The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook (28 page)
Read The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook Online
Authors: Jinx Morgan
These make-ahead stuffed roast chicken breasts with honey-sesame glaze are a great dish for entertaining.
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| 6 | boned chicken breast halves, with their skins on, patted dry |
| Â | Salt and pepper to taste |
| 2 | slices firm white bread |
| ¼ | cup heavy cream |
| 1 | small onion, minced |
| 12 | fresh water chestnuts, coarsely chopped |
| ¼ | pound ground beef |
| ¼ | pound ground pork |
| 1 | egg |
| 1 | tablespoon soy sauce |
| ½ | teaspoon finely minced peeled gingerroot |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 2 | tablespoons vegetable oil |
| 2 | tablespoons honey |
| Â | Sesame seeds |
Preheat the oven to 325°. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Soak the bread in the cream for 5 minutes, then break the bread into small pieces. Put the pieces into a bowl with the onion, water chestnuts, beef, pork, egg, soy sauce, ginger, and salt. Stir the ingredients together until they are well combined.
Put one-sixth of the stuffing on the skinless side of each chicken piece. Fold the ends of the chicken over the stuffing, and secure them with toothpicks. Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish, and brush them with the oil. Bake them for 45 minutes or until the meat is tender.
Brush the chicken with honey and sprinkle it with sesame seeds. At this point you can refrigerate the chicken, if you like, for later use.
Preheat the oven to 425°. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes, until the tops are brown and crisp. Remove the toothpicks before serving.
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Makes 6 servings
Crisp and crunchy cornmeal-crusted chicken breasts are topped by a colorful vegetable relish that is almost like a salad. This vivid dish is great for a special lunch or dinner.
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| 3 | tomatoes, halved and squeezed to remove seeds and juice, then diced |
| 3 | green onions (all of the white parts and some of the green), chopped |
| 2 | garlic cloves, minced |
| ½ | cup olive oil |
| Salt and pepper to taste | |
| 2 | tablespoons lemon juice |
| 1 | teaspoon sugar |
| 2 | cups chopped fresh basil (or a mixture of basil and parsley, arugula and parsley, or basil and spinach) |
| 24 | Niçoise or Kalamata olives, pitted |
| Â | Â |
| 2 | cups stone-ground cornmeal |
| 2 | teaspoons salt |
| ½ | teaspoon ground black pepper |
| ½ | teaspoon chili powder |
| ¼ | teaspoon cayenne |
| 3 | eggs, lightly beaten |
| 1 | tablespoon water |
| 3 | boned, skinned whole chicken breasts |
| Olive oil, for frying |
Put the tomatoes into a nonreactive bowl. Add the green onions, garlic, and olive oil, and stir. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in the lemon juice and sugar. Let the mixture stand, loosely covered, in a warm spot for several hours.
Chop the basil, spinach, or arugula into slivers; mince the parsley, if you're using it. Toss the greens with the tomato dressing, coating them well. Stir in the pitted olives. Set the salad aside.
Combine the cornmeal, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cayenne in a shallow bowl, and stir to mix the contents well. In another bowl, stir together the eggs and water.
Cut each chicken breast in half along the breastbone line. Pound each breast half thin between layers of waxed paper. Heat â
inch olive oil in a large, heavy skillet. Dredge the chicken breast halves in cornmeal, then dip them into the egg mixture and again in the cornmeal. Fry the chicken pieces, turning them once, just until they are cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
To serve, place the chicken on plates, and top each portion with some of the salad mixture.
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Makes 6 to 8 servings
Trinidad, just seven miles off the South American coast, owes its cosmopolitan culture and eclectic cuisine to the mixture of people who have made this island their home. Trinidadians are descended from African slaves, Portuguese and Syrian merchants and sailors, East Indian sugar workers, English and Irish settlers, Arawak Indians, French planters, Chinese shopkeepers, and Spanish privateers. They mixed, they mingled, and they all contributed something to the savory stew that is Trinidad.
Whereas other islands have carnivals, Trinidad and Tobago have Carnival.
This
season begins in January and continues for six weeks, until the frenzy at dawn on J'ouvert Monday begins two days of utter chaos and celebration. For this occasion calypsonians work all year on new songs, while designers at a fever pitch of creativity come up with eye-snapping costumes for the marching groups, and steel drum bands practice the music that was invented on this island. Although the biggest festivities are in January and February, it seems that whenever you are in Trinidad everyone is planning for a new fête or recovering from one just completed.
If Trinidad is the island of worldly pleasure, then Tobago is her innocent sister. This small island, governmentally yoked with Trinidad, enjoyed wealth and luxury when sugar was king. "Great houses" dotted the island, and in London wealthy men were described as being "as rich as a Tobago planter." The island's economy collapsed in the late nineteenth century, when the ruling sugar monopoly declared bankruptcy, and never since then has the island enjoyed such opulent days. Today Tobago lures nature lovers with its secluded beaches and forests of breadfruit, mango, cacao, and citrus.
Trinidad, and especially Port of Spain, the island's largest city, provides a bounty of eating experiences, probably the most eclectic in all the Caribbean. Indian flavors abound in dishes such as the curry-filled
roti.
Chinese cooks put a uniquely Trinidadian spin on their ancient cuisine with sultry spices and local vegetables.
It would be almost impossible to go hungry in Trinidad, where the roadside is dotted with clean, well-run stalls selling portable food. Here take-out is a passion, and the variety offoods-to-go is intriguing. We like to dip our spoons into
callaloo,
a swampy green soup popular throughout the Caribbean but especially loved here, where it is made with spinach-like dasheen leaves and flavored with crab or pork, okra, and coconut. Even the names of local dishes are enough to whet your appetite. Who could resist coocoo, steamed breadfruit and cornmeal pudding served with a topping of steamed fish? On our visit we skipped the
tatoo
(wild armadillo) and
manicou
(opossum) both of which often find their way into the stewpot here, but we happily ate
cascadura,
a local fish said to guarantee that those who eat it will return to Trinidad.
Selecting the proper chicken for whatever dish you're making will assure success.
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B
ROILER
-F
RYER
: Ranges in weight from 1 to 3½ pounds. Although this bird is best for broiling or frying, a large one makes a good roaster, too.
C
APON
: A male bird, desexed in its in fancy so it will grow into a tender, meaty morsel for your table. Weights range from 4 to 8 pounds. Delicious roasted.
R
OASTER
: Larger than the broiler-fryer, it ranges in weight from 4 to 5 pounds.
S
TEWING
C
HICKEN
: These birds range in weight from 3 to 5 pounds. Because of their ... well, to put it politely, their maturity, they are best slowly braised un til they are tender.
Carambola is also known as "star fruit," because its five wings create a star shape when it is sliced crosswise. We have carambola trees at the hotel and at our home, and we love the fruit's golden yellow, glossy skin and juicy, slightly citrus-like flesh. Carambola makes a wonderful garnish for fruit salads, desserts, and drinks. In this recipe it flavors a handsome glaze for grilled chicken.
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| 2 | 3- to 3½-pound chickens, quartered |
| 1 | cup vegetable oil |
| ¾ | cup white wine vinegar |
| ½ | cup dry sherry |
| 1 | teaspoon minced garlic |
| ½ | teaspoon poultry seasoning |
| 2 | teaspoons Caribbean seasoning (see [>] ) |
| 2 | carambolas, sliced |
| ¼ | cup lime juice |
| ¼ | cup honey |
| 2 | tablespoons white wine vinegar |
| 1 | tablespoon soy sauce |
| 1 | tablespoon minced garlic |
| 1 | dash hot pepper sauce |
| 3 to 4 | carambolas, sliced |
Place the chicken quarters in a shallow dish. In a bowl, stir together the oil, vinegar, sherry, garlic, and poultry seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of the Caribbean seasoning. Pour off 1 cup of this mixture, and set it aside. Pour the remaining mixture over the chicken. Cover the chicken, and refrigerate it for 2 to 3 hours.
Prepare a fire for grilling.
Put the carambolas into a blender or food processor. Add the lime juice, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, hot pepper sauce, and remaining 1 teaspoon Caribbean seasoning. Whirl until the mixture is smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. Blend in the reserved marinade.
Grill the chicken over medium coals for about 30 minutes, turning it occasionally and basting with the carambola mixture after each turn. The chicken is done when it reaches 170° to 175° on a meat thermometer. Remove it from the heat, and allow it to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
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Makes 6 to 8 servings
The clear, fresh flavor of this fruit sauce is a perfect counterpoint to the grilled chicken.
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| ½ | cup vegetable oil |
| ¼ | cup lime juice |
| 1 | teaspoon Caribbean seasoning (see [>] ) |
| 6 | boned and skinned chicken breast halves |
| 2 | papayas, peeled and cut in chunks |
| 2 | green onions, trimmed and cut in 1-inch pieces |
| ½ | cup chopped cilantro |
| ½ | cup rice wine vinegar |
| 2 | teaspoons sesame oil |
| ½ | teaspoon ground black pepper |
| Lime wedges |
Combine the oil, lime juice, and Caribbean seasoning in a dish large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer. Turn the mixture to coat the meat. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Prepare a charcoal fire for grilling.
Drain the chicken well, and grill it 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until its juices run clear. While the chicken is cooking, put the ingredients for the pa paya-cilantro vinaigrette into a food processor or blender. Whirl until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Spoon the sauce on the cooked chicken breasts, garnish with lime wedges, and serve.