gluten free

Curry Beef With Potato! Can Caribbean food get any better? Fork tender pieces of beef, potatoes falling apart to form a rich and thick gravy, the overall flavors of curry, herbs and the gentle kick of Caribbean Sunshine (scotch bonnet). Need I say more?

You’ll Need…

3 lbs stewing beef (cubed)
1/2 lemon (juice)
3/4 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tomato (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Amchar Massala
1 tablespoon olive oil (for seasoning the beef)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced thin)
2 tablespoon veg or olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
6-8 cloves garlic (diced)
2 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup water
6 medium potatoes (cut into 1/4’s)
3 cups water
1-2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

NOTE! I used boneless beef, but pieces with bones will give you a better flavor to the dish. With that in mind I added some oil to the beef when I seasoned it, to compensate for the lack of fat. Additionally (important) If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the complete list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use as some may contain flour as a filler. Use as much (or none) Scotch Bonnet as you like.

Cut the beef into 1-1.5 inch pieces and wash with lemon juice and cool water. Drain dry and season with the salt, black pepper, Caribbean Green Seasoning, scotch bonnet, olive oil (1 tablespoon), tomato and Amchar Masala. Stir well and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour. If you can’t source Amchar Masala, use roasted ground cumin.

Heat your pot (something heavy works best IMHO) on a medium flame, go in with the 2 tablespoon veg (or olive) oil, turn the heat down to low and add the onion and garlic. Cook on low for 2-3 minutes. As it cooks, add the curry powder to the 1/4 cup of water and stir to form a slurry (set aside).

Add the curry slurry to the pot (heat on medium now) and stir. Cook for about 3-4 minutes to cook off the rawness of the curry and to bloom the spices which makes up a good curry powder. It will go dark and start to clump.

Turn the heat to medium / high now and start adding the seasoned beef to the pot. Stir to coat and pick up the curry base we created. Yes, you can add the marinade to the pot too. In the same bowl you marinated the beef, add the water and stir (set aside for later).

Place a lid on the pot (once it comes to a boil), heat down to low and cook for about 10-12 minutes.

Remove the lid, crank the heat up to high to burn off all the liquid it would have sprouted naturally. It may take up to 5 -7 minutes to get back to the oil we started off with (at the bottom of the pan).

Add the potatoes and stir to coat. Then add the water we had reserved in the bowl. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, lid on and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until the beef is tender.

Taste for salt and adjust and get the gravy to the consistency you like (cook longer if it’s too thin). If the beef is not tender, you may need to cook on low for 30 minutes more. Add more water if necessary. Toss in the cilantro as you turn off the heat.

This curry beef with potato is an excellent way to put cheaper cuts of beef to use. Adding the potatoes is a means of stretching this dish to feed more people… something mom would do when we were kids and she had to feed the entire family.

Oven Roasted Tomato Choka #MeatFree

May 5, 2020May 3, 20201 Comment

CHOKA! That heavenly, spicy vegan dish.. packed with roasted tomatoes, garlic and thinly sliced onions! If you’ve had it, you’d know what I mean. I guess this would be like a Caribbean version of Salsa? While ‘baigan’ (eggplant) choka is still the love of my heart, I’m a HUGE fan of tomato choka and since tomatoes are usually cheaper in the grocery, it’s made very often in my kitchen. Without a doubt, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more delicious vegetarian dish.. just the simplicity of it!

You’ll Need…

8-10 ripe tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1-3 scotch bonnet peppers
1 tablespoon sea salt (divided)
3 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/2 red onion (any onion will work)

Note : I used 3 green scotch bonnet peppers.. the green (less mature) will have a ton of flavor, but without the raw heat. That said, be smart and use the variety and amount of pepper you have/can tolerate. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers.

Remove the stems, wash and core (remove the tough area where the stems were with a pairing knife) off the tomatoes. Dry them with paper towels, then onto a lined baking tray, along with the peppers. Drizzle on 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle on 1/2 the salt. Toss to coat everything.

Into a 525 F oven on the middle rack. After 5 minutes, remove the peppers and into the mortar. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, then remove the stems of the peppers, add the remaining salt along with the garlic.

Crush until you have a somewhat smooth paste.

After 25 minutes the tomatoes will be roasted and ready for use. You may remove the skins or keep them for that lovely smoky flavor. I kept the skins on 1/2 the tomatoes and tossed out the rest.

Add them individually into the mortar and crush. Please be mindful that they may “pop” when you first start crushing and hot juices may go flying at you. Crush until smooth, but with a bit of tiny chunks. Continue with the rest of them. If theres juices accumulated in the roasting tray, pour that into the mix too.

Give everything a good mix, then top with THINLY sliced onion. I used a red onion, but any onion you have on hand will work. Thinly sliced though.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan (until you see whispers of smoke), then pour directly onto the onions. This step is what we refer to as “Chunkay”. By pouring the hot oil over the onions, you’ll get a lovely flavor and it will slightly cook the onions and take away some of it’s pungency.

Top with the chopped parsley and stir well to combine everything. Hopefully you have some hot Sada Roti and a couple slices of ripe avocado to enjoy the perfect meal. Remember you can use this as a dip or salsa with your fav toasted bread or corn chips.

Gluten Free Seafood

Tin Mackerel In A Delicious Tomato Sauce.

March 26, 2020March 18, 2020Leave a Comment

Canned or “tin food” as we refer to it in the Caribbean is something we all grew up eating in some form or the other. With years of experience, comes very unique and delicious way of using them. You’d never find someone opening a can and eating directly from it. Besides feeling we need to cook it to KILL the ‘germs’ (Caribbean belief), it’s all about adding extra flavor, but more importantly … stretching the one can for a few people. Remember canned foods were imported back in the day, so it was somewhat expensive.

You’ll Need…

2 cans mackerel (this one had oil and olives)
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 clove garlic (crushed or sliced)
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
10-15 grape tomatoes (any tomato – chopped)
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
3 sprigs thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 scallions (chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato concentrate (paste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Optional – juice of 1/2 lemon + spicy peppers

Important! If doing this dish gluten free, please go through the list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the tin of mackerel you use. Add slices of scotch bonnet or any hot peppers you have, if you’d like for the dish to have a KICK!

Heat the olive oil on a medium/low heat in a wide pan. Then add the onion, garlic and black pepper. 1-2 minutes later, add the scallions and the leaves of the thyme. Stir well and cook for another minute.

Now add the tomato paste and stir to coat the bottom of the pan. The heat will help release the natural sugar of the tomato paste for a lovely flavor.

Followed by the grape tomato (any tomato will work). Cook for about 30 seconds, then add the mackerel directly to the pot. This one I had was packed in olive oil and had sliced olives – delicious. Typically if I get the mackerel packed in water, I drain that water and discard as to get rid of some of the brine / sodium.

Break the fish a bit (don’t over-crush) and stir well. Cook on low for 2- 3 minutes, turn the heat off and go in with the parsley and lemon juice.

In under 7 minutes you’ll have a delicious topping for rice, ground provisions, dumplings or pasta and an EXCELLENT side for hot Sada Roti or worst case scenario – sliced bread! Notice I didn’t add any salt as I find the canned stuff usually have enough added salt to it, but do taste and adjust accordingly.

If you can, please support. And should you have questions about this recipe or anything food related, be sure to Ask Chris.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Coconut Curry Rabbit.

May 28, 2025March 17, 2020Leave a Comment

Growing up on the islands this dish would never be a reality, since my brother had rabbits (among other animals and fish) as pets. However since moving to Canada and having access to rabbits at most grocery stores (without guilt of seeing them as pets), combined with my attraction to ‘game’, this dish is somewhat of a norm for me. Especially during the warmer months when I can use my outdoor wood burning stove in the back yard.

You’ll Need…

3 1/2 – 4 lbs rabbit
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tablespoon Cocopine Pimento Sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon Amchar Masalla (for seasoning)
1 scotch bonnet pepper (adjust)
8 cherry tomatoes (any tomato will work)
2-3 tablespoon veg oil
1 medium onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
2 heaping tablespoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon amchar massala
2-3 tablespoon water (for making the curry slurry)
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
4-6 wiri wiri peppers (optional)
2-3 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
* use ground roasted cumin if you cannot source the amchar massala

Important! If doing this dish gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs (especially the curry powder you use as some may contain flour as a thickener). For the Cocopine Pimento Sauce, please check my friend Chef Barry Bartholomew at @Cheffinbar on Instagram.

Cut (small pieces), wash with lemon or lime juice and drain (how you’d normally wash meats). We’re using the entire rabbit (liver, heart and kidney).

Then season with salt, green seasoning, Caribbean green seasoning, coco pine sauce, anchar massala, scotch bonnet pepper, cherry tomatoes and black pepper. Mix well and marinate for about 3 hours in the fridge.

Today we’ll be using my outdoor wood burning stove, so it’s time to get that fire started. Basically you want a low heat to start. Heat the oil on a med/low flame then add the onion and garlic and cook on LOW for 2-3 minutes.

In the meantime mix the curry powder (use your fav), along with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon anchar massala with the water, to form a slurry. Now add that to the pot and mix well. This will help us bloom the spices which makes up the curry powder and ultimately cook-off that raw curry taste and texture.

The curry mixture will go darker in color, clump and you should burn off all that liquid.. until you can see the oil we started with. Now crank up the heat and go in with the seasoned rabbit (not the liver, kidney and heart – yet). Be sure to toss around well, to coat each piece of the rabbit with the curry base.

Bring to a boil (it will spring it’s own natural juices), then simmer for about 20 minutes on med/low. Be sure to stir occasionally. Do not cover the pot. Then crank up the heat to burn off that liquid – this step will give us the color we’re looking for and intensify the curry flavor of the completed dish.

Once it’s dry, add the coconut milk + water and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a gentle simmer, to allow us braise the rabbit until it’s tender.

1 hour and 30 minutes later, taste for salt and adjust to your liking, Burn off the gravy to the consistency you like and be sure to make sure it’s a tender as you like it. Now add the liver, heart and kidney and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then toss in the wiri wiri peppers, along with the chopped cilantro and you’re DONE!

Birds Eye Peppers (bird pepper) is a great substitute to the Wiri Wiri peppers or you can leave that out if heat is not your thing. If you’re based in the Caribbean and cannot source the cilantro (coriander), be sure to use Shado Beni (chadon beni or culantro)

The curry on it’s own is just magnificent, however should you have the ability to cook this over a wood fire – the taste is just INCREDIBLE! The smoke adds a lovely layer of flavor you can never achieve on the stove-top.

If you can, please support. And should you have questions about this recipe or anything food related, be sure to Ask Chris.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Peppery Geera (Cumin) Chicken Hearts.

May 27, 2025March 4, 2020Leave a Comment

While I’m no fan of geera (cumin), with a few adult beverages, crusty dinner rolls and good company, this dish hits the spot. Spicy, deep flavors of roasted cumin and tender morsels of meat, this is an excellent example of how we try to use the entire animal in the Caribbean.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 lbs Chicken Hearts
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 small Onion (diced)
3-4 cloves Garlic (smashed)
2 tablespoon Roasted Cumin – divided (ground)
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers (divided) sliced and diced
2 tablespoon Cilantro

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. Also be mindful to wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handing such hot peppers.

Cut each heart into two pieces, remove any fat and wash with cool water and the juice of a lime or lemon (not mentioned in the ingredients list unfortunately).

Lets now season with 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin (powder), Caribbean Green Seasoning, black pepper, salt, onion, garlic and 1 scotch bonnet pepper. Mix and let marinate for about 1 hour, two hours would be even better.

Heat a pan (I used a heavy cast iron pan as I like the way I get a caramelized flavor at the end) on a medium flame and add the oil. Add the cumin seeds, turn the heat down to low so we don’t burn the cumin seeds. Add the remaining dry roasted powder cumin (geera) and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the seasoned chicken hearts, including the marinade. Stir to coat with the geera we cooked off earlier.

As it comes to a boil, it will sprout it’s own liquid. DON’T cover, cook on a med/low flame.

BTW, if you’ve not already guessed it, in the Southern Caribbean (anywhere where East Indians Indentured Laborers influence the culinary culture) you’ll find that Cumin is called Geera.

20 – 25 minutes later the liquid will burn off. Make sure the chicken hearts are completely rid of all liquid and you get that deep rich color and hopefully you can see the oil we started off with at the bottom of the pan. Fry-Dong as my mom say!

Top with the chopped cilantro (in the Caribbean Shado Beni / Chadon Beni / Culantro would be used) and add the remaining finely diced scotch bonnet pepper (or leave it out if you’re concerned about the raw heat). Keep the seeds for even more HEAT from the Caribbean Sunshine.

If you can, please support. And should you have questions about this recipe or anything food related, be sure to Ask Chris.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Simple Flavorful Homemade Chicken Stock.

May 27, 2025February 26, 2020Leave a Comment

While we don’t have a culture of making stock (specifically) in the Caribbean, you’ll easily notice that our soups and stews are indeed packed with stock-making ingredients. We basically create a stock in the process of cooking. So why am I sharing a homemade Chicken Stock to share with you? Demand! There’s been many requests for this recipe over at Instagram.

You’ll Need…

4-5 lbs chicken
3 stalks celery (rough chop)
1 large onion (quartered)
6-8 sprigs thyme
5 cloves garlic
bunch of parsley (rough chop)
2-4 scallions (rough chop)
12-16 cups water (cool)
10 black peppercorns
2 carrots (rough chopped)
3/4 tablespoon sea salt (optional)

Important: I used chicken carcasses (breast and legs removed) which were on sale, but you can use a whole chicken or chicken parts if you wish. This is a more concentrated stock as I’m using less liquid as I would normally. Add a couple allspice berries for even more flavor. 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.

In a large pot, place the chicken, celery, carrots, onion and pepper corns.

The add the other ingredients and bring to a boil (med/high heat). I did add salt to my stock as IMHO I think it helps to bring out the flavors of the other ingredients. But to make this sodium free, you can leave out the salt obviously. And the beauty of making your own homemade stock is to control the ingredients, especially the high sodium typically found in the grocery store stuff.

As it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to as low as it will go and simmer. Be sure to periodically skim off any scum/froth/impurities at the top.

An hour and thirty minutes later (go longer for a more concentrated stock) turn off the stove. Allow to cool to make straining easier and safer.

Feel free to use immediately or put into sealed containers in the freezer and simply thaw when you’ve got use for this amazing homemade chicken stock.

The second reason I have for sharing this recipe is because whenever I visit the Caribbean I make a huge batch of this stock, then a just as massive pot of chicken soup (very light) for my sister. She portions it out into freezer friendly containers and she’s got soup for those chilly nights during the rainy season in the Caribbean.

If you can, please support. And should you have questions about this recipe or anything food related, be sure to Ask Chris.