Corn soup

We are in full swing for the annual Carnival celebration which culminates in a two day explosion of colour and music as masqueraders take to the streets in sequins, feathers and glittered splendor. At this time of the year gyms are packed to capacity as women prepare themselves for a two day marathon of dancing in the streets. It is something to be experienced. Even if you can't be here to experience it you can still have a taste of Carnival if you make this soup which is sold piping hot by street vendors at most carnival fêtes.

Until now I hadn't given much thought to the fact that this is actually a healthy, high fiber vegetarian meal.  Who really has time to contemplate nutritional value when you are  in a pan yard  listening to the sweetest rhythm of steel drums and craving a cup of corn soup?  At 4:00 am,  tired and hungry after the party, you make a beeline past the guy grilling burgers, the jerk chicken , the fries, and head straight for the corn soup man. Get in the line late and you will find yourself nervously eying the ladle casting about the bottom of that deep silver pot, trying your inebriated best to figure out if you'll secure your Styrofoam cup of soup before the goodness runs out! If you are lucky and make to to the head of the line before the soup is finished you will gratefully burn your tongue because you can't wait for it to cool off sufficiently before 'nyaming' it down.

The fact that Trinidad corn Soup is vegetarian seems fitting for a festival whose name according to one source derives from the Latin carne vale which means farewell to meat. However the deprivation associated with diet food is never on my mind when I indulge in this meatless dish. For carnivores like myself if there is a meal that can satisfy without meat - this is it.  Soup the West Indian way is a heavy and heartyl. This one is thickened with split peas, chuck-full of potatoes, corn, carrots and dumplings. Trust me this fuels thousands of party goers until the wee hours - you won't run on empty after a bowl of this.

A final note  the corn used in this soup is not the American variety of sweet corn that comes in cans or the frozen food section. It is a variety that is starchy more than it is sweet. Also I recommend doing this in a pressure cooker to make quick work of this.


SERVES 6 

Ingredients



2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves

1 lb potato, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, diced


1/3 cup chives, chopped

1/4 cup celery, finely chopped

1/3 cup fresh thyme, chopped

3/4 cup yellow split peas

2 pimento pepper (optional)

8 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock


1 scotch bonnet pepper,  left whole

1/2 cup coconut milk

6 ears corn, cut into 2inch pieces

8 dumplings (or more)

1/4 cup culantro, chopped (substitute cilantro)

1 tsp salt
black pepper


Directions

In a large soup pot heat oil. Add the onions and garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the split peas, stock,
celery, thyme and pimento peppers and culantro and cook for about 5 mins stirring constantly. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add the scotch bonnet pepper and coconut milk if using. Pressure cook 10-15 mins or simmer in a covered pot  for about an hour until peas are soft. Use an immersion or ordinary blender and puree soup to a thick and creamy consistency and return to the pot. Add corn and cook for about 20 mins. Add the potaotes and carrots and cook for 10 mins. Finally add the dumplings and cook until they float to the surface. If soup is too thick at any time, add water.


Dumplings 2 cups flour

1 tsp butter
2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt




Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub the flour into mixture until it is grainy. Slowly add enough water to knead to a stff dough. Roll dough into a long rope shape. Cut into 2 inch lengths and drop into boiling soup.

All Heart and No Hassle Valentine's Day Breakfast

It's the month of love. Do you love your heart?  You can treat yourself or maybe your special someone to this simple yet  heart-healthy breakfast. I am sure you have heard it saif before that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating a healthy breakfast supoosidly kicks starts your metabolism and helps you shed unwanted pounds. Eating a high fibre breakfast is also supossidly beneficial for people . I am one of those people who struggle with breakfast. Eating breakfast actually makes me feel physically ill. I confess I'm not big on breakfast
Now when Valentine's Day rolls around, Oliver tries to keep things simple—and keep his clothes on (in the kitchen, anyway)—to avoid disaster. Whether you're cooking as a couple or presenting a meal to your partner, a low-key supper is always a safer bet than an elaborate multicourse meal that leaves you feeling stressed and 

low key kep it simple exhausted.

The Quest

TRhe Quest for the perfect chocolate cake.

Wild About Wild Hibiscus.

Here. Eat this.

Nyam nyam nyam....

Do you know what you are eating?

Uhmmm, yeah cheesecake with a blueberry topping.

Cheesecake yes. Blueberry no.

Cherry?

No

Some kind of berry?

No. It's sorrel.

For real?

For REALLY real.

It's good.

Yes I know.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Project simplify toss out stuff from your cupboard

Deep Pan Pizza - Gluten Free

Anyone who knows me knows how I hate to knead dough. I have a bread maker for that. I hate cleaning it out from under my nails..so this was the recipe for me. Must not contain strange ingredients that are not readily availabel agar agr poder xanthum gum read more like a science project than a recipe

First bites - Callaloo

Slow-Cooked in a Hurry

Cormeal Rosemary Cake with Pine Nuts and Orange Glaze

This is me trying my hardest to be a lovacore and not succeeding! If you are interested in learning more about the local food movement then I highly recommend that you read the book Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver. This is an entertaining account of how for one year her family only ate seasonal  food that they grew themselves or that was produced in their neighbourhood.

Eating locally does make sense. It's a way to build a more self reliant economy. It is also better for the environment  since imported food uses more fossil fuels to transport it supermarkets than locally grown produce..

After reading the book I immediately became a convert to the church of Barbara. I ran outside and planted a herb garden. I bought vegetable seedlings and manure from the agri depot. Yes. I was going to do my part  to prevent global warming and rising food prices.

I started thinking, maybe I could  raise chickens, start and apiary, rear cows - no wait I'm afriad of cows. Then goats. They give milk from which I could make my own cheese. I'd have the additional benifit of not having to  mow a lawn, the goats would take care of that. I shared these admirable thoughts with my saner other half. who patiently reassured me that it was indeed a noble dream. BUT he pointed out, we live in an aprtment complex - not a farm. Besides, I already have a job that makes it a challende to rear a family far less for goats.....Hmmmm all valid points. Bummer, don't you just hate when the voice of reason rains on your parade.

Not content to do nothing at all, surely every little bit counts. I pressed ahead with  my herb garden now dead dormant  because of the current drought.  I vowed no more  purchases of strawberries, or cherries. Easy enough since they are too expensive to be anything more than a rare extravagence  the way one treats oneself to an expensive box of chocolates. But how do I wean myself off apples and grapes? These imported fruits are readily available and so affordable. We must have survived before them since I remember when I was young they were only special ordered at Christmas time.

My righteous local sustainable food supporting zeal was further tested when I stumbled across this recipe in an old issue of  a Fine Cooking Magazine.  Pine Nuts are definately not local and not even sold here.  My baby sister has the good fortune to live on an island that imports pine nuts. I do not. So I immediately posted a message on her facebook wall. Send nuts. She was kind enough to mail me four small packs.  I justified my weakness by rationalizing that  plane that brought my package no doubt was already on it's way here with the mail. Additionally even  Ms Kingsolver admits that there were some imported items like coffee and spices which even she couldn't live without.

While I may not be able to live an auteres a lovacore lifestyle as did Barbara Kingolver, she has given me food for thought about where my food comes from and how I can be a more responsible citizen of this world.  I am currently taking a good hard look at my shopping habits with a view to making some improvements. So tell me is there any imported food that you just can't do without and  do you support the local food movement?

* adapted from the Best of Fine Cooking (Fall) 2007
yeild: one 9 - inch cake
The Cake
1 1/2 cups all - purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup toasted, coarsely chopped pine nuts
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 TBS finely grated orange zest
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, melted

THE SYRUP
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2-3 tbs sugar

THE GLAZE
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
2 tbs fresh orange juice
1 tsp, finely grated orange zest


Make the cake: Butter a 9 X 2 inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper. Position rack in the center of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the cornmeal, pine nuts, rosemary, orange zest, baking powder and the salt.

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer and whisk the cream cheese to soften it. Add the eggs one at a time, beating at medium speed to combine. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Then fold the rest of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth. STill using the rubber spatula stir in the melted butter until blended.

Scrape batter into prepared tin. Bake for 40 - 45 mins until the cake is a nice golden brown or until a skwere inserted in the center comes out looking a bit moist and the sides have begun to pull away from the pan.

Mae The ORANGE SYRUP
While the cake is baking mix the orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves. Use 1, 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar depending on the sweetness of your oranges and to your taste. Remove from heat.

Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a plate. Remove the parchment paper and invert cake again onto a cardboard round or another cake plate. Poke ho;es all over the top of the cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick. While the cake is still warm brush it with the warm orange syrup. Give the syrup time to soak into the cake. Use up all the syrup. Let the cake cool completely.

Make the Glaze.

Boils a small saucepan of water. Get a small bowl of ice water ready. Put rosemary in boiling water for one minute to blanch them. Remove with a slotted spoon and set them in the ice water. Drain and spread them on a paer towel to dry.

In a bowl whisk the confectioner's sugar and orage juice until smooth and then mix in the blanched rosemary and the orange zest.

When the cake is cool transfer to a wire rack set over some wax paper. Pour glaze over the cake. or glaze over the cake then tranfer to a cake plate.

Bolliche Relleno STuffed Eye of Round Roast

 

* 5-6 lbs beef eye round
* 10 garlic cloves, mashed
* 2-3 teaspoons ground oregano
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 2 bay leaves
* 3/4 cup sour orange juice (If you don't have mix 3/4 parts orange juice with 1 part lime juice)
* 1 lime, juice of
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 3 teaspoons salt, to taste (optional)
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
* 3 tablespoons capers, chopped
* 3 tablespoons pimento stuffed olives, chopped
* 2/3 tablespoon goya con azafran seasoning, divided
* 2 tablespoons goya adobo seasoning, divided

* 1 (1/4 ounce) package badia cilantro, divided
* 1/2 lb ham, cubes or thick slab bacon
* 1 carrot, sliced
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1/2-3/4 green bell peppers, cut in medium size pieces
* 1/2-3/4 red bell peppers, cut in medium size pieces
* 2 chorizo sausages, casings removed, chopped
* 1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
* 1 1/2 cups chunky tomato sauce (Muir Glen)
* 4 pieces butchers kitchen twine

Directions

1.
1
Clean the meat by trimming excess fat.
2.
2
With a knife make a deep cut along the center of the beef, leaving both ends uncut.
3.
3
Place the meat in a large pot.
4.
4
Line with plastic liner - so as to be able to mix the marinade and roast.
5.
5
To prepare marinade, mix garlic, oregano, cumin, bay leaf, bitter orange juice, lime juice, wine, 1 packet of Goya con Azafran seasoning, 1 tablespoon Goya Adobo seasoning, 1/2 of the cilantro, salt, if using, and pepper, if using.
6.
6
Add 3 tablespoons of the marinade to the opening inside the meat.
7.
7
For best results, marinate for 3 hours or up to overnight, refrigerated.
8.
8
In food processor container mix the stuffing: ham or bacon, carrot, onions, bell peppers and chorizo, 1 packet of Goya con Azafran seasoning, 1 tablespoon Goya Adobo seasoning, olives, capers to a fine grind.
9.
9
Mix the contents with the marinade in a bowl.
10.
10
Loosely stuff mixture into the cavity of the roast by pressing it with a long handled spoon as far into the cavity as possible.
11.
11
Tie stuffed roast closed, tightly.
12.
12
Add the rest of the marinade to the outside of the meat.
13.
13
Preheat oven to 350°F.
14.
14
Heat a large frying pan that can be used on stove as well as in the oven, add olive oil.
15.
15
When olive oil is heated and begins to "smell fragrant", add the roast and brown on all sides, turning with a large fork several times.
16.
16
Add the remaining marinade, cover and place in oven.
17.
17
Roast for approximately 3 hours. (Keep checking about every 45 minutes to 1 hour).
18.
18
Discard bay leaves.
19.
19
Remove meat to a separate dish and allow to cool, at least 30 minutes, before slicing into 1/4" slices using a very sharp knife, so that roast doesn't crumble (approximately 20 to 24 slices).
20.
20
Combine the chunky tomato sauce and remaining Badia Cilantro with the marinade that remained in the pan and simmer for 3 minutes.
21.
21
Pour over sliced meat.
22.
22
Cover meat with aluminum foil and reheat if necessary (approximately 15 minutes), be careful not to dry out!
23.
23
Can be served with roasted potatoes, a vegetable, an avocado salad, good warm Cuban bread to sop up the juice and a lovely wine.
24.
24
Que les aproveche!