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.