Want something truly different tonight? Tired of the humdrum meat and potatoes? Try this spicy veg dish from the isle of spices-Trinidad. It's taste is very different from American cuisine, but change is GOOD!
4 Cups Steamed White Rice
2 Cups Fresh Vegetables-cauliflower, pole beans, corn, carrots...
1 Small Bunch Coriander Leaves 2 Small sticks of Cinnamon
2 Large Sliced White Onions 1 Small Yellow Onion, finely chopped
4 Large Green Chilis 1/2 Teaspoon Cardamon Seed
3 Teaspoons Shredded Coconut 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1 Clove Fresh Garlic Sea Salt to taste
1/2 Teaspoon Ginger Powder Butter or Margarine for Saute
Mix the chopped yellow onion, garlic, coriander and ginger well to make a paste. Set aside while you saute sliced onions in butter. Add cloves, cinnamon and cardamon to sliced onions. When onions are brown, add chili powder and saute another minute.
Add remaining vegetables and sprinkle lightly with water. Cook covered on a low heat until vegetables are tender, around 15 minutes. Continue to sprinkle with water but don't drown veggies in it.
When vegetables cooked, mix with steamed rice, and add sea salt to taste. Mix thoroughly then reheat in microwave or on low heat stove. Serves 4-6 as side dish.
Sweet tooth? Try this great recipe for Cuban Flan from Marble's Stash. If this doesn't cure a sweet tooth NOTHING will!!
1 Tablespoon Tap Water
1 Cup Ground Almonds
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Peel
5 Large or Jumbo Eggs
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
A few slices of Orange or Tangerine for garnish
Carmelize sugar in a baking pan with water at low heat. When sugar is golden brown, remove then coat pan bottom. With mixer blend eggs and rest of ingredients (not orange) until smooth.
Pour egg mixture into sugar-caramelized baking pan and place in a larger pan containing 1 inch of tap water. Bake at around 350 degrees for approximately an hour until top section is firm and gold in color. Remove pan from water and allow to cool.
Place a serving plate over pan and flip over. Remove baking pan. Chill at least one hour before serving. Serve with tangerine or orange slices. Serves 4-6.
Here's a true Florida recipe. Easy to make and a tasty treat for kids, try it once and you'll make it again and again.
2-3 Cups Light Canola or Coconut Oil
2 Cups Sifted Self-Rising Flour
1 Large Can of Plain Pumpkin (not spicy)
1/2 - 1 Cup Brown or White Sugar per preference
Heat a deep large fry pan with oil about 1/4" from the top.
In a large bowl, pour in self-rising flour and pumpkin.
Mix in sugar according to taste.
Knead until workable with hands without stickiness.
Pull apart rounded balls of mixture then pat into flat patties the size of your palms.
When oil is very hot, drop a tiny piece of the batter in to test. If it cooks instantly you are ready to put in your bread mixture.
Fry patties until it golden brown and turn over, repeating. Use pick for center to see if done (not doughy when finished-like pancakes).
Put onto plate with paper towels to drain fat and cool.
Cellophane noodles are made from bean starch and usually a delicacy, not a staple, like rice.
For a tasty treat, try this easy to make soup for your family. Hotness to taste of course; I like it quite spicy.
6 dried mushrooms, soaked til soft and sliced thin
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup carrot, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 cup zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 slices fresh ginger, cut 1/4 inch thick
4 oz chicken fillet, shredded into 2-inch lengths
2 teaspoons rice wine
1 1/2 tablespoons preserved mustard greens or Szechuan preserved vegetables
1 pkg cellophane noodles soaked for 30 minutes in warm water, cut in 6" lengths
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 pinch of white pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Heat a stockpot, then add the peanut oil and heat until just it is just beginning to smoke. Saute the ginger slices, and stir-fry the shredded chicken, until browning. Pour in rice wine then add broth, mushrooms and carrot. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add zucchini, preserved mustard greens, bean curd and cellophane noodles and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and seasonings and serve in a soup tureen.
Wonderful foods that please the palette and excite the senses (more than your everyday spaghetti or tuna casserole) are not necessarily more expensive or difficult to make. It just takes and adjustment to routine thinking and a little creativity. Here's one that's sure to please every bud on your tongue.
3 Cloves minced Garlic
2 Teaspoons minced fresh Ginger
1 Stalk minced Lemon Grass
3 small chopped Chili Peppers
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
1 Teaspoon ground Coriander Seed
1 Cup Green Beans
1-2 Cups Shrimp
2 Cups Coconut Milk
1 boiled peeled Potato
I large sliced (round) peeled Carrot
1 thinly sliced Yellow Onion
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon ground Pepper
1 Cup chopped Cabbage, white not red
3 chopped Scallions
Heat oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium flame. Add garlic thru turmeric and stir fry 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil.
Add potato, carrots, green beans and onions. Lower heat and cover. Simmer till potato almost cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
Remove cover and add cabbage, shrimp, scallions and salt and pepper. Simmer just until cabbage is tender, about 3-4 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.
From North Africa comes a recipe I have tried but twice but LOVED. Reminiscent of humus, made from chickpeas, I took to it quickly, as I love humus. This recipe uses Egyptian Fava Beans and is pretty flexible in the level of spice you use and you can even change the type of bean, if you don't mind a less-authentic but just-as-delicious effect.
4 Cups (2 #s) dry small fava beans
1/2 Cup split yellow or red lentils (rinsed)
2 Large Red Ripe Tomatoes, chopped
1 Yellow Onion, chopped (optional)
1 Bunch Green Onion, chopped (stalk and leaves)
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves fresh Garlic, crushed
1 Teaspoon ground Coriander
1 1/4 Teaspoon cumin
Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Ground Cayenne pepper or Red Pepper, to preference
1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro
4 Hard Boiled Eggs
Soak fava beans, covered, for 24 hours. Dtrain, rinse, before cooking. In a large pot, bring 14 cups salted water to a boil. Add beans and lentils. Boil for several minutes.
Skim foam off top then reduce heat. Simmer, then add tomato and onion. Cook covered over medium low heat for 6-7 hours. Keep checking to make sure not drying out. Cook until beans are tender.
Mash beans with potato masher or ricer, then stir in garlic, coriander, cumin, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Simmer and stir for a few minutes.
Place serving-sized portions into bowls. Garnish to your liking with cilantro, green onion, and sliced hard-boiled egg. Serve with warm pita bread. Serves 4-6.
Summer is the best time for a lazy, poolside or beachside, or cliffside (WATERside anyway) barbecue, grilling up some snapper, blending up some frothy cold drinks, and playing some Pablo Cruise, Dennis Brown, or Jimmy Buffet on the boom box.
Aaaah, can life get any better than a few laughs with some friends, a relaxed day in the sun, and a spicy grilled fish to fill the belly the way friends and fun fill the spirit?
3 Tablespoons of Boston Jerk Seasoning
3 cloves Garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
2 Large Red Snappers (4 #s) gutted, heads on
2 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Get a good fire going in your grill. Grease the grid or use foil, greased.
Mix scallion, half garlic, 1 tablespoon Jerk sauce, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice in a bowl. Spread 1/2 of this mix inside each snapper. Mix together remaining garlic, Jerk sauce, lemon juice, soy sauce, and oil as a baste for fish.
When fire coals are white hot, place fish on the grill, basting often during cooking. Grill fish until just done, 7 to 9 minutes each side. Serve with rice and peas or roast breadfruit.
1 Pound Ackee, make sure fresh and not poisonous (duh)
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
1 Large White or Yellow Onion sliced
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
1 Bunch chopped Scallion
1 bunch fresh Thyme, chopped
Steam fish until tender and virtually all salt is removed.
Drain and cool then remove bones and flake salt fish. Wash ackees and drain.
In frying pan, sauté seasonings, thyme, lime, onion, and scallion in coconut oil. Add flaked salt fish, ackees, and stir until tender. Serve with white rice or callaloo.
You've probably all noticed that Marbled, on this website, means a little spicier and a little more tart (lemon, lime, sea salt) - no pun intended. I'd like to think I'm not a tart-lol.
Guess Marble is a spicy gyal, can be sweet,
but more often HOT!
Onion, Green Onion/Scallion, Thyme, proportionate to taste and amount of chicken
3-4 cloves Garlic crushed
Scotch Bonnet Pepper, 1/4 chopped
1/4 Teaspoon Lime or Lemon Juice
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce Low Sodium version
Coconut Oil enough for frying
Pour off excess oil, pouring small amount into pot. Place brown pieces in this deeper pot. Add seasonings, onions, dark brown sauces, tomato, and remaining ingredients, plus 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer slowly, 10 minutes to 20 minutes, until chicken is tender, but not overdone or tough.
Serve with fried plantain and rice and peas, with slices of tomato and pear (large Jamaican avacado). And a frosty rum drink of course.
One of my favorite guilty carbs is breadfruit. I LOVE it! There are so many different tastes you can use with it, to suit any meal. After roasting or baking your breadfruit (poke a hole in at least 4 sides) serve up in the following manners:
**In a lemon, lime, dill sauce. Melt just a little butter in with some water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon dill flakes. Use as sauce for breadfruit upon serving.
**In a tonato sauce. Saute 3 large vine ripe red tomatos in a pat of margarine and some water, with a few tablespoons of white vinegar or escoveitch sauce, some soy sauce, and a teaspoon of worcestershire sauce until tender. Drizzle over breadfruit..
This healthy Chinese dish is perfect for any season, and will definitely spice up the routing in your dining room.
1 Pound Asparagus, with peeled ends
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
2 Cloves Fresh Garlic
2 Tablespoons Tamari or Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Fermented Black Beans
1 Tablespoon Saki Rice Wine
1 Teaspoon Corn Starch
1 Teaspoon White or Brown Sugar (pref. brown)
Cut asparagus diagonally in 2 inch slices. Blanch about 4 minutes in boiling water. Drain and set aside while washing and slicing mushrooms.
Mince garlic and rinse black beans. Mix garlic and beans then set aside. Blend the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, corn starch, and rice wine. Keep some water handy during next step.
In a skillet over high heat, dump garlic/beans and stir fry a minute, adding small amounts of water to avoid sticking. Then place in asparagus and stir fry for another 8-10 minutes until asparagus is nearly done, adding water as necessary.
Add mushrooms, stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the wine/vinegar mix and stir. Cook, stirring, until vegetables evenly coated and sauce is thick. Serve immediately.
The greatest thing about my recent move to Florida is the wonderful availablitiy of seafood, and the great prices. Seafood is my all time favorite and Florida has more native recipes for spicing it up than anywhere in the world. Try this one and i know you'll agree.
1/2 Pound Peeled Shrimp
1 Pound Swordfish or other fresh fish
1 Cup Tomato Puree
1/4 Cup Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Cup White Onion finely chopped
1/2 Cup Bell Pepper diced
1/2 Cup Scallion
1 Cup Chardonnay or other clear wine
1/2 Cup Celery diced
3 Tablespoons Fresh minced Garlic
4 Cups Tomatoes diced
A Bay Leaf
3 Tablespoons Basil
Heat oil in a large pot, adding onions, bell pepper, scallion, and celery. Saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute. Add tomato, tomato puree, wine, and bay leaf. Simmer for 45 minutes.
Add clams and simmer for 10 minutes, then add shrimp and fish. Simmer until fish is cooked through. Do not stir! Add chopped basil and season with sea salt and white pepper. Garnish with croutons if desired.
A beautiful little island near my home is called Boca Grande, where fishermen find some of the tastiest fish in Florida.
Here's a native Florida recipe I think you will love. Try it on the barbecue this summer.
1 1/2 Cups of Fresh Florida Orange juice
1/2 Cup Fresh Florida Key Lime Juice
1/2 Cup Fresh Florida Honey (THIS is a "fresh Florida" recipe!)
2 Teaspoons of Paprika
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt, dash of White Pepper
Score the top of the fillets in a large checkerboard fashion with 6 shallow cuts. Combine orange juice, lime juice and honey in a flat bottom container and mix well. Place fish in container with juice mixture and marinate for at least 1 hour in refrigerator.
Combine paprika, pepper, and sea salt. Place fish in foil on barbecue or in a broiler pan and apply paprika mixture liberally to top of fillets. Barbecue or broil 10 minutes for each inch of thickness of the fillets, until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Heat marinade to boiling, reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes while fish is cooking. Baste fish one time before removing from barbecue or broiler. Serves 4.
Time for some icy concoctions to drink poolside, beachside, cliffside.
Time for FUN!
Marbled Parrothead Jolly Mon Marble's Coobah Libre
1 Jigger Coconut Liqueur 6-8 ounces Cola drink
1/2 Banana blended with a splash water 8 thick slices banana
1 Jigger Coconut Milk/Cream Large Dash Lime juice
Garnish with shredded coconut, and Shake up with ice, pour
a cute little umbrella into tall chilled glass
Cut up 1/2 of a lime into wedges. Dip a glass brim into a small flat dish of shallow pulpy lime juice then immediately into sugar for a 1/4" coating on rim of glass.
Blend 2-3 ounces of white rum with 1/2 ounce Triple Sec, 4-6 ice cubes, and 1 Tablespoon Lime juice. Pour into glass when frothy. Serve icy cold to all your friends on the beach or cliffs. Or by your poolside, if you can't make it to Negril. After a few of these babies, you won't realize you aren't in Negril anyway!
Cut up 1/2 of a lime into wedges. In a blender, mix 1/4 Cup Key Lime Juice, 1/4 cup pineapple juice, 4 ounces of Appleton White Rum, or if you are adventurous, 3 ounces of Wray and Nephew Overproof, along with a tray of ice cubes (about 12).
After somehat chopped, toss in 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Blend until frothy and well-mixed. Pour into tall glass and garnish with lime wedges.
Over ice in a tall glass, pour 1 ounce of Absolute Citron, and 1 ounce of Appleton White Rum. Add 3 ounces of Key Lime Juice and 1 ounce of Tom Collins or sour mix, and drizzle with Grenadine syrup. Slice an orange, squeeze into glass and garnish with orange wedges. Yum!
SPICE OF LIFE PAGE FOUR
