’s probably the only thing I’m yet to see selling in the Caribbean specialty stores… even in Toronto, so I have no choice but to use the stuff we get in the can….
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…
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…
This is another dish I would not touch as a child, but as an adult I can’t get enough. Truth be told I hardly ever cook anything that does not contain meat (I could NEVER survive as a vegetarian), but there are days when I just can’t stand the smell or sight of anything meat…
