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Meat & Poultry

Comforting Oxtail Stew.

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Yea… another recipe you won’t traditionally find in the Caribbean, but with my luv for oxtails, you know I have several recipes in my arsenal (and willing to share). So I dedicate this recipe to my friends who appreciate oxtails, but more importantly… delicious and comforting one-pot meals.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs oxtails (cut 1 1 1/2 inch)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 stalks celery (chopped)
2 scallions (chopped)
6 cloves garlic (smashed)
8 sprigs thyme (divided)
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 allspice berries
1/3 cup Port (sweet, red, fortified wine from Portugal)
4 turnips (cubed)
3 medium red onion
2 carrots (sliced)
2 parsnips (cubed)
15-20 button mushrooms
1 lb baby potato
2 cups cubed pumpkin
3/4 tablespoon salt
8-10 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
top with chopped parsley

Important! Try to get your butcher to cut (band saw) the oxtails for you as the bones are very tough. I’d also recommend trimming off as much fat as you can from it and discard. Feel free to wash the pieces of oxtails with cool water and the juice of a lime or lemon, then pat dry with paper towels
before dusting in flour.

In a big (deep) heavy pot (one that’s oven proof) add the oil on a medium flame, dust the oxtail pieces in flour and into the pot to brown. Please do it in batches as if they’re too close together it will cause steam and the oxtail will release it’s liquid and star boiling. Note – as the meat shrinks as it brown, it will not make proper contact with the hot oil, so browning at that point can be challenging. 3-4 minutes per side, then set aside in a bowl.

In the same pot (oxtails now removed) on a low flame, add the celery, scallions, garlic, thyme (1/2) for 3 minutes. Add another tablespoon of oil if necessary.

Add the tomato paste and stir well to coat the bottom of the pot and develop it’s natural sugars. Go in with the black pepper and continue cooking on low for 2-3 minutes.

Add the bay leaves along with the pimento berries (allspice) and de-galze with the Port (use red wine if you wish).. scrape the bottom of the pot and bring to a boil.

2-3 minutes later it’s time to add the browned oxtails and any accumulated juices. Stir well and crank up the heat to med/high. Coat the oxtail pieces with all that goodness. Preheat the oven to 350 F

Now it’s time for the ‘body’ of the stew so toss in the potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, turnip, sweet potato and pumpkin (please cubed them LARGE as we will cook in the oven for a long time and we want to maintain some texture when it’s done).

For more flavor, add the salt, beef stock, remaining thyme and Worcestershire sauce. For a little sweetness, you can add a teaspoon of brown sugar (not mentioned in the ingredient list).

Bring to a boil (on the stove top), put the lid on, then onto the middle rack of the oven.

2 1.2 hours later and the oxtails were fully cooked and tender, BUT be mindful that depending on the age of your oxtail (animal when it was butchered), it can be TOUGH and may require another 30 – 60 minutes of cooking. So this is where you test it, adjust the salt to your liking and thicken (cook with the lid off) if necessary.

I think I stirred it 2 times during the time in the oven and yes, you can add some heat with some dried pepper flakes or Caribbean Sunshine (Scotch Bonnet) if you want a little kick.

Top with the parsley and enjoy! A delicious one-pot dish that’s comforting and filling.

Gluten Free Vegan

Outstanding Cook Up Rice (#Ital #Vegan #Glutenfree)

3 Comments on Outstanding Cook Up Rice (#Ital #Vegan #Glutenfree)

Cook-up or cook-up rice is one of those classic one-pot Caribbean meals mom would usually do on a Saturday (when she didn’t do a soup). However Mom’s usually came loaded with chicken, beef or salted meats, but in this version I like skipping the meat .. without sacrificing flavors for and iconic meal. Served HOT!

You’ll Need…

1 medium onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
4 sprigs thyme
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 scallions (chopped)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (diced)
1 carrot (cut into 1/2 cm wheels)
3/4 cup red beans (from a can – rinsed)
1 teaspoon turmeric
10 okra (1/2 inch chop)
1 large sweet potato (cubed)
1 1/2 cups squash (or pumpkin \ cubed)
2 cups long grain par-boiled brown rice
2 cups spinach
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 1/2 cups veg stock
1 teaspoon salt (adjust)
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. Especially the veg stock you use.

Heat oil in a deep/wide pan on a medium flame, then add the onion, garlic, thyme, scallions and black pepper. Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds unless you want it spicy) and carrot, stir well, then add the beans and cook on low for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the turmeric, turn the heat to medium and add okra, stir. In now goes the sweet potato and squash (pumpkin will work too). At every point (when we add ingredients to the pot) stir well.

Go in with the washed rice and mix. Fold in the spinach along with the coconut milk and vegetable stock. Scrape the bottom of the pot as there will be some caramelization (flavors) develop at the bottom of the pot. Add the salt and bring to a boil.

As far as ‘washing” the rice is concerned.. this is to remove extra starch and grit as a result of the process of taking out the husk off the grains. So we’ll cover the rice with cool water in a bowl, massage with our hands, discard that water and repeat until that water is somewhat clear. Or rise under running water in a strainer, until the water runs clear – That’s “Washed” rice.

Lid on when it comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and allow the rice to fully cook and go plump. For a more creamy cook-up, stir the pot a bit and the rice will release more of it’s starch in the process.

25 minutes later, taste for salt and adjust… leave it ‘wet’ or you can remove the lid and burn off the liquid which remains. Toss in the parsley and you’re pretty much done. Note that the residual heat on a heavy pot will continue to cook the rice and thicken it up (after you turn off the stove).

For this classic dish, I like having a side of Tomato Choka as a side or condiment for an extraordinary vegan meal.

Desserts

Chocolate Chip Fruit Nut Banana Bread.

2 Comments on Chocolate Chip Fruit Nut Banana Bread.

I’m not the biggest fan of banana bread.. or so I thought, until I started making this stunning banana fruit nut bread. An excellent way to start the day > a thick slice, warmed for about 10 seconds, a thin layer of butter and my fav cup of coffee. The difference? (why I like this bread) The Fruit and Nut Chocolate bar I use in the recipe. I’m a HUGE fan of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut Chocolate!

You’ll Need…

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 1/2 fruit and nut chocolate bar (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
cooking spray

I know many people treat a banana bread as something that’s only made when there’s ripe bananas which are going bad on your counter. However the flavors of this bread is so enchanting (and simple to make), I know you’ll purposely purchase bananas just for making this one.

Peel, rough chop and crush the ripe bananas with a fork until fully crushed and set aside.

In a large bowl add the flour (sifted may be best), baking soda and salt, whisk and set aside.

In another bowl, place the egg and egg yolk, vanilla, melted butter, sour creme (yes I used the high fat) and one cup sugar. Whisk until smooth – or use an electric mixer if you want. You want to work all the grains of sugar until there’s no grit.

Add the crushed banana to this wet mix and mix well. I added the cinnamon and nutmeg now, but I should have added it to my dry (flour) ingredients.. no stress, all good.

Preheat the oven to 350 F, then add the flour mixture to the wet batter. Fold in as to not overwork the finished dough.

Give the chocolate bar a rough chop so you have chunky pieces. Then fold 2/3 of the chocolate into the batter and reserve 1/3 for topping the bread.

I then poured the batter into a greased loaf pan (I used cooking spray, but you can use melted butter if you wish). And on went the reserved chocolate pieces. Onto the middle rack in the pre-heated 350 oven. BTW the loaf pan I used was also non-stick. Level off the top of the batter with a spatula.

One hour later and the banana nut bread will be READY! Your kitchen will smell GREAT. Allow it to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then
turn over on a cooling rack until it’s fully cooled and ready for slicing.

I used my fav chocolate bar as mentioned above, but you can use chocolate chips or even your fav chocolate bar as well. As far as the fruit you use, be creative and use the dried fruit you like – or leave them out if you so choose. While I’m not a fan of hazel nor walnut, you can certainly add those (chopped) or pecans, cashews, almonds.. basically any nut you enjoy

Sauces & Condiments

Granny’s Insane Pepper Oil.

5 Comments on Granny’s Insane Pepper Oil.

The culinary culture of the Caribbean (for the most part) is very seasonal as we’ve perfected the art of using fruits and vegetables when they are their best. Basically we don’t have much or a pickling culture. The exception being, peppers! The variety of pepper sauces (anything fiery with the abundance and variety of our lovely HOT peppers we have) and oils will blow you away. In this recipe I’m trying my best to recall my grandmother’s version and pay tribute to her by using a classic food mill as she would.

You’ll Need…

1 lb Bird’s Eye Peppers
3 scallions
5 shado beni (culantro)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon parsley
10-15 cloves garlic
1 1/2 – 2 cups olive oil

Wash the peppers, remove the stems and allow them to air dry as we don’t want water in the finished oil as it will decrease the shelf life.

Wash and chop the scallions, parsley and shado beni – also allow to them dry a bit or use paper towels to dry them before rough-chopping. It will make it easier for the food processor or food mill you’ll be using shortly.

Basically all you have to do now is to ‘grind’ it I used a traditional food mill my grandma would use, but you can certainly use a food processor or blender. You want something that’s a bit chunky. Watch the video below to see how I used the food mill.

You’re making sure everything is ground into tiny bits, but NOT pureed! As you want the finished pepper oil to have some texture. Yes, we did include the seeds of the peppers and if you wanted to give this finished pepper oil more of a kick, you can add some Caribbean sunshine (scotch bonnet pepper) to the mix.

Scrape it all into a sauce pan, followed by the olive oil and salt. Mix well and cook on a VERY LOW heat so you have a gentle simmer. Remember to open the windows in your kitchen and turn on the exhaust fan above your stove if you have one. Cook for about 45-60 minutes. The goal is to make sure you burn off any water and to enhance the flavors of the ingredients we used.

It will go darker and the oil itself will take on a reddish hue. Allow it to cool before putting into glass containers (with a lid). Make sure the oil covers the peppers as it will help to preserve it’s wonderful flavor and prevent it from going bad easily.

According to my dad, my great-grand-mother would do something similar, but she would use a massive mortar and pestle (one my family would use for crushing cocoa and coffee beans) to crush her peppers and garlic and she wouldn’t use scallions.

IMPORTANT! Use gloves when handling such hot peppers and be sure to wash your hands IMMEDIATELY after with soap and water.

Gadget Site News

Cosori Air Fryer GIVEAWAY!

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Yes, it’s giveaway time again (as promised)! This time we’ve teamed up with Cosori to be able to give one lucky fan a NEW (sexy) Air Fryer. All you have to do is follow the rules as outlined below and wait to see if you’re the next winner we announce.

Last Month’s Winner !

Cherrie Mallette **CONGRATULATIONS**

Less Fat: 85% less fat than traditional deep fried foods, same delicious taste.

11 Presets: Steak, Poultry, Seafood, Shrimp, Bacon, Frozen Foods, French Fries, Vegetables, Root Vegetables, Bread, and Desserts.

Easy Cleaning: The air fryer’s detachable, non-stick basket is dishwasher safe and easy to clean with a damp cloth.

5.8-qt Basket: Feed up to 5 people or fit an entire rotisserie chicken.

100-Recipe Cookbook: Included cookbook with original Cosori recipes.

Rules of Participation.

  • Leave a comment below saying how you would use the air-fryer to be automatically entered to win
  • 1 lucky fan will WIN the White Cosori Air Fryer
  • Giveaway is open from Today (May 30) and ENDS Midnight June 15 2020
  • 1 winner will be chosen and contacted to send us your mailing address on June 16 2020.
  • We ask that the winner get back to us within 48 hrs or we will select someone else
  • Item will be shipped “Ground” Canada Post – we cannot guarantee delivery times due to the pandemic
  • Open to EVERYONE Globally – even if you’ve won something from us in the past.
  • Do NOT EMAIL or Send DMs – Your name will be removed for not following the instructions above
  • The Winner Will Be Announced Via Instagram and Facebook

NOTE! We ask that the winner send us a 10-20 second video clip when they receive the air fryer in the mail. This clip will be added to the video for the next giveaway – to confirm to everyone that we do ship out the prizes from our giveaways.

Special thanks and good luck to everyone who participates.

Meat & Poultry

Coconut Stewed Breadfruit With Sweet Potato & Salted Pigtails

6 Comments on Coconut Stewed Breadfruit With Sweet Potato & Salted Pigtails

Here’s yet another classic way to put breadfruit to use as did our ancestors. I still recall the scent of the salted pigtails stewing in freshly made coconut milk, just before mom would load the pot with ‘full’ (meaning mature, but not ripe) breadfruit. However she would add a layer of baby dasheen bush leaves to the top. Giving the dish more body and flavor… allowing for better ‘steaming’.

You’ll Need…

4 lb Breadfruit (peeled, cored & cut into segments)
4 med sweet potatoes (cut in 1/2)
2 lbs salted pigtails (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
2 tablespoons Caribbean Green Seasoning (divided)
1 medium tomato (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 scallion (diced)
5 sprigs thyme
4 slices ginger
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
4 Bird’s Eye Pepper
1 tablespoon parsley (I finished it at the end with this)
1 lemon or lime (juice)

Wash the cut salted pigtails (get your butcher to do so as it can be tough), then into a deep pot with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rolling boil and cook 30-40 minutes. Then drain, rinse and set aside. This step helps to tenderize the pigtails and help remove some of the salt it was cured in.

Peel the sweet potato and breadfruit in the meantime (watch the video below). Cut the sweet potato into 1/2 and after coring the breadfruit (soft center), slice into thick wedges.

How to peel and core a breadfruit << Click To Watch The Video!

Leave the prepped sweet potato and breadfruit covered with water so they don’t discolor.

The salted pigtails should be ready now (drained / cool), so it’s time to season it with the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, black pepper, Caribbean Green Seasoning (1 tablespoon), onion and tomato. Mix well and get ready to stew.

In a larger heavy pot, heat the oil on a medium/high flame and add the sugar. It will melt, go frothy and (pay attention now as you DON’T want
it to go black) it will go amber in color. As soon as this happens, add the seasoned pig tails to the pot and stir. Watch the video below to follow along as this step can be a bit tricky. If you allow the sugar to go black.. STOP. Cool the pot, wash and start over.

Turn the heat down to low and put the lid on for 4-5 minutes (to allow the flavors to develop). Then remove the lid, crank up the heat and add the coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer as we add the pieces of the breadfruit and sweet potato (so we don’t have a vigorous boil going to potentially burn us). Try to coat everything with the rich coconut sauce, then add the scallions, bird’s eye pepper (I didn’t cut them as I wanted the flavor from the skin and not more heat), garlic and scotch bonnet pepper.

Bring back to a boil, add the thyme and the remaining Caribbean Green Seasoning, then reduce to low (pot covered) and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Taste for salt and adjust, I didn’t have to add any as the residual salt from the pig tails was enough for me. You will notice that the coconut milk wasn’t enough to completely cover the breadfruit, but by covering the pot, the steam created will help it go tender. You will need to stir it a couple times during cooking. It will fall apart a bit so try to be a bit gentle.

Top with the chopped parsley and get ready to enjoy a dish which is hearty and VERY comforting to Caribbean people. Serve with a side salad and/or slices of avocado. Remove the Bird’s Eye Peppers before serving, unless you have someone who enjoys them.