There’s something so comforting about oven roasted (or bake chicken as my mom say) chicken. From the wonderful scent of it in the oven, to the rich notes of herbs on the crispy skin and that warm juicy interior. Herb Roasted Chicken does not have to be complicated.. allow me to prove that to you in the following few simple steps.
You‘ll Need…
6-8 chicken legs 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoon olive oil 4 large cloves garlic 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme 3/4 teaspoon dried parsley 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds 3/4 teaspoon rosemary 3/4 teaspoon dried pepper flakes 3/4 teaspoon oregano (optional – I forgot to add it in this recipe)
IMPORTANT! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.
Crush the garlic with the salt and coriander seeds, then add the rest of the spices, olive oil etc mentioned above.
Mix well, and coat the chicken pieces with this rub. I cleaned off as much of the fat off the chicken legs as I could, but I did leave the skin on. You’ll thank me later for that crispy skin. Be sure to massage both sides of the chicken with the herb marinade.
Place on a baking tray (line with foil or parchment paper to make cleaning easier after), I didn’t and it took a while to clean the tray after.
Into a preheated 400 F oven – middle rack (uncovered). 1 hour and 10 minutes later and you’re done. No need to baby sit this. Do adjust to cooking time according to the size of your chicken pieces.
As a kid growing up in the Caribbean one of my favorite preserves was anditcontinues to be Pineapple Jam. As a matter of fact, I’ll demolish anything made or which includes pineapple.. INCLUDING Pizza! We’ll chat about that pizza and upside down cake another day.. lets rock this jam!
You’ll Need…
1 large ripe pineapple (4 cups pineapple) 1/2 lemon (juice) 2 cups white sugar (adjust) 2 thick slices of ginger 2 cloves pinch salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements.
This is one of the easiest recipes I’ve had the pleasure of sharing with you. Get a large ripe pineapple, peel, core and wash, then dice. How To Peel And Core A Pineapple.
Put everything into a pot and stir well, turn on the heat to medium and bring to a boil (lid on).
As soon as you see tiny bubbles on the edges, turn the heat to as low as it will go and cook for 45-50 minutes. It will change color and thicken on you.
Tip. I diced the pineapple chunky so I get a bit of texture when the jam is cooked. I also left the ginger in thick pieces so it’s easier to remove at the end, along with the clove. You may need to adjust the amount of sugar to your liking
Turn off the stove, add the lemon juice (flavor and a stabilizer). Put into a clean jar.. enjoy!
This recipe is loosely based on a dish my great-grandmother would make for my dad. While I never had the chance to meet her, nor ‘taste her hand”, I feel I know her just from the stories my dad would tell us. From a baby to his teen years dad lived with my great grandparents in Tabaquite, Trinidad and Tobago. So his childhood (and the stories he tells us) are based on that carefree time in his life, living on a cocoa and coffee estate.
You’ll Need…
1/2 large cabbage (chopped) 1/2 – 3/4 lb salted pork (diced) 2 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion (diced) 3 cloves garlic (smashed) 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced thin) 3 sprigs thyme 1/4 bell pepper (diced)
Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Additionally you can use smoked turkey, bacon, pancetta etc if you cannot source salted pork. And remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling hot peppers, such at the Scotch Bonnet.
Soak the pork for a few hours in cool water to remove the excess salt (try to drain and repeat if you remember), then dice into 1 cm cube pieces.
In a wide pot on a medium high heat, add the olive oil followed by the cubed salted pork and stir well. Cook on medium. Five minutes later (should have rendered and gained some color) add the onion, thyme, garlic and Scotch Bonnet pepper. Do not include any seeds of the pepper as that’s where most of the heat will be.
Note: If you wanted to add 1/2 teaspoon curry powder here, it will add another delicious layer of flavor. Dad mentioned that my great-grandfather didn’t like curry so it was never added. 3-4 Minutes later add the black pepper and the washed/chopped cabbage.
Stir well. It will wilt down so don’t fret when you see it piling up in the pot. Place the lid on the pan, to allow for some steam.
I allowed it to cook for 4 minutes with the lid on, then I added the diced bell pepper and stirred. Now with the lid off, it took 2 minutes to get to the texture I like (slight crunch).
Taste for salt (the remaining salt in the pork should be enough) and cook to your liking.
Serve warm! Treat it a side dish… for me it’s either plain rice or hot roti.
YES! I’ll admit, there’s NOTHING better than a classic callaloo made with fresh ocean crabs (as mom makes). In some instances I even drool for Callaloo made with salted pigtails. However, when you’re based in Canada (away from the tropics) Smoked Turkey is a just-as-good replacement and dare I say, just as tasty? Here’s my take on this classic Caribbean soup, using ingredients I can source at my local shops.
Important. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the coconut milk and stock you decide on using.
In a deep soup pot heat the oil on a low flame, then add the onion, scallions, garlic , thyme leaves, black pepper, Scotch Bonnet pepper (no seeds) and pimento peppers if you can source it. Cook on low heat to bring out the flavors and not burn anything. about 3-4 minutes.
Add the smoked Turkey Leg (wash first with cool water) and stir. Then add the chicken stock and bring up to a boil – so turn up the heat.
Add the salt as it comes to a boil, followed by the okra and the coconut milk. Stir well to combine everything.
Now add the washed spinach (rough chop), followed by the sweet potato and pumpkin (or squash). Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Note! Traditionally, the baby leaves of the dasheen plant (taro) would be used instead of the spinach.
1 hour and 15 minutes later, remove the turkey drumstick and set aside to cool. Taste for salt, and once everything is soft and tender (cook a further 10-15 mins if needs be), it’s time to puree everything into a somewhat smooth (but thick) consistency. I used my traditional swizzle stick, but you can use a stick blender. May I recommend that you pulse it if using an electric blender so it does not produce a lot of foam/froth.
Now the turkey should be fully cool, stirp the meat off the bone and add it back to the pot.
Stir well, final taste for salt (adjust) and enjoy. This is an excellent stand-alone soup, or as a side dish to rice, ground provisions and stewed meats.
While this dish is not part of my childhood growing up on the islands, I did have something similar in the French Speaking Caribbean (don’t recall which island at the moment) and it’s something I try to make whenever I have fresh off the vine tomatoes from my garden. The sauce is something you need good bread for and to be honest, you can top pasta, rice or ground provisions with this. My fave? Cassava dumplings!
You’ll Need…
4-5 tomatoes (I used Roma) 3/4 lb shrimp (I used wild caught) 1/4 teaspoon Caribbean Green Seasoning 2 tablespoon parsley (chopped) 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon brown sugar 5 cloves garlic (diced) 1/2 medium onion (diced) 4 peppers (birds eye) divided 3/4 teaspoon Paprika (hot) 1/4 cup water 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
Important! If doing this dish gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.
Clean and devein the shrimp. Season with the Caribbean Green Seasoning and set aside as we prep the tomatoes.
Blanch the tomato in boiling hot water. Give the tomatoes a cut X on the bottom and into boiling water for about 1 minute. Cool, then peel (use the little cuts we made to pull back on the skin- toss out the skin and stem/core) and dice finely.
Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat, then add the seasoned shrimp to the pot. Stir well and cook for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Then remove and set aside.
In the same pot, with the heat on low add the onion, garlic, 2 peppers (chopped, with the seeds – remove the seeds if you want to cut back on the heat level) and parsley. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the smoked paprika and stir well. Add the salt and black pepper and continue cooking on low.
4 minutes later add the diced tomato, water, brown sugar and float 2 more of the peppers. Do NOT cut or break these 2 peppers.
Bring to a boil (medium heat) and cook for 5-6 minutes. Now tuck in the shrimp, stir well and take off the heat. Allow the residual heat to fully bring everything together.
The goal is to have a rich spicy tomato sauce , with plump shrimp. So please don’t overcook the shrimp.
Here’s another one of those insanely good comforting dishes we enjoy across the Caribbean. Each island and household will have it’s own take on this classic Caribbean recipe and that’s what gives us that uniqueness as you work your way up and down the island chain. This is a massive one pot dish meant to be enjoyed as a family or.. freeze the rest for those cold winter nights you want a piece of Caribbean warmth.
You’ll Need…
3-5 lbs smoked pigtails 1 large onion (diced) 3 scallions (chopped) 1 and 1/2 scotch bonnet (divided) 5 large cloves garlic (smashed) 6 sprigs thyme 5 leaves of Shado Beni (Chadon beni or Culantro) chopped 3/4 tablespoon salt 1 stick cinnamon 1/3 teaspoon black pepper 2 cups diced pumpkin 12-15 okra (cut 1 cm wheels) 2 stalks celery (diced) 1 1/2 cup coconut milk 8-10 cups of water (divided) 1/4 cup roocoo 1/2 lb spinach 3 cups long grain parboiled brown rice
Notes: If you can’t source the smoked pigtails (or maybe you don’t mess with pork) you can always use smoked turkey. Additionally you can try European supermarkets for the smoked pigtails (in my case I got mine at a Polish market) if you’re finding it difficult to source. If you’re doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.
Using a very large chefs knife or clever, cut the pigtails into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Then into a pot covered with cool water on a medium flame. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Enough time to remove some of the smoke and salt it’s cured in and to start getting them tender.
Drain and set aside.
In a deep heavy pot (it’s a one pot dish) on a medium flame, add the olive oil, then add the onion, scallions, thyme, Scotch Bonnet pepper (no seeds), garlic and shando beni. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Add salt, black pepper and the cinnamon stick. Stir well and add the pre-cooked smoked pigtails.
3 minutes later we’ll add the pumpkin, okra and celery. Stir well to coat everything with all those flavors. Add the coconut milk, turn the heat to medium/high and bring to a boil. As it comes to a boil, add 3 cups water and Roocoo and mix well. (for the roocoo I basically soaked Annatto seeds in hot water)
After it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Since I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon, this is where I removed the cinnamon stick (it’s done it’s work). Wash the rice and spinach and get ready to add them both to the pot. Typically we’d use dasheen bush (dasheen or taro leaves), but baby spinach is an excellent replacement.
Add the washed rice and go in with another 5 cups of water (you may need to adjust later). Stir well and put the heat up so we can bring this to a boil.
Float the Scotch Bonnet pepper (Do NOT BREAK) as we want the flavors off the oil on the skin of the pepper. This step is optional as we already added a piece of pepper at the start.
20-25 minutes later the rice should be fully cooked, taste for salt and adjust. Remove the scotch bonnet pepper, turn off the heat and place the lid back on and leave on the same burner where you cooked it. 10 minutes later the cook up rice should be done. Now if you like your rice more grainy, you will need to adjust the cooking time of the rice or use less liquid. Speaking about liquid, you may need to add more water (In the ingredient list I said 8-10 cups as depending on the rice you use, it may need more water). Feel free to adjust.
I guarantee you that if this is the first time you’re having this dish, it won’t be the last. You can always use some stock in place of some of the water we used, for additional flavor or depth to this dish.
