Prawns and Fish Tea

I was walking in Manhattan on my way to my doctor's appointment and got mesmerized by these lovely prawns in the fish market window, needless to say I went home with a decent pound and had the perfect recipe for that wintry day. In Jamaica we have an awesome fish soup known as "Fish Tea"well i decided to Susie-it-up with just a few other ingredients but chose to make the prawns the star.

Susie's Signature Prawns and Fish Tea

Side Kicks

The perfect side dish should always compliment the main dish just adding the right amount of "wowness" at  the end of each bite. I love taking a simple traditional side and making it have a whole new effect, sometimes by adding a particular herb thats in the main dish can create this awesome flow on your plate. These are some of my favorite sides.....

Thyme Roasted Potato Wedges

I love meat and potatoes, I love roasting them off with a bit of Thyme and some of my All-Purpose Seasoning 

Sautéed Corn and Mushrooms

By adding herbs like Cilantro and thyme and Scallion instead of just salt and pepper will make this dish pop all kinds of  flavor and lots of Island appeal.

Creamed Spinach and Kale

I added a little corn and some raisins for a touch of sweetness

Sautee some chopped onions and diced garlic in a little coconut oil, add the veggies until kale and spinach have wilted then add your cream, serve and enjoy.

 

Fried Sweet Plantain

Fried Plantains are always a favorite in the Jamaican meal whether for at breakfast with some Ackee and Salt Fish or at lunch with some fried chicken and even at dinner with a nice, juicy T-Bone Steak. When having plantains with fried chicken or fried fish, I would usually fry the plantains in the same pan giving it even more flavor.

Curried Cauliflower with Cashews and Raisins

Oven Herb Roasted Beets

Roasting the Beets with chopped Parsley and of course some fresh Thyme and a dusting of my go to seasoning gives this sweet, earthy veggie such an aromatic entrance to the dinner table. I roast them off in a foil purse to keep all the juices alive.

Fried Casava (Yuca)

Fried Casava

Casava aka Yuca is one of the most versatile root veggies, it can be roasted, boiled, grated and compressed as Bammy, steamed, fried, baked, pureed, and it also makes a lovely mash. The skin is a bit hard and waxy, not like  a regular yam so handling it with a knife requires much caution.

Today i'm frying the Casava and dusting it with some garlic salt and Thyme, super yummy......

1 medium Casava, peeled and cut into finger length pieces

3 Garlic Cloves, lightly crushed

Garlic Salt for dusting

2 Thyme sprigs

Oil for frying

Place a heavy pan on medium high heat, add oil and crushed garlic cloves. Add Casava to hot oil and fry until golden on all sides.

Remove from heat and place in a bowl, immediately add the garlic salt and thyme and toss to get all the Casava seasoned. 

Fried Casava can be had as is or with a dip or as a lovely side dish. Enjoy.....

Homemade Orange Extract

Orange Extract 

Making your own flavorings is so easy, whether it's making an extract or simple syrup. I've always wanted a pantry filled with homemade goodies, it's a great money saver and it makes your kitchen look like a gourmet wonderland.

Making extracts involves some kind of alcohol usually Vodka, Brandy or Rum, which gives a much longer shelf life. For my Orange Extract I'm using Vodka.

Zest of 2 large oranges (a simple grater works as a great zester)

3/4 cup vodka

1/4 cup water

1 tightly covered bottle or jar

Zest the oranges and add to clean bottle, then add the vodka and water. Cover and fasten bottle and give it a good shake and let sit for at least one week before opening. 

Tangelo Pastry Cream

Tangelo Pastry Cream

The Tangelo gives the cream such a unique citrus flavor. I chose to use Vanilla Extract instead of a Vanilla Bean with this one so the tangelo would be the star.

4 cups whole milk

5 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

3 oz corn starch

2 oz Vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg + a few pieces Nutmeg Maise

1/2 tsp salt

Zest of one Tangelo Orange 

This photo shows the Nutmeg Maise that I'm simply inlove with, it has such a subtle flavor , in fact,  I prefer using the Cinnamon Leaf and/or Stick and freshley Ground Nutmeg and the Maise, they fall in the same category as say the Vanilla Bean when it comes to great flavor.

Pour Milk in a Large sauce pan, add all the flavorings along with the salt and orange zest. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and set aside, giving all the flavors to come together. Return to a medium heat just before adding the egg egg mixture. You can now remove the cinnamon stick and the Nutmeg Maise.

use a spatula to remove any skimming on the surface of the heated milk mixture

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.

Add a small amount of the milk mixture to the eggs, whisking vigorously to temper the eggs. Add tempered eggs to the milk on the stove, keep whisking as the mixture will get very thick and can stick to the bottom of the pot if it is not being whisked.
continue whisking until the mixture has started a thick, slow bubble. Add another minute of whisking before removing from the heat.



Pour hot mixture into a large bowl and cover the surface of the mixture with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator until cooled.

When ready for use, mix with an electric mixer until the creamy texture returns with no lumps.

Another Noreaster

 Mother Nature can be so brutal and simply beautiful all at the same time.

My All-Purpose Seasoning

My All-Purpose Seasoning

This is my go to "All-star" and I'm not afraid to say that I use this in all my marinades and for seasoning my meats and veggies. Salt and Black Pepper just doesn't do it for me, so I'm sharing....just a "likkle".

It's basically Garlic Salt (Lawry's), ABSOLUTELY NO substitutes

a little Ground Black Pepper, and some freshly Ground Pimento (Jamaican Allspice). 

So there you have it.......cook with confidence!

Browned Garlic and Scotch Bonnet Dipping Sauce

Browned Garlic and Scotch Bonnet Dipping Sauce

This sauce has just the right amount of heat and robust flavor, the flecks of Thyme you get with every bite is so addicting.

1/2 Tbs pan drippings (from frying the chicken)
2 cloves garlic that has been browned with the chicken
1 tsp finely diced Scotch Bonnet Pepper that has been browned with the chicken
3 oz chopped onion
2 thyme sprigs, leaves separated
1 Tbs honey
2 Tbs Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tbs water

Add pan drippings to a small sauce pan on medium heat. Sweat the onion, then add the garlic, the pepper and thyme.

This is the pan drippings from my "Jamrockin" Fried Chicken

Add the other ingredients and let simmer for about 2-5 minutes, remove from heat and pour into a food processor and pulse until slightly smooth, it should be a just a little chunky.

Pour dipping sauce into desired container, grab a piece of chicken and enjoy.

My "Jamrockin" Fried Chicken

"Jamrockin" Fried Chicken

OK, this......is the chicken recipe that reminds me of my Granny's kitchen, sometimes she will coat the chicken so it's extra "cripsy" and so flavorful. but what I love is the way she would flavor the oil when it's being heated by adding in a whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper, you get the flavor but not the heat. I love it. I wanted even more flavor to my oil, so I made a few more additions.....
Try it, love it, do it again...... that's it.

8 pieces chicken, cleaned (remove excess fat)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
2-3 oz of My All-Purpose Seasoning
2 oz soy sauce
Oil for frying
1 whole Scotch Bonnet Pepper with the stem still intact and with no open abrasions
1 oz pimento seeds
3 cloves garlic slightly crushed

Pour oil in a large heavy bottom pot on medium high heat, just enough for a semi-deep fry, add in the pepper.garlic and pimento seeds.

Put cleaned chicken in a bowl, sprinkle on My All-Porpuse Seasoning with clean hands or you can use gloves, rub the seasoning into the chicken covering every nook and cranny. Wash hands thoroughly.

Combine flour and corn starch in a shallow container, start coating chicken pieces, shake off excess flour. Gently place coated chicken in hot oil, skin side down, but do not over crowd pot.

Fry chicken until both sides are golden brown on both sides. Remove the garlic cloves and the Scotch Bonnet to avoid them from burning, set aside for making sauce.

You can finish chicken in pot until clear juices run out when testing with a fork,place on paper towel for the excess oil or you could place chicken in the oven at 350 on a baking sheet until done.

Grilled Pineapple Yogurt Cake

I wanted a recipe for a pound and I came up on a recipe that I adapted from Manu's Menu it called for yogurt so it should be very moist. I have lots of Chobani Greek Yogurt in my refrigerator at all times so i thought it was meant to be...... it just so happens that a there was also a lovely Golden Pineapple screaming to be made into great culinary perfection ;0)

All my cakes will get a lovely sprinkle of baking spices, it's just the way I was programmed, unless I get a specific order for a plain, lily white cake, but this cake is fortified with just the right amount of punch, as there's also a generous drizzle of my Homemade Ginger Caramel Sauce that I had left over in the refrigerator.

Yogurt Cake

6 oz Pineapple or Plain Yogurt

2 oz Sour Cream or Heavy Cream

1 cup All Purpose Flour

2 cups Self Raising Flour (If you don't have SR Flour in your pantry, you can make it! Recipe below :0)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice for baking

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup milk

1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

3 eggs

Sieve together all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl

         Combine all wet ingredients in a large bowl, mix well. Fold or whisk in the flour mixture until smooth.

            Pour batter in a greased and floured 10" Bunt Pan and bake in at 350 for about 40 minutes
             or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for about 12 minutes before removing cake from pan.

Grilled Pineapple

1 ripe Pineapple

Grilling Pan 

How to peel Pineapple

With a sharp serrated knife, cut off the leafy top, then stand the Pineapple upright to peel the rough skin, you're going to have to run the knife just deep enough under the skin to remove the pits that are just beneath it. You can save and store the skin in the freezer for making a lovely Pineapple drink, recipe coming soon.

Slice peeled Pineapple in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4 inch thick half moon slices. 

Place grill pan on high heat. When hot, put slices on to make grill marks, 4-5 slices will do for a 10 inch bunt cake, place left over pineapple slices in a covered bowl in and store in refrigerator for a light snack.
Grill slices on both sides until slightly charred grill marks, then remove from heat. You will love the depth of flavor that grilling gives the pineapple, believe me.

Cut into small triangles to arrange around the cake, you can cut and remove the core which is a bit tough. I also poured on some left over Homemade Ginger Caramel Sauce

                                                                                             

Cut and serve in your favorite dessert bowl with a little whipped cream and a light dust of cinnamon......