Connecting To Caribbean Cuisine

 Caribbean cuisine is fast becoming a staple and important part of the American table. Thanks to a heavy influx of island based immigrants, dishes made with oxtails and Scotch bonnet peppers are becoming everyday.There is a whole range to choose from thanks to the regions many different islands and conutries. 

Food writer and podcast host Korsha Wilson wrote about this interesting and flavorful cuisine in today's New York Times  Wednesday Food section. She writes that forty-six percent of Black immigrants or roughly around two million people are coming to the US , from the Caribbean.This is comprised of thrirteen countries stretching from South America to the Bahamas, with an area larger than Texas and Alaska combined. despite tis' size and diversity the area, especially the cuisine, has always been talked about in broad terms,. The chef  GUyanese bornTavel Bristol-Joseph knows this and is trying to dispel any stale tropes about the cooking. There are other first generation chefs who share his idealogy. They have backgrounds in fine dining kitchens and are now getting specific about each island's unique assemblages of culinary influences. This is evolving further reflecting at first the indegenous Taino cuisine and later the African slave trade and European dominance.

Caribbean cuisine, despite this long history hadn't really impacted American until the Seventies and Eighties One of the first was Lowell F. Hawthorne who brought about the Golden Krust fast food chain of Jamaican cuisine aong with the chef Norma Shirley who brought Jamaican cooking to New York City.Pastry chef, Paula Velez who also co started Bakers Against racism, experienced this. She wanted to embrace her Dominican heritage nmore fully so she blends ingredients from Santo Domingo with classical French techniques. She has carrot cake with a passion fruit glaze and plantain sticky buns.Oakland < California chef Nelson German highlights his native Dominican menu with the African influences . He had wanted to return to his roots after working in restaurants that featured Euroamerican foods. Some Caribbean chefs may not strictly adhere to all the traditional Caribbean recipes. They cna adapt to local produce and work with the seasons. That's what makes the cuisine special - the way it can adapt.

Caribbean cuisine is the cuisine to look out for. It's varied in it's flavors and influences. It's this mix that makes it so tasty and fun to try.

The Kwanzaa Feast

 Kwanzaa is a relatively new holiday yet it's packed with centuries of tradition. It centers around seven principles  such as faith and  purpose that should be practiced year round. with this holiday comes the rich tradition of food. Families are celebrating and cooking at home. Their tables will be filled with good food and good deeds.

Nicole Taylor , chef and author of The Up South Cookbook interviewed five families around the country for today's New York Times Food section. The holiday starts Saturday , December 26th with families eating and free thinking. The holiday itself began in Los Angeles in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, an African American professor who taught African-American studies. Dishes are plentiful and some include slow cooked meatless collard greens Trinidadian grilled fish and bread puddings. The special meal, karamu is held on the day ,kuumba dedicated to creativity. For the Orr-Frasier family of Portland ,Oregon, the meal will be a nod to parents, Rashad and Keita  North Carolingian roots. There will be jelly cakes along with pineapple upside down and red velvet ones. His recipe for coffee rubbed branzino is also featured, highlighted with a rub of medium ground coffee,onion and garlic powders and cumin. There's also brown sugar to even out the spiciness and then it's grilled for five to six minutes on each side.

Folami Prescott-Adams, of Atlanta Georgia gave her BBQ tofu recipe which are slabs of tofu slathered in a mix of melted butter, tamari and barbecue sauces. They're broiled for a couple of minutes in the broiler for a crisp on the outside , tender on the inside main course. Ms. Prescott-Adams cooks ten(!) pounds of it along with nut based meatballs and a vegan Southern stringbean recipe. For Maati Keprimeni Angaza  it will be vegan foods in her Brooklyn apartment. The young dancer will have curry potatoes and black eyed peas along with her step-mother's bread pudding rife with sweet potatoes and raisins. In Richmond Virginia, Janice Bell will have her grandparents recipes of sweet potatoes and corn pudding. she is a pescatarian so there will be fish on her table. Sisters Kerry Coddett and Krystal Stark Kwanzza will be vegan pancakes, shrimp and a mushroom lasagna(made with homemade vegan ricotta) shared with their younger brother. They'll also take out from Sugarcane with such dishes as callaloo, roti and plantain. They will also drink champagne too.

Kwanzaa is a time of thought and creativity. It's also a time of food. The holiday will be different this year but the food will be homemade .

Plantains An Easy To Make Treat

Plantains are the perfect side or snack. Yet many home chefs are scared off by them because they feel the fruit is too exotic. That can't be further from the truth.They're an easy make, especially when using an air fryer. You can have a tasty treat in minutes.

Plantains are basically a tougher cousin of the banana. They aren't as sweet and must be cooked. They can't be eaten raw. You can slice them, which is always good or mash them for mofongo, a garlic infused side dish.

Unlike bananas, which are bought when they're green or yellow, plantains should be bought when they're almost completely black or over ripe. The skins or peels are thicker than bananas' and must be cut or torn off. 

It's then slicing them into medium thick coins or slices . They're a bit slimier than their cousins so be prepared for an icky feeling.

For air frying, use a good cooking spray. I used Stop & Shop's brand.

I then sprayed the slices along with the air fryer's basket. The  recipe I used called for 350' degrees F. but after five minutes, they were not done. I upped the temp to 400 and cooked them for another seven minutes.. This is the result.

I added some sea salt  afterwards. You could also toss the plantain slices in a mix of olive oil and sea salt  first and then air fry.

They were a great side with the vegan chicken patty. The flavor was sweet and salty, the last thanks to the sea salt. The texture was a bit tough on the outside and mushy on the inside, but still tasty.I'm definitely making these again. and trying the oil and salt method  for a crisper slice.

Plantains are simple dish to make, Air fry a batch  to accompany dinner or for a different but flavorful snack. They're a quick, easy make that everyone will like.

Pereg Flours - A New Way Of Baking

Using an old fashioned recipe is sweet. Using old fashioned white flour isn't. It can lead to bad allergic reactions along with gluten based stomach problems. Luckily, there is Pereg Flours that allows home  bakers to bake without any worries or doubts.

Pereg is known as an alternative flour company, even though they also sell soups , bread crumbs and pasta among other healthier foods.It's one of the oldest , starting by the Pereg family in 1906. The company has a full range of gluten free, carb free, allergy free flours. These are perfect for those dealing with all sort of wheat related problems. The flours range from the ancient grains such as teff and quinoa to plaintain, coconut and banana. Old standby's like buckwheat are also sold along with the trendier almond and chickpea. I thought I'd give Pereg Flours a try and got the quinoa. This doesn't have the carbs of regular wheat and it's healthier.I thought  why not pancakes.I took the Lazy Cat Kitchen recipe and tweaked it a bit.

This is the quinoa flour. It has a custardy yellow hue and a silkier texture than regular flour.

A teaspoon of baking powder was needed as was a teaspoon of baking soda/

They were sifted together to look like this

Now it's time for the liquids. The Lazy Cat recommended a plant milk. I chose coconut milk, for both the low calories and creaminess. 

Two teaspoons of lemon juice were added to create a catalyst with the baking powder and baking soda. This creates a leavening effect that gives the pancakes lift.

Four teaspoons of maple sytup (actual maple syrup not the watered down version) gives the batter a subtle sweetness.

Vegan butter , made from coconut oil but tastes exactly like the real thing was used for frying.

The pancakes came out  OK not as robust as regular pancakes.

The taste was green and plantlike, Imagine the scent of freshly cut grass as a taste and you have quinoa. Before frying I added a sprinkle of Celtic sea salt to bring out the other ingredients' flavors.Of course I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and more maple syrup were poured over them.

 Next time I'll try Pereg's Buckwheat to maybe whip up a batch of blinis.

Pereg's Flours bring in a whole new era of baking. They'll help home bakers wean their families away from traditional wheat flours and embrace a healthier diet. Try their flours in any baking recipe and see the difference.