Traditional Caribbean Cooking Video Ad

Checkout this link,, must see

https://www.facebook.com/NigelRKhanBookseller/videos/10152792854858412/?pnref=story

Tropical Aphrodisica

Ingredients
75 cl of brandy (White)
50 g Yohimbe bark
1 vanilla pod
1 pineapple heart
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
1 nutmeg (grated)

Preparation:
1. Crush 2 cinnamon sticks
2. Grate a nutmeg
3. Extract the heart (central part) from a pineapple.
4. Divide the heart in 3 or 4 pieces
5. Pour in a bottle 75 cl of brandy
6. Add the bark of Yohimbe, vanilla, the heart of pineapple in pieces, cinnamon, the clove
and nutmeg.
7. Close the bottle and let macerate (out of the light) during 15 to 20 days, ensure you
that the pineapple is completely covered by brandy.
8. Filter and to put again in a bottle.

Serve on ice to consume.

Preserve at the refrigerator.

Drink 1 glass 1 hour before a sexual intercourse.

Desserts

Desserts

Dinner with a lover is a special occasion, and special occasions call for dessert. There are numerous
dessert spices and foods with aphrodisiac qualities. Not everyone has a sweet tooth, but few humans can deny the appeal of fine chocolate or fresh summer fruits. These dishes are all designed to enhance a sensual atmosphere and inspire the mind and body to perform. Dessert is a treat, a special food for special occasions. So in preparing these recipes, give some thought to appearance and presentation.
One word of advice: save dessert until well after the main meal has ended. Sweet foods do not combine well with proteins and starches, and indigestion may result. At least two hours between dinner and dessert is a good rule of thumb. You may even finish up a night out on the town (dinner, drinks, a film or dancing) with a dessert at home that you prepared earlier. This provides a nice surprise, and no need to interrupt the progression of the evening.

Chocolate Desserts
Aphrodisiacs are a combination of traditional perceptions and science; but you need look no further
than the commercial success of Valentine’s Day in America to know that chocolate has a close and obvious relationship to love and sex. Chocolate has a long and illustrious history. It was brought to Europe, Asia and later North America from South America. But its the twin island of Trinidad and Tobago the worlds highest rated cocoa can be found, Producing chocolate from the coca bean is complicated: it must be roasted and the paste scraped out. Cafes serving chocolate drinks were all the rage in the 18th century. First nuns, and then all women, were banned from drinking chocolate for years in some countries, because it was believed the dark, sensual drink excited lasciviousness. Imagine! Now we know the fastest way to a lady’s heart is a bit of chocolate.

The beans that produce cocoa contain a range of minerals and nutrients, including a substance known
as theobromine, which literally means “food of the gods”: is there a better way to describe the divine
effect of this special food? Chocolate also contains magnesium, which is necessary to help us contain
stress and anxiety, and which is especially prone to depletion in women. Many fine chocolates are available these days, in bars from your local gourmet shop. Do yourself a favor and buy the finest kind you can afford, with the highest percentage possible of pure cocoa (at least 70%).

Pomegranate Limoncello

The anti-oxidant power of pomegranate juice is said to increase sexual potency when consumed
regularly. Linoncello is the signature drink of the Islands of Capri, but it found its way in the Caribbean, where the local lemons(a fine body tonic) grow in abundance. This colorful drink is beautiful to behold and delicious to drink.

Ingredients
2 oz. Pomegranate juice
1 ½ oz. 100 proof Limoncello
2 tsp. Lime juice
1 small wedge lime, for rimming
3 tbsp. Desiccated coconut, for rimming
1 tsp. Pomegranate seeds, to garnish
ice for the shaker

Preparation
Gently press the wedge of lime around the rim of a martini glass, and dredge in coconut.
In a shaker, pour pomegranate juice, Limoncello, lime juice and shake until blended. Pour into martini glass, and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Pum Pum Meal - Jamaican soup

This is the basic Jamaican soup also known as pum pum meal Chopped up Cow Cod
Beef penis and testicles are washed and cleaned, then scalded in boiling water.

Ingredients:
Garlic,escallion.thyme,pimento seed, salt to taste
Whole green pepper,black pepper,
1pk. Chicken Noodle
3-6 green bananas
½ lbs.Yam
3 small Irish Potato
Flour for dumpling
2 chochos (optional)
1 Whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper

Preperation
1. Wash chopped cow cod
2. Put in a large pot (pressure cooker best) with
enough water to cover the meet
3. Add 3 teaspoons salt, 8-10 seeds of pimento and
let cook and 5 crushed garlic cloves
4. Cook on a medium/high stove till meat tender
5. Add more water and and also 1pk. Chicken Noodle
6. Peel and cut up potatos and chochos and add
7. Peel Green bananas (or cut off the top and bottom
and slit in skin)
8. Add Peel and add Yam when bananas almost
cooked.
9. When almost done black pepper,thyme,couple
pimento seed,escallion, whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper
(do not let it burst open) and let simmer
10. Serve hot
You can also use these ingredients to make Mannish
Water. Replace cow cod with Goat head and par

Mannish Water

Ingredients
goat head
water
3 green banana
2 potatoes
1 yam
1 chopped carrot
1 chopped chocho
12 pimento seed
5 stalk escallion
8 sprig of thyme
1 scotch bonnet pepper
5 cloves garlic
1 cup white rum
salt and pepper to taste

Preperation
Clean goat head very well. Place meat in a large pot cover with
water. Add garlic and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours and add spices.
Add remaining ingredients except rum and simmer for another hour.
Add rum, spices to additional spices to taste, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cooking time: 3- 3 1/2 hrs
Serves: 8

Long Night

This drink is intended to increase the duration of the male erection, and should
only be taken by men. It takes three weeks to make, and should be taken for
two weeks.

Ingredients
750 ml bottle of white wine
6 whole cloves
20 grams (3/4 oz) of red powder of
ginger (Korea)
50 g (1.5 oz) of extract of Ying Yang Huo
1 nutmeg
50 g (1.5 oz) of honey (liquid)

Preparation
Pour the white wine in a one liter bottle. Add the cloves, the ginger and Ying Yang Huo. Grate nutmeg finely and add to liquid. Let infuse in the closed bottle closed for three weeks at room temperature, (into ambient temperature) and away from bright light. Filter/strain through cheesecloth and add the liquid honey and mix well. Drink each morning for two weeks, one “liquor glass” of this preparation per serving.

Passion

Sexual tonic aphrodisiac releases the sensuality
(man and woman)

Ingredients:
30 grams of Muira Puama (powder)
6 oranges
25 cl of Tequila (white)
Preparation
Press the juice of 6 oranges and pour (with pulp) in a casserole.
Add the powder of Muira Puama.
Cover and boiling 1 minute.
Let infuse 20 minutes.
Let cool and add the Tequila.
Filter.
Drink one glass before a sexual intercourse, the effect will be felt after a half hour.
Drink one glass 1 hour before an evening in love...

More information
Muira Puima is indigenous to the Brazilian forests, in particularthe areas of Rio Negro and
Amazonia. Known as PTYCHOPETALUM OLACOIDES, it is a shrub whose roots and bark are
used in the traditional medicine of Brazil and Guyana. In French, Muira Puama means “bois
de la puissance sexuelle”, not to be confused with Richeria Grandis “bois bandé” which is
of West Indian origin. Muira Puama has been used for centuries (in the form of extract, bark
and root) by the Indians of Amazonia. It’s a powerful nervous tonic, stimulant and aphrodisiac
that helps treat sexual dysfunction, fatigue and stress. In Brazil today, Muira Puama is used in
many pharmaceutical preparations.

Scientists have studied the chemical composition of the extract of bark and root of this
shrub. They identified esters of fatty acids considered beneficial for the toning the body
generally and the central nervous system in particular. The active ingredients of Muira Puama
cause a vasodilation action, followed by an adrenergic action. This means it’s an aphrodisiac
that increases the sensitivity of the skin and genitals. Muira Puama improves the problems of
weak sexual instincts and erection. (bijbo-aphrodisiacs.com/natural_aphrodisiacs)

Stagger Dagger

By Nicolas Dixon
Ingredients:
1 fifth of decent brandy
3-4 ounces fresh damiana herb
2 ounces fresh lemongrass
4 ounces fresh cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1 cup honey
1 ounce tincture of marijuana (optional)
Cheesecloth

Tools:
A big, large-mouthed decanter
Pink and red candles, candle holders
Tantric sex incense, or Pan and Aphrodite
incense
Charcoal and incense burner.
Pink paper with red pen.
Anointing oil, such as Aphrodite, Love or
Come to Me.
A blank book or journal to record the effects.
Don’t use really expensive brandy for this
potion, as you will be adding a lot to the
liquor and will just pollute the taste of a
really good bottle. If you use a moderate
bottle, you will add to its flavor.

Tip-Top (man and woman)

Aphrodisiac and tonic which revives ardours in love

This spicy potion is a powerful aphrodisiac and a delicious cocktail as well.
Ingredients
1 liter of spring water
50 grams Yohimbe bark
1 tsp powder of ginseng (Red of Korea)
1/2 nutmeg
100 grams of fresh grated ginger
1 mango
1 rum glass
100 ml of sugar cane syrup (white)

Preparation
Reduce the yohimbe bark to a coarse powder with a rammer/mortar and pestle.
Grate 1/2 nutmeg finely. Boil the spring water. Put the spring water, yohimbe, ginseng
and nutmeg into a stainless steel or enamel pot and stir. Cover and let simmer
for 1 hour until the liquid is reduced by half. Let cool. Strain and set aside. Put the
ginger into in a blender. Add the mango pulp. Add rum, and blend the mixture for a few
seconds. Add the yohimbe infusion to the mixture in blender. Blend 5 seconds. Strain
through cloth and pour back into blender. Add the sugar syrup and 3 or 4 ice cubes.
Blend to crush the ice finely. Serve in 2 large glasses, up to one hour before your night
of love. (bijbo-aphrodisiacs.com/natural_aphrodisiacs).


Cocktail flash-love
Euphoriant aphrodisiac

(man and woman)

This is a “Euphoriant” drink with aphrodisiac properties. It’s potent and although the
recipe is for one serving, it will be plenty potent if you share it among two people!
Ingredients

40 ml of rum (white)
25 ml damiana liqueur (you may also substitute 1 tsp of damiana extract)
25 ml of mango juice (Fresh)
1 tbsp sugar cane syrup
Ice

Preparation
Crush 2 ice cubes. Pour the white rum and the Damiana liquor or extract (cool them
beforehand) into a shaker. Add the mango juice, the sugar cane syrup and the
crushed ice. Shake vigorously and pour into one or two glasses.

Extra strong aphrodisiac drinks

The drinks I post are designed for the serious aphrodisiac enthusiast. Proceed with caution and use only the measurements included in each recipe. As with everything don’t use aphrodisiacs if you have ongoing health issues, especially with your heart, blood pressure or blood sugar.

What is Aphrodisiacs

Aphrodisiacs are foods, drinks, drugs, scents or any devices that can arouse or stimulate sexual desire.

I will introduce many drinks that are rich in vitamins and minerals which can increase
overall health and therefore improve sexual function. Great cooks say the best food is made with love. Captivate your loved one with sensual foods and flavors from the Caribbean that can be savored.

Cassava Bread

This is one of the better tasting bread I make. Makes about 6 regular size loaves.
Give it a try!

INGREDIENTS:
• 6 cups sifted all purpose flour
• cassava, grated
• ½ cup warm water (110°F)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ cup raisins
• 2 cups coconut milk
• ½ cup oats
• 3 tbsp cornmeal
• 2 small pks instant yeast
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 4 tbsp butter

1. Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a large bowl.
2. Add flour, cassava, yeast, salt, butter, oats, cornmeal and raisins in the bowl and mix the dough adding one cup coconut milk at a time. Knead dough for about 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place into well-oiled 9” x 5” inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has doubled in the pans. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Traditional Bread, Cakes and Puffs

Homemade bread is the ultimate comfort food! Nothing beats the smell of tasty homemade
bread. But if you never had the chance to try bread baked in a traditional dirt oven, then you do not know what you are missing.

This is why I really love the bread baked by my mother and granny. My mother used to bake in her dirt oven just for the fun of it and to give this tasty treats to the neighbours.

With the introduction of stoves, you see an array of different kinds of bread. That is lovely but I like making my own bread at home. I love experimenting with different combinations and have come up with quite a few very tasty ones.

The recipe I love the most is actually very easy. I start with the normal bread recipe and then I add different kinds of nuts, coconut milk and raisins. I sometimes add grated cassava and oatmeal to give it a traditional taste. Other combinations I enjoy are cornmeal, peanut butter and glazed citrus peel.

This is what is so great about making your own bread at home. You can start with the basic recipes your granny handed down to you and once you have mastered those you can start experimenting. So, next time you are craving for tasty, fresh homemade bread, flip through the traditional Caribbean Cooking baking section and impress your guest with a taste they will never forget.

Pepper Roti

So what is pepper roti? It is really two buss-up-shut roti with a pepper and vegetable filling in between. Pepper roti is a bit different from the usual rotis - buss-up-shut, dhal puri, dosti roti, sada roti and aloo puri. Pepper roti is usually eaten as “cutters” when drinking alcohol. Even by itself pepper roti makes a wonderful spicy side dish.

Note: The pepper roti filling may be modified with other ingredients such as tomatoes, baigan and okras.

INGREDIENTS FOR PEPPER ROTI:
• 3 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp butter
FOR PEPPER FILLING:
• 4 hot peppers (less or more depending
on how spicy you want it)
• 2 cups grated potatoes
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 40 chadon beni leaves
• 10 cloves garlic
• ¼ onion, chopped
• 2 cups grated cheese
• salt to taste
• 2 pimentos, chopped

1. Grate and wash the potatoes. The washing process prevents the potato from turning brown.
2. Chop and blend the hot peppers, pimentos, chadon beni (bhandania), garlic, onion and carrot. Add salt to taste. Add the potatoes and cheese and mix together. Set aside.Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and water into a dough.
3. Divide the dough into 2, coat with oil and leave to rest for 1 hour. After, open out the dough, spread 1 tbsp of butter and sprinkle flour. Make a cut from the centre and roll into a cone. Press the
peak and flatten the centre of the cone.
4. Leave to rest for 15 minutes. Roll out both balls with a bailna.
5. Heat the tawah then lower the fire and spread one roti. Spread the pepper mixture on top. Place the other roti over it and press right around. Spread a little oil over the surface. Turn over carefully using a dabla. Spread some more oil over the surface.

Let cook for a few minutes then cut into pieces and serve.

Buss-up-shut

Serves about 4

INGREDIENTS:
• 4 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 6 tbsp ghee or butter
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ¾ cups water
Kitchen Equipment Required:
• tawah (platin)
• dabla (two long wooden spatulas)
• bailna (rolling pin)

1. Sift and mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add enough water. Knead into a soft dough. Roll into equal balls and leave to ‘rest’ for (about) 15 - 30 minutes. Roll out the dough flat after ‘resting’.
2. Spread butter or ghee and sprinkle with flour.
3. Make a cut from the centre out to the edge and roll making a cone.
4. Press the peak and flatten the centre of the cone. Leave to ‘rest’ about 15 - 30 minutes. Afterwards, roll out on a floured board.
5. Heat the tawah (platin). Using the flat side of a cup or other utensil, dip into butter or ghee and coat the al ready hot tawah.
6. Place the flat dough onto the tawah, and spread the ghee or butter on one side using the flat side of the cup, then turn over onto the other side to cook.
7. Spread butter or ghee on the other side the same way.
8. Use a dabla to break up the roti to give the ripped up and flaky appearance, or you can wrap the roti in a clean cloth and beat it with your hands or bailna (rolling pin).

The finished buss up shut is ready to be served.

Traditional Roti

Roti is part of our culture in Trinidad and Tobago. It has become so irresistible that in Trinidad there is the Roti and Curry Duck Festival. If you are in Trinidad and you feel for a roti at 11:00pm, take a drive down to St. James (the city that does not sleep), and you are sure to get a hot piping roti from the road side roti shops. To master a good roti will take some effort. So if it does not come out the way you think it should, try making some adjustments and eventually you will get it right.

Dosti roti

Dosti roti is another type of roti made in Trinidad. It is commonly called “two in one” roti because of how it is made. When making it, two balls of flour (loyas) are rolled,out together, so when you cook it you are cooking both of them at the same time, that is why they are called Dosti. (Dosti is the hindi word for friend - so two friends).

Buss-up-shut

Buss-up-shut or paratha roti is another type of roti. Bussup-shut is the one used for weddings and special occasions. It is also on the menu of any roti shop and other fast food restaurants in Trinidad
and Tobago. Buss-up-shut goes best with curry chicken, channa and aloo (potatoes). It is simple to make with common ingredients in any kitchen, but it may take a few attempts to get it right.

Some of India’s Traditional Spices

CUMIN SEEDS / GEERA
Cumin, also called geera has an aromatic seedlike fruit, commonly known as cumin seed. It is oval shaped, approximately 6 mm long and light yellowish-brown in colour. It has a peculiar, strong and heavy odour. The dried seeds form an essential ingredient of curry powder. Cumin seeds are highly beneficial in digestive disorders like biliousness, morning sickness, indigestion, atonic dyspepsia, diarrhoea, malabsorption syndrome and colic.

One teaspoon of cumin seeds is boiled in a glass of water and mixed with one teaspoon of fresh coriander leaf juice and a pinch of salt. This decoction can be taken twice daily
after meals as a medicine for diarrhoea. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum, and sometimes spelt cummin) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to East India. Its seeds, in ground form, are used in the cuisines of many different cultures.

CURRY POWDER
Curry powder is usually a mixture of turmeric, chilli powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground ginger and pepper, and can be bought in mild, medium or hot strengths. It is thought to be a

British invention – the Brits probably took some Indian spice mixtures home with them hoping to recreate the dishes they had enjoyed in India. Indian cooks do not use a single spice mixture to flavour all of their dishes. Instead, they mix various spices into a paste called a ‘masala’, which varies from dish to dish and region to region.

Source: Home Remedies Guide.

Traditional Indian Cooking

Many people are mystified by traditional Indian cooking and cuisines and somewhat confused by the variety of curries and spices used. Some may even think that traditional Indian cooking is mostly about vegetarian dishes and curries.

India has one of the finest and richest culinary histories. Contrary to popular belief, Indian cuisine is not complex or too confusing to cook. However, it can be as elaborate as you want it to be. If you understand the diversity of the country, which is divided into four regions, north, south, east and west, you will appreciate the variety of dishes, exotic spices, cooking methods, etc.

Two distinctive features of many Indian recipes are that beef is absent as cows are sacred to the Hindus and pork is prohibited in the Muslim diet. Indian cuisines are however generally characterized
by a precise combination of spices and flavours and the cooking method generally is to sauté and simmer the dishes or curries over low heat. Regardless of the region, spices are key ingredients in Indian cooking. The Indians are also mindful of the healing properties of spices.

Traditional African Cooking

The diet the Europeans provided for their enslaved Africans consisted mostly of foods the slaveholders did not want to eat. So the Africans had to be inventive. They blended their traditional African foods with staples found on the islands. Among the foods they introduced were okra, callaloo, fish cakes, saltfish, ackee, pudding, souse, mangoes, and the list goes on.

Most present day Islanders choose a diet that is reflective of the main ingredients of original early African dishes, including cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, plantains, bananas and corn meal. African men were hunters in their homeland, and were often away from home for long periods of time. They would cook spicy pork over hot coals, and this tradition was refined by the early enslaved Africans in Jamaica. The technique is known today as “jerk” cooking , and the secret involves a slow meat cooking process. Jamaica is famous for jerk chicken and pork, and you will find jerk all over the island.

What I remember the most about my maternal grandmother Vena Narcis Francette, is her pot bake, homemade bread, and pig tail soup. I do not think any of her grandchildren was able to master her baking, but I can recall her recipe for “pig tail soup.”

Pig Tail Soup

This recipe brings back memories of my maternal grandmother’s soup which she used to cook every Saturday.

Serves about 7

INGREDIENTS:
• 2 lbs salted pig tail
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 small eddoes, peeled and diced
• ½ beetroot, peeled and sliced
• 1 ½ lbs yams
• 3 green bananas (green figs)
• ½ lb cassava
• 1 cup split peas
• 1 corn on the cob cut into small pieces
• 8 cups water
• 1 can coconut milk (about ½ cup)
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 5 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp green seasoning (blend of fresh herbs)
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 hot pepper (optional)
• 5 pimentos, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• juice of ½ lime

1. Cut up and clean pig tail with lime juice and water.
2. Place the pig tail in boiling water in a pot and let simmer for about 20 minutes to get rid of the
excess salt and preservatives from the pig tail.
3. Drain the water out and set aside for final cooking with the rest of ingredients.
4. Sauté the onions and garlic in oil in the soup pot.
5. Add the pig tail when the onion is soft and translucent and cook for about 2 minutes.
6. Add the other ingredients, water, black pepper, thyme, coconut milk, corn, green seasoning, butter and the hot pepper. (Put pepper whole into the pot to give it a nice flavour. Do not cut unless
you want a very spicy soup).
7. Add split peas to the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, simmer for about 1 hour.
8. Peel and dice the provision into large pieces.
9. Place provision in a large bowl and cover with cold water to prevent them from going discoloured.
10. Add the provision to the pot after ½ hour, bring back to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Allow this to
continue cooking for about ½ hour or until the provision is cooked.

Note: If you think your soup needs a little salt, it should be added last.

Salads: Grilled Shrimp, Corn and Black Bean Salad

It seems like the nation moving towards healthy foods, so lets look at salads.

In the Caribbean, salads are a must with almost any meal. Potatoes, green bananas
(green fig), avocados and fresh vegetables are the ingredients of first choice. Salads
can also be made of fresh fruits such as pineapples, grapes, apples, strawberries,
blueberries, avocados, papayas (pawpaw) and mangoes, with raw nuts and
mixed vegetables. In this Section, I will attempt to give you a few choices for a great
salad. Raw fruits and vegetables make healthy side dishes.


This hearty, healthy salad has just the right amount of heat and spice to excite the palate. In addition
to making dishes taste delicious, onion and garlic are excellent for keeping the body healthy
and the immune system strong.

Serves about 4

INGREDIENTS:
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 6 fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped
• smoked jalapeños, sliced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ground geera (cumin)
• 1 tsp good quality chilli powder
For Salad:
• 3 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 1 cup chopped chives
• ¾ cup red onion, chopped
(or ½ cup white onion, chopped)
• ½ cup corn niblets
• 6 cups torn lettuce or watercress
• 1 ½ lbs fresh shrimp, cleaned

1. Make the dressing by combining the limebjuice with the olive oil, pepper, garlic, geera, chilli powder and chadon beni. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
2. Marinate shrimp in ¼ cup dressing.
3. Combine lettuce, black beans, corn, chives, onion, tomatoes and cilantro in a large salad bowl.
4. Preheat grill and grill shrimp for about 3 - 5 minutes until opaque and pink.
5. Toss salad with just enough dressing to coat, adding more if desired. On a large platter arrange lettuce mixture. Place grilled shrimp on top.

Lentil Peas Soup with Green Banana

Its weekend once again, and we all have to eat, in my effort to continue promoting my book, here is another recipe.

This is a very hearty and very good soup. I like to add small cube-sized dumplings and green banana
(green fig). Everyone has his own set of ingredients he likes to add, so I will share my ingredients
with you. If you like some meat in your soup, pig tail or salt beef is always a good option.

INGREDIENTS:
• ½ lb lentils
• 6 cups water
• 3 green bananas (green fig)
• 1 cup flour (for dumplings)
• 3 stalks celery and chive, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, chopped
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 5 pimentos, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 fresh ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb elbow pasta
• salt and black pepper to taste

1. Add half of all ingredients except pasta in a heavy saucepan and cook until lentils are tender.
Combine remaining ingredients and let cook for another 20 minutes.
2. Cook pasta separately according to directions on the package.
3. Add pasta to soup and cook 5 minutes longer.

Breadfruit Oil Down

National Dish Of Grenada

A great comfort food which is very filling. Grenadian oil down uses saffron
and callaloo leaves (dasheen leaves, also known as dasheen bush).

Serves about 7

INGREDIENTS:
• ½ lb smoked ham bones, diced or pig tail and salt beef
• 5 callaloo leaves
• 2 tbsp saffron
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 large onions, chopped
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
• 4 pimentos, sliced
• ½ congo pepper (habanero), seeds and stem removed
• 1 head garlic, mashed
• 4 chives, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh minced thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4 cups coconut milk
• 1 large breadfruit, peeled and cut into large cubes
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the ham in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, until the ham is tender on the bone, skimming off any foam that rises. Drain the ham and set it aside.

3. If you use pig tail or salt beef, boil the pig tail or salt beef for 15 minutes to remove the salt.

4. Heat the oil and sauté the onions, peppers, garlic, congo pepper, green onions, and thyme for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the coconut milk, heat, and then add the breadfruit, callaloo leaves, saffron, ham or pig tail, and salt and pepper last. Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the breadfruit has absorbed all the coconut milk.

Serve hot.

Cow Cod Soup

Jamaica

This is the basic Jamaican soup

This recipe contains the cod or penis of a bull and includes bananas, scotch bonnet pepper and white rum. Eating the genitals of the bull has been thought to make
males more virile. According to the Jamaicans.com website: “Most Jamaican
eateries serve up cow cod soup on the weekends, a thick pottage of the bovine member cut up into little gelatinous pieces and mixed with roots and herbs selected for their similar therapeutic effects.”
This soup may not be for family on a rainy evening but to some Jamaican men, a full serving of Cow Cod soup on a Saturday night has its benefits.

Serves about 5

INGREDIENTS:
• chopped up cow cod
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 head of garlic, crushed,
• 4 stalks scallion and thyme
• 8 - 10 pimentos, seeded
• 1 large green bell pepper (sweet pepper)
• 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 pk chicken noodle or 2 Maggi cubes
• 3 - 6 green bananas (green figs)
• ½ lb yam
• 3 small Irish potatoes
• flour for dumpling
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 2 chochos (christophene) (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash chopped cow cod. (Normally, the penis and testicles are washed and cleaned, then scalded in
boiling water. The genitalia are then cut into pieces and set aside. If you can not get it already prepared, you can do this yourself).

2. Put in a large pot (a pressure cooker is best) with enough water to cover the meat. Add 3 tsps salt,
pimentos and garlic. Cook on a medium/high stove until meat is tender.

3. Add more water, 1pk. chicken noodle or Maggi cubes and bay leaves.

4. Peel and cut up potatoes and chochos and add to the meat mixture. Peel green bananas (cut off the top and bottom and slit the skin).

5. Add bananas and yam to pot.

6. Add black pepper, thyme, some pimento seeds, scallion, whole scotch bonnet pepper (do not let it burst open) when the soup is almost finished.

Serve hot.

Callaloo

Trinidad and Tobago

Callaloo is considered a national dish in Trinidad and Tobago. It’s a dish originally created by Africans slaves. Traditional Caribbean Cooking gives you the traditional way of preparing callaloo. You can add smoked bone (smoked bone are bony parts from the pig, like the backbone etc), pig tail, salt beef or crab to add flavour. You can serve callaloo as a soup or as a side dish. In Trinidad and Tobago, callaloo is a must have on Sundays for lunch, together with red beans, stewed chicken, macaroni pie, potato salad and Spanish rice topped off with a nice glass of cold homemade

mauby or sorrel drink.

PREPARING THE CALLALOO LEAVES:

Leaves from the dasheen root are used for callaloo. The young curly, leaves are preferable. Cut and throw away the tips of the leaves. Chop and wash the leaves for cooking.

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ cup pumpkin, peeled and chopped

• 1 bundle dasheen bush (callaloo leaves)

• 1 hot pepper (optional)

• 1 green sweet pepper (bell pepper)

• 7 okras, chopped

• 2 cups coconut milk

• ½ cup full cream milk

• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped

• 1 sprig chive, finely chopped

• ¼ cup celery, finely chopped

• 1 pimento, finely chopped

• 2 sprigs thyme

• 1 tsp parsley, finely chopped

• salt to taste

1. Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in vegetable oil. Add chopped and washed dasheen bush to pot.

2. Add remaining ingredients and pour the milk over it. Add whole hot pepper. (Do not cut the hot pepper).

3. Cook on low heat until the bush is softened. Mix and ensure there is enough liquid in the pot.

4. Season with salt and Maggi cubes if desired.

5. You may add more water if the liquid dries up. Also, if you like it more like soup, add more water. When all the ingredients, especially the dasheen bush, are cooked and soft, remove from heat.

The traditional way to complete the process is to whisk the callaloo with a swizzle stick, but you can use your processor or blender if you wish.

Note: Before you whisk or blend, remove the whole hot pepper.

If you cooked the crabs or pig tail with the callaloo, make sure to remove those too. Add them again after the mixture has been blended or whisked.

Cream of Mushroom Soup with Champagne and Tarragon

Use fresh tarragon if you can get it; fresh herbs contain potent essential
oils that have much greater potency than dried ones. Also,
you can serve the same champagne you cook with while the dinner
is being prepared; after all, when champagne sits open too long,
the bubbles go away!

INGREDIENTS:
• 10 oz sliced white or Baby Bella mushrooms
• 3 - 4 shallots
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup champagne (or sparkling wine)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup fresh cream
• salt and pepper
• fresh tarragon
• sour cream or yogurt
1. Melt butter in heavy saucepan or soup pot.
2. Chop shallots and sauté in butter until translucent.
3. Add mushrooms and two sprigs of tarragon and sauté until soft.
4. Add champagne (or sparkling wine).
5. Simmer for a few minutes until steam rises.
6. Add water and milk and simmer soup for 10 minutes.
7. Remove three quarters of mushroom mixture and purée in
blender; add back to remaining soup. Turn off heat.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Add cream and stir gently.

Serve with a pinch of finely chopped fresh tarragon as

Roasted Pumpkin and Garlic Soup with Almonds

This is a tasty vegetarian soup. This soup does take some time, so prepare it a day ahead of time and refrigerate.


Serves about 5


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ lbs pumpkin, skin on, seeded,

cut into large chunks

• 2 ½ cups vegetable stock

or 2 - 3 cups water

• 1 onion, peeled and quartered

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• ½ tsp vegetarian or regular

Worcestershire sauce

• 2 heads garlic

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 3 tbsp ground almonds

• 1 ½ tsp dried rosemary

• salt to taste

• 1 loaf French or other chewy bread




1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Brush cut surfaces of pumpkin and onions with oil, and place, cut sides up, on baking tray.

4. Prick garlic several times with a skewer, and place on baking tray.

Sprinkle rosemary over all.

5. Roast vegetables until tender for about 45 minutes. (Pumpkin and onion should start to look scorched around the edges.)

6. Cut garlic bulbs crosswise in half and squeeze roasted flesh of one head into bowl of food processor. (Protect hands with towel.)

7. Scoop pumpkin from skins and add to processor.

8. Purée vegetables until smooth, adding a little of the stock, if necessary, to help the process.

9. Transfer purée to a large pot. Add stock, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, almonds, and salt.


Heat to a low simmer.

Traditional Soups and Appetizers

A comfort food that includes a meal prepared at home means you need not complete all the courses before moving on to the dessert, Having a leisurely meal is a custom and an art seemingly lost to us in today’s busy world. Remember, comfort food is a great stress reliever, but stress is not normally conducive to healthy eating.

Dominican Chicken Noodle Soup

(Caldo de Gallina)

Every culture has its version of chicken soup. When you feel a need for comfort food or a light meal, try this tropical twist on an old fashioned favourite. This soup recipe is also great for using up leftover chicken. This recipe uses calabaza (West Indian pumpkin). If you can’t find it locally, try hubbard or acorn squash as a substitute.

Servings about 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 lbs cooked chicken (skinned, boned,

cut into small pieces)

• 2 chicken bouillon cubes

• ½ cup celery stalk (chopped into cubes)

• 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)

• 1 tbsp dried cilantro (if not available,

substitute dried parsley)

• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

• ½ tsp white pepper (or to taste)

• 2 cups calabaza (peeled, seeded and cubed)

• 10 cups water

• 8 oz angel hair pasta

1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot.

2. Add chicken, bouillon cubes, celery, garlic, salt, pepper and dried cilantro.

Sauté for 3 - 4 minutes.

3. Add the water and calabaza. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium.

4. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Break up the angel hair pasta and add

to the pot.

5. Stir frequently until noodles are tender. Remove from the heat and serve.

Shrimp in Coconut

Shrimp in Coconut

Cream Sauce

Serves about 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and pre-cooked

• 4 medium red skin potatoes, diced

• ½ cup chopped onions

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 4 mushrooms, sliced

• 1 tbsp curry powder

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ cup diced tomatoes

• 1 cup coconut milk

• 2 tsp paprika

• 2 stalks scallion, chopped in small pieces

• 1 tsp thyme leaves

• 2 dried red chillies, finely chopped

• ½ cup walnuts (optional)

1. Warm oil on medium heat. Add potatoes and sauté over low heat until just barely

tender, stirring constantly.

2. Add onions, and scallion and let sauté until onions are transparent.

3. Add garlic, paprika, parsley and curry powder. Continue to cook over low heat for

3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the coconut cream, mushrooms, thyme and

tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat. Stir often, to prevent the

coconut milk from drying out.

4. Add the shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes until shrimp are tenderly cooked.

If you fasting this lent, try this recipe

If you fasting this lent, you can try this fish recipe. I also include a basic Cuban cheese sauce recipe.

Tilapia in Oil and Vinegar Sauce

Guyana

Serves about 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs tilapia, cut in slices

• 1 lemon or lime

• flour

• 1 cup olive oil

• 1 large bell pepper (green sweet pepper), sliced

• 2 large onions, cut in rings

• 2 bay leaves

• 3 cloves garlic (whole)

• 2 scotch bonnet peppers (whole)

• 2 smoked jalapeños, chopped

• ½ cup vinegar

• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Remove the skin from the fish, then wash with some flour in the water. Do not use lime because it will make the flesh stiff.

2. Season and coat lightly with flour.

3. Fry in the olive oil. Remove from the pan and set aside.

4. Fry the onion slices lightly on low heat in the same used oil.

5. Add vinegar, garlic, peppers and bay leaves.

6. Add the fried fish and cook for about 5 minutes.

7. Add salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serve hot or cold with lemon or lime juice.

Note: May be kept for several days if an extra ½ cup of vinegar is added. Other fish may be used instead.

Basic Cheese Sauce (Salsa de Queso)

Cuba

Every culture enjoys a good cheese sauce. You can substitute any other suitable cheese in place of the cheddar. Enjoy this cheese sauce as a dip or over your favourite vegetables.

Yields about 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ½ tbsp butter

• 4 tbsp all purpose flour

• 2 cups milk

• salt to taste

• ¼ lb mild cheddar cheese

(shredded or cut into very small pieces)

1. Melt the butter to low heat in a saucepan.

2. Whisk in the flour and salt.

3. Whisk in the milk.

4. Turn the heat to medium and stir continuously until the mixture thickens.

5. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the cheese a little at a time, stirring continuously until the sauce is smooth and creamy.

6. Pour the hot sauce over your favourite vegetables.

Traditional Sauces, Chutneys, Pepper Sauces and Chows

Chutney or chatni is a term for a variety of sweet and spicy condiments, usually involving a fresh, chopped primary vegetable or fruit with added seasonings. In India, a chutney is often made to be eaten fresh, using whatever suitable strongly flavoured ingredients are locally available at the time. The Hindi translation of “to make chutney” is a common idiom meaning “to crush.” In traditional Indian chutneys, the use of a stone mortar and pestle is often regarded as vital to create the ideal chutney.
In the past, chutneys were ground with a mortar and pestle made of stone or an ammikkal (Tamil). Nowadays, electric blenders replace the stone implements.

History of Ingredients used in Caribbean Recipes

Caribbean cooks use spices that are unique in many ways. Nutmeg is used to flavour desserts, but this spice is often combined with other native island spices to produce an altogether different, yet somewhat recognisable flavour.

The distinctive flavour of Jamaican jerk comes from allspice, another spice we would not associate with a meat marinade.

The Cayman Islanders add spicy peppers to flavour their favourite chocolate cake.

Tamarind is another spice used for its sauce but also for its tasty flavour. Fruits such as orange, papaya (pawpaw) mango and pineapple make up the body of Caribbean sauces and drinks. Coconut milk serves as a base for many popular stews, soups and sauces.

Rum is a favourite ingredient throughout the Caribbean, and is applied liberally in marinades, soups, deserts and sauces.

Beans, rice and other vegetables absorb the flavours of any dish. Chicken, duck, goat, pork, beef and fresh seafood are the preferred meats.

The preferred ingredients for seasoning are curry, chadon beni (bhandania), bay leaf, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, chilli pepper, geera (cumin), saffron (turmeric), garlic, onions, chives and celery.

This book aims to combine the fusion of the Caribbean flavours in the recipes. Each island has its unique twist on its ingredients and method of cooking, but the end result is always tasty.

History of Caribbean Foods - taken from my book "Traditional Caribbean Cooking"

Historians claim that the Arawak, Carib, and Taino Indians were the first inhabitants of the Caribbean islands. These first inhabitants occupied the present day islands of Cuba, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St Vincent and The Grenadines and Jamaica. Their basic diet consisted of fruits and vegetables such as pawpaws, guavas, wild pineapples, yams, eddoes, dasheen and cassava. The Tainos started the process of cooking meat and fish in large clay pots. The Arawaks were the first people known to cook their meat on thin green wood strips over coals or firewood allowing the meat to be enhanced by the flavour of the wood and smoke. This method was called a barbacoa - the word we know today as barbecue.

According to historian Karl Watson the first settlers on Barbados were the Arawaks, who entered the island from the region of Guyana highlands and settled along the northern, western and southern coasts. (Watson 2007).

The Carib Indians had a similar style of cooking but they added more spice to their food with hot peppers indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago, and also lemon and lime juice to their meat and fish recipes.

Then the Europeans came via Christopher Columbus and they found that the islands (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Jamaica) had a vast amount of land space to cultivate sugar cane and rice. (The Caribbean Background 31).

The diet of the slaves consisted mostly of discarded food the slave owners considered unfit. Therefore the slaves had to be very inventive, and they blended their traditional African method of cooking with the staples found on the islands. The Africans introduced okra, saltfish, ackee, fish and crab cakes, pudding, souse and blue food (dasheen).

African men were hunters by nature, and often hunted in the forest for long periods of time. They would cook spicy wild pig, or whatever they caught at the time, over hot coals. The fishermen would bury the fish, covered with herbs and spices, in a shallow hole on the beach. They covered the hole with a bed of light coals and rocks, and this would cook the fish as if it was cooked on a open fire. This tradition was refined by the early slaves in Jamaica. The technique is known today as “jerk” cooking. The secret involves a slow cooking process. Jamaica is famous for jerk chicken and pork, but you can find jerk food all over the Caribbean.

After slavery was abolished, the Africans abandoned the plantations so the Europeans went to India and China for labour. Indian cooking culture has remained the same today with the introduction of curry powder. Indians call it kari podi, and we have come to know this pungent flavour as curry.

The Chinese introduced rice, a staple in our diet. They also introduced mustard. The early Portuguese sailors introduced the popular codfish. When you think about Caribbean fruits and fruit trees familiar names come up: orange, lime, ginger, plantains, bananas (green figs), date palms, sugar cane, green grapes, tamarinds and coconuts, but it was the early Spanish explorers who brought those plants with them.

Breadfruit is not native to the Caribbean, even though it is a staple in most islands. According to Jonathan Ali “The  humble breadfruit arrived in 1793. It made its first landfall at the region in St Vincent, and it was brought by Captain William Bligh of the HMS Bounty.” The breadfruit’s main use was for cheap and plentiful source of food for the slaves.

America is responsible for introducing beans, corn, Irish potatoes, tomatoes, squash and chilli pepper to the Caribbean.  (www.travel2thecaribbean.com)

Before pepper became a widely used ingredient in the Caribbean, it was sent to India where they cultivated it on a large scale. Therefore Caribbean cooking with its rich and creative flavours is a combination of African, Indian and Chinese cooking, along with Spanish, Portuguese, Danish and British influences. What we eat in the Caribbean islands has been influenced by the cultures of the world, but each island has added its own special style and blends of herbs and spices to their cooking technique.