Damn Good Beef Short Ribs

6 lbs lean meaty beef spareribs
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbs flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tbs worcestershire sauce
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup catsup
2 tbs tomato paste
1 cup beer
1 cup chopped onion
6 garlic cloves minced
fresh thyme

Preheat oven at 350 degrees

Cut rack into individual ribs. Wash ribs and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the ribs with the flour. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown ribs on both sides. Remove meat from pot and drain the oil leaving about 1 tablespoonful. Satue onions and garlic until lightly brown(stirring frequently). Add the catsup, tomatopaste, water, beer and the worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the ribs, fresh thyme and 1 cup more water if necessary and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and place in preheated oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every 1/2 hour. Lower heat to 300 degrees and bake uncover for 30 minutes. Danm Good. Serves 6

Fish Patties

FOR THE PASTRY
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tbs curry podwer
1 stick butter (cut into small pieces)
2 tsp lime juice
3/4 cold water


FOR THE FILLING
1 1lb salt fish
1 green pepper chopped
2 large tomatoes chopped
1 onion chopped
5 galic cloves chopped
3 scallions chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tbs vegetable oil

Make pastry by combining all the dry indgredients in a large bowl. Add the butter, using a fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the cold water mixed with the lime gradually, tossing the mixture with a fork until a ball is formed. Knead the dough a few times. Break dough into two pieces, wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigertor until ready to use.

For the filling, soak salt fish overnight and then boil in fresh water until tender. Drain and flake the fish. In a large sauce pan heat oil. Add pepper, onion, garlic and scallion saute for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for an aditional 3 minutes. Add salt fish, thyme salt and pepper. Cover pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle. With a floured 4 inch cutter, cut 9 rounds. Spread a tablespoonful or more of the fish mixture over one side of the dough, leaving at least 1/2 inch border on the outside edge. using your finger or pastry brush, paint water around the border. Fold the otherside of the dough over and lightly press with a floured fork around the edges of the patty. Transfer patty onto a cookie sheet and reapeat the process with the remaining dough. Brush the top of each patty with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water) and bake for 20 mintues or until patties are golden in color.

NB: Salt fish can be brought boneless and skinless in order to eliminate some of the work.

FISH SOUP

1 lb fillet salmon (skin removed)
2 carrots chopped
1/2 cabbage chopped
1/2 lb yam chopped
2 potatoes chopped
1 handful macaroni
1 large onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 tomatoes chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 hot pepper chopped (optional)
3 scallions chopped
fresh thyme
3 sticks cloves
4 1/2 cups water

Wash and cut up salmon into chunks and soak in the juice of one lime. In a large pot, combine carrots, yam, potatoes, onion, garlic, celery and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. reduce heat. cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cabbage and simmer for an addition 5 minutes. Add salmon, thyme, scallions and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover pot and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Serve Hot.

NB: You can use any type of fish. My son happens to love salmon. He knows it delicious, but this dish is also very nutritious.

Stew Salt fish and dumplings

1 1/2 lb salt fish
4 tbs vegetable oil
2 large onion chopped
two large ripe tomatoes chopped
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup green pepper chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 small hot pepper chopped (optional)
2 fresh scallions chopped
sprig of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak fish over night in cold water. Boil in fresh water for 5 minutes. Drain (save 1 1/2 cups of the fish water) and flake fish. Heat oil in a heavy sauce pan. Satue the onions, peppers,and garlic for 8-10 minutes, add tomatoes, tomato paste and the reserved fish water, cook for an additional 10 minutes. Add fish and thyme simmer for 3-5 minute. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with dumplings and boil sweet potato.

Dumplings can be made with plain flour or flour mixed with grated coconut, cassava or cornmeal.
Here is the recipe for cassava dumplings:

1 cup cassava meal
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs soft butter
1/2 cupwater

Put a large pot of water to boil. In a meduim bowl mix together the flour, cassava, salt and baking powder. Rub in butter. Add enough water to make a smooth soft dough. Shape into balls and flattened. Boil in salted waterfor 15 -20 minutes.

I can never get enough of this dish. In my family we usually serve it on Thursdays for lunch.
Talk about good eatting.

Curry Pork

4 1/2 lb lean stew pork
2 limes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 bay leaf
fresh thyme
1 large onion chopped
6 garlic cloves minced
3 tomatoes chopped
1/2 hot pepper seeded and chopped
1/2 cup green pepper chopped
1/2 cup red pepper chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
4 tablespoons curry podwer
3 to 4 cups hot water

Pre heat oven at 350 degrees.
Cut up pork into bite size pieces and clean with lime and water. Squeeze the juice from 1 lime over pork and season with salt and pepper. Soak curry podwer in a little water. Heat oil in a large pot until very hot. Add curry mixture to hot oil stirring frequently cooking for about 1 -2 minutes until a thick paste has formed (do not burn). Add pork to the curry paste, stir well until the pork is coated with the curry paste. Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, celery,thyme bay leaf and peppers. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. The pork will spring its own water while simmering. After simmering for 10 minutes, add 3 to 4 cups water stir well, cover and place in a preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Stir well, reduce heat and baked to 300 degrees and bake for an addition 30 minutes. Pork should be tender by then. Serve over white rice with avacado and a green salad. Make 6 servings

Lentils Bean Salad

1 lb brown dry lentils (cooked and drained)
1 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced red pepper
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper (to taste)

Combine the first six ingredients. Mix together the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper.
Pour over the lentils mixture and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Add more seasoning if necessary to adjust to your taste. Servers 6-8

Goat Water

10 lb goat meat (mutton)
2 lb carrots chopped
2 lb breadfruit peel and chopped
1 lb onions chopped
6 garlic clove minced
6 celery stalks chopped
1 lb cooking tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
gravy browning
2 whole hot peppers
4 chicken cubes
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 lb flour
4 tbs butter
fresh thyme and scallions
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and cut meat into serving pieces. Season with salt and pepper and set aside for 1/2 hour. Brown meat in hot oil. Put meat in a large pot, add enough water to cover meat and simmer for 2 hours. Saute carrots, breadfruit, garlic and onions in butter and add to the simmering meat. If necessary, add just enough hot water to keep the meat covered. Add fresh thyme, scallions, celery, tomatoes and whole peppers. Make a smooth paste with 3tables spoons of flour a little water and 3 table spoons of gravy browning and add it to the stew. Make droppers with the remaining flour and add them to the pot. Add cubes and ketchup, continue to simmer until the meat is very tender and stew is thickened. The stew should be brown in color. Remove hot peppers.
Serve hot with dinner rolls.

DROPPERS: Another name we use for making small dumplings. They got the name droppers from they way they were dropped into stews. Droppers are a made from flour, salt and water combine. The dough is stirred together until a smooth , sticky ball is formed. With a spoon you then cut off small pieces and drop them in the stew.

Goat Water is a very popular dish in St Kitts. This is still one of the dishes that you can only get on a Friday and Saturday afternoons. It is also very popular for weddings, fetes and other festive occasions.

Cook Up Rice

1 lb pound rice
1/2 lb green pigeon peas
1 lb salted pig tail (soaked)
1/2 lb chicken wing
1/2 lb spinach chopped
2 cups diced pumkin
2 large carrots chopped
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
fresh thyme and scillion chopped
2 tbs butter
8 cups water

Pig tail should soak overnight before cooking. Clean chicken with lime juice and water, season with salt and pepper. Wash the pig tail and cut up into small pieces and cook in 8 cups of water. While the pig tail is simmering, heat the butter in a large pot and saute the carrots, spinach, pumkin, onion, green pepper, peas and chicken. Add to the simmering pig tail and continue to simmer for 45 minutes. Add rice, thyme and scallions, salt to taste and stir well. Cover and cook until the water has absorb and the rice grains are tender. Serve hot with slices of avocado and tomatoes. Serves 8

Lentil Soup

1 lb brown lentils
3 quarts water
2 onions chopped
6 large garlic clove crushed
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3 tbs cilantro
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 hot pepper seeded and chopped
2 large carrots chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sort and wash lentils. In a large pot combine lentils, 3 quarts water and salt, bring to a boil. Cover pot and simmer for an hour. In the meantime, heat oil in a frying pan. Add onions, garlic, carrots and bay leaf, and saute, stirring often until onions begin to color, about 3-4 minutes. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin cook over low heat for about 2 minutes. Stir the mixture into the soup along with the cilantro and the hot pepper and simmer for another hour or until the lentils are tender.

Serve soup hot with fresh lime juice and garnish with the parsley. The soup should be a bit crunchy. Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste if necessary. My son love to put a little sour cream in his. (totally optional) Serves 6 to 8

One Pot Meals

Some of my favorite meals are one pot meals ( everything is cooked in the same pot). There is a certain sweetness when I take a fork full of rice and peas or a spoon full of soup and just wait for my mouth to explore with flavors. Here are some of my favorites.

Cook-up (rice, lentils and chicken)

1 (2 lbs) whole frying chicken, cut into pieces
2 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped
3 garlic gloves chopped
fresh thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 fresh hot pepper, seed and chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 lb dry brown lentils
2 cups rice
4 cups water

Sort and was lentils and set aside. Wash and season chicken with lime juice, salt and pepper.
Saute chicken in hot oil until brown on both sides. Add onion and garlic and continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cumin and oregano. Cover and let chicken cook for about 10 minutes on low fire. Add lentils, water, thyme and hot pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.
Add more water if need. When lentils are tender, add two cups rice, and a little salt. Cover and cooked till all the water have absorb and rice grains are tender. SERVES 6

OXTAIL SOUP

While reading the Dining Out section in the New York Times yesterday, I came across a Korean recipe for oxtail soup. I love oxtail. Some people are a bit turned off by the name, however, once prepared properly it is simply one of the most mouth watering dishes I have ever had. In most caribbean islands oxtail is prepared as a soup (one pot meal) or as a stew served with rice and peas or with white rice and a salad. Here is my version of ox tail soup.


OX TAIL SOUP
COOKING TIME: 2 1/2 HOURS

2 ox tails, cut into small pieces
8-10 cups water
2 large carrots chopped
1/2 lb yam
1/2 lb potatoes chopped
1 sweet pepper chopped
1 hot pepper (optional)
1/4 cup oil
4 Tbsps. sugar
2 large onions chopped
6 garlic cloves crushed
fresh thyme, parsley, marjoram
2 celerly ribs chopped
1/2 lb flour (for dumpling)
salt and pepper to taste


Clean oxtail with lime and wash properly. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large stock pot, add sugar and cook for about 2-3 minutes until caramelized. Add oxtail, cooking until coated with caramel. Add onions, garlic, sweet pepper,celery, thyme and marjoram and cook 2-3 minutes, add 8 cups of water (enough to cover meat). Bring to boil; add hot pepper whole, yam, carrots and potatoes, simmer covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until meat is tender. Make dumplings and add. Simmer for 1/2 hour more. Remove whole hot pepper if used (be really careful not to burst the pepper). Broth can be thickened (if necessary) with a little flour and butter mixed together. Season with salt. SERVES 6.