Cornmeal Porridge

Barbados – Day 7

I bought the cutest pair of pyjamas in England ever with cupcakes and rainbows and all sorts of cutie pie oogly things.  My first morning waking up in the pyjamas I had to have something super cute and nostalgic for breakfast.  Why? Because I said so.  This porridge is the ultimate Caribbean porridge.  It truly is the breakfast of champions. No but seriously, us Caribbeans are a fast species.

This recipe was taken from Caribbean Cookery Secrets by David and Gwendolyn Daley (Right Way, 2013).

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp salt, 5 cups water, 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1.2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 ground nutmeg, 2 tbsps condensed milk

Method:

1.Place salt and water into a pan and bring to the boil.
2. Place the cornmeal in a separate bowl.
3. Add the milk to the cornmeal and slowly stir into a smooth paste.
4. Stir the cornmeal paste into the salted water.
5. Cover and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.
6. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
7. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes.
8. Sweeten with condensed milk or sugar.

Rasta Pasta

Barbados – Day 6

I have to be honest.  I cooked this dish because I couldn’t stop laughing at the name.  I was especially missing a very special person in England who knows all of my secrets and gets all of my jokes.  It was extremely frustrating not being able to talk to him about all of the ridiculous stereotypes in Barbados.  The pasta was actually really nice.  It was a great meal to eat after exercising and was fairly cheap to make.  Food is super expensive in Barbados so pasta, potatoes, yam and cornmeal is our survival food.

This recipe was taken from Caribbean Cookery Secrets by David and Gwendolyn Daley (Right Way, 2013).

Ingredients:

600g pasta shapes, 3 tbsps butter, 4 boneless skinned chicken breasts (chopped into small chunks), 2 tbsps Cajun seasoning, 4 garlic cloves (crushed), 1 large red onion (peeled and chopped), 1 green pepper (deseeded and sliced into strips), 1 red pepper (deseeded and sliced into strips), 1 yellow pepper (deseeded and sliced into strips), 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp Caribbean curry powder, salt and pepper (to taste), 450g tomato and basil sauce, grated cheese.

Method:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil with the pasta.  Drain the pasta and set aside.
2. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm, about 8 minutes and then drain.
3. Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp of butter in another pan over a medium high heat.
4. Add the chicken, cook and stir until browned.
5. Season with Cajun seasoning.  Set aside.
6. Melt the second portion of the butter in the pan over a medium high heat.
7. Add the garlic and onion; cook and stir until fragrant and beginning to brown.
8. Add the pepper strips and season with red pepper flakes, curry powder, salt and pepper.
9. Cook and stir until the peppers are hot.
10. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the sauce.
11. Melt the remaining piece of butter in an oven – proof dish, and then use a brush to coat all the inside surface of an oven proof dish.
12. Mix chicken in the sauce with the pasta.
13. Pour all into the dish and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
14. Grill for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and food heated through.

Sweet Potatoes Roasted in Herbs

Barbados – Day 5

Just sitting down in Barbados is enough to have you sweating ridiculous amounts, you have to consistently keep drinking… water… and rum.  Lol!  But seriously you have to stay hydrated and if you’re like me, always busy and dancing ’till you can’t dance no more you probably need serious carbohydrates to reboost that lost energy.  My sweet potatoes are amazing.  My trick is to cut the sweet potato into small bite-size pieces so you can eat them like snacks.  Much healthier than crisps.

This recipe was taken from Caribbean Cookery Secrets by David and Gwendolyn Daley (Right Way, 2013).

Ingredients:

1.5 kg sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped), 1 large onion (peel and chopped), 2 tbsps fresh chopped herbs, 3 tbsps olive oil, 2 tbsps butter (melted), 1 garlic clove (finely chopped), 1/4 tsp salt and ground black pepper.

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 230 degrees C.
2. Lightly oil a baking dish and set aside.
3. Put the herbs sweet potatoes and onion in the dish.
4. Combine the oil, melted butter, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl and drizzle over the powers.
5. Mix together.
6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stir and bake for a further 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and brown.

Caribbean Vegetable Curry

Barbados – Part 4 

I caught a bloody cold within the first week of being in Barbados.  It was one of those colds that just lingers and doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing.  You become drowsy and wake up sweating, with a dry throat that tastes like burnt flour.  To help speed up my recovery I made this soup which I have to admit was pretty darn good.  It lasted a long time so was well worth all the preparation.  In the Caribbean we like to cook our meals in batch so if anyone drops by we can offer them something.

This recipe was taken from Caribbean Cookery Secrets by David and Gwendolyn Daley (Right Way, 2013).

Ingredients:

4 tbsps vegetable oil, 1 small onion (peeled and diced), 1 inch of fresh ginger (grated), 2tsps Caribbean Curry powder to taste, 2 tsps black pepper, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 2 carrots (peeled and diced), 2 Potatoes (peeled and diced), 450g green beans (stems removed), 450g can chickpeas (drained and rinsed), 2 cups vegetable stock, 225g butternut squash, 1 cup coconut milk.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a dutch pot.
2. Add the onion and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the curry powder and black pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat and add the garlic, carrots and potatoes, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
5. Add the green beans, chickpeas and half the stock.
6. Stir occasionally for 7 minutes.
7. Add the rest of the stock.
8. Add the butternut squash.
9. Stir and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
10. Reduce the heat and let simmer.
11. Add the coconut milk and cook for 3 minutes.
12. Cover and cook until all vegetables are softened stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.

Fried Plantain

Barbados – Part 3

I could eat plantains all day everyday, raw fried and boiled if am desperate.  The book I took with me to Barbados makes frying plantains seem as complicated as brain surgery.  Just take off the skin of over ripe plantains, chop them, fry them for a few minutes on each side till perfect and drain on kitchen paper.  Bish Bash Bosh!  Easy!  Any Caribbean woman who can’t cook plantain should probably just migrate quietly and never return.

Anna Maria Salad

Barbados- Part 2 

One of my best friends in Barbados visited me with two beautifully fresh mangoes.  The first I devoured within 3 minutes.  The next I sliced into a fresh salad.  Salads with fruit in Barbados is very common, especially when using pineapple, so don’t be surprised if you ever see pineapple mixed with sweet potato.

This recipe was taken from Caribbean Cookery Secrets by David and Gwendolyn Daley (Right Way, 2013).

Ingredients:

450g salad tomatoes (washed and cut into small pieces), 1 large cucumber (washed and cut into small pieces), 3 medium sweet peppers (red, orange and green chopped into small pieces), 1/2 pineapple (peeled and cut into chunks), 1 mango (peeled and cut into chunks), 200g sweetcorn, 1tsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp black pepper. 4 tbsps tropical fruit juice.

Method:

1. Mix the sugar, black pepper and fruit juice.
2. Mix the fruit and vegetables into a large mixing bowl then toss with the dressing.
3. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and put into the fridge and chill from at least an hour.
4. Serve immediately after.

Fried Dumplings

Barbados – Part One 

I flew back to Barbados for about a month to work for some artists and build a good reputation for myself and family name on the island.  As I looked out of the plane I saw masses of seaweed (mulched and browned) on the sand across the entire coastline.  When I surveyed the beaches it was worse than I thought.  The seaweed was up to my chest! On the one hand I wouldn’t get to wear a bikini but on the other hand I wouldn’t need to worry about the impact of fatty food on my body!  It had been a while since I had fried dumplings.  When I had no food and was alone I made them for myself and ate them as a snack while watching the tv.  Barbados isn’t an easy place to live even for a little while.  This is one of the simplest staples you can make in the Caribbean and can be eaten at breakfast as well as dinner.

This recipe was taken from Caribbean Cookery Secrets by David and Gwendolyn Daley (Right Way, 2013).

Ingredients:

300g flour, 2 tsps baking powder, 1tbsp vegetable oil, 120 ml cold water

Method:

1. Sieve flour and baking powder into a large bowl.
2. Add enough water to the dry ingredients to make a soft dough.
3. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it reaches to a tight mass and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
4. Divide the dough into roughly 12 equal pieces and roll into balls.
5. Fry the balls in hot oil that is at least half the height of the dough balls and turn until browned all over.
6. Place onto plates with kitchen paper to drain off the excess oil.

Method: