Authentic Caribbean food from an N.C. Native

Source: Winston-Salem Journal, N.mini storageC.Oct. 02--Abigail Blake never expected to live in the Caribbean for 20 years."I met my future husband, Bones, on nickel-beer night at Pusser's Pub while vacationing in the British Virgin Islands. He spent a quarter, got me drunk and thought I was a cheap date," Blake wrote on her blog.A few months after meeting him, in 1992, Blake chucked her New York job and friends for a life in the islands.Blake, a North Carolina native, moved to Winston-Salem last year, partly to be close to her family. Her father, Jeb Davis, works in finance at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and her uncle, Bill Davis, is a lawyer.And she also brought her daughter, Audrey, now 15, to experience high school in the United States.The family is still in transition. Her husband, Anthony "Bones" Blake, still works on the island of Tortola, designing tropical landscapes, though he comes to North Carolina when he can .One other thing Abigail Blake brought with her is a love of Caribbean cooking.Blake loves to cook all kinds of food, but living on Tortola gave her a unique opportunity to learn how to cook authentic Caribbean dishes. And though her day job was in offshore finance (financial services to companies from other countries), Blake ended up doing a fair amount of freelance food writing. In 2009, she started her blog, .abigailblake.com, and now she is working to start a writing career in the United States.Tortola is the largest island in the British Virgin Islands. It's about 13 miles long and almost 4 miles wide. The population is under 30,000. Tourism and offshore finance are the major industries."A lot of the food has to be shipped in," Blake said.Of course, there is local seafood, including swordfish, snapper, grouper, spiny lobster and conch. But there isn't any local shrimp (except little marine shrimp), clams or oysters.Salt cod is a staple used in patties similar to empanadas, and in fritters, stews, even scrambled eggs.Just before Blake moved away, the islanders were beginning to show more interest in local food and farmers markets. "Local tomatoes -- that's recent," Blake said.Root vegetables, including yams and taro roots, are popular, as are the Scotch bonnet peppers used to spice up foods all over the Caribbean.The Caribbean has a kind of pumpkin that is sometimes used in sweets, such as a pumpkin tart, but more often stewed, curried or made into soup.Perhaps the most noteworthy local crops are fruit. "I miss my Key lime tree," Blake said. "And we had a passion fruit vine in our yard -- it will take over if you let it, which is great if you like passion fruit. It's one of my favorites -- it's wonderfully sweet and tart at the same time."Other native fruit includes mango, papaya, guava, pineapple and banana.Tarts and cakes often contain pineapple, guava or coconut.Coconut also is popular in cocktails and stews.Besides fish, people eat chicken, goat, mutton or lamb, and pork, and some beef."On Friday or Saturday night, you might go to a chicken 'bus.' It's like an old bus or van fitted out like a food truck. They'll grill chicken outside in old oil drums cut in half, then inside they might make peas and rice or corn on the cob," Blake said.Peas and rice is a staple side dish all over the Caribbean. The peas are actually legumes, either pigeon peas or red or kidney beans.Another popular dish is macaroni pie, which is like American macaroni and cheese with hot peppers added. "Macaroni pie is something you see on everybody's Sunday dinner table ," Blake said. " And it's served room temperature. People will cut it into squares and take it to the beach with barbecue or jerk chicken. "Okra is popular, though it's usually added to soups or stews and not eaten by itself.Christophene, a squash called chayote or mirliton in the United States, is cooked in stews, gratins or used raw in salads.Avocado is very popular in salads.Aside from the Scotch bonnet peppers, which are quite hot, islanders also cook with a mild pepper simply called a "seasoning pepper," which, as luck would have it, looks like the Scotch bonnet.Thyme is a popular herb, as is a similarly flavored herb that natives called "Tortola thyme."Another herb is called shadon benni, which has a variety of spellings. Some people may know this as culantro, which is similar to cilantro but with long leaves. "It is used with thyme, garlic, hot peppers and scallions, all blended together with a little water to make 'green seasoning,' which is an all-purpose marinade or seasoning," Blake said.That goes well with grilled food, a popular way of cooking.Islanders also eat a lot of stews and braised dishes.In a way, the cuisine of the Caribbean is one big melting pot. First there were the native Indians, including the Carib and Arawak. Then came the European colonists, and they in turn 迷你倉rought African slaves. On top of that was a long line of immigrants, especially from India and China.Indian-style curries are very popular. Roti, a type of Indian bread, is used to hold curries and conch.The Chinese brought yardlong beans, which became a popular green vegetable.The native Indians contributed root vegetables in stewed dishes.Puddings and fruitcakes -- soaked with local rum and popular at Christmas -- come from the British.Peas and rice show the African influence.Tortola also has a smattering of people from all over the world. "One year in my daughter's school, the parents of 18 students represented 26 countries," Blake said. "So we have a big ex-pat community."What you find in the Caribbean is that the more nationalities that come through, the more interesting the cuisine."Jamaican Brown Stew ChickenMakes 6 to 8 servings3 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighsJuice of 1 lime2 scallions, finely minced3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced\ teaspoon ground allspice2 teaspoons salt{ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper2 tablespoons vegetable oil3 tablespoons brown sugar1 tablespoon tomato ketchup1 teaspoon sea salt1 small onion, peeled and diced1 to 2 carrots, peeled and sliced{ small red bell pepper, seeded and diced1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, seeded, membrane removed, and minced (optional)1 sprig fresh thyme or { teaspoon dried thyme2 cups water1. Put the chicken thighs in a bowl and add the lime juice. Rub the juice into the chicken pieces then rinse under cold water. Add the scallions, garlic, allspice, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to the chicken. Cover and marinate for at least one hour ( or preferably overnight).2. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pot over medium high heat and add the sugar. Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is a dark, rich brown color. Don't let the sugar burn or go black, but it should be dark brown to give the dish its characteristic color.3. Remove the chicken from its marinade and add to the pot, leaving behind any liquid it may have thrown off while marinating. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the chicken, turning it over a few times until the meat is well-browned. (If necessary, cook the chicken in batches so it browns and does not steam.) Add any marinade liquid left in the bowl and the remainder of the ingredients (ketchup, sea salt, onion, carrot, bell pepper, Scotch bonnet and thyme) except the water. Stir to combine and add the water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 30 minutes. The dish should be a very dark brown color and the sauce thick. If the sauce seems too thin, make a slurry by dissolving 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour in a little cold water. Stir the slurry into the sauce and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, to thicken. Serve chicken with steamed rice, rice and peas. or macaroni pie.Recipe from Abigail Blake.Macaroni PieMakes 6 to 8 servings2 large eggs1 12-oz. can evaporated milk\ cup finely minced onion{ scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, seeded, membrane removed and finely minced1 teaspoon fine sea salt1 teaspoon dry mustard1 pound elbow macaroni1 tablespoon butter1 pound cheddar cheese, grated1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish.2. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, put the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat well. Add the evaporated milk, onion, hot pepper, salt and dry mustard. Set aside.3 . Cook the macaroni in the boiling water. Drain when just al dente and transfer to a large bowl. Stir the butter into the macaroni until melted, then add the milk mixture. Mix to combine well and then stir in } of the grated cheese. Transfer to the casserole dish. Top with the remainder of the cheese and bake until the casserole is set and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Slice into squares and serve.Note: Some common additions are grated carrot, very finely chopped red or green bell pepper, or chopped green beans.Recipe from Abigail Blake.Fried PlantainsMakes 6 servings3 ripe (black) plantainsVegetable oil or butter for frying, or a combination of bothCut off both ends of the plantains and peel them. Cut them in half crosswise and again in half lengthwise so that each plantain yields 4 slices. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat and add enough oil or butter to just coat the bottom of the pan. Fry the plantains until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.Recipe from Abigail Blake.mhastings@wsjournal.com(336) 727-7394Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Winston-Salem Journal (Winston Salem, N.C.) Visit Winston-Salem Journal (Winston Salem, N.C.) at 2.journalnow.com Distributed by MCT Information Services文件倉