Month: November 2013

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Jerk Roast Turkey for Thanksgiving

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

For many Jamaican families in the U.S., the traditional baked turkey will not take center stage at this week’s Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, it will be replaced by jerk roasted turkey.

It started a few years ago. I suspect, because somebody got bored with the traditionally baked turkey and decided to add little kick to it. When you think about it, jerking a turkey makes sense. If you can jerk a chicken, why not jerk a turkey?

Well, that idea has caught on. Several Jamaican restaurants now prepare and sell jerk roasted turkeys on order.

Type ‘jerk turkey’ or ‘jerk roast turkey’ on your computer and the search will return several pages with recipes, how-to information, and videos. You can even buy a jerk roast turkey from Nieman Marcus and jerk turkey from Boars Head.

I’ve never had jerk turkey, mainly because I don’t like turkey.  I’d curious to give it a try but it won’t be this Thanksgiving. I’ve been invited to join a family for dinner and I expect the turkey will be baked and accompanied by the normal Jamaican fare  – curried goat, jerk chicken or pork, escoveitch fish, rice and peas, etc.

If you’d like to try making jerk turkey for your Thanksgiving this year, here’s a recipe I found at Saveur.com.

Jerk Roast Turkey


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Ingredients
  1. ¾ cup olive oil
  2. ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  3. ½ cup chopped scallions
  4. ¼ cup freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  5. 2½ tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
  6. ½ tbsp. dried thyme
  7. 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  8. ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
  9. ½ tsp. ground cloves
  10. ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, plus wedges for serving
  11. 1½ tbsp. soy sauce
  12. 6 cloves garlic
  13. 2 Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, stemmed and chopped
  14. 2" piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  15. 8 tbsp. unsalted butter
  16. 1 (12-lb.) turkey
Instructions
  1. 1. Heat oven to 500˚. Combine ¼ cup oil, sugar, scallions, ¼ cup pepper, 2½ tbsp. salt, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves, juice, sauce, garlic, chiles, and ginger in the bowl of a food processor; puree until smooth and set aside. Melt butter and mix with remaining oil; set aside. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Season turkey inside and out with salt and pepper and let come to room temperature.
  2. 2. Transfer turkey to a rack set inside a roasting pan, tuck wings behind turkey and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Brush turkey all over with butter, reserving some for basting. Pour 2 cups water into roasting pan and roast turkey, brushing once with more of the butter, for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350˚ and continue roasting, brushing occasionally with butter, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thigh, without touching the bone, reads 150˚, about 2 hours. Remove turkey from oven and baste completely with reserved sauce. Place back in oven and continue to cook until internal temperature reaches 165°, about 20 to 25 minutes more. Transfer turkey to a cutting board, and let sit for 30 minutes before carving; serve with lime wedges if you like.
Adapted from Saveur
Adapted from Saveur
InsideJourneys https://insidejourneys.com/

Nigel Spence, one of my favorite Jamaican chefs, does a deep fry jerk turkey and has created this video demonstration for how to make it. Chef Nigel owns a restaurant, Ripe, in Mount Vernon, where he makes and sells his jerk turkey. Deep frying a turkey is best left to professionals or cooks with a lot of experience.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Where Was I? Remembering November 22 1963

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

November 22 1963 fell on a Friday, like it did today. I remember because we were home from school and on Fridays, we had half-days off. I was playing ball in the backyard of the house we rented, with my new friends, Janet and Errol, brother and sister, grandchildren of the lady whose house we lived in.

I don’t remember who said it first – my mother or Miss Mag, the grandmother – or what their exact words were. Somehow, our young minds knew, we understood that something unprecedented, tragic, and horrifying, had happened.

The ball fell from my hands but instead of running to retrieve it we let it take its own path into the bushes somewhere. We were very competitive, Janet, Errol and I, we played hard. On any other day, the ball barely ever stayed on the ground as one of us would race to get it and throw it. That was our game. But on that Friday,  the news punched the fun out of our play. We stood there, as if planted to our spots, listening to the adults. I’m not sure for how long.

Looking back now, I doubt I knew before that moment who John F. Kennedy was. I was only vaguely aware of this country called America. Before that moment, I don’t think I knew anything about guns, or that someone could fire one from a distance with such precision, and cause such devastation. Before that moment, I’d never heard of someone being killed by a gun.

Something shifted that Friday. It wasn’t like the day we heard that a family friend had died and my older cousin announced that everyone, including those we loved, would die. I cried when I imagined the faces of my parents, my grandmother, my Aunt Joyce, who was like my second mother, and her children who were sisters being absent from my life. God gave them to us, I remember thinking, why would He take them?

This was different. It was bigger, monumental. More than anything, I knew and understood real fear. I clung to my mother that night, afraid to sleep by myself. And for many days later, I wouldn’t play outside. I was terrified that someone was just beyond the fringes with a gun.

I’m not sure when I adjusted to my new normal, a normal that included words like high-powered rifle and assassination.

I would hear those words again when first Martin Luther King, Jr. then Robert Kennedy, the president’s brother, were killed five years later. My old fears returned like bad gas. For a long time, I never wanted to step foot in the States, where I was sure everyone carried a gun.

Kennedy’s death, for me, marked the first of several events that seemed to make the world contract in horror and grief – the killing of King and Robert, the tragic and stunning death of Princess Diana, and the mind-numbing disaster of 9/11. They’ve become milestone moments against which other memories are pegged. I remember exactly where I was when Diana died and what I was doing when I heard about the planes hitting the Twin Towers.

I’ll always remember where I was on November 22 1963. I was in my backyard in rural Jamaica on a sunny afternoon playing ball with Janet and Errol. It was a Friday, like today, but it wasn’t like any Friday before, or since. Everyone says America lost its innocence that day. But it wasn’t just America. The whole world fractured and, like Humpty Dumpty, we’ve never been able to put the pieces back again.

Do you remember where you were?

The Animals That Caught My Eye

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I’d be the first to say that I’m not an animal lover so I was mildly surprised at the number of photos of animals I’ve taken during the last year. Here are a few:

The Cat at Croydon

A friend who was a cat owner used to say that cats were humans in an earlier life. That’s why they act so superior.

Cat
The cat at Croydon

As we sat listening to the Croydon Plantation tour guide talk about coffee growing and processing, this little cat jumped on the bench in front of me. I snapped this photo just before it walked away.

Jamaica Red Poll, YS Falls

It’s common, especially in the rural areas, to see cattle in pastures or even on or near country roads. YS Falls in St. Elizabeth, is not just a stud farm, it also has several heads of Jamaica Red Poll cattle. The Jamaica Red Poll was developed from Red Poll cattle that was imported from Britain in the 19th century to improve the local breed. I love their distinctive rich reddish-brown color.

Jamaica Red Poll Cow, YS Falls
Jamaica Red Poll Cow, YS Falls

I wish I had longer lens, but I couldn’t resist taking a photo with the egrets waiting nearby to catch dinner – small insects that the cow distributes.

Yard Fowls in Portland

There was a time when just about every Jamaican household had chickens, hens and at least one rooster running around. My family was like any in Jamaica – we also kept chickens and about once a month, we’d have one for Sunday dinner.

Cock, Boston Bay
Rooster, Boston Bay

Now it seems everyone buys chicken from the supermarket, or they’re raising day-old chickens that they feed round the clock. They’re ready to eat six weeks later. I prefer the yard fowl.

Black and white hen
Black and white hen
Brown Hen, Boston Bay
Brown Hen, Boston Bay

A Peacock at Appleton

As if on cue, it began drizzling just as we started the Rum Tour at Appleton Estate. I put away my camera and took the umbrella the tour guide gave me. Just then, I noticed a peacock several yards away. I wanted a photo but didn’t want it badly enough to get my camera wet. But when the peacock turned and began walking towards us, my friend held the umbrella. I was ready just as it sauntered by me.

Peacock at Appleton Estate
Peacock at Appleton Estate

Clydesdales in Falmouth

These Clydesdales in Falmouth moved so quickly, I hardly had time to get a second shot.

The Animals that Caught My eye
Clydesdales, Falmouth

 

Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way. – John Muir

Linking up this week with Travel Photo Thursday, which Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox organizes. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

 

 

 

 

5 Ingredients That Fire up Jamaican Cuisine

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Jamaican cuisine draws heavily on the culinary traditions of the people who have called it home – the Tainos, the original people, Africans, Spanish, English, Portuguese, Indian, Chinese, and our own Rastafarians.

However, almost everyone associates our cuisine with pepper, specifically Scotch bonnet. But you’d be wrong to believe that we rely solely on Scotch bonnet to fire up our food.  Here are five ingredients that you’re guaranteed to find in every Jamaican pantry.

Scotch Bonnet pepper – One of the hottest peppers in the world, Scotch bonnet got its name because it resembles the tam (bonnet) a Scott wears. The mature pepper can be green, red, orange or yellow. You’ll find Scotch bonnet in just about every dish, from soups to stews. Along with several other spices, it gives jerk its heat.

Pimento – Pimento is the dried fruit of the pimento tree. Jamaica is one of the main producers of pimento. In 1693, it was introduced to the market as a “sweet scented Jamaican pepper” but you might know as “allspice” because it has the combined flavor of cloves, nutmeg, pepper and cinnamon. We not only use the dried fruit, which we use mostly whole, we also use the wood. It is what gives jerk its distinctive, smoky flavor which you won’t get in packaged jerk sauce. We also use pimento to make a delicious liqueur.

Thyme – Another ingredient that revs up the flavor in just about every dish we prepare, from rice and peas to stews, soups and meats. Thyme is typically used fresh, sometimes dried but rarely ever bottled. You’ll find it in local markets bundled with a bunch of scallions, or you can buy it on its own. Let it dry naturally, away from sunlight, and store it in a glass container.

Curry – Curry here refers to the mixture of spices that is used to make curried goat, chicken, etc. Indian indentured servants, who came to island to work on plantations following the abolition of slavery, added curry, as well as roti, to our cuisine. However, the type of curry that is popular in Jamaica is a powdered blend that pales in comparison to the rich, textured curries that India is known for. The Jamaican curry powder has pimento, turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek and anise.

Jerk sauce/seasoning/rub – Like curry, jerk refers to the sauce/seasoning as well as a way of cooking. To jerk is to slow-cooking meat, traditionally pork, over a fire made of pimento wood. The fire releases the oil from the wood, which give the meat its distinctive flavor. In addition to the pimento flavor, the meat is also seasoned with a mixture of spices. That mixture, was until a few years ago, a closely guarded secret. After almost disappearing from local cuisine, jerk made an explosive return around the 1970s with an expanded menu which included chicken, fish and sausage. For many years, Boston Bay in Portland, was the place to go for authentic jerk. Now, jerk stands are as common as patty shops. The main ingredients in jerk sauce/seasoning/rub are thyme, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, and Scotch bonnet peppers.

Homemade Jerk Seasoning


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Ingredients
  1. 1 onion, finely chopped
  2. ½ cup finely chopped scallions, including green parts
  3. 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  4. 2 teaspoons salt
  5. 1 teaspoon ground pimento (Jamaican allspice)
  6. ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  7. ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  8. 4-6 Scotch Bonnet or habanero peppers, seeded and deveined, minced fine
  9. 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, combine all the ingredients and grind to a paste. Store leftover paste in the refrigerator in a tightly closed jar for about 1 month.
InsideJourneys https://insidejourneys.com/

Other ingredients you’ll find:

Nutmeg – The dry seed is used primarily in baking, while its outer shell is dried and ground to produce mace, another spice. Nutmeg is indispensable in Jamaican baking.

5 Ingredients that fire up Jamaican cuisine
Nutmeg

Coconut /Coconut Milk – In our house, we never made rice and peas without coconut milk, and it wasn’t the processed kind either. Whether you use the milk that has been extracted from shredded coconut or the packaged version, coconut milk is a must have in Jamaican cuisine.

Vinegar – Typically made from cane sugar, vinegar is a key ingredient in escoveitch fish. Vinegar, like lime, is also used to wash meats and fish prior to cooking. It is also used to pickle Scotch bonnet peppers.

Ginger – Introduced into Jamaica around 1525. By 1547, Jamaica was exporting ginger and was one of the three largest producers of ginger in the world between the 1930s and 1960s. The variety of ginger we have in Jamaica is thinner and several times more potent than that in the U.S. We use it in cooking and baking, and also to make homemade ginger beer and sorrel – two drinks that are popular around Christmas.

5 Ingredients that Fire up Jamaican Cuisine
Limes

Browning – Most Jamaicans use browning, which is really burnt sugar, in their Christmas or fruit cakes to give it that rich brown color. Some people also use it in oxtail. Use sparingly. Too much and foods will come out with a bitter taste.

Limes – used to wash fish and meats prior to cooking, to make lemonade, rum punch and sorrel.

 

How to Join the FoodieTuesday Linkup

Join the FoodieTuesday linkup by –

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Sometimes, It’s All in the Hands

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I started out with a clear idea of what I wanted to do for this week’s Travel Photo Thursday, but by the time I finished going through my photos, I decided to do something I call, It’s All in the Hands.

Our hands perform many different tasks throughout the day. But I’m fascinated by people whose hands pull nets full of fish, hammer nails or pound stone, keep tradition alive – ordinary people doing ordinary things with their hands. Here are a few I met during my travels.

I never tire of watching Fay, who I call the Peppermint Candy Lady, make peppermint candy from scratch. It’s a tradition she learned from her mother. She has taught to her son, who she believes will continue it.

Peppermint Candy - Adding color
Peppermint Candy – Adding color

I noticed him, moving slowly, determinedly in the heat of the afternoon, closing the distance between us, one hand clutching a string of freshly caught fish. This is a normal sight in fishing towns and villages in Jamaica. But with a large cruise ships docked several yards away at Falmouth Pier that day, it felt out of place. He smiled when I asked if I could take his photo. 

It's all in the hands
Fresh catch

When the guide at Holywell Recreational Park heard me say I’d never seen the raspberries that grew in this part of the island, he slipped quietly away, returning moments later proudly bearing a handful of beautiful fruit. These are a different shade of red than those in the U.S. but just as sweet.

Sometimes, It's All in the Hands
Raspberries

Limestone rock covers almost two-thirds of Jamaica. It was used in the construction of many of the old buildings in the island. I watched as this worker hammer a rock to get the right size and shape to patch a hole in a retaining wall.

Sometimes, It's All in the Hands
Breaking a limestone rock

My sister designs and makes jewellery; she also teaches. She works primarily in silver and has made most of the silver jewellery I own. I love her work but until a few months ago, I’d never watched her make any of her pieces. Here she’s showing a group of women how to make a simple necklace using copper wire and gemstone. I think copper wire is her new favorite material. 

Sometimes, It's All in the Hands
Making jewellery

 

Linking up this week with Travel Photo Thursday, which Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox organizes. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

 

 

 

Stir Fry Vegetables with Jerk Tofu

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

A few years ago, my extended family started a monthly gathering to cook the meals that we grew up on, the dishes that we don’t have as often because we no longer have the luxury of someone else to prepare them for us.

Each gathering was an all-day affair with reminiscences about growing up, side-splitting, tears-running-down-the-face laughter about who did what when, and plenty to eat and drink. The best part was you never knew which old favorite the hostess (the women usually did most of the cooking) would surprise us with.  

One of my cousins is married to a vegan. When it was my turn to host, I scratched my head for weeks trying to think of something that I could make that’s different from his regular fare. Turning to my cookbooks, I found this recipe for Stir Fry Vegetables with Jerk* Tofu.

Stir Fry Vegetables with Jerk Tofu
Chopped Vegetables for Stir Fry

The cookbook, Jerk From Jamaica, is from Walkerswood, a local company that makes spices, sauces, preserves and canned vegetables. Walkerswood takes its name from the community in St. Ann where it has its operations. The company sources its produce from local farmers and from its own farms in St. Ann and St. Elizabeth, processes them at the factory in Walkerswood, and distributes them in North America, the UK, New Zealand and other countries. The recipes in the cookbook are all made in their kitchen using their products.

Stir Fry Vegetables with Jerk Tofu
Serves 4


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Prep Time
5 hr

Cook Time
45 min

Prep Time
5 hr

Cook Time
45 min

Ingredients
  1. 1 tbsp Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning or Marinade
  2. 2 tbsp Palm, sesame or soya oil
  3. 1 lb Firm tofu, or Quorn, cubed
  4. 1 Onion, sliced
  5. 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
  6. Oil for frying
  7. 1kg/2lb (total of any combination)
  8. Vegetables - carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, green cabbage, pak choy, sweet peppers or broccoli
  9. 2 stalks scallion (optional)
  10. Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Mix together jerk seasoning and oil, add to tofu and marinate for at least an hour.
  2. Heat the frying oil in wok or suitable skillet.
  3. Deep fry the tofu cubes for 3-5 minutes and reserve.
  4. Pour out most of the oil and stir fry the onion and garlic, then begin to add the other vegetables, hardest first.
  5. Cook very lightly, add the tofu and stir in gently until hot. Serve immediately.
Adapted from Jerk from Jamaica
Adapted from Jerk from Jamaica
InsideJourneys https://insidejourneys.com/

Stir Fry Vegetables with Jerk Tofu is a simple dish that goes over well with most people. It’s light and flavorful and pretty easy to make. Once you prepare the tofu and chop the vegetables, the most time-consuming part is frying the tofu. Since we have to fry it, I usually let the tofu drain overnight to remove as much of the water as possible.

The next morning, I cut it into cubes no more than a quarter of an inch thick and smear on the jerk seasoning. Use a light touch here as tofu breaks easily.

Jerk seasoning can be either wet or dry. If you have dry seasoning, mix it with oil, as the recipe suggests, so it will be easier to spread. Whether wet or dry, spread the seasoning evenly and turn the tofu over to coat the other side. Once that’s done, set aside the tofu to marinate for about four hours.

The recipe calls for carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, green cabbage, pak choy, sweet peppers or broccoli but don’t panic if you don’t have them. I use what I have, which is usually broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and red and yellow peppers. The most important thing, I think, is to have a mix of firm and soft, colorful vegetables to give the dish variety in texture and color.

Wash and chop the vegetables and scallion and set them aside. I prefer to cut the onion into wedges instead of slices.

Stir Fry Vegetables with Jerk Tofu
Stir Fry Vegetables

Most of your work will be in frying the tofu. Once that is done, all you have to do is stir fry the vegetables. When I made this dish recently, cooking time was about 30 minutes. 

Stir Fry Vegetables with Jerk Tofu is a great one-pot meal that’s a hit on any occasion.  I’ve made it for Thanksgiving, Christmas and many gatherings. Hope you’ll give it a try.

What’s jerk?
Jerk is a way of cooking that originated in Jamaica. It involves rubbing meat (back then it was only pork) with a mixture of spices and cooking it over a pimento fire. The pimento wood adds a distinct smoky flavor. Jerk also refers to the spices that are used to marinate the meat.
These days, jerk sauce is bottled and sold widely and can be used to jerk fish, chicken, sausages, even vegetables.

How to Join the FoodieTuesday Linkup

Join the FoodieTuesday linkup by –

  • Posting a foodie photo on your blog
  • Adding the link to your foodie post in the link tool at the bottom of this post
  • Visiting participants’ blogs and leaving a comment and/or tweeting their post
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Mike’s Having a Contest!

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

In celebration of their 200th blog post, Mike (and Phoenix) at Past My Curfew are having a contest.

Mike's contest
Phoenix

You can enter by leaving a comment on Past My Curfew or posting something on your blog. But don’t take it from me. Here’s what Mike and Phoenix had to say —

“So, if you leave a comment below telling us about your favorite blog, you’re entered.  And if you post about the contest on your own blog, you’re entered again!

  1. This contest will run for two weeks, and will close on Thursday, November 21st.
  2. The winners will be picked at random using an online generator.
  3. One winner will be someone who leaves a comment below, and the other winner will be a blog owner who posted about the contest.
  4. The two winners will be announced on Friday, November 22nd.  Each winner will receive a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate.
  5. Multiple comments from the same person count as only one entry.
  6. If you have a blog, you may enter as a blog owner, and then you may also enter as a commenter.
  7. Saying that Past My Curfew is your favorite blog would be totally awesome, but it won’t help you win! Please mention a different blog so that we can spread the love.
Mike's contest
Can you say ‘no’ to a face like this?

So head over to Mike and Phoenix and enter.

Good luck!

 

A Meeting and Music at The Cloisters Museum

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Elizabeth and I planned to meet uptown at The Cloisters Museum & Gardens a few days before I was scheduled to leave New York City. A friend from the blogging world, we’d read and commented on each other’s blogs for several months before we met and strengthened our connection offline.

Talk about six degrees of separation? About a year ago, I was on the phone with Elizabeth arranging our first meeting when friend of hers arrived. Accompanying her was a cousin of mine that I’d never met. I still shake my head when I think how unbelievable that was.

The Cloisters Museum & Garden
Entrance to the museum

So I was looking forward to catching up with Elizabeth again and excited to experience The Cloisters with her.

A branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters Museum & Gardens houses a fine collection of medieval art and manuscripts, illuminated books and Flemish tapestries.

The museum was created from an endowment from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and built to resemble several European medieval abbeys. At least five buildings were taken apart, the bricks reassembled to create the museum which occupies its own campus north of Manhattan in Fort Tryon Park.

Despite a light rain and dark, ominous skies, the museum was bustling with people and activity. In addition to the beautiful tapestries, stained glass, sculptures and paintings for which The Cloisters is well-known, there was a sound installation of the reworked forty-voice motet, Spem in alium numquam habui by Thomas Tallis, in the Fuentidueña Chapel.

The installation, by Canadian multimedia artist Janet Cardiff, is the first presentation of contemporary art at The Cloisters. Forty speakers, one for each voice, have been mounted throughout the chapel, filling the museum with haunting choral sounds that seemed to follow us where ever we went. The installation will be on display until December 8, 2013.

The Cloisters Museum & Garden
View of Manhattan from The Cloisters

Elizabeth and I had planned to have a bite in the cafe and sit in the garden but the rain changed that plan. That only means that we’ll return when the weather’s better.

Visiting The Cloisters

The Cloisters Museum & Gardens is located at 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York. The museum is open 7 days from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Admission: Adults $25 (Recommended), free to members
Accessible to the M4 bus (The Cloisters/Fort Tryon Park), and ‘A’ train (190th Street station).
Free parking is available at Fort Tryon Park.
No flash photography allowed.

Linking up this week with Travel Photo Thursday, which Nancie at Budget Travelers Sandbox organizes. Be sure to head over and check out more photos from locations around the world.

Stewed Peas (Meatless)

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I love legumes and turn to them whenever I feel like taking a break from meat. Mostly, I make stewed peas, which is red kidney beans that’s cooked with spices and coconut milk.

Traditionally you make stewed peas with meat – pig’s tail, corned beef or pork, or chicken. But a few years ago, perhaps as a result of the popularity of the Rastafari’s ital way of cooking, which excludes meat, a meatless variation started cropping up on restaurant and cook shop menus.

Stewed Peas (meatless)
Stewed peas with brown rice and salad

But you don’t have to be vegetarian to like meatless stewed peas. Red kidney beans are so flavorful, you can enjoy it as a meatless stew or soup without much loss of flavor.

Making stewed peas

Soaking the peas overnight reduces cooking time. But if you’re unable to and have a pressure cooker, you can have them cooked in about twenty minutes. I love having a pressure cooker handy precisely for this reason.

The main ingredient in stewed peas is red kidney beans. As I explained in a previous post, what we call peas are really beans so I apologize for any confusion. Sometimes, I add carrots and spinners or potatoes, other times just carrots, especially when I’m watching my sugar intake as spinners (long dumplings) and potatoes raise blood sugar. Carrots can too, so keep that in mind if you’re diabetic.

For seasonings, I use scallion, thyme, Scotch bonnet peppers, pimento berries, garlic and a few thinly sliced strips of ginger. I love slightly sweet taste that coconut milk adds to any dish but you can leave this out if you prefer.

Stewed Peas (Meatless)


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Ingredients
  1. 1 or 2 cups peas
  2. 1 or 2 medium carrots (chopped)
  3. 1 sprig of thyme
  4. 1 stalk of scallion
  5. 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper
  6. 1 tbsp. Pimento Berries
  7. 2 cloves garlic
  8. 1 small Irish potato (optional)
  9. 1 can coconut milk (optional)
  10. 2 Bay leaves (optional)
  11. Water – enough to cook peas
  12. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  13. Spinners (long, thin dumplings - optional)
Instructions
  1. Pick out defective or broken peas and wash. Soak overnight. The next day, drain off the water, pour peas into a pot, cover with cold water, add garlic and salt to taste and put to boil. (If you’re unable to soak peas overnight, wash, add enough cold water to cover and put to boil.)
  2. Cook for about an hour or until peas are soft.
  3. Add seasonings – pimento, scallion, Scotch Bonnet, black pepper, and coconut milk.
  4. Peel, chop and add potato and carrots.
  5. Add thyme, and Bay leaves (tie together with kitchen twine or put in cheesecloth). Cover and let simmer for about an hour or until you have a nice, thick stew.
  6. Remove Bay leaves, thyme and pimento berries before serving.
InsideJourneys https://insidejourneys.com/

Stewed peas is really an abbreviated version of red pea soup. It is always served with white rice but it’s just as great with brown rice, and greens – steamed callaloo, spinach or broccoli, or a garden salad.

How to Join the FoodieTuesday Linkup

Join the FoodieTuesday linkup by –

  • Posting a foodie photo on your blog
  • Adding the link to your foodie post in the link tool at the bottom of this post
  • Leaving a comment
  • Tweeting this post using the hashtag #FoodieTuesday

Hope to see you at FoodieTuesday!

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