The Sweet And Heat Of A Caribbean Barbaque

 barbecue and Caribbean flavors go hand in hand. The sweet and spicy favors highlight all sorts of grilled means ,side dishes and desserts.In fact the word barbecue comes from the Taino people who inhabited most of the islands in this paradise. It's now time to try the paradises' great dishes,perfect for summer eating.

Grilled meats is the backbone of the region's outdoor cooking.Jamaicans add the spicy mix of jerk to everything from burgers to chicken.There are three main ingredients in the mix - Scotch Bonnet peppers,s allspice and thyme.Scotch bonnet is one of the hottest peppers out there and it what gives jerk it's eye watering bite. You can find it everywhere. Wal-Mart has it in powdered form. Nutmeg and brown sugar balance out this extreme heat.Onion and garlic give it a nice earthy, vegetal flavor. Try jerk chicken wings for a tasty meal A jerk rib sauce is a better alternative tom that gloppy overly sweet one. You will need ketchup,a wet paste jerk marinade, apple cider vinegar and liquid smoke. This jerk marinade consists of pimento scotch bonnet peppers, some kind of acid like vinegar and a variety of spices. Use clove ,cinnamon,nutmeg and thyme. sugar is also mixed in but you could use brown sugar for a more earthier sweet flavor. garlic also makes this sauce sing.Mix everything together and either slather on the ribs before cooking or dip them in the sauce after grilling.

Very barbecue deserves a table full of sides. A Caribbean one is no different. Try a corn dish with fresh corn right off the cob.This is just  using a sharp knife to slice  the kernels off and into a bowl. saute corn and garlic in oil for five minutes  In a small dish combine pineapple juice, milk soy sauce, sugar cumin and ginger. You can sub in almond milk for cow;s milk and brown sugar for the refined white.. Pour this sauce over the corn, cover it and then simmer for fifteen more minutes.. Add chopped green onions and cook for another five minutes. Salads are another perfect foil for all that fiery meat.A bowl of greens with a honey lime dressing and rich with such fruit as pineapple mandarins  and dried cranberries  provides refreshment to all that fire.  add some sesame seeds for crunch and if you want croutons. A simple salad with just pineapple and coconut also works along with a few sliced bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. for dessert try the sweet and creamy dulce de Coco Tierno, a Domincan treat made from tender coconut meat, condensed milk and regular milk.Coconut macaroons are another meal ender that would be perfect with iced coffee or tea. dip the macaroons in dark chocolate for an added treat.

The Caribbean is full of great recipes perfect for any barbecue. Whip up some jerk,Make a fruity salad and then create a sweet tropical influenced dessert. It s the taste of the islands in your back yard.

Your Fall Spice Cabinet

 The summer may have been spent cleaning out the spice rack or cabinet .Now it's time to refill with all those warming fall spices. What do get? Think richly aromatic and tasting ones,perfect for savory and sweet dishes.

Cinnamon is a must  for any autumn spice rack. It's a sweet earthy spice that can be bought in both ground and stick forms. What should you buy? Cinnamon sticks are a better choice. They're more flavorful and don't have to be refrigerated if you want to place it in the fridge. However  the powdered from is just easier to use in recipes and drinks. To be honest go for both. You can use the sticks for mulled wine and chair tea while the powdered is perfect for apple pies and streusel cakes along with sprinkling on top of foamy cappuccinos. Keep in mind that the spice can be used for savory as well as for sweet recipes.It can work well in a Bavarian pot roast adding depth and color to the meat along with adding flavor to Moroccan chicken.Nutmeg is another spice every fall spices cabinet ought to have.Like cinnamon it's sometimes better to have the nutmeg nut instead of the powdered version.The question is where do you buy the whole nuts? Some groceries will carry them. If not there is Amazon.Again it's good in both savory and sweet dishes. It;s even sprinkled onto layers of lasagna for more depth.It  is needed in the classic egg custard dish which makes for a perfect cool weather dessert.

What about pumpkin pie spice mix? Will you need it. Namely yes, especially around Thanksgiving when you bake those pies. The spice mix  can also be used for pumpkin tart and pumpkin souffle as well.Of course you can't forget pumpkin spice lattes which can easily be made hot or cold. Should you buy it already mixed or do you want to mix it at home? If you;re too buy them buy a small bottle of McCormick's if you;re too busy to mix and blend. If not it's just taking ground ginger, cinnamon ,allspice nutmeg cloves and , yes black pepper for a fiery and  yet subtle blend. Do you add sugar? You can if you want to ,Jut make sure it's the granulated kind. A homemade pumpkin pie spice blend is always a nice gift for someone with a fall birthday. You can also use the individual spices too. Allspice is a must .Its a great warming spice for such Caribbeans dishes as chicken jerk.It;s also  a must in Palestinian dishes such as braised green beans and chickpea stew. Yes it's perfect in spice cookies and gingerbread , desserts perfect on a cold October or November day. Ground ginger is another spice necessary in the fall spices cabinet.It's great in all sorts of Asian dishes and a must if you're thinking about making gingerbread cookies or cake.

Fall is fast upon us. It's the perfect time to create highly spice savory and sweet dishes. Make sure your cabinet is ready for these.

A Culinary Winter Vacation

 even though it's a tough time to travel you can stil travel around the globe. Cooking and baking make it easy to have a tast eof the alps or the caribbean. It's a fun trip all within the confines of your kitchen.

Many regret not heading to the slopes this season. You can definitely bring a taste of the Alps to your dining room this January. Piedmonte in Northwestern Italy is known not just for its' challenging and fun slopes but also for it's robust foods, perfect at any chalet.One of the best dishes is bagna calda, literally a hot bath of anchoviies, olive oil, a little butter and garlic.It's usually made in a fondue pot and doners are encouraged to dip their forks in. savoy cabbage, native to this province is what's usually dipped in but you can also serve cubed and semi roasted London Broil or steak with it.Have loaves of crusty Italian bread with it to catch the savory drips of sauce. Another tasty winter dish that can be served is pescoi meaning "not fish" in dialect. This is polenta and butter cooked in savoy cabbage leaves and then pickled ina vinegar and savoia (a type of herb) brine. across the Alps in switzerland there is fondue. This a a perfect date night  supper, made with white wine,  a mix  of Gruyere and Emmenthaler cheeses , nutmeg and lemon juice. You could add a splash of kirsch for kick. Cubes of French bread or boiled potatoes are dipped in. Even heartier fare is German  which can be a good bratwurst grilled indoors and served on a dark rye with plenty of mustard or sauerbraten, a rump roast brined in vinegar, water, bay leaves and sugar and sprinkled with flour. The drippings are strained with gingerbread cookies to make a tangy , sweet sauce,

If you;re dying for heat and the Caribbean then think of jerk. The heat alone will get rid of that winter chill. Try the chicken one which is a Jamaican classic.It's a fiery sweet mix of two Scotch bonnet peppers, cayenne pepper, onions, scallions,nutmeg and allspice berries.A pinch of brown sugar is added to temper all this heat.Serve with another Jamaican recipe, the side dish of rice and peas.This is a  of the two made sweet with the addition of full fat coconut milk and fiery with more of the famed Scotch bonnet peppers.There is also thyme in it and to round it out scallions and onions.Puerto Rico may be known for warm , sunny beaches and turquoise waters but it's also known for its' variety of tasty dishes and drinks.Mofongo is a national dish and is as comforting as mashed potatoes.Everyone has their own recipe for it but the basic one is ripe plantains mashed with garlic.It can be served with meat or just veggies.Empanadas are also found 9n this lush island.8tss sorts of like a Cornish pasties stuffed with chicken,  beef or mixed veggies,Finish with a Coquitlam, akind of rummy nog, made with egg yolks ,rum and condensed and coconut milks.

Your kitchen can be your gateway to international travel.Try any of these dishes to fell like you're on a trip,It's a great trip to a fun destination

The Savory SIde Of Fall Spices

 zit is the season for pumpkin spice and all the other autumnal spices. Yes, they're wonderful in everything from muffins to frostings. However the traditional blends also can be use to highlight savory dishes too. They're an interesting addition to any dish, giving an earthy flavor to main courses and sides.

Cinnamon has long been used as a savory spice. Indian cooks have used it for century in their main courses.Think about Indian butter chicken that not only has cinnamon to give it some spice but also cumin, tumeric and coriander. For a different side try the Indian style basmati rice laced with the spice. Meats such as pork can benefit from a dash of cinnamon. Try a pork roast  with a spicy mix of it, dried minced onion, rosemary, sage, and garlic powder. You can also try it on pork chops cooked with apples for a fall Sunday dinner. The Greeks also cook savory dishes using it . The famed dish patstitsio uses two teaspoons of ground cinnamon to this lasagna like dish. You would think it wouldn't work with the tomato added but it brings out the fruit's' flavor and also gives the ground beef an earthy flavor that sets the dish apart.Other fall spices such as allspice and nutmeg are also added , giving the dish a more complex flavor.

Allspice and nutmeg are the other fall spices liberally used in autumn baking. Yet allspice can be used also in a variety of dishes . Since it has a stronger taste it can easily be added in seafood dishes. It tempers other spices too such as cayenne. It also figures largely in Middle Eastern cooking.It gives lift to the traditional beef meatballs called kibbeh. You could also rub it on lamb shoulder or lamb chops for a different spin. Allspice is one of the ingredients in Caribbean jerk.This is an easily made spice mix that you can whip up in your kitchen. The spice is mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin and smoked paprika. Hot pepper flakes are added in for zing and bite.Nutmeg, the other and perhaps most subtle of all the fall spices, can also be used in main dishes and sides Think about using it in a seasoning for poultry, especially for turkey. It would make for a flavorful Thanksgiving  bird. It''s also a great addition to creamed spinach. Keep in mind with nutmeg you can buy the nut and micro grate it yourself or buy the already grated kind.

Fall spices are essentially for all dishes. Try them in savory ones to lit up ordinary dishes, They add a subtlety and warmth making for  memorable recipes.

Add Fire To Your Barbecue

It's summer and it's barbecue time. By now many have gone to their grills, enjoying everything form grilled steak to chicken to veggies. Yet it's still the same flavors that need to be livened up. add some spice and fire to your barbecue for some tasty and exciting eating.

One of the most interesting spice blends is the berbere, a common ingredient in Ethiopian cuisine. I've just discovered it as it's one of the main seasonings in Ethiopian lentil stew.It can be found on Amazon but you can make it in your kitchen. It's a mix of paprika, dried New Mexico chilies,cayenne pepper, and dried ginger. fenugreek, cumin coriander and cinnamon are also added along with nutmeg, allspice , cloves and garlic and onion powders. Just gently whisk together. Use it as a rub for rib eye or flank steaks. Add it to hamburgers for some sweet, spicy zing. You can also use the spice as a rib for chicken legs and wings for a different kind of grill and it also works well with veggies such as eggplant. Jamaican cuisine is also tongue tingling . Add a jerk rub to any of your barbecue. Jerk is usually a mix of  powdered garlic and onion along with cumin, allspice, nutmeg, smoked paprika and cinnamon. Brown sugar is always for sweetness to cool down the fire a bit. Sometimes parsley and thyme are also thrown into the mix. Jerk can be used on any meat, mostly with chicken but you can also use it on fish such a snapper.

If you want' a different kind of spice mix is the North African harissa. This is a Tunisian hot chili paste which starts off with tomato paste as its' base. A blackened red pepper that's been skinned and seeded is added as are  toasted and ground coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds.Sauteed red onions  garlic  and chilies are mixed and then blended together to form A smooth , ketchup like paste. a squirt of lemon juice is added. Harissa can be used on chicken as a marinade. Just add some olive oil and let the pieces marinate for two to four hours or overnight.  You can also use it on summer grilled veggies too.It's a great way of using zucchini and eggplant from the garden.It's also good on grilled bell peppers, adding zing and fire.Of course there is the Buffalo hot wing sauce which can be used on other meats too. Start with Frank's red hot pepper sauce and  butter cooked with white vinegar and Worcester sauce.Cayenne pepper is added for bite and fire along with garlic powder and a pinch of sea salt. The sauce is then cooled and can be used as a marinade for wings and drums.  Reserve some for dipping later. Keep in mind that hot wing sauce can be used on steak too.

Add some fire to your grilling. A spicy rub or sauce is just the thing for giving meats and veggies much needed zest. Try them for a different spin on barbecuing.

Kitchen Cleaning For A New Year

Rosh Hashanah is upon us and that means a new year, along with sweeping out the old. For other this transitional time, it means evaluating the summer foods and ingredients. Get rid of the old,  and prep the pantry and fridge for fall ingredients.

Summer is all about the barbecue sauce. If it's still warm where you are,keep on grilling. The stuff can last anywhere between six to twelve months, depending upon its' composition. However it can also be used instead of ketchup for burgers and fries.Yet it can be added in meat loaf ,meat  balls and hamburgers. It gives the meat a sweet tang and a spicy bite, which takes ground beef out of the ordinary .Another idea of what to do with barbecue sauce is adding it to shredded pork for pulled pork or leftover roast chicken  for a take on the first.This makes a great Saturday lunch, perfect with potato chips or a scoop of potato salad.Barbecue sauce also can be a key ingredient in homemade baked beans.If you bought jerk sauce for spicier outdoor fare, you can still use it  in a variety of dishes.Like barbecue sauce it has a shelf life of anywhere from six months to a year. Add to a chicken stew for some bite and excitement or even to tomato sauce to create a Caribbean version of arrabiata  sauce.

If you have a garden, then you know about end of the season overage.Luckily tomatoes can be  turned into sauce that can easily be stored in freezer.It can also be turned into salsa and even jam.What is great about tomato jam or jelly is that it also uses green tomatoes,This is perfect if you're cleaning out the garden and have a few stragglers.Summer's herbs, especially basil can still be used or ground into pesto.If you've made several containers of the sauce, remember that it can be added to tomato sauce and even mayo.Try a pesto flavored potato salad or hummus for a different take. Make an Italian BLT with pesto mayonnaise and subbing in pancetta for the bacon.Pesto also highlights seafood and fish, Consider serving mussels with the sauce or add it to a tuna and white bean pasta sauce. That sweet summer treat, ice cream, is probably sitting in the freezer.It has one of the shortest shelf life of any summer food - two to three months only.If eating it on a chilly day gives you the shivers ,consider serving it with a hot fudge or hot caramel sauce. Smuckers has some great toppings that can easily be warmed in the microwave. Another way to get rid of it, is adding a blob of it to hot coffee for a different take on a latte.Or put it between Nilla or chocolate wafers for mini ice cream sandwiches (for a bigger bite, use the monster cookies from your local bakery)

It's a new year and a new season. Get rid of the old summer ingredients and make way for the fall..There will be more room for what's ahead.

A Trip To The Tropics

Saturday's monster snowstorm has us all longing for balmy breezes with a pina colada in hand or a plate full of chicken jerk under a Caribbean moon. Even though we can't visit Hawaii or Jamaica, we can certainly take a culinary trip to their foods. In fact , there could even be a luau planned despite the snow!

Many think Polynesian and Hawaiian is just pineapple and poi.Its much more than that, we have the Hawaiians to thank for sea salt. They were the first to use it along with various fish and seafood. European settlers brought in pork and chicken which are the backbones of the cuisine.Try the Khal Bi an Asian (the cuisine is also heavily influenced by Chinese, Japanese and Korean settlers to the islands) dish of marinated short ribs. Butterfly short ribs and then let them soak for four hours in a marinade of soy sauce and honey , spiced up with garlic and ginger root. Sesame oil gives it its's smoothness Serve with a variation of somen salad, using the ultra thin  Japanese noodles (vermicelli can be subbed in) mixed with kamaboko, processed white fish  and shredded lettuce. You could also add pepper and tomatoes - yes they're grown in paradise too - and dress wit rice wine vinegar  and sesame oil. Torikatsu is another Hawaiian specialty that uses panko breaded chicken breasts served with a tangy side sauce made with A-1, catsup, along with soy sauce and sugar. You can add a dash of hot sauce for true tradition or omit it for a milder dip.

The Caribbean is another great winter destination. It gives us tongue searing jerks and spicy callaloos. Jerks are a blend of the super hot Scotch bonnet pepper, allspice and thyme. It's easy to make at home,however due to the pepper's fieriness, It's highly recommended to use rubber gloves.. Home chefs can sub in a pepper with lesser heat. Lime or orange juice is added to make it into a paste. For a true island zing  use a slug of rum for some kick and sweetness. Jerks can be used on everything from beef to chicken but it is a standard with pork.Some Jamaican recipes call for lamb and even fish.
Callaloo is a type of spinach, popular in Trinidad and Tobago along with Guyana.Luckily it's now found in markets every where and made with garlic and thyme. Scotch bonnet can be added to give it enough heat for a fireplace along with lemon juice. Try it Virgin Island style with eggplant , okra and sweet potato for a kind of veggie stew.For quick snack food , make Jamaican patties.It's a curry flavored crust surrounding a spicy chopped beef or chicken filling. It's a great weekend dish to  make and have with a chilled ginger beer.

Foodies can turn their kitchens into culinary getaways  by cooking foods of the tropics Try a sweet Hawaiian dish or a fiery jerk to remind one of balmy nights  and warm turquoise seas.It's almost like a vacation to your favorite island!

Cold Days, Sunny Meals

The temps are dipping. There's more night than light and the pressure of the holidays are coming  at full speed. It would be nice to escape this, take a trip to a warm happy go lucky island or exciting , exotic country. However that ' s impossible - or is it? Cooking sunny bright meals, from sunny bright places is a mini escape from  dull, chilly days.It's an exciting way to enjoy winter cooking.

One sunny bright place that has so many tasty recipes is Morocco. This corner of northwestern Africa has some yummy dishes that are easy to make. Cooking Moroccan may also be the perfect time to add a tajine pot to your kitchen arsenal. Everyone from Williams-Sonoma to J.C. Penney's now sell  them.  If you don't have one, no worry. A pressure cooker can sub for it. Slow cook a chicken with an array  of such spices as cumin and ginger.Saffron colors it to a blazing sun yellow  while raisins temper the spices kick. A plus is that it takes an hour which allows you to work around cooking it. A second  plus is that the recipe is bendable.You can use lamb or veggies instead of fowl.. Couscous is another dish that will bring to mind colorful bazaars and rainbow sunsets. Squash and chickpeas are added to this wheat semolina along with dried fruit and spices such as turmeric and cinnamon. For a light weekend supper try bagels with za'atar, an easy to make dip. This is a mix of sumac,thyme and roasted sesame seeds along with marjoram, oregano and coarse salt. Dip the bagel(it should be hand rolled , not those big puffy kinds) first in  a small bowl of olive oil and then the spice mix. Za'atar can also be sprinkled on eggs,, salads and veggies to zing them up.

Everyone love the Caribbean , with it's warm seas and balmy nights. To capture some of that heat , try making a few of the dishes of the area. Jamaica gives us the fiery jerk - which can be translated into a pork , chicken or chicken wing dish. You can buy jerk seasoning or better yet make it yourself. It's a blend of onion powder, chives, allspice and cinnamon. Cayenne gives it its' color and fire while nutmeg and cinnamon gives it a tinge of sweetness. It can be rubbed on the wings a few hours before.  Serve it with a tangy pineapple infused sauce. Jerk pork is another fiery dish, guaranteed to satisfy that longing for Kingston. It's taking pork loin, marinating it with a heady mix of Scotch Bonnet peppers, a mix of orange and lime juices along with  a blend of soy sauce and olive oil and then grilling it over an open flame (hopefully the grill hasn't been put away yet) Serve with a plate of hot festivals, a fried zeppoli like fritter that tempers the jerk's spiciness. Plaintains can also be served. These are a type of banana that are excellent prepared the sweet way with brown sugar and butter. Vanilla and cinnamon are also added to accentuate the taste.Plaintains can also be fried into a fun crispy chip too.

Let your kitchen take you to those exotic, sunny places. It's easy to make a tangine or jerk chicken and pretend you're in Morocco or Jamaica. Consider these exotic dishes a vacation for your palate.

Easy Peasy Spices

Spice really is the variety of life and also offers new spins on classic and traditional dishes.Blending different ones increases the variety and makes any lunch, dinner and even barbecue exciting.The best part is that you can use common ,available and affordable ones to create unique and exotic flavors. Mark Bittman wrote about this in his online column in The New York Dining section online.These are so easy to make and the only complicated step is toasting them in either a regular or toaster oven.They,represent the Middle East,China,the Caribbean,India, and even France. One ,za'aatar is becoming the mix of choice (as mentioned the other day in the Dining section and this blog). It's a mix of dried sumac berries, toasted cumin, and sesame seeds along with dried thyme and oregano.Dried sumac,unlike it's" American cousin is nonpoisonous and can be bought in Greek or Arab groceries.It has a tart, sour lemon taste but works well when mixed with other herbs.It can be used on kabobs and even lamb chops too. You can also use it in pilafs and on eggplant too.Another exotic blend is Ras El Hanous from North Africa. It is a mix of coriander and cumin seeds ,toasted and then added to cinnamon, Ginger, turmeric and pepper. Again, it is best on lamb but you can also add to rice or bulgur.For subtle spicing, try the Indian Garam Masala which is cardamon pods, cinnamon stick ground with whole cloves and nutmeg pieces. Cumin and fennel seeds arevalso added to . Caribbean spices or jerk are the most popular, most known and the most versatile for a fiery jerk rub.Its sweetness comes from ground allspice berries along with nutmeg.Thyme balances out the flavor.The fire and heat comes from equal pinches of cayenne and paprika along with Ginger, garlic and sugar tone it down somewhat.Jerk is wonderful on any meat from tilapia to beef to even goat.The French have quatre epices or four spices.This is a mix of black and white peppercorns, allspice berries and cloves.More spices are also thrown in.These are cloves,z Ginger and nutmeg.On the other side of the globe is China and Japan.Seaweed is added to the nori seaweed.These are sheets of seaweed that have been crumbled with salt and cayenne pepper.Remember for any of these blends you can use an old coffee grinder or for purists, buy a good mortar and pestle.Also keep in mind that ground spices are intense, use them in pinches when you start blending. Spice blends add zing and zest to any dish,whether it be just chicken breasts or pilaf.Make a fun blend to bring the flavors of the world to your table.Let their colors and tastes enliven any dish.