PASTELLES

1 lb. beef, cubed or minced
2 onions, chopped
1 bunch chive & thyme
hot pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic
Portugese thyme
1 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp Worcester sauce
3 tbsp. capers (optional)
2 tbsp. olives, chopped
1/2 cup raisins

CRUST:
2 cups cornmeal
3 cups tepid water
4 tbsp. corn oil or 1/4 lb. margerine
1 and 1/4 tsp. salt

METHOD
1. Season beef with onion, chive and thyme (both kinds), garlic, hot pepper, black pepper and salt.
2. Cook well, then add worcester sauce, ketchup, capers, olives and raisins.
3. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
4. Mix cornmeal, tepid water, salt and oil to make soft balls.
5. Using a Pastelle Press or your hands, press balls of corn onto leaf**. Put 1 tbsp. or more of meat mixture onto pastelle shell and fold neatly. Tie folded pastelle (still inside the leaf) with twine or some kind of string sturdy enough.
6. Place in steamer or colander and steam for 20 mins.
7. After cooking, cool, untie and unwrap from leaves.

**Leaves should be fig leaves, but foil can also be used.

Pastelles in the Caribbean originated from the Spanish influence in the area, but over time the taste has evolved to suit the tongues of Caribbean people. Vegetarian Pastelles can also be made, by substituting Beef with Red Beans or any other kind of bean.

FELIZ NAVIDAD Y BUEN PROBECHO!

CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN!

..means Christmas Eats and Drinks!

RUM PUNCH
one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak

SOUR: Lime or Lemon juice
SWEET: Simple syrup made of equal parts sugar and water boiled for 5 mins
STRONG: Rum
WEAK: Combined Water and Ice. Add a dash of Angostura bitters (liquer) and a dust of nutmeg.

METHOD:
1 oz. of sour, 2 oz. of sweet, 3 oz. of strong, 4 oz of weak.
-makes 10oz of punch, or 3 drinks.
Make any multiple of the above proportions desired.

...and drink up!

-Rum Punch is one of many traditional Christmas drinks concocted during the Christmas Season in the Caribbean. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

just eat.

thanks very much, Vee, for the doubles recipe! :)

why don't you visit her blog, the House of PHUNK
x

DOUBLES
-recipe courtesy Naparima Girls' High School Cookbook.
(a 2 part recipe - involving "Bara" and curried channa)

"Doubles" is a savoury treat found in the Caribbean, and its origins come from Trinidad and Tobago. Trinis like to eat it for breakfast mainly, but you could eat it for lunch....or dinner....or just a snack. We just like to eat it, basically. This isn't a satisfactory description of what Doubles is...but you can't really describe a doubles. Hopefully one day you will all get to go to Trinidad and experience one for yourselves :)

Dough:

2 c. flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. saffron powder
½ tsp. ground geera
1 tsp. yeast
1/3 c. warm water
¼ tsp. sugar
oil for frying
water

Filling:

½ lb. channa - aka. chick peas - (soaked overnight)
1½ tbsp. curry powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
salt
hot pepper
1 tbsp. corn oil
pinch of ground geera
pepper sauce.

Method:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, saffrom, geera.
2. In a small bowl, place warm water, sugar and yeast. Allow to rest for about 5 min. until dissolved.
3. Add yeast mixture to flour and enough water to make a slightly firm dough. Mix well, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for 1½ hours.
4. Boil soaked channa with salt and ½ tbsp. curry powder until tender. Drain channa.
5. Heat oil in a heavy skillet or iron pot. Add garlic, onion and 1 tbsp. curry powder mix with ¼ c. water; saute for a few min.
6. Add channa, stir to coat well and cook for 5 min; add 1 c. water, geera, salt, pepper; cover, lower heat and summer until peas are very soft. Add more water if mixture burns, but when channa is finished, it should be soft and moist. Season to taste with salt if necessary.
7. Dough should be punched down and allowed to relax for 10-15 min.
8. To shape bara, take about 1 tbsp. of dough, pat with both hands to flatten to a circle 4 or 5" in diameter. Use water to moisten palms of hands as dough might stick to hands.
9. Fry in hot oil, turn once and drain on kitchen paper.
10. When all are cooked fill with channa by placing 2 tbsp. cooked channa on a bara and cover with another bara. Pepper sauce or mango chutney goes well with it.

(pepper all the way!!)

well there you have it. the glory that is doubles.
it really is a lot of work to make, which is why i have never actually attempted at making doubles for myself.

heee hee

Banana Sandwich!

ingredients:
bread
butter
banana

you'll also need:
a toaster or an over in which you can grill bread
a knife to spread butter
a plate or at least a napkin to hold your gorgeous sandwich

Oh -- what to do!?
toast or grill bread
slice banana lengthwise while bread is toasting
slather the hot toast with butter
place the banana strips on toast
eat

delicious!

in case you weren't sure -- this entry is just meant to make you laugh.
though it is a tasty sandwich :)

and yes.. i'm in a rut... haven't made anything to write about in a while.. all the same sorts of things.. the only veggies Richard really likes are greenbeans.. so i'm in a rut.

i did make crabmeat stuffed fish.
but i can't remember how.
i think it was baked in orange juice,
& held together with toothpicks...
served with long grain rice
but i can't remember.
.

Oranges & Lemons . . . & Chicken

ingredients:
chicken tenderloins
spring onions
an orange
a lemon
powdered sugar
butter melted with a bit of parsley

set oven to 400F
have enough foil to cover the chicken set into a baking dish or tray...

melt butter on low heat with a touch of oil to prevent browning stir in some fresh bits of parsley

slice oranges & lemons (rather thickly)

chop spring onions into long slices...
toss the onions in the powdered sugar, then put onions into the foil.

place chicken on the onions

drizzle the melted butter over the chicken

put slices of oranges & lemons on the chicken

fold the foil over the chicken

bake for 30 minutes,

after 30 minutes, set oven to broil,
unfold the foil and move the slices to the sides of chicken
and broil for the remaining 15 minutes.

enjoy! :)

sides:
garlicy green beans.
potatoes
carrots

for the potatoes... i poured some olive oil in a baking pan, with some rosemary and thyme and put that in the preheated oven while i scrubbed & chopped the potatoes...
by the time i'm finished preparing the potatoes, the oil should be sizzly -- so be careful when you put the potatoes in, it will pop and splash.... stir the potatoes round, so that they are well coated... then stir in some nutmeg & garlic.. and more of the rosemary & thyme, if you like.

then bake for at least 30 minutes, removing from the oven to stir occasionally.

that's pretty much it.

if you want to make these potatoes but are not using the oven otherwise.. then set the oven for a slightly lower temperature (350/300) and bake for longer. you can have the dish with oil in up as the oven is preheating and you prepare the potatoes.

okay.. the carrots.

easy... i used baby carrots.. because they're nice and i was feeling lazy tonight.

melt a bit of butter with a drop of olive oil
throw in carrots,
dust with a bit of powdered sugar or brown sugar
cook on low heat the 45 minutes that it will take for the chicken to bake.

we've already gone over the green beans they are immediately under the Lamb Chop Recipe :)

yum.
enjoy!
have fun!
x

my Mum's Chili

ingredients: (no measurements, because everything is to taste)
minced beef
onion
mushrooms (optional, Richard's suggestion.. and it was good)
peppers, your preference (also optional)
celery (again, this is optional -- you can basically throw in whatever you like)

tomatoes, either diced, stewed, in a salsa if you'd like
and tomato paste

chili powder
crushed cayenne pepper
cumin
nutmeg (well, i add that to everything.. that wasn't in Mum's recipe)

tin of dark red kidney beans, very well drained and rinsed.

serve with:
rice! (that's Richard's suggestion)

finish with:
a sprinkling of shredded cheddar (to get nice and melty)
a dollop of sour cream(to counter the spicyness)
garnish with cilantro


you'll need a large skillet or a big pot

how to make it:
cook the beef with the onions, celery and a bit of salt,
when it is nearly done, add the seasonings
cook until the meat is done.

then throw in everything else, except for the kidney beans
let the chili simmer for a bit before adding the kidney beans in last.

add a bit of water -- i didn't measure, but it also depends on how thick you like it.
let simmer for a bit, taste it and see if you need more spice
if it gets too spicy, add a touch of sugar. (yes, really)
keep stirring it
and let simmer on low to medium heat, every once in a while adding a little more water,
don't add all the water from the start... just keep an eye on it and add a bit while it simmers.

let it simmer on low heat for at least 20 minutes
that should give you enough time to make rice and shred cheese and play with your rabbit :)

then serve over rice
with a sprinkley melty cheese
and a dollop of sour cream
delicious!
x

Chicken em. . .thingy
a friend of mine gave me this recipe years ago.... so i'm not sure what it's called, or even what it's from.. i'm just sharing!

this is so easy :)

ingredients:
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped into tiny pieces (or tinned chicken -- it's that easy)
2 cups chopped broccoli (use fresh, because frozen broccoli would get soggy -- and tinned broccoli, if there is such a thing, would just be nasty.)
1 chopped onion (though half will do, depending on the size of the onion and your taste)
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
poultry seasoning (or have fun and try your own spicey mixture, bearing in mind the dijon)
dash of salt&pepper
1 cup (give or take, depending on how cheesy you are) of shredded cheese. we prefer cheddar -- though the original recipe called for swiss.

and 2 8oz (the standard size) tins of those pillsbury crescent rolls ...

you'll also need:
a mixing bowl
1 large baking dish, rectangular (i'll have to measure it and get back to you)

to make it:
preheat the oven to 375F
spread 1 tin of crescent roll pastry out flat onto the baking dish, bake for 8 to 10 minutes, it should be slightly golden.

mix the rest of the ingredients together...
spread onto the baked crust
then slice the pasty from the remaining tin of crescent rolls into strips
and cover the mixture with the strips, lattice-style.

bake for another 18 to 23 minutes
until the top crust is lovely and golden.

this dish is delicious straight from the oven,
but even the leftovers, cold from the refridgerator are delicious.
yum.
x