Category: Food

Tasty Thursdays: Fish and Chips

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I love fish and every now and then, I’ll make fish and chips. But on my third trip to London, I realized I’d never had fish and chips there. I decided to remedy that.

After browsing books and talking with authors and sellers at the London Book Fair at Earls Court, I decided to head upstairs for lunch. I was pleased to see fish and chips on the menu and placed my order.

Fish and Chips for lunch in London
Fish and chips

How to Make Fish and Chips

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 Cod fillets

1 3/4 cup All-Purpose flour

1 cup Guinness

1 egg, beaten

1/3 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. milk

1 large russet potato

Vinegar or Tartar sauce

6 cups vegetable oil

The Chips

Rinse and peel potato. Cut up thickly, like steak fries.

Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in large skillet or a deep fryer.

Season potato with salt and pepper to your liking.

Cook potatoes in skillet 4-5 minutes or until crispy and golden brown, turning over to ensure that they cook evenly.

Remove potatoes from oil and allow them to drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Place potatoes in baking dish and keep warm in the oven.

The Fish

Combine 1 cup of flour, egg, milk, seasoning, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and Guiness in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk ingredients together until the mixture is creamy and without lumps.  You can add more Guinness to thin out the batter, if necessary.

Place remaining flour and salt in a shallow.

Season cod fillets with salt and pepper.

Dip cod into shallow flour dish, making sure to fully coat each fillet.

Dredge cod through batter mixture and back through shallow flour dish.

Fry fish in the same oil you used for the chips for 4-5 minutes or until crispy and brown.

Remove fish from oil and drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately with chips and tartar sauce or vinegar.

Enjoy!

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Tasty Thursdays: Easter Bun (and Cheese)

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

When I was growing up in Jamaica, certain foods were associated with certain religious holidays, days of the week, etc. For example, rice and peas were reserved for Sundays and special occasions, like weddings, parties, etc., rum cake at Christmas, and Easter bun for, you guessed it, Easter. Now, the Easter bun can be found in most grocery stores at any time during the year, rice and peas has become an everyday and rum cake can be bought at any time.

I didn’t always like Easter bun. learned to like it when I was away at university. And I started making it myself a few years ago. It’s not particularly difficult to make. I found two recipes that I liked in The Real Taste of Jamaica, by Enid Donaldson, and combined the ingredients I wanted in my bun.

So here’s my recipe for a popular favorite – our answer to the Hot Crossed Bun.

How to Make Easter Bun

Ingredients

3 cups flour
4 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. lime juice
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup cherries (you can also use mixed fruits)
1 cup Guinness  stout

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees
  2. Over low heat, dissolve sugar, butter, spices in stout.
  3. Mix flour and baking powder.
  4. Beat egg and mix all the ingredients together
  5. Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake for 1 hour.
  6. Remove and allow to cool.

Easter bun’s usually accompanied by a processed cheese that’s close in taste to Chedder but use the cheese you like. It also works with American cheese. Some people substitute butter for cheese.

Hope you can try this out and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

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Tasty Thursdays: Ambrosia

Posted on by Marcia Mayne
A photo of an Ambrosia salad, cropped from the...
Image via Wikipedia

Lately, nothing I cook satisfies my taste buds. But since I have to eat something and I’m not wealthy enough to eat out every night, I have to find something to eat.

I’ve switched to desserts. Well, one in particular – Ambrosia.

Ambrosia is a simple dessert that I can make almost with my eyes closed. What I love about it is the rich combination of sweet (I have a wicked sweet tooth), crunchy (chopped almonds), tart (orange segments and pineapple).

Basically, Ambrosia excites my taste buds and keeps them guessing.

See if you agree.

Ingredients

1 8 oz. can of mixed fruits, drained
1 8 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
8 oz. Whipped Cream
¾ cup of almonds (or walnuts), chopped
Small jar Maraschino cherries, drained (Save a few to garnish)
Marshmallows and additional fruits, e.g. orange segments, seedless grapes cut in half, etc., can be used for color, texture and variety
Cherry syrup to sweeten the whipped cream and add color

Directions

Chop nuts, set aside
Spoon whipped cream into a bowl, sweeten to taste with cherry syrup
Add fruits and half of the chopped almonds, mix thoroughly
Cover with Saran Wrap and refrigerate at least an hour
Garnish with remaining chopped almonds and cherries, serve

Enjoy!

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Neighborhood TrEats: Harlem’s Red Rooster

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

Whenever my friend, Anneli, comes to town, we always meet for lunch at a different restaurant. This time, I told her to come uptown to Harlem so we could try Red Rooster, one of the newest additions to my neighborhood.

One of award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson‘s restaurants, Red Rooster, features American cuisine with a nod to the rest of the world.

Facade, Red Rooster
Red Rooster, Harlem

I knew dinner would have been impossible without a reservation but I didn’t realize lunch would be so popular. At 12:15 when we arrived, most of the tables were already taken. But we only had to wait about 5 minutes at the bar until one opened up.

Crab claw on a bed of greens from Red Rooster
Crab Salad

Both Anneli and I had the lobster salad which had juicy claw and bite-sized chunks of lobster on a bed of greens. I’m not normally a salad person but this one was delicious and filling. I could have stopped there but a Pulled Pork sandwich was on its way.

Open Faced Pulled Pork Sandwich, Red Rooster
Pulled Pork Sandwich

The pork almost melted in my mouth.

Grilled Salmon on a bed of spinach, Red Rooster
Grilled Salmon

After finishing the Grilled Salmon, Anneli told our waiter that she was “in heaven.”

Slice of Apple Pie, Red Rooster
Apple Pie
Red Rooster Sorbet for dessert
Sorbet

I liked that the waiter didn’t rush the courses and once they served us, left us alone to enjoy our meal and catch up. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and had lots to talk about.

Red Rooster has an extensive menu. I’m curious about the Yard Bird and a few other dishes I noticed other people eating so I’ll be going back.

All in all, Red Rooster was a delicious way to spend the first 70+ degree day in 2011.

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Tasty Thursday: Ackee and Saltfish (Cod)

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

This dish has won me friends and lovers each time I serve it.

Ackee and Saltfish with Johnny Cakes

Every Jamaican I know either has an ackee tree out back or ackees in the freezer. And the ones “a foreign” have a can or two in the pantry and/or frozen ones they or someone brought back from Jamaica for them.

Ackee is a very popular and versatile dish. Serve on toasted bread for a tasty bruschetta or ackee and saltfish sandwich. Add a little curry to sauteed onions and peppers then mix in ackee for delicious curried ackee (no saltfish needed).

What’s ackee and saltfish, you ask? Well, it is Jamaica’s national dish. Ackee, a relative of the lychee, was brought to Jamaica from West Africa, probably on a slave ship. In 1962, it took pride of place next to the coat of arms, flag, lignum vitae, blue mahoe and humming bird as one of the symbols of the newly independent island nation.

Ackee and saltfish is made of two main ingredients: ackee and salted cod. As with most dishes, different people add their own twist. Here’s how I make it:

1lb boneless saltfish
2 dozen ackees or 2 cans
6 strips of bacon, cut up
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper, seeded
2 stalks of scallion, chopped
1 sprig of thyme
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
1/4 cup of cooking oil (optional)

Ackees

Note: Unripened ackees contain a toxic substance that is released when the pod is opened. If you’re using them, make sure they are completely opened, like these in this photo are.

Remove the ackees from their pods, discard the pinkish-red membrane and seed.  Wash and put them to boil in a large pot with saltfish that has been washed to remove traces of salt crystals.

You can also cook the ackees separately in lightly salted water or use the water from the saltfish.

(There are different varieties of ackees. Some really soft ones, so called ‘butter’ ackees, take just a few minutes to cook. Others are firmer and take a bit a little longer. You want to make sure whichever one you use, you don’t over cook them or they will break apart.)

Canned ackees are already pre-cooked so if you’re using those, all you’ll need to do is wash the salt off the saltfish then put in a pot with enough water to cover and boil, or soak overnight to remove the salt then boil. Drain. Flake with a fork or your fingers.

Fry bacon strips, remove from saucepan. Saute onions in same oil until tender. Add strips of Scotch Bonnet pepper, chopped scallion (leave some for garnishing) and tomato. Then add flaked saltfish and stir. Add the ackees. Season with freshly ground black pepper and thyme. Stir carefully so as not to break the pods. Lower heat and let cook for about 5-7 minutes.

Plate, garnish with chopped scallions and serve as an appetizer or main course with avocado wedges, bammie, fried plantains, boiled green bananas or Johnny Cakes.

Enjoy!

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Escoveitched Fish: Caught in a Pickle in Jamaica

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I love food and I love to eat. But I’m very particular about what I like. I nearly ditched my last year of

Scotch bonnet peppers, essential to Jamaican cooking

university so that I could stay in Barcelona. For the food.

In terms of spices and richness, the food in Spain comes pretty close to what I grew up eating and what my body responds to.

When I’m in Jamaica, one meal I enjoy thoroughly is escoveitched fish – not just any fish. For me, it has to be red snapper. I can eat it by itself, right down to the head and bones, no accompanying dish required.

When I was growing up, I’d watch my grandmother and mother prepare typical Jamaican dishes and though I couldn’t cook then, some of those recipes stuck and I replicated them when I began cooking for myself. But escoveitch I wanted to do just like my mother did – fried crispy (so that it crumbles when you bite it) then marinated, for at least 4 hours, in a mixture of vinegar, onions and pepper. Frying it until it’s crisp keeps the fish firm after it’s soaked in the vinegar mixture and when you bite into it, it  creates an explosion of flavor as tangy vinegar, biting Scotch Bonnet and sweet onions awaken the taste buds. Is the only dish I asked her to show me how to make.

Pimento, another key ingredient in Jamaican cooking

Escoveitch, derived from the Spanish word escabeche, meaning pickled, was brought to Jamaica by the descendants of Christopher Columbus, who claimed the island for the King and Queen of Spain in 1494. Jamaica remained a Spanish colony until the British grabbed it in 1655.

Evidence of Spanish presence is still to be found in place names like Ocho Rios, Savanna la Mar, Rio Cobre, etc., and in some of our foods.

The popular escoveitched fish is a tasty reminder of our Spanish heritage.

Here’s my mother’s recipe for this crowd pleaser.

Escoveitched Fish

3 lbs. fish

4 tsp. black pepper and 3 tsp salt, combined

2 or 3 limes (or lemons)

1 Scotch Bonnet or other hot pepper, cut in strips

1/2 cup oil for frying

2 cups vinegar

1 tsp. pimento seeds

2 large onions, sliced

1/2 tsp. of whole black pepper grains

Wash fish thoroughly in water to which juice of limes have been added. Dry thoroughly. When dry,

Escoveitched Fish

coat the fish on both sides and on inside with combined salt and black pepper. Set aside on paper towels. (Note: Paper towels keep the fish dry so the hot oil doesn’t pop and splash when you put it in.)

Heat oil in frying pan to boiling and fry fish on both sides until nice and crisp. Set fish aside in a glass dish.

In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sliced onions, peppers, pimento seeds, whole black pepper grains and bring to a boil. Simmer until onions are tender. Remove from fire and cool.

Pour over fish and leave steeping overnight (or for at least 4 hours).

Serve with festival (flour and cornmeal dumplings), bammie (made from cassava) or even rice and peas. Escoveitched fish can be eaten at any meal. I could get caught in that pickle any time.

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Jamaica: In Search of The Real Jerk

Posted on by Marcia Mayne
Scotch Bonnet, Maynefoto
Scotch Bonnet

The first thing I do when I arrive in Montego Bay is find a spot for jerk pork. I’d start tasting it, and yes, it’s always pork, before the plane even lands.

For years, Scotchies, a little joint about 1-2 Jamaican miles from the airport on the north coast road between Montego Bay and Falmouth did the trick.

But the last time I went to Scotchies (MoBay), my mouth watering in anticipation of the jerk pork that I knew would be succulent, seasoned through and through with the right balance of Scotch Bonnet peppers, scallion, thyme, a little mace and sugar rubbed in, then slowly cooked over pimento wood, I was disappointed.

While the pork was succulent, it was bland! Nary a Scotch Bonnet in sight!

Who ever said jerk should be this bland? By definition, jerk, The Real Jerk, must have a reasonable amount of the fiery Scotch Bonnet pepper.

A trip to The Pork Pit on Gloucester Avenue in town was marginally less disappointing. I blame the need to please visitors and make more money.

What’s Jerk?

Jerk is a way of cooking that was created in Jamaica. It involved rubbing the meat 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.

Jerk and drinks at Scotchies, Mobay
Enjoying the company of friends at Scotchies, MoBay

Jerk has been a part of my life since childhood. As a little girl, I remember a man (known only as “The Jerk Man”), who would ride around our district usually on a Saturday evening selling jerk pork – it was only pork then – from a pan that was attached to the handlebars of his bicycle. The pork was suspended on a mesh layer over pimento coals in a tray just below. We could smell it way before The Jerk Man arrived at our gate.

Sometime between my childhood and high school, jerk pork all but disappeared, perhaps because of the influence of Rastafarianism and their abhorrence of pork. When it came back in the 70s, it had expanded to include chicken, fish, even sausage.

In time, the knowledge of how jerk was made went from a few cooks, mostly male, who knew the (then secret) ingredients to a bottled wet or dry rub that became available locally and internationally initially to satisfy the palates of the growing number of Jamaicans who lived abroad.

But something got lost in the transition from a few local cooks to international recognition – everyone was free to put their own interpretation on what jerk was supposed to be. But I knew I could always count on finding the Real Jerk in Jamaica.

Not anymore. At least, not in any area that sees a lot of visitors. Something about wanting to make jerk palatable to them and therefore make more sales produce a jerk that’s nothing like how I know jerk is supposed to taste.

(A few years ago, even the Jamaica Tourist Board announced a culinary Jerk Trail, which allows visitors to sample the real thing.)

For true aficianados of The Real Jerk, come with me to one of my favorite places. It’s right on the border of Hanover and Westmoreland and called appropriately, Border Jerk. (I also have to mention Boston Jerk in Boston Bay, Portland, the jerk capital of Jamaica.) There you’ll get some good jerk pork. For those who don’t like pork, there’s chicken, Festival (flour and cornmeal mixture) and soup. If the jerk’s too hot, wash it down with a bottle of Ting, a carbonated grapefruit drink. Me, I prefer a rum and Ting.

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Jamaica: Little Ochie Delivers Big Taste

Posted on by Marcia Mayne
Way down on the southwestern coast of Jamaica, just over the Manchester border from St. Elizabeth is a seaside restaurant called Little Ochie (not to be confused with Ocho Rios on the island’s north coast).

Started in 1989 by Evrol “Blackie” Christian, this little spot has become a favorite destination for Jamaicans (some of whom travel 2-3 hours to get there) and visitors alike who are looking for freshly caught fish and seafood cooked to order.

Little Ochie boat table
Boat Table

Strewn on the black sand of Alligator Pond as if they had been scattered by some unseen hand, are canoes – the primary means of getting the fish that’s served and sold here – that now have been raised off the sand, outfitted with tables and benches, and sheltered by thatched roofs.

Once you place your order, for fish or seafood, and decide how you want it done – steamed, jerked, fried or grilled – it is prepared and brought to your table.

FoodieTuesday Steamed fish with vegetables Little Ochie
Steamed Fish with potato, carrots, okra, bammie
Jerk Lobster from Little Ochie
Jerk Lobster

I’ve had the steamed snapper and it is delicious. The jerked lobster is to die for but if you visit between April 1st and June 30th, you’ll be out of luck. It is illegal in Jamaica for anyone to have or serve lobsters, whole or in part — this is so that the lobsters can breed and replenish.

You can also select sides: roasted breadfruit, bammie or rice and peas. While you wait for your order, grab a cold Red Stripe, rum and Coke or any drink from their extensive selection, or watch the fishermen push off or return from fishing.

Little Ochie Boats
Pushing out to sea

Little Ochie is more than a restaurant, it’s an experience that delivers big taste without breaking the bank.

Little Ochie,
 876-382-3375
 or 876-610-6566

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Havana, And My Mojitos Sucked!

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

I love a good cocktail, especially one with a rum base.

So when I knew I was going to Havana, I was as excited about going as I was about all the rummy cocktails I knew I’d get to drink.

Cuba is, after all, rum country. It’s also home of the mojito, the daiquiri and the Cuba Libre – all made with rum and lime juice, my other favorite ingredient.

But it was the mojito, the perfect refreshing antidote to hot days, that looked forward to downing.

Unfortunately, my first Havana mojito sucked!

And it wasn’t just that it needed more sugar. We tried that and it still tasted ‘off.’

So did the next one at the second bar.

The mojitos I’ve had in New York and elsewhere – the taste I’ve come to love – are a delicate balance between rum, sugar, mint, lime juice and ice. Even allowing for slight variations in the taste of the ingredients and the quantity of each that was used, I couldn’t explain the big difference in taste between Havana’s mojitos and New York’s.

I was disappointed.

I just knew the mojitos in Havana would have been good, so good, I’d be drinking them instead of water. And I knew I’d be raving about them when I returned home. I just knew!

Instead, I found myself doing what I do when I’m out and can’t find my favorite brand of spirits, I revert to something that’s foolproof: in this case, rum and coke.

(Yes, even though Cuba has its own brand of cola, this American import is available, especially in tourist areas.)

Now, there’s really nothing wrong with my backup drink: rum and Coke or the rum, Coke and lime mix called Cuba Libre. But since my taste buds had been primed for weeks in anticipation of the mojito, it felt like a poor substitute.

Several days later, while we were having lunch in a hotel restaurant, I noticed something that to me explained why the mojitos tasted so different.

There, on the bar, were rows of glasses. Each had sugar, lime wedges and several sprigs of mint leaves. How long had they been sitting there, waiting?

Could this slow marinating of these two ingredients account for the difference in taste?

Even from where I sat, I could see that the mint leaves had wilted to a deep green and a brownish yellow was slowly overtaking the vibrant green of the wedges of lime.

I watched as a waiter walked over, picked up a glass, added rum and ice, muddled the ingredients and served it to a diner.

I’m not a purist. Neither am I one of those people who thinks food has to taste the same everywhere, you know, like McDonald’s?

Glasses with Mint

But you cannot convince me that that wasn’t the reason for the difference.

Tell me if you agree.

How about a braai?

Posted on by Marcia Mayne

About an hour after we left Durban‘s King Shaka Airport, we were at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Though only a short distance away, it felt like a different world.

As we exited, we noticed Stefan looking anxiously towards the arrivals gate then at his cell phone, as if trying to decide whether to make a call. We shouted his name and he turned and smiled widely. It was wonderful to see his familiar face.

Despite the fun we’d had in Victoria Falls, on safari at Hwange National Park, in Cape Town and Durban, Johannesburg felt as if we were returning home.

As soon as exchanged hugs and settled into the jeep, we – Sandra, Judith and I – began chattering all at once, like giddy teenagers tripping over each others’ words eagerly trying to get the stories of our adventures out to Stefan as quickly as we could.

Stefan had some news of his own. While we were gone, Shepherds Court, the guest house he owns and where we had stayed when we arrived in Johannesburg, had seen a flurry of new arrivals and was fully booked so he decided to put us up for our last night in Joburg at his pool house. He dropped us off then left to do some shopping.

We settled in and made our way to the kitchen of the main house and opened a bottle of Tall Horse, a local wine we had fallen in love with. The door bell rang unexpectedly. It was Thope. She had several bottles of wine with her and told us that Stefan planned to have a braai – a kind of a barbecue – for us before we left. A braai? We were excited!

In our two weeks in Southern Africa, we had not been to a braai. We hadn’t thought about it — it wasn’t even on our must-do list.

Finally, Stefan returned and more friends arrived. The men went about setting up and cooking ribs, pork, beef and boerewors (sausage) while we women remained inside drinking and chatting.

Once everything was ready, we moved outside to the covered porch area where the huge braaier was located and the party began.

We had eaten so much beef in Southern Africa, we’d joked among ourselves that we’d  have to take a vacation from meat when we returned to the States. But what’s a braai without meat? The beef was surprisingly tender and flavorful and hours later, almost all of it had been washed down with several bottles of South African wine.

After the braai
And several bottles of wine
Just before dawn

If we didn’t have plans to go to Soweto later that morning, we would probably still be there, chatting and laughing. We had a fabulous time. It was about 3 a.m. when we finally stumbled into bed on our last night in South Africa.

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