The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook (19 page)
Read The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook Online
Authors: Jinx Morgan
Garnish each timbale with a basil sprig, and serve.
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Makes 6 servings
Piles of papayas, breadfruit, mangoes; heaps of exotic Caribbean vegetables such as christophenes, eddoes, and cassava; green coconuts sloshing with sweet coconut water, peanutsi, sweet corn, ruby tomatoesâSt. Vincent's market is a kaleidoscope of fruits and vegetables grown in the prolific Mesopotamia
Valley,
about which Vincentians say with great pride, "Even the rocks grow in Mespo.
"
In the lively seafood market handily close to this patchwork of produce is an equally colorful display of fish freshly pulled from local waters. Nearby, the charcoal ladies, slightly dingy from handling their product, provide fuel for the braziers used in most St. Vincent homes. St. Vincent may not have (or want) the glitter and glamour of some other Caribbean destinations, but it feeds itself and its neighbors very well indeed.
St. Vincent moors the northern end of the Grenadines, a necklace of island gems that is heaven for yachties, divers, and snorkelers. In these stunning islands, simplicity is often just a few miles away from worldly sophistication. Elegant resorts like Petit St. Vincent and Mustique, holiday homes to royalty and rock stars, are just a short sail from Bequia, where your entertainment may be going to a boat christening or learning to catch and cook local lobster.
Robinson
Crusoe islands dot this area of the Caribbean: Canouan, Mayreau, Palm, and Union as well as the exquisite Tobago Cays, now a national park and naturally protected from cruise ships and even large yachts by patches of deadly coral heads.
The cuisine of the Grenadines reflects ideas and recipes borrowed from all who have come ashore. Restaurants in this group of lightly populated islands are usually small and highly personal, but menus featuring dishes such as curried conch, seafood cassoulet, and lobster crepes hint at the cosmopolitan cast of characters who have left a culinary legacy on St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Rice is so popular in the Caribbean that some families buy it in 20-pound sacks. Enhanced by the flavors of curry and citrus, rice makes a perfect accompaniment to poultry or fish dishes.
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| ¼ | cup butter |
| 1 | medium onion, thinly sliced |
| 2 | teaspoons curry powder |
| 1 | cup raw rice |
| 1 | cup orange juice |
| 1 | cup chicken broth |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 1 | bay leaf |
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, and sauté the onion until it is limp and translucent. Stir in the curry powder and rice. Cook the mixture 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the remaining ingredients, and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and cover the saucepan. Simmer the rice for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
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Makes 6 servings
Another classic rice-and-bean combination, this time accented by a dash of rum.
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| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 1 | large onion, chopped |
| 1 | garlic clove, minced |
| 1 | celery rib, chopped |
| 1 | carrot, peeled and chopped |
| 4½ | cups water |
| ½ | pound dried black beans, washed, picked over, and soaked overnight |
| ¼ | teaspoon ground black pepper |
| 2 | tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
| 1 | cup raw rice |
| 2 | tablespoons dark rum |
| ½ | teaspoon salt |
| Minced cilantro |
Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Sauté the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add 2 cups water, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Drain the beans, and add them with the pepper and parsley to the pot. Cover the pot, bring the contents back to a boil, and reduce the heat until the water is just simmering. Cook the beans for 2½ hours or until they are tender. Stir the beans occasionally as they cook, and add more water if necessary.
While the beans are cooking, bring the remaining 2¼ cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium, and cover the pan. Simmer the rice 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the beans are tender, stir in the rum and salt. Put the rice on a warm serving platter. Drain any excess liquid from the beans, and spoon the beans on top of the rice. Garnish the platter with minced cilantro, and serve.
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Makes 6 servings
I
t is said that West Indian pepper sauce is tested by pouring a drop on the tablecloth; if the sauce fails to eat a hole through the fabric, it is rejected as too weak. We can't swear that anyone actually performs this test, but we know that tendermouths are wise to approach Caribbean hot sauces with respect.
Scotch bonnets and bird peppers, two of the most popular peppers in the islands, are hot enough to tingle your tonsils. The Scotch bonnet, a small pepper that looks like a miniature bonnet or lantern, comes in the rainbow colors of orange, red, yellow, and green. Don't be deceived by its innocent appearance; it is an incendiary device. (Some say the Mexican habanero is the same pepper, whereas others claim they are merely kissing cousins. Whatever the truth of the matter, habaneros can be used in any recipe calling for Scotch bonnets.) The small, slender bird pepper, which closely resembles the pepper used to make Tabasco sauce, also packs a wallop.
All hot peppers contain oils that can cause skin irritation or even burning, so it's always wise when working with these peppers to wear gloves and to avoid touching your face or eyes. If you feel a burning sensation anywhere on your skin, rubbing the affected area with sugar will help to neutralize the oil.
You can enjoy the flavor of hot peppers without all the heat by removing the seeds and veins before using the peppers. Remember, too, that a little goes a long way; except for those people who gobble down hot peppers competitively, moderation, we think, is usually the best policy.
This recipe was brought to us by our friend Pete Whims. To us, no cheeseburger is quite complete without Pete's sauceâand when we've been indulging a bit too much, it also does wonderful things for cottage cheese. Try it, too, on barbecued fish or meat, on salads, or on whole-wheat toast with cream cheese. Tendermouths can hold back a bit on the peppers.
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| ½ | cup chopped black olives |
| 3 | tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped |
| 3 | green onions (both white and green parts), chopped |
| ½ | Scotch bonnet (or habanero) pepper, minced, or 2 to 3 jalapeño peppers, chopped |
| 3 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 2 | teaspoons garlic powder |
Mix all the ingredients together. Store the sauce in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator. The sauce is best after the flavors marry for about 3 days.
Hot-pepper sauces, salsas, and chutneys are popular accessories to Caribbean main courses. The sweet, hot tang of chutney is a perfect accompaniment for all kinds of meat, fish, and even vegetables, and is a staple of most island pantries.
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| ¾ | cup brown sugar |
| 1½ | cups white wine vinegar |
| 1 | large onion, chopped |
| 1 | green bell pepper, chopped |
| 1 | garlic clove, minced |
| 1 | lime, thinly sliced |
| 1½ | teaspoons ground cinnamon |
| ½ | teaspoon ground cloves |
| ½ | teaspoon ground ginger |
| ½ | teaspoon chili powder |
| ½ | teaspoon ground coriander |
| 1 | pinch saffron (optional) |
| ½ | teaspoon ground allspice |
| ¾ | cup raisins |
| 3 | large mangoes, peeled and cubed |
| 2 | pounds peaches, peeled and sliced |
In a large pot, combine all the ingredients except the mangoes and peaches, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat, and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for an hour.
While the mixture is cooking, climb into the bathtub or pull on a wet suit, and peel and cube the mangoes (or see
[>]
for advice on tidy mango dissection).
Add the fruit to the pot, and continue simmering until the fruit is tender, about 30 minutes.
Pour the mixture into hot sterilized canning jars, and seal the jars. Immerse the jars in a kettle of boiling water, the surface of which comes to at least an inch above the jar tops. Boil the jars for 5 minutes.
Remove the jars and allow them to cool. Test for a good seal by pressing down on the center of the lid after the jar has cooled. If it stays down all is well; the chutney can be put on the pantry shelf. If not, store it in the refrigerator.
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Makes about 8 cups
If you find yourself with a surplus of tomatoes, this is a dandy way to use them up. You'll congratulate yourself every time you dollop this chutney on a hamburger, a steak, or a bit of grilled fish, or serve it with curry.
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| 4 | cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped |
| 2 | onions, chopped |
| 1 | lime, thinly sliced |
| 1½ | cups cider vinegar |
| 1½ | cups sugar |
| 1 | tablespoon salt |
| 1 | tablespoon ground ginger |
| 3 | garlic cloves, mashed |
| 2 | teaspoons chili powder |
| ½ | teaspoon ground mace |
| 2 | tablespoons minced gingerroot |
| 1 | tablespoon white mustard seed |
| ½ | teaspoon minced Scotch bonnet (or habanero) pepper, or 3 tablespoons minced jalapeño peppers |
Put all the ingredients into a large pot, and simmer them gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours or until the chutney is thick and syrupy. Pour it into hot sterilized canning jars, and process the jars according to the directions for Major Morgan's Mango Chutney (see
[>]
).
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Makes about 6 cups
