gluten free recipe Archives | Page 10 of 15

Last weekend I was asked “what’s your specialty?” in reference to what I cook and without hesitation I said it’s not so much a dish or category of food, but technique. As we continue July’s Month Of Grilling, I’m sure you can tell that I quite enjoy working with the raw heat of the grill. The essence of the fire changes the overall dish in such a manner that’s almost impossible to duplicate on a stove or oven. While we’re not using pimento wood to give the burgers that unique “Jamaican Jerk” depth, I assure you that you’ll be amazed by what a simple jerk marinade can do to basic ground beef.

If you follow me on twitter, the ‘I just had the best burger” tweet was this!

You’ll Need…

1 lb ground beef
3 small scallions
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 lemon (juice + zest)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/3 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/5 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 Pineapple sliced.

NOTE: If doing these jerk burgers gluten free, do pay close attention to the list of ingredients… especially the Soy Sauce to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Grate the ginger and finely chop the thyme, scallions and scotch bonnet pepper. Be mindful that you can use less of that scotch bonnet pepper if you’re concerned about the raw heat. While jerk is supposed to be spicy, you can also remove the seeds and white membrane surrounding the seeds to help control that heat. BE sure to wash your hands with soap and water after handling such hot peppers.

Add all the ingredients in a bowl (except the ground beef) and give it a good mix to combine. You may wonder if you can puree this in a blender or food processor, but I prefer to have it chopped instead, so you gets hits of flavor with each bite.

Reserve a 1/4 of the marinade and pour the rest over the ground beef and mix well. Allow this to marinate for about 15 minutes before making the individual beef patties (makes 4 burgers). Form the burgers and place in the fridge to firm up a bit so they don’t fall apart on the grill. I do NOT use eggs or bread crumbs in my burgers.

As they firm up in the fridge, peel and slice your pineapple and marinate with the marinade we reserved.

All you have to do now is brush your HOT grill with veg oil (so the burgers don’t stick) and grill as you’d normally grill your burgers. I placed them over direct heat and had the pineapple slices gently warm through away from the direct heat. BTW, in the image below you’ll notice that I poured the marinade from the pineapple slices over the burgers so it wouldn’t waste.

I grilled the burgers for about 10-15 minutes, flipping them occasionally. After I moved the burgers, I placed the pineapple slices over the direct heat for about -3-5 minutes to help get the sugars out.

That natural smoke from the charcoal fire added some of the elements the pimento wood would bring to the jerk game, but you can certainly grill these on a propane grill with much success. The same cane be said for cooking these off indoors in a frying pan or indoor grill plate. The bold flavors from the spices and herbs will be enough to elevate these burgers no matter where or how they are cooked.

Back to what’s my specialty.. I don’t specialize in BBQ or grilling, but it brings me the most joy. BUT.. I hate that smoke (and sort of greasy feeling) on my face though!

Shrimp Chow – Spicy Shrimp Cocktail?

July 12, 2016June 22, 2016Leave a Comment

“Dad, can you make me chow?” No Mango! “How about shrimp?” That was the brief discussion between Tehya and I a few weeks back when she got her routine craving for mango chow. A spicy pickle usually made with green (tart) mangoes, or any of the variety of fruits we have in the Caribbean. Had to admit, it was a brilliant idea. We both enjoy shrimp cocktail and with the sort of spicy base.. could this be the “Caribbean” version of shrimp cocktail?

This WILL be your go-to dish for summer parties, BBQs and cookouts! It’s so easy to put together, quite impressive visually when served and bold with flavors of the islands.

You’ll Need…

1 lb medium shrimp
1 scallion
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 lime
1/2 orange
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic

* I used previously cleaned and cooked shrimp you’d normally get in the frozen section of your fish market or grocery store. The idea is to make this a no-fuss recipe. If doing this recipe gluten free, kindly go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Thaw the shrimp, rinse with cold water and drain/dry with paper towels. (leave the tail on for better presentation)

Chop the cilantro (in the Caribbean we’d normally use shado beni, aka culantro) and scallions, crush the garlic and finely mince the scotch bonnet pepper. I didn’t add any of the seeds of the scotch bonnet. Be mindful that this will be VERY spicy, so kindly use as much of the pepper as you can handle. Be mindful of your guests as well. Wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers. Any spicy pepper will work.. especially Habaneros which will have a lovely fruity undertone.

I did say this was easy right? Add everything to a mixing bowl and toss well. You’re done! Allow this marinate and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes before serving.

You can obviously use this as a salad, but I would recommend treating this like you would shrimp cocktail.. give your guests a toothpick and have them dig in. To help stretch this a bit, you can add cherry tomatoes, cubed cucumber, diced mango or strawberries. In a previous recipe I made this into more of a salad, where I even went in with diced ripe avocado.

Serve this up at your gig or take it to the next party you’re invited to and watch the praise roll in.

Seafood

Cabbage With Smoked Herrings

July 5, 2016May 8, 2016Leave a Comment

Here’s another one of those dishes I hated as a kid growing up on the islands. Both the smoked herrings and the cabbage were etched into my don’t eat list, but as an adult they’re two ingredients I not only use on the regular, but crave. The scent of dad roasting the smoked herrings (back then the choice were whole fish) on an open flame to give it extra flavor and to help remove the skin and bones, wasn’t pleasant. That said.. even when using the fillets as I’m about to do, know that it will impart a distinct scent throughout your kitchen/home.

You’ll Need…

8 smoked herring fillets
2 scallions
3-4 cups cabbage (about 1/3 of a medium cabbage)
2 cloves garlic
2 birds eye pepper (any spicy pepper you like)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
1 large tomato (or 8 grape)

Important: If you’re doing this recipe gluten free, do go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

The first thing we’ve got to do is shred the smoked herring fillets. To make this step easy, place the fillets in a bowl and cover with hot/boiling water. Allow them to soak (until they are cool enough to handle) then pour the water out, squeeze dry and shred. The fillets can be a bit oily and have a very strong ‘smoke’ scent, so you may want to wear gloves or the scent will remain on your fingers for some time. You will see tiny bones which are harmless for the most part.. if you come across any tough bones or bits, do remove and discard.

As the fillets soak, you can prep the other ingredients. Finely chop the garlic, bird’s eye pepper (you can use scotch bonnet or any pepper you like), chop the scallions and tomato. Remove the outer layer and core of the cabbage and shred. Remember that by including the seeds of the pepper I’m asking for HEAT.. remove the seeds it you want to tone things down a bit.

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan on a low flame, then add the shredded smoked herring, toss then add everything except the cabbage and tomato. Stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes.

It’s now time to add the shredded cabbage, toss and top with the tomato. Please don’t use a lid or the cabbage will have the tendency to spring a bit of liquid. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for 4-5 minutes. You can personalize the dish by cooking longer (I like the cabbage to have a bit of a crunch) and add salt. I didn’t need salt as I find that the cured/smoked herrings are already salty.

While using the prepared herring fillets is not ‘traditional’, it’s very convenient and you won’t be able to tell the difference in the final dish. Well, my dad does as he doesn’t get that ‘roasted’ flavor he appreciates. If using the whole fish (dry smoked) you may have to boil them instead of just topping with hot water as I did, before you remove the skin and bones.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Coconut Curry Venison (deer).

May 28, 2025April 6, 2016Leave a Comment

Any sort of game, including deer (venison) is what we call “wild meat” in the Caribbean and for the most part it’s a sort of cherished delicacy, especially around Christmas and Carnival time. I have very fond childhood memories of going hunting with my brother and dad and into my early teens we would venture out with my friends. Though I went to school in San Fernando (city), most of my spare time was spent in the country side of Guaracara, so you’d find that I’m an outdoors person at heart.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs Venison
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Curry Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 slices ginger
1 tomato
1/2 small onion
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 scallion (chopped)
3 sprigs thyme
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 allspice berries
Cilantro or Shado Beni garnish

IMPORTANT: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients (especially the curry powder which could have flour as a filler) to ensure everything meets with your gluten free dietary needs.

Have your butcher cut the venison into 1 inch pieces and if there’s bones, please include it as it adds wonderful flavors to the finished curry. Wash with lemon or lime juice (not mentioned in the ingredient list) and water and drain. Then season with the tomato, salt, black pepper, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, Caribbean Green Seasoning, scallion and scotch bonnet pepper. You can leave out the seeds of the pepper to help control the heat level and remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling. Please allow this to marinate for a couple hours or overnight in the fridge.

Heat the vegetable oil on a medium heat in a heavy pot, then add the diced onion and garlic and cook on LOW for about 3-4 minutes. Then add the curry powder and continue cooking on LOW for another 3-5 minutes. This will toast the spices which makes up the curry blend and also cook off any raw flavors of the curry you could potentially get when the dish is finished cooking.

Now turn up the heat to high and start adding the seasoned/marinated pieces of venison. Yes, it’s ok if the marinade going into the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil.. it will spring it’s own juices and add the ginger and thyme. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and let it go for about 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and crank up the heat to high to burn off all that liquid. This step will help to infuse the meat with that rich curry goodness. In the same bowl you marinated the pieces of deer, swish around the 1/2 cup of water to pick up any remaining marinade.

After all the liquid is burnt off it’s time to pour in that water, the coconut milk and all spice berries and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and allow it to cook until tender. It can take between 2.5 and 3 hrs to get fall-off-the-bone tender. After 2.5 hrs it’s time personalize things a bit… cook longer if you want it more tender, adjust the salt and crank up the heat to get the gravy to the consistency you like. If you find that while cooking you’re out of liquid, you can always add a bit more water.

Turn off the stove and top with the chopped shado beni (culantro) or cilantro. You now have a brilliant rich curry using “wild meat”! The funny thing about hunting as a kid on the islands is that for the most part we were hardly ever successful, but that adventure was so much fun.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Coconut Chicken Tenders Recipe [gluten free].

May 27, 2025January 28, 20161 Comment

One of the most popular recipes I’ve shared to date is a version of the chicken strips mom would make for us as kids, but I was asked recently via FaceBook if there was a gluten free version I had, that I’d be willing to share. With the Super Bowl just days away, I though it would be a great time to share this recipe as it’s a great party food idea. This coconut chicken tenders recipe is not only gluten free, super simple to make and quite tasty, it works well for people who are not fans of shrimp (similar to coconut shrimp).

You’ll Need…

1 lb chicken tenders
1 teaspoon Caribbean Green seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups veg oil (for frying)
1.5 cups shredded coconut (sweetened)
3/4 cup coconut flour (any gluten free flour)
1/2 teaspoon pimento (spicy smoked paprika)
3/4 cup milk
lemon zest (about 1/2 teaspoon)

For the dip:

1 cup ranch dressing
1 teaspoon sriracha

Important: Please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Marinate the chicken tenders with the salt and Caribbean Green seasoning for an hour. You can also use boneless thigh or chicken breast, strips.

It’s now time to set a station to batter them for frying. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, lemon zest and paprika. Then place the shredded coconut (sweetened) on a plate and do the same for the coconut flour or any gluten free flour.

Dust the chicken tenders in the coconut flour, then dip into the seasoned milk and roll in the coconut. Set aside and repeat until all the tenders are coated.

If you’re lactose intolerant, you can use a couple eggs instead of the milk.

Heat the vegetable oil on a medium flame and fry (be gentle so the coconut does not fall off) for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Basically until the chicken is fully cooked and you get that lovely golden color. Set on paper towels to soak up the extra oil. Try not to over-crowd your pan when frying.

The dipping sauce is SUPER simple. Whisk together the ranch dressing and sriracha, until combined. Add more or less hot stuff to your liking.

Try to serve warm to really get the true flavors of these lovely coconut chicken tenders. If you make them in advance you can warm them up in a moderate oven for a few minutes. My daughters had these for lunch, so I left them fairly big. But if you’re serving these at your next party, you can cut the chicken tenders into smaller pieces before marinating etc.

Gluten Free

Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread.

November 12, 2015November 9, 2015Leave a Comment

If you grew up on the islands you’d have at least one experience with cheese paste sandwiches… the go-to snack at many kids birthday parties. A zesty cheese spread made with grated cheddar, spiced with mustard and usually done in different colors so you get that sort of rainbow effect when you look at a cross-section of a sandwich. This recipe is the gown-up version of said cheese paste as we’ll add some fresh vegetables to the mix and instead or grated cheese, we’ll employ the use of cream cheese.

You’ll Need…

1 package of plain cream cheese
1 small carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (*optional)
pinch sea salt
pinch black pepper

IMPORTANT: If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with specific gluten free dietary needs. Remember the bagels I used in the image/video does contain gluten. NOTE: I have this posted under vegetarian and I know some people skip the cheese as part of their vegetarian diet – please substitute as necessary.

Make sure to bring the cream cheese to room temperature (soft – DON”T microwave), so it’s easy to mix. Grate the carrot, dice the celery and bell pepper. Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water after handling the scotch bonnet pepper and DON”T include any of the seeds nor the white membrane surrounding the seeds or you’ll be dealing with the raw heat. If you want you can use a few drops of your fav hot sauce / peppersauce instead of the fresh scotch bonnet. Chop the chives and parsley very fine.

Now in a deep mixing bowl add the soft cream cheese and mix together all the ingredients until they are well combined. Taste for salt and adjust according.

Enjoy on toasted bagels, sliced bread, pita, or your fav Caribbean style breads (coconut, cassava.. even sada roti). This is a also a great topping for crackers, toasted chips or anything you use as a vehicle for dips.

Store in a container in the fridge for at least a week. You can personalize this a bit more by adding any of your fav grated vegetables to the mix.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Caribbean Style Stewed Lamb Chops.

May 28, 2025September 22, 20155 Comments

As a young fella on the islands, I don’t ever recall having lamb (had to call mom and she confirmed this). And to be quite honest, I didn’t even start eating goat until my adult years in Canada after living with my aunt, who’s a master at cooking it in a rich and spicy curry sauce. Today I’m not a huge fan of lamb, as I find the taste and texture turns me off a little (plus the price), but the odd time it is cooked in our home, this is my go-to recipe. Not necessarily “Caribbean”, but you’ll noticed a lot of flavor-adding ingredients being used as we would in the Caribbean.

You’ll Need…

5 Lamb chops (shoulder/cheaper cut)
2 scallions
5 allspice berries
1 small stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon veg oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 med onion
2 cloves garlic
4 sprigs thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato puree (concentrate)
2 slices ginger
1 scotch bonnet pepper
8 cherry tomatoes
Optional – pinch nutmeg

Note: If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Usually we season and marinate meats first in the Caribbean, but in this case we’ll add the seasonings (herbs etc) a little later. Heat the vegetable oil on med/high and brown the pieces of lamb on both sides (takes about 8 mins). Then remove them and set aside.

Turn the heat to low and add the onion, garlic, scallion and thyme, let it gently cook for about 3-4 minutes, then add the tomato puree (concentrate) and cook another 2 minutes. It will go dark.

Now add the add orange juice, black pepper, ginger, allspice berries and bring to a boil. Then go in with the lamb, water, salt and place the scotch bonnet pepper whole. Stir, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 50 minutes or until it’s as tender as you like.

After about 50 minutes, taste for salt and adjust accordingly as my tolerance for salt will be different than yours. Remove the lid and crank up the heat to help the gravy thicken to the way you want it. Here is also where I also add the cherry tomatoes (use chopped regular tomatoes if you wish). Stir every 10-15 minutes or so and try your best to NOT break that scotch bonnet pepper or you will release major heat… unless you want that heat.

Fish out the scotch bonnet pepper, stems from the thyme and all spice berries and discard before serving so no one gets the nasty reality of biting into them. Serve with rice, boiled provisions, flour dumplings or roti.

Gluten Free Side Dishes Vegetarian

Zesty Cucumber Chow (Salad).

May 27, 2025September 8, 20151 Comment

As a young fella on the islands my brother and I would always volunteer to go help dad in the garden whenever we knew cucumbers were in season. We had a stash of salt and a few cloves of garlic in the make-shift shed, where dad would take his breaks from the midday sun. With scotch bonnet pepper (congo as we’d say) and shado beni fresh from the garden.. we’d always make a huge bowl of this ‘chow’ with the ‘baby’ cucumbers (always the sweetest). Immediately after we’d hit the river to go fishing, followed by hours of swimming in the cool refreshing waters of the Guaracara river. Funny thing is dad never got our assistance, but he never peeped a word to mom!

You’ll Need…

6 Dill cucumbers
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lemon (juice)
8-12 cherry tomatoes
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds)
2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
1 clove garlic (crused or diced fine)
1/2 small red onion (optional)

Note: you can use any cucumber you have on hand and the option to peel or not is totally up to you. Remember to wear gloves when handling scotch bonnet peppers and to wash your hands immediately after with soap and water. You can cut back or use more of the pepper if you wish. Traditionally we would use shado beni (culantro) instead of the cilantro.

It was early summer when I did this recipe so I had access to what’s called dill cucumbers (basically small cucumbers) for this recipe, but you can use any cucumber you have on hand. You have the option of peeling or not. In my case, these small cucumbers are quite sweet and I find that the skin adds a lovely texture to it all. What I would recommend doing is not only washing them very well, but to soak them in cool water to make sure all the dirt and sand drops of them.

Cut the stems and bottoms off and cut into spears and place in a large bowl. I also had some cherry tomatoes, so I opted to add them to the salad/chow for some added flavor, color and texture. You can use any tomato you have.

Crush or dice the garlic very finely, chop the cilantro and you can dice the scotch bonnet or cut it into large pieces so when you serve it, your guests can easily identify the pieces and avoid them.

Basically all you’re doing at this point is assembling everything together and giving it a good toss. For best results, allow it to chill and marinate in the fridge for about 1/2 hour.

If you’re new to Caribbean cuisine or this website, ‘chow’ is basically a spicy pickle we make with tart fruits.. in most cases green mangoes, pineapple etc. In this case we used cucumbers with the same sort of effect.. except, you’ll get a more juicy and refreshing finish.

If you don’t have lemons you can use lime or orange juice for a different flavor profile and if spicy is not your thing.. you can leave out the scotch bonnet pepper. In the video below you’ll notice that I didn’t add any red onions.. so that is totally optional.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Stewed Turkey Wings Recipe.

May 27, 2025August 10, 201512 Comments

I’m not a huge fan of turkey, especially when it’s done the traditional North American way – roasted in the oven. I much prefer getting the cheaper cuts like the necks (Curry Turkey Necks) and in this case, wings. Though a bit tougher than chicken wings, I find that they hold up well to the Caribbean way of stewing and the outcome is quite delightful. Tender pieces of meat, with a wonderful gravy which is excellent on rice, potato, dumplings, roti or ground provisions. The key is in the way we’ll season, marinate and finally braise these turkey wings in a process which is most traditional to the Southern Caribbean.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs turkey wings
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tomato (diced)
1 small onion (diced)
3 scallions (Chopped)
1 birds eye chili (1/4 scotch bonnet)
3 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon chopped shado beni (or cilantro)
2 seasoning peppers (known as pimento peppers)
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cups water

Note: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs – especially the Worcestershire sauce.

Have your butcher cut the turkey wings into same-size pieces for you, wash and drain. Then season with all the ingredients mentioned above, except the water, veg oil and brown sugar. Mix well, then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2-3 hours. Overnight would be best, but not necessary.

Heat the veg oil on a high flame in a heavy pot, then add the brown sugar and stir. It will clump, but after a while it will start to melt. Turn the fan on above your stove or open your kitchen window as it can get a bit smokey. Remember to use a dry long handle spoon. Keep stirring the sugar.. it will melt, go foamy/frothy and start changing color… you want it to get to an amber colour. Have the seasoned turkey wings very close as you need to act relatively fast. (watch the video below) As it goes a rich amber color, start adding the pieces of seasoned turkey wings and stir. IMPORTANT – you are adding wet wings to VERY hot molten sugar, so be careful and use a long handle spoon. Stir well, to coat all the pieces of turkey with the lovely color.

Turn the heat down to medium, cover the pot and let it go for about 10 minutes. Yes, it’s ok if some of the marinade goes into the pot as you added the turkey wings. In the same bowl you marinated the wings, pour in the water and move around to pick-up all the remaining marinade – we’ll need that soon. The wings will spring up it’s own natural juices in the pot. Remember to stir it a few times to color it evenly. To intensify the flavor and color of the stew, remove the lid off the pot and crank up the heat to high. It’s time to burn off all that liquid. The goal is to have a dry pot, with the sight of the veg oil at the bottom of the pot that we started of with. Now pour in the water and bring to a boil. This step will now gently cook the wings to perfection.

When it comes to a boil reduce it to a simmer, cover the pot and let it go for about 70-90 minutes. Remember to stir every 10-15 minutes and keep an eye on your liquid level. After about 80 minutes, they should be fully tender, it’s now time to personalize the dish a bit. You can remove the lid and turn the heat up to get the gravy to the consistency you like and remember to taste it for salt and adjust accordingly. Your tolerance for salt will be different than mine.

Top with some chopped scallions and serve!

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

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

December 4, 2015August 7, 201510 Comments

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!

Note: We’ll start this off on the stove top, then finish it slowly in the oven so it’s important that you use an oven-proof pot. You can use the same technique to start it as I did, then finish it in a slow cooker if you wish. You may need to adjust the cooking time (a bit longer)

You”l Need…

2-3 lbs oxtails (trimmed / washed / dry)
2 tablespoon veg oil
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped shado beni aka culantro (or cilantro)
3 scallions (chopped)
4 sprigs thyme
3 wiri wiri peppers (1/2 scotch bonnet – no seeds)
1 medium tomato (diced)
3 cups coconut milk
3/4 teaspoon salt

Important: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs – especially the curry powder which can contain flour as a filler.

Heat the veg oil in an oven-proof pot (with lid) on low heat, then add the crushed garlic and diced onion. Cook on low for about 3-4 minutes. Then go in with your favorite curry powder (I like the Madras blends you get out of the Caribbean). Heat still on low, toast the curry powder to release the aroma of all the spices which make up the curry powder and to cook-off the sort of ‘raw’ curry taste. This will take about 3-5 minutes.

Now add the trimmed (please try to cut off as much of the fat off the oxtail) pieces of oxtails into the pot and stir. The idea is to coat the pieces with the lovely curry base we created.

Basically all you have to do next, is add all the other ingredients, turn the heat up and bring it to a boil If we bring it to a boil, it will start cooking much faster in the oven. Set your oven to 375F.

Place the lid on the pot and on the middle rack in your oven. Now here is where you get to personalize it a few ways. Depending on how old the animal was the tails came from, it will determine how long it will take to cook. On average, to get fall-off-the-bones tender (like I like) it will range between 2 and 3 hours. I lucked out and 2.5 hrs later it was just perfect. Near the end of cooking, taste for salt and adjust accordingly, as your tolerance for salt will be different than mine. And the third way to personalize this depends on how thick you want your gravy. If you find that the meat is tender but your gravy is thin.. remove the lid and crank up the heat a bit or simple place the pot back on the stove top and reduce the liquid that way.

If you want to stretch this dish a bit, you can add some potato and carrots the final hour of cooking.. but I’ll recommend starting off with a bit more curry powder and you’ll need to adjust the salt and cooking liquid (coconut milk) as well.

I finished it off with some fresh chopped herbs (parsley/ cilantro) as I took it out of the oven! Optional, so I didn’t mention it in the list of ingredients.

Tip: Since oxtails can be very fatty and the fact that we started off with veg oil, after about 2 hours of cooking you can skim-off the fat at the surface of the pot and discard (NOT down your sink). The last thing you need is additional grease in your diet. If you find that oxtails are beyond your budget, you can use Turkey necks as I did with this recipe: The Ultimate Curry Turkey Necks Recipe.

Gluten Free Vegetarian

Stewed Dry Pigeon Peas Recipe.

June 19, 2015June 19, 20153 Comments

TinTin (Christina), my dad’s mom guarded her dried pigeon peas like they do gold at Ft Knox. It was common knowledge that if peas were out of season, she had some stored in airtight bottles somewhere in the dimly lit-smoky kitchen of hers. I still recall the scent of that kitchen, a mixture of the musty tobacco she always had drying in the ceilings and the smoke from the different types of hard-wood she would use to fire-up the coal pot she would use to to cook her meals. Not to mention the actual smoke from the pipe she smoked all her life! To this day, I’m still to taste a stewed dried pigeon peas like the stew this woman would make on that coal pot, in that simple kitchen.

Since I never have enough time to cook the dried peas as is needed… in this recipe we’ll use the canned stuff and drastically cut back on the cooking time. So students, busy individuals or maybe you’re just lazy (smart) and want to eat well, you’ll find this recipe very handy.

You’ll Need…

1 Can dry Pigeon peas (540 ml / 19 fl oz)
2 scallions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 med tomato
1 cup diced bell pepper
1 scotch bonnet pepper (keep whole)
1 med onion
2 cloves garlic
3 sprigs thyme
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water

optional – grated ginger – diced carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato

Note: If doing this recipe gluten free, do go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs (especially the Worcestershire sauce)

Prep all the ingredients (chop/dice the peppers, tomatoes, scallions, celery, onion, parsley, garlic.. but do keep the scotch bonnet pepper whole) By keeping the Scotch Bonnet whole we’ll get the flavor from the oils and not the raw heat..unless you want the raw heat, then you’d break it open as it cooks. Now heat the olive oil on a medium flame (I used a non stick pan so I use less oil), then add the celery, garlic, tomato, parsley, thyme, onion, black pepper and scallions. Turn the heat down to low and let it gently cook for about 3-5 mins.

Drain and rinse the dried pigeon peas (aka Congo pea, gungo pea, gunga pea, fio-fio, no-eye pea) so you remove most of the brine/sodium it’s packed in, then add it to the pan. Turn the heat up to med/high.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring it up to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer (remember to add the scotch bonnet whole and try to NOT break it open) and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust at this point – I added a pinch as I find that he peas is usually high in salt and can almost be enough to season this dish. but your tolerance for salt will be different than mine. If you wanted to add some additional body to this stewed peas dish or just stretch it a bit you can add some diced potato, sweet potato or diced pumpkin when you added the peas to the pot. You’ll then need to add a bit more liquid and obviously adjust the salt.

If you find that the gravy is a bit thin (remember as it cools it will thicken a bit) you can use the back of your spoon to crush them a bit and it will help to thicken things up.

If you’re wondering why if my grandmother’s name is Christina (yea, I’m Christopher and my sister is Christine.. my daughter is Christyon), why did I call her TinTin? Good question.. to this day, that’s just the name everyone in our village calls her and to be honest, I have no clue why. If you’re from the Caribbean, chances are at some point in your life you’ve had a nickname.. I’ve had over 15 so far.

Gluten Free Vegetarian

How To Cook Dasheen Bush Bhagi (vegetarian & gluten free).

June 12, 2015June 12, 20151 Comment

Dasheen Bush is basically the leaves (usually the tender ones) of the Dasheen plant (Taro) which is used mainly in the Southern Caribbean for making Callaloo or as in this case, stewed down on it’s own like you would spinach or any other ‘greens’. With the aid of coconut milk and a few simple ingredients and what you’d think is a simple vegetarian dish, is something very tasty and in my case, quite addictive. It’s was one of the few vegetarian type dishes mom never had a hard time serving us as kids. With Sada roti, flour dumplings or with split peas dhal and rice… iman was in heaven.

You’ll Need…

10-15 cups chopped dasheen bush (Taro) leaves
1 med onion
5 cloves garlic
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper
2 tablespoon coconut oil
3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

To learn how to prepare the bhagi for cooking, watch this video : How To Prepare Dasheen Bush Leaves [taro leaves] For Cooking. << Click To Watch! Basically all you’re doing is removing the stems, any tarnished leaves and wash.. then trim into ribbons. Then peel back the sort of thin layer of skin on the stems (discard the skin) and cut into small pieces. Wash well, drain and set aside.

In a wide saucepan (with a lid) heat the coconut oil on a medium flame, then add the black pepper, finely chopped garlic and onion. Turn the heat down to low and let it gently cook for about 3-4 minutes.

It’s now time to turn the heat up to medium and add the prepared dasheen bush leaves. It will seem like a lot, but as it cooks it will decrease in size. Give it a good stir, then add all the other ingredients. Place the lid on it and bring it up to a boil.

Turn the heat down to as low as it can go, stir well and place the lid back on the pan. Here is where we’ll need some patience as depending on how tender the dasheen bush you used are it will vary the cooking time. Generally it will take about 40-50 minutes from this point. It will go darker, clump together and basically get thick. That is exactly what we’re looking for. If you find that it’s taking long to achieve this and there’s no liquid in the pan, add a bit more coconut milk or water.

Remember to keep stirring ever so often. After about 50 minutes (in my case) remove the lid, taste for salt, adjust if necessary and turn the heat up to burn of any excess liquid you may still have. Now if you didn’t want to do this vegetarian, you could always go in with some prepared salted cod, salted beef or pig tails.. even some smoked turkey or ham hocks would be ideal!

If doing this dish gluten free be sure to go through the entire list of ingredient to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs (especially if you’re using canned coconut milk). The lemon juice – personally I get a bit of an itch at the back of my throat with certain dishes (especially greens) and I find that by going in with the lemon juice it tends to take care of that.

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How To Cook Dasheen Bush Bhagi (vegetarian & gluten free).

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