caribbean cookbook

  • Curry Stew (ed) Goat.

    Here’s another Caribbean Classic! Curry Stew Goat.. seasoned with an exciting curry-based marinade, then brown-stewed as it’s typically done on the islands. It’s then cooked slowly to develop rich flavors and fall-off-the-bone tenderness. #Goatober You’ll Need… 4-5 lbs goat (bone in)1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning1 teaspoon salt (adjust)1/2 teaspoon black pepper1 medium onion (sliced)1…

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    Coconut Stewed Shrimp.

    It’s very rare you’ll find someone from the Islands who don’t enjoy great seafood, it’s just natural I think. Fried, grilled, stewed, curry, oven-baked, fire-roasted and in stews like this one, we’ve got so many ways to enjoy the bounty of the Caribbean Sea. Yea we even do ceviche too! Here’s one of my favorite…

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    Quick And Simple Salmon Fried Rice.

    Here’s a quick and tasty recipe putting leftover rice (which you may already have in the fridge) and a can of salmon to work, for what I assure you is an incredible one-pot dish. While the use of the can (or ‘tin’ as we would normally say in the Caribbean) may seem a little strange if you’ve never tried it… I quickly learned that it truly is a great addition to what could potentially be a boring fried rice. This is one of the many go-to recipes I employ when lunch-time hits and I have some rice in the fridge.

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    Coconut Curry Oxtails In The Oven (or slow cooker).

    As a new immigrant to Canada, I remember the days when oxtails were just about the cheapest cut of meat you could get at the grocery store / butcher (they were practically giving the stuff away). Along with liver, gizzards, trotters, chicken feet, snouts and other parts of meats which were considered undesirable by the major part of the buying public, we reveled in the prices. In the Caribbean nothing goes to waste, so what most people refused to use, we had already perfected recipes which brought out the natural goodness of these cuts. Today, with oxtails hovering between $8 and $11 a pound, its now become something you buy for a special occasion or when you have a serious craving.. as in this case with me today!

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    The Ultimate Salsa Recipe [Caribbean Style].

    Salsa is not a “Caribbean” type dish! Really? How easily we forget the Spanish speaking Caribbean, like Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico. I started making this take on salsa for my girls after I read the label of the pre-packaged stuff they were buying at the grocery stores. Called salsa, but lacked any real flavor and loaded with sodium and preservatives. You’ll notice that I’ve taken the technique we use in Trinidad and Tobago for making Tomato Choka and applied it in making this salsa.. for what I believe is the best salsa you’ll ever have/enjoy! Ask my daughters and their friends.

  • Green Fig Salad Recipe (green banana).

    This is my take on a recipe which screams St Lucia. After a full day of beautiful Caribbean sunshine and wicked heat, we ended up in a small family run restaurant in Castries St Lucia where it was recommended I try the “Green Fig Salad” (like a potato salad made green cooking bananas). What a delightful dish, one bite and I could see why St Lucians are so proud of this dish. The creamy texture, mixed in with the texture of the cooked banana and the slight herbal elements combined with the bits of salted cod was just perfect. So here’s my version of Green Fig Salad!

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    Avocado Grapefruit Salad

    This is NOT a recipe on so many levels, but an ideal dish for when you want something light and for when it’s just you you’re ‘cooking’ for. Just about every day I get emails asking for healthy recipes and with the new ‘living better’ regime I follow, I thought I’d share this one with you. Our family home in the Caribbean is surrounded with many fruit and citrus trees, so I have a natural affection for both avocado and grapefruit. Maybe in the coming weeks I’ll share mom’s recipe for one of the most refreshing grapefruit juices you’ve ever had (I assure you). You can easily multiply the ingredients if you plan on making this for a group. Not only is this a super quick salad recipe, it’s vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.

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    Simple Sofrito Recipe.

    As we have Caribbean Green Seasoning as the base of many dishes in most of the Southern Caribbean, in the Spanish speaking Caribbean you’ll find Sofrito. An aromatic blend of herbs, garlic and seasoning peppers. A few years back while in old San Juan (Puerto Rico) I had a delightful rice dish at a small roadside vendor and she told me that the secret was all in the sofrito she started with. You will definitely find variations in the way sofrito is made as you make your way through Cuba, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, as everyone tend to have their own specific recipe. This recipe I’m about to share is as basic as sofrito comes and a great starting point.