Meat & Poultry

This combination of breadfruit simmered in a stew of coconut milk and pork is one of those dishes which takes me right back to being a carefree boy on the islands. My dad would have ‘card’ night with my grandfather, his brother-in-law (my grandmother’s brother) and a few other fellas from the village. Since mom knew this was usually an all-night thing, she would always make a huge pot of this. The crew always requested (demanded) it. My brother and I would always have our portion early (before hitting the bed).. sisters never cared for it.

This is basically a simplified oil-dong and somewhat different than mom’s.

You’ll Need…

2 1/2 lbs pork (try to get a piece with some fat)
1/2 lime (wash the pork)
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (may contain gluten)
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 medium onion (diced)
1/2 medium tomato (diced)
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 med/large breadfruit (peel, cored, cut into wedges)
4 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 small bell pepper (optional)
2 tablespoon parsley chopped

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.

How to peel and core a bread fruit.

How to make coconut milk
Caribbean Green Seasoning

Wash the pork (1 inch cube) with the juice of the lime along with some cool water, drain and then season with the salt, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, grated ginger, tomato and the Caribbean green seasoning. Mix well and allow to marinate for at least a couple hours.

Heat the vegetable oil on a medium high/flame in a deep/heavy pot (one with a lid), then add the brown sugar and move around (with a dry spoon). It will melt, go frothy, then amber in color. Have the seasoned pork close at hand.. if the sugar goes black STOP! Start over if necessary or it will have a bitter aftertaste. Once deep amber in color, start adding the seasoned pork. Yes it’s ok for the marinade to go into the pot as well. Stir well, then place the lid on the pot. As it comes to a boil it will start springing it’s own juices. Turn the heat down to med/low and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes.

No it will not be a sweet dish.. the sort of caramelized sugar will give the dish an awesome flavor and deep color. In the same bowl you marinated the pork, add the water and swish around to pick up any marinade which may be left back. Save this. To intensify the stew flavor and color, remove the lid and crank up the heat to burn off all the liquid. It will take about 5 minutes. Be sure you can see the oil we started with at the bottom of the pot.

Now add the water from the bowl and stir. Place the wedges of breadfruit into the pot (tuck them in), then top with the coconut milk, scallions, thyme and float the scotch bonnet pepper. Be mindful of the pepper as this cooks so you don’t break it and release the fury. Unless you want the raw heat of the pepper. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil.

As it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow it to cook for about 90 minutes.

Try to stir the pot every 20 minutes or so, to move the pieces of breadfruit around so they cook evenly. Remove the scotch bonnet pepper now (discard?) and taste for and adjust the salt if necessary. You may need a bit more salt.

I topped it with diced bell peppers and parsley, turned the heat off and with the lid back on.. the residual heat softened things up. I like ending like this to add a punch of color to the finished dish.. but this is purely optional. A wonderful one-pot dish, which screams “Comfort”! I’m sure you can do the same with beef or chicken if pork is not your thing.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Strings Beans With Leftover Curry Chicken.

May 27, 2025March 9, 2018Leave a Comment

I have a definite weakness for String Beans, French Beans, Bodi (Yard Beans), Pole Beans, Seim.. just about any type of bean, once they’re cooked to my liking. Mom always said that even from my childhood days on the islands she was surprised how much I loved beans, spinach (bhagi) and tomato (in no particular order). Yea, I ate my vegetables (except okra and bitter melon)! This is one of those recipes she would make for us whenever we had Bodi or String Beans in our kitchen garden and there was leftover chicken (curry or stew) from the day before.

You’ll Need…

– leftover curry chicken
– 2 lbs string beans (trimmed)
– 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 3 cloves garlic (diced)
– 1 small onion (diced)
– 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
– 1/3 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 cup water
– 5 cherry tomatoes (any tomato works)

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder, as some may contain flour as a filler.

Prepare your ingredients. Dice the onion and garlic, then trim of the ends off the beans (remove any strings), cut into 1 inch pieces, then wash and drain. This recipe works great with French beans also.

Heat a saucepan (with a lid) on a medium flame, then add the vegetable oil (coconut or olive oil works just as well), then add the onion + garlic and reduce the heat to as low as it will go. Cook for a couple minutes.

Add the prepared beans to the pot, followed by the black pepper and salt. Turn the heat to med/high and stir well.

Add the water and bring to a boil (lid on). As it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes with the lid on. In my case it took about 14 minutes to get to the texture I like my beans.

Remove the lid and add the leftover curry chicken to the pot and give it a good mix to allow the curry flavors to flavor the beans. Cook for 5-7 minutes with the lid off. Then taste for salt (adjust to your liking) and finally you can go in with the tomatoes. I used grape tomatoes, but you can use a medium tomato diced. Note. The tomato is optional. Stir well, place the lid on and turn off the stove. Allow the residual heat to soften the tomatoes.

You’ll notice that I didn’t add any “Caribbean Sunshine” (spicy pepper) to the dish as the curry chicken I added was already a bit spicy, but you can certainly add some at the start if you wanted. For additional flavor you’re free to use coconut milk instead of the water I used to cook the beans. I wanted a mild curry taste, but you can also add some curry powder at the start when you added the garlic and onion, should you want a more pronounced curry taste.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Meat & Poultry

Simple Citrus Oven Roasted Chicken.

May 27, 2025February 24, 20184 Comments

There’s something so comforting about oven roasted chicken that it’s usually made in some form or the other in my home a couple times a month. Growing up on the islands, ‘bake’ chicken was a Sunday thing, along with macaroni pie, callaloo and other fixings. I still remember the aroma coming out of the kitchen early Sunday morning as we went about doing our weekend chores and the anticipation of that traditional lunch with my siblings and parents.

You’ll Need…

3-5 lbs chicken legs
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 lemons
2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
5-7 sprigs lemon thyme (divided)
1/3 teaspoon black pepper (divided)
3 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
cherry tomatoes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 scallion (chopped)
1 tablespoon honey (I used an organic raw honey)
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Clean and trim off any extra skin and fat off the chicken. You may choose to remove all the skin, but when oven roasting chicken I like leaving the skin on. It helps to keep the chicken from going too dry, plus the rendering of the skin/layer of fat, keeps the dish moist. I also cut a couple slits on the thickest part of the chicken.

In a large bowl place 1/2 the thyme, 1/2 the olive oil, salt, juice of 1/2 a lemon (juice), orange juice, 1/2 the black pepper, honey, garlic, allspice, parsley, scallion and grated ginger. Give it a good mix, then pour it over the chicken.

Preheat your oven to 400 F. You may marinate the chicken for a couple hours, but in my case I went at it right away. Massage the pieces of chicken with your hands to coat both sides. Then sprinkle on the remaining black pepper and olive oil over the chicken. Tuck in the remaining lemon (sliced) as well as the thyme between the pieces of chicken (on a roasting pan/sheet) and place the tomatoes in-between as well.

Then it’s into the oven on the middle rack.

Depending on the size of your chicken pieces, it will take between 1 hour and 5 minutes and 1 hour and 20 minutes. For additional color, you may hit the broil setting the last 2-4 minutes.

So simple to put together and very tasty.. definitely a recipe I’ll encourage you to give a test-drive. Please keep in mind that I’ve cut back on the amount of salt I use, so you may need to add a bit more if salt is your thing. I’d recommend sprinkling on the chicken before it goes into the oven, if you do decided to add more salt. TIP! Line with baking tray with parchment paper or foil for less work cleaning up after.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Coconut Curry Chicken Recipe.

May 27, 2025January 26, 20187 Comments

As you make your way across the Caribbean you’ll encounter different methods of cooking curry dishes, influenced by one’s own preference and family traditions. A prime example is my way of cooking coconut curry chicken.. as I’m about to share. My technique and ingredients will differently differ from other recipes you’ll see… even the way I’d see my mom and grandma make their version. Coincidentally I don’t recall mom using coconut in curry chicken, unless it was a tough chicken (we say yard fowl), where the use of the coconut acted as a tenderizer.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs chicken (cut into small pieces)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
4 sprigs thyme
2-3 scallions (chopped)
2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1/3 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoon veg oil
1/2 medium onion (diced)
4-6 cloves garlic (smashed)
3 cardamom pods
1 cup water
4-6 grape tomatoes (optional)
2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.. especially the curry powder you use, as some may contain flour as a filler. Also, I used dark/bone pieces of chicken, but this recipe will work just as great with chicken breast.

Season the clean chicken with everything except the oil, coconut milk, curry powder, onion, garlic, cardamom, tomato, cilantro and water. Allow it to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Heat the vegetable oil (coconut oil will be perfect too) on a medium flame then reduce to low and add the diced onion and smashed garlic. Cook for 3 minutes on low. Then add the cardamom and cook another minute or so. Next up add the curry powder (still on low) and stir well. Cook on low to cook off the raw curry taste and to bloom the spices which makes up the curry powder. It will go darker, clump and your kitchen will have a lovely scent of curry.

Now add the coconut milk, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a med/high heat and cook for 8-10 minutes. The goal is to cook off the liquid and really intensify the coconut flavor. You should end up with a thick base, with hints of the oil you started off with (plus oil from the coconut milk). Stir well as the natural sugars will want to stick/burn.

Here’s where you’ll now add the seasoned chicken and stir well. It’s ok if the marinade goes in as well. The goal here (high heat) is to coat and sear the pieces of chicken with the coconut curry base. Add the water to the same bowl you marinated the chicken in and stir to pick up any marinade left back. Cook the chicken for 7-10 minutes or until you’ve burned off any liquid it may have sprouted naturally.

In the image above you’ll notice that I added an entire scotch bonnet pepper as I like this dish very spicy.. adjust to your own liking. Also remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling such spicy peppers. After the chicken is full seared/coated and you don’t have any liquid in the pot (this step was to infuse the chicken with the coconut curry flavors) it’s now time to add the water and stir well. This step is to fully cook the chicken and develop a thick gravy.

Bring to a rolling boil, cover the pot slightly ajar and cook for another 15 minutes. Then here’s where you personalize things. Taste for salt /adjust and cook until you get the desired thickness you like your gravy. For me this was perfect at this point as I knew it would thicken as it cools. Add the chopped cilantro and tomato (use shado benin/culantro if you have) and turn off the stove.

Please watch the video below to further assist in perfecting this coconut curry chicken. Some of you may question my use of ketchup and tomatoes.. both brings their own flavor and uniqueness, especially a bit of acidity in helping to balance things. BTW- tomato is very natural (and important) in cooking curry chicken when it originated.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Classic Geera Pork (Spicy Cumin Pork).

May 27, 2025January 6, 2018Leave a Comment

The original version of this recipe, along with a Chicken rendition were shared a few years back, but with increased requests from fans on Instagram I thought I’d share a slightly different method of cooking this spicy dish we adore in Trinidad and Tobago. Geera as we’ve discussed in previous recipes is simply the word we use when referring to Cumin.. and to be quite honest, I’m NOT a huge fan of this spice. While this version (like the traditional way) is very spicy, you can certainly cut back on the amount of pepper you use so don’t be scared off.

You’ll Need…

3 1/2 lbs pork (cubed)
juice of 1 lime or lemon to wash the pork
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon roasted ground geera (cumin)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon geera seeds (cumin seeds)
2 scallions (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
2 pimento peppers (aka seasoning pepper) diced
8 bird pepper (bird’s eye pepper) chopped
1 1/4 cup water

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. I used Bird’s Eye Peppers, but you can use any spicy pepper you like and in the amounts you can tolerate. I opted for a fatty piece of pork as I find you get better results than using a more lean piece.

Cut the pork into 3/4 inch pieces and wash with the juice of a lime or lemon and cool water. Drain and season with the salt, black pepper, roasted Geera powder and Caribbean Green Seasoning. Mix well to coat / combine. Usually I’d say to marinate this for at least 2 hours, but with the following process we can get cooking immediately.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wide (heavy pan) on medium heat, then add the geera seeds, turn the heat down and allow them to cook for about 3 minutes. The goal is to create a wonderful base of flavor to aid with replacing having not marinated the pork. Then go in with the scallions, seasoning peppers, bird’s eye peppers, parsley, garlic and cilantro. Were I in the Caribbean I’d be using Shado Beni (culantro) instead of the cilantro.

After about 3 minutes after adding the peppers etc, turn up the heat to medium-high and start adding the pieces of seasoned pork to the pot. Stir well to coat the pieces of pork with that amazing base of flavors we created. Do not cover the pot as we want to sear the pieces of pork.

You will notice that the pork will spring a lot of natural juices, that’s expected (don’t panic). Allow this to cook on medium high until that liquid burns off and you can see the oil we started with at the bottom of the pot. It will take about 8-10 minutes. Then it’s time to add the water, bring to a boil, after-which you must reduce the heat to as low as it can go so the pot is gently simmering. Place the lid on the pot slightly ajar and allow this to cook until the pork is tender.

After 35 minutes the pork should be tender, but there may still be some liquid in the pot so remove the lid and crank up the heat. I like my Geera Pork to be free of gravy, so I usually burn off the liquid as mentioned. You may choose to have a bit of gravy, so taste for salt and adjust according and personalize the gravy situation to your liking. In total I cooked my dish for about 45 minutes after adding the water and the pork was fork-tender.

Just before turning off the stove I tossed in a bit more cilantro and seasoning peppers (diced fine) to add a bit of color to the overall dish. Depending on how ‘fatty’ the pork was that you used, there may be a bit too much oil at the bottom of the pan (as in my case) so I spooned it out on paper towels and tossed it in the garbage. Never pour such fat down your kitchen sink or you’ll need a plumber as a friend.

It was Christmas time when I made this as my friends were coming over to play dominoes and this is one of fav snacks to have when we’re enjoying some adult beverages.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Meat & Poultry

Simple Oven Roasted Turkey Breast.

May 27, 2025December 21, 20173 Comments

Since I’m not a huge fan of turkey, the past few years I’ve been focusing more on just the turkey breast when we do Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. My daughters are not huge fans of the bird either but it’s part of their Canadian culture, so rather than doing an entire bird and having too much leftovers to know what to do with.. we usually make a single turkey breast. After posting pics of this on Instagram, I was flooded with requests from people who are in the same situation.

You’ll Need…

– turkey breast – 5-7 lbs
– 3-4 cups water
– 5 sprigs thyme
– 2-3 tablespoon chopped parsley
– 7-10 black peppercorns
– 5-10 allspice berries
– 4 cloves garlic
– 1 tablespoon salt
– 1 tablespoon brown sugar

– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 1 large carrot
– 2 stalks celery
– 1 head garlic
– 1/2 large onion
– 1 cup water (or chicken stock)
– 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (ground)
– 2 sprigs thyme

To ensure we have a tender and moist turkey breast after roasting in the oven, we need to make a quick brine and have the turkey sit in it over-night for best results (or at least a couple hours). In a large bowl place 1 cup of lukewarm water (to help the sugar and salt dissolve) then add the sugar, salt, garlic (smashed), peppercorns, allspice berries, thyme and parsley and whisk (try to be a bit rough to bruise the herbs so they release their flavors). Then add 3 cups of cold water and mix well. be sure to have the water chilled as we don’t want to add the turkey to a warm brine.

You can now place the turkey breast in a larger zipper bag (or container with a lid) and pour the brine onto it. Seal and place the fridge over-night. I usually place the bag with the turkey on a bowl in case the bag leaks in the fridge. Try to massage the turkey breast in the brine a couple times to make sure it’s brined evenly.

Remove the turkey from the brine, give it a rise under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. As your oven preheats to 375 F, line your roasting tray (I used an oven-proof dish) with the rough chopped celery and carrots. Cut the head of garlic in half and 1/4 the onion and place on the the baking dish as well. Now place the turkey breast on top of the vegetable bed and drizzle on the olive oil to coat the skin and finish off with the black pepper. Finally tuck the sprigs of thyme under the turkey breast and pour in the water (or chicken stock). The final step before going into the middle rack in the oven is to cover with foil.

Roast (covered) for 2 hours, then remove the foil and crank-up the heat to 425 F to develop that lovely golden color. It may take between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on the size of the breast you use. You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt except for the brine (no need really), but you’re free to sprinkle a little on top of the breast when you add the black pepper before it went into the oven.

Simple and the fact that you’re not stuck with a ton of turkey (as if you did an entire bird), this is definitely a recipe I highly recommend (super juicy too). If you wanted to add a bit of chopped scotch bonnet to the brine for a slightly spicy roasted turkey, you can certainly do so. Remember to allow it to rest a bit before slicing though. Yes, you discard the brine after.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2