Pelau

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup sugar (white or brown)
* 1 chicken, cut up (about 2½ to 3 pounds), or substitute goat meat or beef
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1½ cup pigeon peas, soaked overnight, or substitute black-eyed peas
* 2 cups rice (do not use instant rice)
* 3 cups water
* 1 cup Coconut Milk
* 2 cups cubed fresh Hubbard squash
* 2 carrots, chopped
* ¼ cup chopped parsley
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 bunch scallions or green onion, chopped including the greens
* ¼ cup ketchup
* 3 tablespoons butter

METHOD / DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a heavy pot or skillet. With the heat on high, add the sugar and let it caramelize until it is almost burned, stirring constantly. Add the chicken (or meat) and stir until all the pieces are covered with the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Drain the pigeon peas and add them to the pot along with the rice, water, and coconut milk. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients, stir until well mixed, cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. The pelau should be moist at the end of the cooking time.

Conch Souse

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - whose people are described as "Vincentians" - is an independent sovereign state of the Caribbean, having a British colonial history and now part of the Commonwealth of Nations.Seafood is abundant, and most people eat fish every day. Shrimp, whelk, lobster, jackfish, dolphin fish and lambi (conch) are mixed with scotch bonnet peppers, fruits and vegetables in a variety of dishes. A popular meal is buljol (salted fish, tomatoes, sweet peppers and onions, served with roasted breadfruit). Other common dishes include callaloo (a type of stew), pigfoot souse, roti and pumpkin soup.


Ingredients

2 pounds Conch
1 onion (medium)
1 cucumber
2 limes
Parsley
Celery
Sweet pepper
Hot pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Method

Clean away slime from conch using salt and lime.

Pound conch well, this helps to make it tender. Boil until tender. Prepare pickle using cucumber, onion and other seasoning.

Cool conch and cut into small pieces. Put into pickle. Decorate with parsley.

Roast Breadfruit and Saltfish

I just spoke to my dad and it brought back some wonderful memories. I can remember when he use to take me to the fields, we call The Garden and the river where we would fish. We would spend all day in The Garden picking fruits and veg. I spent most of the day eating fruits and sleeping on banana leaves for a bed. I'm a city boy at times I wish I had a garden or even a green house. Well if gas prices keep getting higher I may just have to get one. Thanks for reading. Here is a recipe for breakfast or lunch it doesn't matter. My Grand Father is still alive and everything he eats comes from The Garden and yes they raise animals also.


Roast Breadfruit and Saltfish



Ingredients

1 large Breadfruit
¼ cup water
1 pound saltfish
1 onion
1 tomato
¼ cup oil
1 small cucumber
1 teaspoon butter

Method

For Breadfruit: Roast Breadfruit. Slice when cooled.

For Saltfish: Boil salt fish until it is not too salty. Clean and strip saltfish into small bits. Dice or chop onion and tomato. Slice cucumber. Add to saltfish along with a little seasoning.

Put oil in a frying pan to hot. Add saltfish along with other ingredients including butter and water and let simmer. Serve hot.

Ginger Shrimp with Mango-Citrus Salsa

Ingredients

For the salsa:

1 green onion, chopped
2 tablespoon red bell pepper, diced
½ lime, diced
½ orange, diced
¼ teaspoon scotch bonnet pepper
½ cup ripe mango, peeled and diced
2 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste

24 large shrimps
2 tablespoon canola oil

Combine the following ingredients in a bowl and set aside:

1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tablespoon fresh lemongrass, finely minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoon canned, unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup shredded coconut, finely chopped
White pepper to taste

Method

Combine all ingredients of the salsa. Check for salt and hot pepper. You can get this part of the recipe out of the way up to 4 hours before the main event.

Prepare your shrimp: Peel, devein and remove the tails of 24 large shrimp. Heat 2 tablespoon canola oil in a large sauté pan and quickly sear prepared shrimp on each side, cooking about half way.

Add reserved coconut mixture, stir to combine and cook about 2 - 3 minutes. Serve with Mango-Citrus Salsa.

Chicken Roti

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 boneless breast of chicken
* 1 medium onion, chopped chunky
* 1 green pepper, chopped chunky
* 1 large carrot, peeled sliced thinly
* 2 large potato, peeled and cubed
* 1 can chicken broth
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 cloves crushed garlic
* 2 Tbs. curry powder
* 2-3 tsp. Blind Betty Original Recipe
* salt and pepper to taste
* fresh chopped parsley
* 4 large flower tortillas
* 1 jar mango chutney or fruit salsa

METHOD / DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet sauté garlic, onion 1-2 minutes. Add chicken and sauté till cooked but tender add green pepper and carrots. Sauté 1-2 min. Add chicken broth, potatoes and as much water as needed to cover everything. Simmer till potatoes are very tender and begin to reduce broth. Add all spices and flavorings to taste.

Cover and turn off. This can now stand till just before serving time. It will thicken a little as it cools. At suppertime heat the roti mixture to a boil stirring with a wooden spoon. You want a nice thick curry stew. Reduce more if too runny. Warm tortillas, place on plate, put generous portion of roti in center of tortilla. Fold into flat tube with ends folded under. Serve with chutney on top. Salad and rice good accompanyments.

This recipe comes from my friends at Caribbean Choice STILL STANDING

St. Lucia Cuisine

The cuisine of St Lucia is influenced by West Indian, Creole and French food. Popular dishes are pepper pot stew, callaloo soup and fried jackfish.

Shellfish and fish are caught daily. Salt fish is used in a number of recipes. Vegetables include cassava, dasheen (taro) and sweet potatoes. Breadfruit is also grown.

Fruits cultivated are bananas, coconuts, guavas, mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, pineapples and soursop.

Fresh fruit juices are available and alcoholic drinks, such as beer (Pitons) and rum (Bounty), are brewed locally. CLICK HERE to learn how to get paid to travel


Green Fig & Saltfish Pie



Ingredients

2 pounds green figs
1 pound saltfish
½ pound cheese
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 sweet peppers
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 onion sliced
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon bread crumbs

Method

Boil the green figs until tender. Peel and crush with fork while still hot and sprinkle with lime juice to prevent darkening.

Soak the fish in boiling water to remove most of the salt. Remove the skin and bones; shred fish. Press half of the crushed fig in a greased baking pie dish. Sprinkle ½ of shredded fish on fig.

Spread half of sweet peppers (cut into thin strips) onion, tomatoes, cheese and black pepper. Repeat layer - beginning with green fig and ending with grated cheese and black pepper. Top with milk and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake in an oven at 340°C, for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.

Martinique Cuisine

Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is an overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France. Like the other DOMs, Martinique is also one of the 26 régions of France (as a région d'outre-mer), and an integral part of the Republic. As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union (EU), and the currency used is the euro.

With the exception of two short periods of British occupation, Martinique has followed the same course of history as France since 1635. Its administrative and political structures have been identical to those of the French Departments (states) since 1946, when it officially became a Department itself. It was granted the further status of Region in 1974. Fort-de-France is the administrative and commercial capital of the island.

Martinique lies in the heart of the Caribbean Archipelago and is one of the many islands which make up the group of lesser Antilles, or "Breezy Islands."

The waters lapping at its shores are those of the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Caribbean Sea to the west. The land rises gradually from the coast toward the center and northern parts of the island. It is in the north that we find the two peaks of the Carbet and Mont Pelée, a dormant volcano that is the highest mountain on the island at 4,586 ft. This part of Martinique is also a legendary tropical rain forest. In the center of the island, the Lamentin Plain, made up of small, rounded hills and enclosed valleys, slopes down toward the south. The Salines Beach at the southernmost tip of the island comes straight out of a beautiful postcard.

Martinique cuisine is a fusion of African and French and is certainly more international and sophisticated than that of its immediate island neighbors. The influx of young chefs, who favor a contemporary, less-caloric approach, has brought exciting innovations to the table. This haute nouvelle Creole cuisine also emphasizes local products, predominantly starchy tubers like malanga, plantains, white yams, and island sweet potatoes, and vegetables like breadfruit, yuca, christophene, and taro leaves.

Many Creole dishes have been Franco-fied, transformed into mousselines, terrines, and gratins, with creamy sauces. And then there's the bountiful harvest of the sea-lambi (conch), langouste (clawless Caribbean lobster), and dozens of species of fish predominate, but you can also see ouassous (freshwater crayfish, which are like jumbo prawns). Many restaurants offer a prix-fixe menu, sometimes with wine. Generally, cellars are filled with fine, French wines.

Some local Creole specialties are accras (cod or vegetable fritters), crabes farcis (stuffed land crab), and feroce (avocado stuffed with saltfish and farina). You can fire up fish and any other dish with a hit of hot chien (dog) sauce. Not to worry, it's made from onions, shallots, hot peppers, oil, and vinegar.

Martinique Cuisine

Stuffed Crabs and Gratin of Chayotes

2 cooked crabs

1 onion

½ glass of soft bread crumbled in some milk

Thyme, bay leaf, parsley, salt, chili (optional)

A few drops of lime

A little olive oil

Breadcrumbs

For Gratin of Chayotes:

2 chayotes

15 grams butter

1 glass of milk

2 tablespoon flour

1 glass of soft bread

Salt, pepper

Grated Gruyère (cheese)

1 garlic clove, chopped

Method

For Stuffed Crabs: Open the crabs, remove the inside and collect the meat caught in the cartilage.

In the olive oil, brown the minced onion, crab, herbs and the soaked bread. Then, add the salt and the lime. Stir over a low heat so as to dry up the mixture, which needs to be quite compact.

Pour the mixture in the crabs’ shells and sprinkle the breadcrumbs. Brown for a while in the oven.

For Gratin of Chayotes: Boil the chayotes for 20-25 minutes. Cut them lengthwise and remove the pulp with a small spoon, then crush it thoroughly with a fork (or in a mixer) along with the bread.

On the heat, mix the flour, butter and milk, then, add the pulp and the garlic. Leave to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Fill in the skin of the chayotes with this mixture; sprinkle the Gruyère and brown in the oven just before serving.

Cod Fritters

8 ounce flour

1 glass of water

1 pinch of baking soda

1 onion

Clove of garlic

5 chives

Thyme

Parsley

Half of one hot pepper

Salt

Pepper

4 ounce cod

2 eggs

1 drop of vinegar

Method

Place the cod into cold water for a few hours then make it boil for thirty minutes. Whisk the flour and add the water little by little, do not make it lumpy.

Let the cod cool, take the skin and the bones off, mince the cod thinly with the onion, the garlic, the chives, thyme, parsley and hot pepper.

Season this batter to your taste and add 2 egg yolks, the drop of vinegar and, just before cooking, the pinch of baking soda and the egg whites stiffly-beaten. Dip the batter in very hot oil for about 5 minutes in small quantities.

Chef’s Note: The batter can be prepared in advance but the baking soda and the egg whites will have to be blended just before cooking. The fritters will be better if you don’t put too much cod.