West Indian Sweet potato pone

A pone is a traditional bread made by American Indians from flat cakes of cornmeal baked in ashes. The pone has evolved not only is it from the traditional cornmeal, it is also made from cassava, and sweet potato. It is popular in almost all of the Caribbean islands with each island having their special way of making it. The sweet potato pone is a favorite in the islands of Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago. It can be served as a dessert or a snack. It is made from our local sweet potatoes, coconut, sugar, spices and raisins.

Our sweet potatoes come with red or a pale cream skin. The flesh is white or pale yellow or sometimes orange. These are not like the North American sweet potatoes, these are more starchy.
To make it you will need 1 grated the coconut, I did mine in the blender with about 1-2 cups of water however you will have to cut the coconut in small pieces for the blender, 1 large sweet potato grated, 1-2 cups of sugar, zest of lime, pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, dash of angostura bitters.

Here I have cut up the peeled sweet potato to use in the food processor.

The sweet potato should look like this after grating or mincing in the food processor. It will turn a bit discoloured but that is not a problem.
You should have about 2 cups of water added to the grated coconut making a milky mixture, if the blender cannot hold it all the water, you can add it after it has been removed from the blender.

grated coconut and water mixture

Mix the some of coconut milk with potato mixture in a large bowl, add about 1-2 cups of sugar or sweeten to your desire, stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in a generous pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg, some lime zest and a couple dashes of Angostura bitters. Add about a 1/2 cup of raisins and mix thoroughly. The mixture should look like a fairly thick porridge and pourable. If the mixture is too stiff add some more of the grated coconut milk mixture little at a time. If all the coconut has been used you can add some plain water, a little at a time until the right consistency is reached.

Pour into a 2 1/2 to 3 inch deep greased pie dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours until it is golden brown or when there is no more liquid on the top and brown at the sides. For variations, you can add some grated cassava, pumpkin or tania eddoes. Remember the drier the mixture the crustier it will become. I prefer it both with a crust and without. If you use foil tins remember these will cook faster than glass or stoneware. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices or cubes and serve warm or chilled with some rum sauce and whipped cream. Refrigerate after cooling. I prefer eating it the next day after it has been thoroughly chilled. Delicioso!

somethings about Martinique

I have some Martinique cuphea planted in a bed with some Christmas palms . I noticed that the cuphea started circling the palm tree. I really liked how it looked, it is very attractive  so now I will be using this plant as a ground cover around palms.

Here I am using the cuphea as a filler/cover for this large bed where I have three Singapore plumeria  trees growing.

Golden apples, pommecythere, june plum, (spondias cythera, spondias dulcis) are now in season. Many years ago  (about 30 yrs) I was a regular visitor to Martinique where I discovered a green drink served in many of the  restaurants and cafes. I asked about it and was told it was called prune. Being adventurous, I ordered a glass and recognized a familiar taste. I was hooked! Now at that time in Barbados, I had never seen nor tasted this juice. We only ate the fruit green or when ripe. But this was heavenly! Years later it was introduced to the island and now it has become a favourite drink with the locals. I have been thinking of Martinique lately and have caught up with some old  Martiniquan friends recently. This has made me nostalgique.

So I decided to make some juice. I picked about a dozen apples, and washed them. I cut them down the middle with my chef's knife and continued cutting them into smaller pieces. It was hard work banging on the cutting board to split them open and  of course I chose a more difficult method.

I removed the spiny seed and started juicing the pieces of fruit in the juicer. This can also be done in a blender with some water and strained. I got approximately four cups of  pure juice.

I added eight cups of water, the juice of two limes and some sugar to taste. Wow it was deeeelicious! The only thing I hate about making this juice is the cleaning up afterwards. The juicer is a pain in the neck to clean, but I conclude that it is worth it.

P.S. I have recently started another blog my fashionista years

Weedy Wednesday

I was up at 3.00 am and I couldn't get back to sleep. So I started to do some house cleaning. I swept downstairs  and  went  on the computer.  I was back in bed by 4.30am and slept until 6.30 am. I got up and mopped the floors. I made a cup of coffee and around 7.45am I decided to do some weeding. I have been saying that for several days and I couldn't find anymore excuses why I couldn't get it done.

I looked at one of the areas to be weeded  and started with gusto. I pulled on my gloves worked continuously  until 11.45 am. I couldn't ask for better working conditions.  The soil was damp, it was breezy and I was working in the shade of an enormous ficus  tree.

Soon things were looking better,  spaces were appearing where weeds once thrived. 

By and by the weeds were piling up in my cart. More weeds were thrown on the cart and soon it was overflowing. Another weed pile started on the ground behind the cart. I didn't finish it all, there was  a small piece  left that I plan to do the following day.

I was thirsty, so I collected some ripe limes from under the tree and made some limeade.

I took a lunch break and guzzled down three glasses of limeade, it was delicious. Limeade is very easy to make. I squeezed enough limes to get a half cup of juice. I added  eight cups of water and  one and a half cups of sugar. A final garnish of some Angostura bitters and it was finished.  

I tried getting back to the weeding  after lunch but it wasn't the same, so I decided to cut the grass.  I jumped on my mower and got to work. I worked   into the evening and finished around 7.00 pm.  I wondered if it was that cup of cafe I had earlier.......hmmn. 

potatoes au gratin

Last week we had dinner with a good friend who lives between Canada and Barbados. He is a fantastic cook and had made some potatoes au gratin (potatoes in a sauce and topping) that was to die for.   I hadn't made this dish for some time and had a yearning for it.  My sister in law who now lives in Tortola had mentioned to me that she would like the recipe. So Judith this one's for you!

 You will need

several potatoes peeled and sliced

3 cloves of glarlic

half of cubanelle sweet pepper

a handful of  chopped basil

black /white pepper

salt to taste 
2 tablespoons of butter
1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 cups of low fat milk
1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Cut peeled garlic in half and rub the interior of a shallow  pie or tart dish well.  Then grease the dish using a small amount of butter. In another bowl peel and slice the potatoes, cut up finely the garlic, sweet pepper and basil,  and toss into the potatoes. Sprinkle some salt and some ground black pepper or white pepper to taste. Layer the potatoes in the greased dish and dot with butter.

 
In a medium saucepan, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter and add 11/2 tablespoons  of corn starch. Cook cornstarch and butter for a few minutes on a medium heat. when the mixture is lump free add 2 cups of low fat milk.

  Keep stirring the mixture until it thickens coating the spoon. If the sauce looks too thick add a little more milk, if it is too thin add a small amount of cornstarch dissolved in a little water to the sauce.

Add 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese, remove from the heat stirring constantly until it is lump free. 

Pour cheese sauce over potatoes  and bake in a preheated oven 350 F bake until potatoes are tender and golden at the top.

Bon apetit and enjoy!

dinner time

 For a quick dinner  tonight I made a pasta primavera with shrimp.  I used the following, please remember these are approximate quantities

2 cups of sliced broccoli 

2 cups of sliced carrots

3 cups  of cooked pasta (rotini or penne cooked al dente)

1 medium onion sliced and chopped

3-4 cloves of finely chopped  garlic

1 red sweet pepper sliced

3-4 stalks of chopped chives

4 sprigs of thyme

1/2 stalk of chopped celery

2 cups of peeled medium shrimps or substitute diced chicken

 1 can of cream of celery soup

1 soup can of water

pinch of salt and black pepper

3/4 cup of aged grated Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle shrimp with freshly ground black pepper and salt and let sit in the refrigerator in a covered container.  In a large open pan (I used a paella pan), over a medium high setting,  heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add onions, celery, garlic, chives and thyme. Stir fry until onions are cooked(translucent) then  add broccoli, carrots and sweet pepper.  Continue stir frying until veggies are partially cooked (about 8-10 minutes ).

 Remove shrimp from refrigerator  and add to the vegetables. Stir fry until shrimps turn pink, reduce heat, then add can of celery soup and a can of water using the soup can. 

Stir until vegetables and shrimp are coated then add cooked  pasta, toss pasta until fully coated, if mixture seems dry add more water, about 1/2 cup.  Finally sprinkle  3/4 cup of  aged grated Parmesan cheese  and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately !

Bon apetit!

Plantain surprise

Many years ago a friend of mine Carol gave me this plantain recipe and I want to share it with you.

4-5 large ripe plantains (yellow with a few black spots)
some strong cheese I used a Danish Havarti
some grated parmesan cheese
some liqueur I used Galliano

Please use a shallow dish or flan dish. Peel and slice the plantains in 0.50 cm or 1/4 inch circles. Grease the pie dish with butter or use some cooking spray. Place the plantain circles on the bottom of the dish until it is generously covered. Layer thinly sliced or grated cheese onto the plantain circles. Add another layer of plantains and drizzle your favourite liqueur over the top and layer with cheese and a sprinkle of grated parmesan. Bake in a 375-400 degree oven until the top is golden brown. Serve on the side of your main meal. I served it with flying fish in a white wine and red curry sauce, veggies and basmati rice.

island style fish recipe

 

I had asked Urban Green from the urban balcony to post some of her recipes using banana leaf to cook fish in. She has posted several on her blog and I decided to try my hand with this style of cooking. The banana leaf is used by many cultures for cooking, baking and steaming. The West Indies with its large diaspora is no exception. In Barbados banana leaf is used to wrap and cook conkies, a national dessert that is prepared at independence time and at Christmas. I will soon post the recipe for this. In the other islands banana leaf is widely used in many forms of cooking. Today I decided to prepare some fish with an island flair.

 

 

You will need

4 white fish steaks or fillets(thick ones)

half of a large onion

4-6 cloves of garlic

2 teaspoons of curry powder

a small knob of ginger

a small hot pepper

a ripe plantain cut in half and sliced 3-4 times  length ways 

2 teaspoons of tom yum paste or shrimp paste

1 large banana leaf washed

jerk seasoning

Lightly rub  the fish with jerk seasoning and refrigerate for several hours. Take banana leaf and slowly pass  it over a hot burner or flame to make it pliable. I used my smooth top electric cooker to do this. Cut the banana leaf into sizable pieces enough to wrap the fish steaks.  Make  a thick paste of garlic onions hot pepper, ginger, curry powder and tom yum sauce (you can also use a shrimp sauce for this). I  used a mini chopper to do this.  Place the fish on a piece of banana leaf and spread the paste on the fish (skin side down). Place a slice of a ripe plantain (a nearly over ripe one) and dot with a blob of butter.

Fold the leaf over the fish and fasten with tooth picks to make a packet.

On a hot grill place the packets of fish and sear for a 2-3 minutes on each side. The imprint of the grill will be visible on the banana leaf. 

Place the fish on a flat pan and place under the broiler for 15-20 minutes turning after the first 10 minutes. Use tongs to do this and please be careful  of  burning yourself. When done serve with coconut rice (rice cooked in coconut milk) and stir fried veggies. This is a delicious meal and the plantain adds that bit of pizazz to the fish.  Happy Diwali to my friends who are celebrating this festival.