recipes of the day 05/03/04.....what do they eat in the caribbean?

Festival

Ingredients Used

1cup Yellow cornmeal (polenta)
1cup plain flour
2tsp Baking powder
1tbsp Sugar
1/2tsp Salt
oil for frying

Directions Mix all ingredients together, adding just enough cold water to make stiff dough. Knead and devide into six portions. Roll each portion with your hands into a log shape and squeeze lightly to flatten. Heat oil in a skillet or wok and deep fry the festivals until light brown, about 8minutes each. Remove excess oil on kitchen towel before serving.

Serves makes 6

Rice and Peas

Ingredients Used

1cup Dried red peas(red kidney beans) soaked overnight.
300ml (10 oz) Walkerswood (or whatever) Coconut Milk
3stalks Escallion (take the E off), chopped
1sprig Fresh Thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2cups uncooked white rice
1whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper

Directions

Place beans in a large heavy saucepan with lid on. Add enough water to cover and boil until just tender, about 2hours. Add milk and seasonings then rice. Top up with water, if necessary so that there is about 2 1/2 times as much liquid as rice and beans. Place the hot pepper on top and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover. Let steam slowly for about 25-30minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Do not stir while cooking or allow pepper to burst! Remove the pepper and thyme stalk, fluff lightly before serving

Serves 6

 

let's go ahead and throw emeril in here.....here is one from his emeril live (tribute to the caribbean) show on lobster cheesecake....and this one does look good (and not too difficult despite the high ingredient count):

emeril's lobster cheesecake

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 3/4 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
4 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated smoked Gouda
1 pound (about 2 cups) cooked lobster meat, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 cups creme fraiche
2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup small diced red onions
7 ounces osetra caviar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, and butter, blend thoroughly. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, and the peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes, remove from the heat.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. With the machine running, add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the cream, Gouda, and Sauteed vegetables until fully incorporated, about 2 minutes. Fold in the lobster meat and the parsley. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake until firm, about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. If you refrigerate the cake before serving, allow to come to room temperature before serving.

To serve, cut the cake into wedges with a warm knife. Serve each wedge with the creme fraiche, traditional garnishes, and caviar.

 

an even better coconut shrimps recipe and i love the way they make fries.....

CARIBBEAN
Curried Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Potato Fries


JAMAICA

This is a classic Caribbean dish that incorporates a number of ancestral cuisines. The curry represents the Indian influence, the sweet potato the African influence, and the coconut milk the local Amerindian influence. You can double the quantities of the ingredients for this dish, and serve it as a main course with boiled rice molded into pretty shapes.

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and
cut into long flat ribbons
Oil for deep-frying
Salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning
1/4 cup (59 mL) olive oil
2 pounds (907 g) large shrimp (green prawns),
cleaned, peeled, and deveined
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper (capsicum),
seeded and finely chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chile (chilli),
seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
2 cups (473 mL) coconut milk
1 small bunch cilantro (fresh coriander),
leaves only, finely chopped, plus
additional leaves for garnish

To make the sweet potato fries, pour oil for deep-frying into a large saucepan and heat it over a medium heat until it is hot but not smoking. Season the sweet potato planks with salt and pepper and deep-fry them in batches until cooked and crisp, about 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep hot to serve with the shrimp when ready.
To make the shrimp, pour the 1/4 cup oil into a heavy-based saucepan or skillet over a medium heat. Toss in the shrimp, garlic, bell pepper, and chile and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the curry powder. Stir well and cook for a further minute, then add the coconut milk. Season with salt to taste, turn the heat up to high, and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce is much reduced and thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and remove from heat. Serve immediately with the sweet potato fries, generously garnished with cilantro leaves.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

 

CARIBBEAN
Antillean Crab Pilaf
Matete Antillean

FRENCH ANTILLES

Matete is a tasty, aromatic crab risotto unique to the French Antilles. It originated from Marie Galante, a little island with a colorful history just south of Guadeloupe. Marie Galante has enjoyed a number of nicknames: lle d'Ainchi or Haitch; "island of greens"; "island of the hundred windmills"; Aulinagen, which means "land of cotton"; Marie Galante sombrero, because from a distance it looked like a Mexican hat; and its original Amerindian name of Tulukaera, which is also the name of the local land crab. It is fitting, therefore, that the exotic matete should also come from Marie Galante. The dish is so delicious it is now popularly served all over the French Antilles.


3 land crabs or other fresh crabs,
about 8 ounces (227 g) each
1 lime, quartered
1/3 cup (78 mL) cooking oil
2 tablespoons (30 mL) roucou oil,
or 1 level teaspoon each saffron powder
and paprika in 2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 pound (454 g) salted, smoked ham hock,
chopped into bite-sized pieces (optional)
2 scallions (spring onions),
cleaned and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
3 cups (57 g) celery leaves, finely chopped
3 cups (710 mL) water, or fish or vegetable stock
4 sprigs thyme
1 whole fresh Scotch bonnet chile (chilli)
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground
pepper to taste
1-1/2 pounds (680 g) rice

Kill the crabs by stabbing them just behind the eyes with the point of a sharp kitchen knife. Rub the cut lime over the crabs to thoroughly clean them. Rinse the crabs under cold running water. Remove the claws and set aside. Now remove the shells from the body of the crabs and set them aside. Cut each of the bodies in half so that each half has legs attached. Set body parts aside. Using your fingers separate and discard the digestive bags from each crab shell, and set aside the crab shells with any of their remaining juices.
To assemble the matete, in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat, and add the roucou oil. Lightly fry the smoked ham hock for about 5 minutes, just to quickly seal and color the outside. Remove the meat and set aside. To the remaining hot oil, add the scallions, garlic, the claws, and the crab bodies. Scoop the contents of each shell, including crab juices, into the saucepan (this is what permeates the dish with that wonderful crab taste).

Discard the crab shells and add the parsley, celery leaves, water, thyme, chile, bay leaves, and the fried smoked ham hock. Stir the mixture, taking care not to crush the chile. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and add the rice. Stir again to mix. Lower the heat and cover. Simmer slowly until the rice is soft and cooked and all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove the chile. To serve, arrange the matete on a large serving platter, taking care to display some crab throughout. Serve hot...the aroma alone will drive you nuts!

Serves 4 to 6 as a Main Dish

 

CARIBBEAN
Spicy Plantain and Chicken Satay

GENERAL CARIBBEAN:

If I had my way, everybody would eat plantains regularly. My love of the plantain goes back a long way; grilled plantains served with roasted peanuts (groundnuts) are sold by hawkers on street corners in my native Ghana. This recipe is best served as an appetizer or a light meal, with alfalfa or other green shoots and a tomato salsa.

Marinade

6 tablespoons (89 mL) ginger wine
1 tablespoon (15 mL) light soy sauce
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon mild red paprika
Pinch of celery salt

4 boneless chicken breast fillets,
cleaned, fat cut off, and cubed
3 semi-ripe, firm plantains
1 lime, halved
Salt and pepper for seasoning
8 small fresh red chiles (chillies)

Place all the marinade ingredients in a small saucepan and gently warm over a low heat, stirring, until the peanut butter has melted and blended in with the other ingredients. Pour the marinade into a bowl and add the cubed chicken. Stir well so each piece of chicken is well coated with marinade. Allow to stand for about 1 hour.
Peel the plantains, rubbing a little oil onto your hands before starting so that the dark, sticky residue from the plantains' skin does not stain your hands. Rub the lime halves over the peeled plantains so they do not discolor. Trim off the ends and cut each plantain on the diagonal into six thick chunks. Squeeze the remaining lime juice over the plantain pieces, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and toss.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade liquid. Thread alternate pieces of marinated chicken and plantain onto each of 8 wood or metal skewers, and top each skewer with a chile. Brush with the marinade and grill (barbecue) until cooked, about 10 minutes. Take care to keep turning the satays regularly so they are browned and cooked evenly. Serve hot with alfalfa or green shoots and a tomato salsa .

Makes 8 Satays; Serves 4 as an appetizer

If you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in warm water for about 1 hour while your chicken is marinating. Wipe the skewers with a paper towel dipped in a little oil before you skewer the meat and vegetables onto them; this helps the cooked food to slide off easily.

 

CARIBBEAN
Spiky Snapper

CARIBBEAN

This is one of my favorite ways of serving this tasty fish in an attention-grabbing presentation. Ask your fishmonger to scale, gut, and clean the snapper. Short blanched almond pieces are readily available in the baking section of most grocery stores. Serve with rice and peas and a salad or lots of your favorite roasted vegetables.

Seasoning Paste

1 egg
1 fresh Scotch bonnet or
jalapeno chile, halved and seeded
1 tomato, blanched and peeled
1 stalk of celery, with leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger root
1/4 cup (10 g) fresh thyme leaves
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh lime juice
1/2 cup (28 g) soft bread crumbs
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1/4 cup (59 mL) corn or vegetable oil (optional)

1 four-pound (1.8 kg) whole snapper,
scaled, gutted, and cleaned
4 ounces (113 g) blanched almonds,
cut into short matchsticks
1 bunch greens, washed and dried

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C/gas mark 6).
Put all the ingredients for the paste into a food processor and blend on high to form a thick paste. Place the snapper on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to make three diagonal cuts 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on both sides of the fish. Fill these cuts with the paste and smear the rest of the paste all over the fish.

Stick the almond pieces upright into the paste so that they stick up in the air like spikes. Also stick almond pieces into the cuts on the side facing uppermost. Grease a large, preferably nonstick, baking pan, place the fish in it, and bake, uncovered, until flesh is tender and flaky, about 40 to 50 minutes. Serve hot in all its spiky splendor on a bed of greens or with your choice of side dishes arrayed around the fish.

Serves 4 as a main dish

 

here is a jerk rub and hot sauce recipe.....

CARIBBEAN
Wet Jerk Rub

All the various wet jerk rubs, dry jerk rubs, and marinades have the same core ingredients: scallions, thyme, Jamaican pimento (allspice), ginger, Scotch bonnet peppers, black pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Jamaican pimento (allspice) is essential; it is more pungent than allspice from elsewhere. The scallions used in Jamaica are more like baby red onions than the green onions we find in our produce sections. The thyme is a very small leafed, intensely flavored English thyme. These are the most critical herbal flavors in jerk seasoning; the next most important flavor is Scotch bonnet peppers.

Jamaicans all grow their own Scotch bonnets, or "country peppers" as they are sometimes called. Scotch bonnets come in several varieties, all of which have a similar "round taste," an intense heat with apricot or fruity overtones. The best substitute for a Scotch bonnet is a fresh habanero pepper.

1/2 cup fresh thyme leaves
2 bunches (about 15) green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup ginger root, finely diced
3 Scotch bonnet peppers, stemmed and finely chopped
1/4 cup peanut oil
5 garlic cloves, chopped
3 freshly ground bay leaves
2 teaspoons freshly ground allspice
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
Juice of 1 lime

Combine all the ingredients into a thick, chunky paste. The mixture will keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for several months.
Most Jamaicans grind their spices by hand in a mortar and pestle. The whole spices tend to retain more aromatic oils in them and therefore more of a natural pungency. To save time, you can pulverize the spices in a spice grinder or coffee mill, and then add them to the other ingredients.

Yields 4 cups

CARIBBEAN
Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce

Handle Scotch bonnets with extreme caution. It's best to wear gloves when cutting and cleaning them. The tiniest drop of pepper juice on your hands can result in incredible pain should you inadvertently wipe your face or rub your eye. Enjoy this Scotch bonnet sauce, but use it sparingly!

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions, diced
2 ripe mangoes or pawpaws (papayas),
skinned, seeded, and diced to 1/2 inch
6 carrots, diced
2 cho-cho squashes, peeled and diced
12 pimento (allspice) berries
10 whole black peppercorns
4 thyme sprigs
1 ounce ginger root, finely diced
1/2 cup sugar
8 to 12 Scotch bonnets
1/4 cup cane or cider vinegar

In a nonreactive pot, heat the oil. Saute the onions until they are translucent but not brown. Add the mangoes or pawpaws, carrots, cho-cho, pimento berries, peppercorns, thyme, and ginger. Saute the mixture 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and Scotch bonnet peppers. When the sugar has become syrupy, add the vinegar, and cook until the carrots are soft, about 5 to 10 more minutes.
Puree the mixture in a blender, and strain it. Store it in a tightly closed bottle in the refrigerator.

Yields 3 to 4 cups

 

Carribean-Style Black Bean Soup
by Amanda Beth

This is from the "Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook" for slow-cookers. I love this, and do my husband and son. Make sure to add the vinegar at the end, it makes a big, delicious difference! We like ours with fresh cornbread.

1 lb dried black bean, washed and stones removed
3 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (powdered works fine, too)
1 ham hock or 3/4 cup cubed ham
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups water
2 tablespoons vinegar

1. Soak beans overnight in 4 quarts water.
2. Drain Combine beans, onions, green pepper, garlic, ham, oil, cumin, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and 3 cups fresh water.
3. Stir well.
4. Cover.
5. Cook on Low 8-10 hours, or High 4-5 hours.
6. For a thick soup, remove half of cooked bean mixture and puree until smooth in a blender or mash with potato masher.
7. Return to cooker.
8. If you like a soup-ier soup, leave as is.
9. Add vinegar and stir well.
10. Debone ham, cut into bite-sized pieces and return to soup.
11. Serve in soup bowls.
12. Can be topped with sour cream and fresh cilantro.

 

Jamaican Jerk Chicken
by Iowa Girl

Very flavourful recipe. I've served this to more than 20 people and only 1 didn't like it. The scotch bonnet peppers are very hot, hotter if you leave the seeds in. You can use jalapenos if you don't like their taste.

2 tablespoons ground allspice
2 tablespoons dried thyme
3 teaspoons chili flakes
3 teaspoons ground pepper
3 teaspoons ground sage
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1-2 scotch bonnet peppers
12 single boneless skinless chicken breasts

1. Combine dry ingredients and Slowly wisk in oil, soy sauce, orange and lime juices
2. Stir in onions and peppers - Add chicken and marinade for 12 to 24 hours
3. Boil remaining sauce on stovetop and use as basting sauce on BBQ Sauce can also be used over rice and lintel mix.
4. We like to grill the chicken breasts on a charcoal BBQ for extra flavor, but you can also bake them

 

Bahama Mama Chicken Marinade
by EdsGirlAngie

This chicken has the wonderful flavors of lime juice, rum, onions, garlic, and island spices - plus a little bite of hot peppers. Adjust the heat to your liking, and either grill or oven-bake the chicken - it's delicious either way. Prep time includes marinating. Cook time is approximate for marinade only, not chicken itself.

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 bay leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dark rum (I like Myers)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1. In olive oil, saute onion, garlic, green onion, chilis, spices and herbs for about 7 minutes, until deep golden brown, stirring often.
2. Stir in salt, rum and lime juice.
3. Raise the heat, then lower and simmer until all liquid is absorbed.
4. Let mixture cool, then place chicken in a glass dish and rub marinade all over it.
5. Cover and let marinate in refrigerator overnight (or at least 4 hours).
6. Turn chicken halfway through the marinating time.
7. Grill or bake chicken as desired.