The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook (14 page)

Sink your spoon into the dazzling flavors of mellow roasted corn and fiery peppers. This is a great opener for dinner cooked on the grill. If you like, add freshly cooked shrimp, lobster, or crab to the finished soup.

 

Put the unhusked ears of corn in cold water, and soak them for 20 to 30 minutes. You can roast the corn either on a grill or in the oven. If you'd like to grill the corn, prepare the fire. If you'd rather use the oven, preheat it to 400°.

To grill the corn, place it, still unhusked, on the hot grill. Roast it for 20 minutes, turning it often. If you are using the oven, place the soaked corn on the oven rack, and bake the corn until it is tender, about 20 minutes.

Cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife, and set 1½ cups of kernels aside. Put the remaining corn, the shallots, and the pepper into a pot over medium heat. Add the wine and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Purée the vegetables and liquid in a blender. Strain the purée, and put the liquid back into the pot over medium heat. Add the reserved corn kernels, celery, half-and-half, chicken stock, dill, salt, cayenne pepper, and white pepper. Cook the soup for 10 minutes. Serve it sprinkled with fresh dill or chives.

 

Makes 8 servings

This is one of our favorite soups, perfect for the Caribbean climate. We like adding cilantro to the croutons, but you might prefer another herb, perhaps basil or rosemary.

 

In a blender, purée two-thirds of the tomatoes, onions, celery, cucumbers, and peppers. Stir in the vinegar, tomato juice, olives, and remaining chopped vegetables. Season the soup with salt, pepper, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Chill the soup.

To make the croutons, heat the butter in a skillet, and add the cilantro and bread cubes. Cook the bread cubes over medium heat until they are crisp and golden brown. Let them cool. Serve them on top of the gazpacho.

 

Makes 10 servings

Although we don't have the famed black mushrooms that are found in Haiti, tasty edible mushrooms do grow on Tortola—or at least that is what is believed by those who have tasted the mushroom tea at Bomba's Shack. Not being trained mycologists, we leave mushroom hunting to others and play it safe with well-tamed fungi.

 

Sprinkle all the mushrooms with the lemon juice. Slice one-quarter of the shiitakes or chanterelles, and reserve these. Cut the remaining mushrooms into small cubes. Heat the butter in a saucepan, and sauté the shallots. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook until the liquid disappears.

Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes. Thicken the soup, if you like, with the cornstarch mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes more. Add the cream and reserved mushrooms, and simmer until the soup is heated through. Garnish it with chopped thyme and parsley, and serve.

 

Makes 6 servings

This is one of the most popular soups in the Caribbean. We add Italian sausage (either hot or mild) because we like the flavor it imparts. Serve the soup over cooked rice.

 

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain them, and put them into a large saucepan. Remove any casings from the sausage, and cook the meat with the onions in a skillet until the sausage is no longer pink and the onions are limp. Add the sausage and onions to the beans in the saucepan, add the cloves, and cover the beans in water by about 2 inches. Bring the beans to a boil, lower the heat, and cover the pan. Simmer the beans 2½ to 3 hours, until they are very tender.

Drain the beans, measure the liquid, and add enough broth to bring the quantity to 8 cups. Purée the beans in a blender, in batches, with some of the liquid. Return the beans to the saucepan, add the remaining liquid, and add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the beans gently for 15 minutes longer. Serve them in soup bowls with the garnishes.

 

Makes 6 servings

The smooth sweetness of bananas and a gentle whisper of curry unite in this elegant but easy potage.

 

Heat the butter in a large, heavy pan. Sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is limp. Add the curry powder, and stir it with the vegetables for about 2 to 3 minutes over low heat. Add the rice, and stir to coat it with butter. Pour in the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce theheat, and cover the pan. Cook the rice until it is very tender, about 25 minutes.

Put the mixture into a blender. Add the half-and-half, heavy cream, and bananas, and whirl until the soup is smooth. (You may have to do this in batches.) Season the soup with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Serve it heated or chilled, garnished with banana chips or toasted coconut.

 

Makes 6 servings

Popular in the Caribbean, Stone's Ginger Wine should be available from most well-stocked liquor stores elsewhere. If you can't find it, steep a 2-inch knob of fresh ginger in sherry for several days before making the soup, then substitute the sherry for the ginger wine.

 

Heat the stock in a saucepan. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, and onions, and simmer 1 hour. Remove the pan from the heat and whirl the mixture in a blender. Heat the butter in the saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook the roux for about 1 minute, without browning. Gradually stir in the blended soup. Add the wine and lemon juice, and heat the soup for 5 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat, and stir in the cream. Serve each bowl garnished with chopped fresh tomatoes and a sprig of fresh basil or dill.