Avocado & Mango Salad

Big Pears 

I am allergic to pear so for the longest time in Barbados I have avoided eating anything with the word “pear” in.  Only to discover that Barbadians call avocados “bigger pears”.  Avocados are one of my favourite fruits so I was sure to never make the mistake again.  In Barbados the mangoes are gorgeous, I am certain that in England there is no mango sweeter than the ones in Barbados.  When i made this salad in Barbados it tasted incredible I most certainly wouldn’t have been able to make it in England with the same sexy results.

This recipe was taken from Levi Roots’ Caribbean Food Made Easy (Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, 2009).

Ingredients:

2 avocados, 1 juicy juicy mango, 2 gems of lettuce, 1/2 red chilli (deseeded and chopped), 1/2 red onion (peeled and thinly sliced), 2 sprigs, juice of 1 lime, olive oil and salt.

Method:

1. Cut the avocados in half, remove the stones, peel and cut the flesh into long thin slices.
2. Cut the mango carefully into slices or chunks.
3. Arrange the lettuce onto the plates before adding the avocado, mango, chilli and onion.
4. Sprinkle over the thyme leaves, squeeze over the lime and drizzle over some olive oil.
5. Season each plate with a dash of salt before serving immediately.

Back to Basics – Fried Dumplins 4/4

Carnival

It was fried dumplin and plantain that kept me going during carnival.  With 9 hours of non stop partying and a metabolism that continued to churn the fat 3 days later any nourishment was necessary.  I am an intense reveller, meaning when I start to dance I do not slow down or stop until the party is done. Blisters on my feet and aching hips.  Totally worth it.

Ingredients:

450g self – raising flour, 2 tsps sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 300ml water

Method:

1. Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl.
2. Add the milk and mix and knead until the smooth dough forms.
3. Divide the dough into ten balls kneading each with floured hands.
4. Heat a little oil in a non stick frying pan over medium heat.
5. Place half the dumplins in the pan, reduce the heat and fry for about 15 minutes on both sides until golden brown.
6. Drain thoroughly on a kitchen paper.

Back to Basics – Fried Yellow Plantain 3/4

strange child

My friends in the Caribbean find it strange that I can fry plantain and just eat it without anything.  I don’t care I do what I like because lalala it’s delicious and I eat it morning noon and night.  Just cut it and fry it.  Obviously do not cook the skin and be careful when frying so you don’t burn yourself.

Back to Basics – Cou – Cou 2/4

Cou- Cou

This is part of the national dish in Barbados.  I practiced this over and over again  and it is still no where near the quality of Gran Grans.  Regardless practice is perfect.  I couldn’t let anyone try it yet because it is a sin in Barbados to cook this wrong. I have waaaaaaaay too much to live for.  Also you can only cook cou cou with a cou cou stick.  That’s the rules.

Ingredients:

115g okra, 225g coarse corn meal, 600ml water, 25g butter.

Method:

1. Bring a pan of water to boil.
2. Add the chopped okra and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Remove the okra with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Pour away half the liquid and return the pan to the heat.
5. Return the okra to the pan and gradually beat in the cornmeal.
6. Beat vigorously until it hurts.
7. Gradually add the water.  Keep beating.
8. Cook for 20 minutes but keep the corn meal hot and moist before serving otherwise you will be cussed out ’till you cry.

Back to Basics – Plain Rice 1/4

1/4

There are several foods that Caribbean people’s make exceptionally well and often.  There are four basic staples that I made over and over for practice.  The recipes I have provided are all from The Caribbean Central & South American Cookbook.  Due to practice and good instincts I no longer need to use measurements but I hope these recipes serve you well.

Ingredients:

200g long grain rice, 30ml vegetable oil, 4 garlic cloves (crushed), 450ml water, salt.

Method:

1. Rinse the rice in a large bowl of cold water then drain thoroughly.
2. Pour the oil into a heavy pan that has a tight fitting lid.
3. Heat gently then add the garlic and cook for a minute.
4. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes.
5. When the grains are lightly toasted pour in the water and season with salt.
6. Bring to the boil, cover and lower the heat again to a very gentle simmer.
7. Cook for 18 minutes without lifting the lid.
8. Remove from the heat and leave the rice to rest covered for 5 minutes.
9. Transfer to a serving bowl and fluff up with a fork.

Pumpkin Salad

Sunshine Salads

I hate boring salads always have always will.  I like vibrancy on my plate but not vibrancy without purpose. A few lettuce pieces are pointless and NOT salad.  My hubby’s mummy makes an incredible salad and I am sure his mummy’s cooking is one of the reasons why he is so tall.  This salad is yummy, filling and vibrant.  It does not need any extra things to make it look pretty, the colour is pretty enough.

This recipe was taken from The Caribbean Central & South American Cookbook  (Anness Publishing, 2010).

Ingredients:

1 large red onion (peeled and very thinly sliced), 1 cup olive oil, 4 tbsps red wine vinegar, 675g pumpkin (peeled and cut into pieces), 40g chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, salt and ground black pepper.

Method:

1. Mix the onion, olive oil and vinegar in a large bowl.
2. Stir well to combine.
3. Put the pumpkin in a large pan of cold salted water.
4. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
5. Drain the pumpkin and add to the bowl containing the dressing.
6. Toss lightly and leave to cool.

Okra & Tomato Salad

I love okra 

When I stumbled across this recipe I was delighted!  Okra is a very common vegetable in African and Caribbean cooking.  Many people cannot stand the texture but in my opinion the more gooey the better.  Slimy and full of ooze.

This recipe was taken from The Caribbean Central & South American Cookbook (Anness Publishing Ltd, 2010).

Ingredients:

60ml olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 red onion (peeled and thinly sliced), 3 tomatoes (peeled and seeded), 400g okra, salt and black pepper.

Method:

1. In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil and vinegar.
2. Season with salt and black pepper.
3. Toss the slices of red onion into the dressing and leave to marinate while you prepare and cook the okra.
4. Trim the stalks of the okra and avoid cutting into the pods.
5. Cook the okra in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes until just tender.
6. Drain and dry on kitchen paper.
7. Leave the small okra whole, but cut any larger ones diagonally in half.
8. Stir the cooked okra into the dressing and mix thoroughly.
9. Leave to marinate for 25 minutes.
10. Cut the tomatoes into thin wedges and add them to the bowl.
11. Gently toss them together with the okra.
12. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
13. Serve immediately

Spicy Vegetable Chow Mein

Chinese Food in Bim

I rarely have Chinese food and Pizza in Barbados because the local cuisine is so fresh and beautiful.   For Barbadians however it is understandable that world cuisine is a treat.  I am always asked to cook foods that my friends are not used to having.  This chow mein was an easy dish to treat some of my friends to Chinese cuisine, but still maintaining the freshness from local ingredients.  I was sure to use an authentic good quality chow mein and used stock from an earlier recipe.  A stock cube would be a good substitute.

This recipe was adapted from The Caribbean Central & South American Cookbook (Anness Publishing Ltd, 2010).

Ingredients:

225g egg noodles, 3 tbsps vegetable oil, 2 garlic cloves (crushed), 1 onion (peeled and chopped), 1 small red pepper (peeled and chopped), 1 small green pepper (peeled and chopped), 115g fine green beans (blanched), 1 tsp five spice powder, 1 crumbled vegetable stock cube, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tbsp soy sauce, salt, 1 scrambled egg.

Method:

1. Cook the noodles in a large pan of salted boiled water until cooked.
2. Drain the pasta and leave to cool.
3. Heat the oil in a large wok and fry the vegetables.
4. Add the spice, stock cube and ground pepper.
5. When the vegetables are just tender and still crunchy stir in the noodles.
6. Add the soy sauce and then season to taste.

Ginger Cake

Mummy’s Birthday Cake Practice

I planned to make mummy an extravagant cake for her birthday, but after I finished practicing she revealed that for her birthday she wanted macaroons.  I was quite nervous at making something so delicate but at least I had perfected a new way to make ginger cake.  Hurray!

This recipe was taken from Caribbean Cookery Secrets (Right Way, 2013).

Ingredients:

225g butter, 225g caster sugar, 4 eggs, 225g self – raising flour, 50g mixed spice, 2 tbsps ground ginger, 50g ground almonds, 2 tbsps milk

Method:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar.
2. Lightly beat in the eggs.
3. Sieve in the flour, mixed spice and ground ginger together.
4. Mix with ground almonds.
5. Stir in gently and mix with milk until you get a smooth mixture.
6. Grease an 8 inch cake tin.
7. Pour in the mixture.
8. Bake in the centre of the oven for an hour at 170 degrees C.
9. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Banana Bread

Bananas

There were two foods Barbados was not in shortage of this summer, seaweed and bananas.  Masses of seaweed had washed up on the shores and it was annoying because I didn’t get to feel the sand between the toes of my workout beach.    I saw people collecting the seaweed as fertilizer,  I personally think Barbados should have sold it for fertilizer or food but as it was rotting I am not sure it wouldn’t have tasted good fried or in sushi.  The bananas however were wonderfully cheap but didn’t last long in the heat, so when over ripe what better way to make the most of it all by making banana bread.

This recipe was taken from Caribbean Cooking Secrets (Right Way, 2013).

Ingredients:

225g flour, 2 tsps baking powder, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 100g butter, 170g sugar, 2 eggs (beaten), 450g ripe bananas, 1 tp lime juice, 1 cup milk.

Method:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder and nutmeg together.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together.
3. Add the beaten eggs gradually to the creamed mixture.
4. Peel and mash or slice the bananas and add them to the mixture together with the lime juice.
5. Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
6. Fold in the flour alternatively with the milk.  Put in a greased 8 inch square tin.
7. Bake in the middle of the oven for around an hour.
8. The cake is cooked when firm to the touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean.