Cayman Islands

One of the things that make the 3 island Caribbean territory known as the Cayman islands unique is that it has more registered businesses than it does people. It is a major international financial center. What it shares with the rest of the Caribbean is great food, highlighting fish, seafood, and fruity accompaniments. I chose to prepare salmon with mango salsa, and an avocado salad to represent this vacation spot. Grab your snorkeling gear!

The salmon is made using a jerk recipe. Jerk is a seasoning usually associated with Jamaica. I made it using a mixture of salt, ground allspice, ground cumin, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. I can give you precise measurements; but, the truth is, I eyeball it. I will list measurements below, as a guide. I use more than listed, because we like things spicy. Fell free to experiment.

Peel and dice 2 mangoes. Core and dice half a pineapple. Chop about a fourth of a cup of cilantro. Now, mix this all up in a bowl, and throw in a pinch of salt. If you wish, you can also add a cup of rinsed canned black beans, and 3/4 a cup of finely chopped red onion. I leave out both.

Now mix up a pinch of kosher salt, the allspice, cumin, thyme, cayenne and cinnamon, and rub all that good stuff all over the salmon. Broil it anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how much you want to burn it.

Plate the salmon, and cover with the salsa. 

JERK SALMON AND MANGO PINEAPPLE SALSA:

2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/2 pineapple, cored and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
4 salmon fillets (5 ounces each), skin on

Serves 4

On the side, I had an avocado and hearts of palm salad.

For the dressing, mix together a tsp of minced garlic, a quarter cup of chopped cilantro, 3 Tbs of freshly squeezed lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a half cup of olive oil. If you like, you can add half a tsp of sugar. I did not.

For the salad, pull apart 2 heads of Boston lettuce. Place the leaves real nice like on a salad plate. Divide a 14 ounce can of hearts of palm, and 4 ripe but firm avocados, and place them nicely on the lettuce. Drizzle with the dressing. Mmmm mmmm.

Add you own Island fun!

AVOCADO AND HEARTS OF PALM SALAD:

14 oz can of hearts of palm
4 firm ripe avocados
2 heads of Boston lettuce

DRESSING:

1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil

Blame Canada!

But seriously, folks...

There is one ingredient that I knew I HAD to use in representing Canada...maple syrup! That, and salmon. This was a simple, yet delicious dish to make. I decided to make salmon with orange Zest. Here's how you do it...

Buy a big, beautiful filet of salmon. Any variety will do. I picked siverbrite, for two reasons. One, the cost. Sliverbrite is half the cost of other salmons. Two, silverbrite has less oil that other varieties. Not everyone can handle an oil rich fish. depending on where you live, this may be called chum slamon. The down side is that this salmon also has less flavor. For what we are going to do withy it, that is just fine. I bought a 2 and 1/4 pound filet. It fed two, with leftovers.

Preheat the oven to 350. Put rack in center of oven.

Wash and pat dry the fish. Lay on a cutting board, and cut into small enough pieces to fit on a baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with foil. Put a second layer of foil over the first, and create a boat, or bowl effect, leaving enough to spare to cover the fish. Lay the fish out on this, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Now, drizzle fish with maple syrup. Sprinkle on some ground coriander. Take an orange, wash it, and grate the zest onto the fish. Use the outer skin of the whole orange. The fruit can then be peeled, and served as an appetizer. Finally, pour a shot of Absolut Mandarin Vodka onto the fish.

Snap the tough ends off a bunch of asparagus. Lay this on top of the fish. Fold the foil over the fish, and pinch the edges, creating a closed pocket. Bake for 20 minutes.

There now...wasn't that delicious. You can Blame Canada!

Cameroon Chicken

Okay...it's been a while. One of the reasons is that there has been a major change in the Chicken Coop. My wife and I have moved toward a gluten free, low carb diet. This has meant some catching up with the learning curve. Below is an example of a dish made famous in Cameroon, with some tweaks to make it Paleo friendly. It is known as Poulet DG. Poulet is chicken; and DG stands for "Director General". This African dish was once reserved for dignitaries. Now, it is enjoyed by the rank and file.

I used 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Traditionally, a whole chicken is used. From the produce department, I used 3 tomatoes, 3 ripe plantains...and I mean RIPE! They were were soft, yellow, with a few black spots. This is the major source of sweet goodness that goes oh so well with chicken. 1 small onion, three bell peppers. I used red, orange and yellow. I tend to stay away from green bell peppers. I chopped up a bunch of organic carrots, and some cilantro.

I cut the chicken into bite sized pieces, and browned it in some coconut oil. Then I added all the chopped veggies, and a couple of teaspoons of minced garlic. After a few minutes of softening the vegetables, I added a couple of cups of chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste, simmer for 20 minutes, and we had a dinner so good, it would make you want to slap your mamma, yes it would

Ingrediants: (serves 4; or, less, with left overs)

2 lbs Chicken
3 Tomatoes, chopped
3 ripe Plantains, sliced
1 small Onion,diced
3 Sweet Peppers, sliced
5 Carrots, sliced
2 teaspoons Minced garlic
chopped Cilantro
2 cups Chicken Stock
Black Pepper
Salt
Coconut Oil

Communing with Cthuhlu

Deep within the recesses of our ancient history lies a tradition so old that it may well have been practiced by those who knew their gods as only "The Ancient Ones". I am speaking of the practice of taking in the essence of our source of power through the medium of food. Vestiges of this edible edification can still be found in the Roman tradition known as Catholicism. There it is called communion. I invite you to call upon that Ancient One who has, and may again, rise from the deep. Bring to the surface this wonderful offering, Octopus and Olives with Linguini. Cthulhu will be well pleased.

Boil a pot of water, with enough to hold 2 pounds of chopped octopus. I purchased my frozen octopus at an H-mart, a chain Korean grocery store. Add some kosher salt, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and the octopus. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, and allow the pot to heat for 45 minutes. You will know that the octopus is ready when it is easily pierced with a fork. Drain the octopus, and set aside.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin oil in a skillet, over medium heat. Add a clove of minced garlic, and sprinkle in some dried pepper flakes. The amount will depend on how hot you want it. I like mine spicy, so I added a couple of teaspoons...and then shook kin some more. Saute this for a minute. Then, add the octopus, and a quarter cup of oil cured black olives. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in a quarter cup of dry red wine. I used Merlot. Again, I did add more later. Cook this for about 5 minutes, to reduce the liquid. Then, cover, and simmer for 10 more minutes.

While the octopus is simmering, boil a pot of water with some kosher salt. When it boils, add 1 pound of linguine, and cook until al dente. Add the linguine, and a couple of tablespoons of chopped parsley. Truth be told, I actually use the whole bunch of fresh parsley. I don't want to let the remainder go to waste. At this point, I add a little more olive oil. Toss all of this together.

Serve with a glass of Merlot, or Rose Red wine.

There...Cthulhu is well pleased.


INGREDIENTS:

Salt
3 cloves minced garlic
2 pounds of sliced, cleaned octopus (frozen is fine)
2 tablespoons plus extra-virgin olive oil
Dried red pepper flakes
1/4 cup oil cured black olives
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 pound linguine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Salt

Ingredients

• Salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 2 pounds octopus, cleaned (or substitute frozen), sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
• Hot red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

- See more at: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/spicy_linguine_with_octopus_and_olives#sthash.uQldJDdM.dpuf

Ingredients

• Salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 2 pounds octopus, cleaned (or substitute frozen), sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
• Hot red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

- See more at: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/spicy_linguine_with_octopus_and_olives#sthash.uQldJDdM.dpuf

Ingredients

• Salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 2 pounds octopus, cleaned (or substitute frozen), sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
• Hot red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

- See more at: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/spicy_linguine_with_octopus_and_olives#sthash.uQldJDdM.dpuf

Ingredients

• Salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 2 pounds octopus, cleaned (or substitute frozen), sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
• Hot red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

- See more at: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/spicy_linguine_with_octopus_and_olives#sthash.uQldJDdM.dpuf

Ingredients

• Salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 2 pounds octopus, cleaned (or substitute frozen), sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
• Hot red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

- See more at: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/spicy_linguine_with_octopus_and_olives#sthash.uQldJDdM.dpuf

Ingredients

• Salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 2 pounds octopus, cleaned (or substitute frozen), sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
• Hot red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

- See more at: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/spicy_linguine_with_octopus_and_olives#sthash.uQldJDdM.dpuf

Ingredients

• Salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 2 pounds octopus, cleaned (or substitute frozen), sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
• Hot red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

- See more at: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/spicy_linguine_with_octopus_and_olives#sthash.uQldJDdM.dpuf

Ingredients

• Salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 2 pounds octopus, cleaned (or substitute frozen), sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra
• Hot red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup oil-cured black olives, pitted
• freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 1 pound linguine
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

- See more at: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/spicy_linguine_with_octopus_and_olives#sthash.uQldJDdM.dpuf

Cambodia

This weeks stop is in Cambodia. Nestled between Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodian food is known as Khmer cuisine. This is one of the world's oldest cuisines. Khmer food is very uncomplicated. It relies on food that is both fresh and local. Like other Asian cuisines, Khmer cuisine relies on rice as a staple food. The use of spices is minimal.

To represent Cambodia, I chose to prepare Khmer beef, and Poat Dot, or, Cambodian Grilled Corn. I had some thinly sliced beef that I purchased from a Korean grocer. It was perfect for this recipe. If you use a whole piece of beef eye round, you may want to put it in the freezer for a bit. This will make it easier to slice thinly. Heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil, using medium high heat. Brown the beef for no more than a minute. 

Peel and thinly slice an Asian pear. Add this to the skillet, along with six sliced scallions, five cloves of minced garlic, four tablespoons of soy sauce, a tablespoon of agave syrup, two tablespoons of homemade curry powder (recipe to follow), and dry chili flakes. Stir fry for two to three minutes.

If you choose, you can serve this over rice. 

Homemade Curry Powder:

Combine the following in a small grinder, and grind for one to two minutes:

4-5 tsp Ground Coriander
2 tsp Turmeric
1-2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Black Peppercorns
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp Ground Cardamon
1/2 inch Cinnamon Stick
1/4 tsp whole cloves
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
  

    

Burundi...Beef and Greens in Peanut sauce

It's been a while; but I continue my trip around the world through my own TARDIS...my kitchen. This week, I found myself once again in Africa. This time, in the country of Burundi. The dish I chose is as simple as it is delicious.

Beef and greens in peanut sauce is part soul food, part Thai, and 100 % African. You can use any type of greens you choose...collards, kale, turnip greens, or something else along those lines. I chose kale.I boiled the greens for about 20 minutes, after taking off the stems and any tough veins. You may want to shred the larger leaves.

In a large saucepan, heat some vegetable oil, and brown the meat. Add the greens, a couple of table spoons of smooth peanut butter, and some hot sauce.

The meat and greens are simplicity itself. Add to this the peanut butter earthy sweetness, and the heat from the hot sauce, and you have a taste treat without having to fly to the Mother land.

INGREDIANTS:

1 lb. Beef Cubes
1 large bunch of Greens
2 Tbs Smooth Peanut Butter
2 tsp Hot Pepper Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Indian Shepherd's Pie

The other day, I decided that I did not want to go to the store, so I scrounged around to see what I had on hand. There was a pound of lean ground beef that I had purchased, meaning to make Korean burgers. A day later, this did not appeal to me. I also had some spinach and potatoes, along with my various spices. I decided that I would experiment and make an Indian version of shepherd's pie. I liked the result. My Hen was not as thrilled. I cheated and used instant mashed potatoes, and used too much water. The result was soupy.

Begin by boiling the potatoes, for mashing. I am constantly making the mistake of not letting the potatoes boil long enough. Do not do this. You can't mash a hard potato. Let the potatoes boil a bit before you begin to prepare the rest of the food. Once the potatoes have been mashed, set them aside. In a skillet heated on medium heat, add some oil. I used vegetable oil. I should have used ghee; but alas, I could not find it. Olive oil can also be used. Once the oil is hot, add a chopped onion, some minced garlic, and your spices. I used cumin, turmeric and garam masala. I like a lot of spice. Using a spatula, mix the spices with the onion and garlic. Then, add the lean ground beef. You can also use beef or lamb cubes. Once the meat has been browned, add the spinach. Okra would also be nice. Add the mashed potatoes to the skillet, and mix well. Add spices as needed and desired. I try not to use a lot of salt; but, many will want to add sea salt. If you feel the need for pepper, you can add that...but I like to let the other spices speak for themselves. You may also want to put the meat mixture in a casserole dish, and top with the mashed potatoes, making for a more traditional look.

The above is not the exact recipe I used; but, represents the improvements I will make the next time. I should have made real mashed potatoes.  I mixed some tandoori masala into the meat, and was less than thrilled with the result.

You can be as simple, or as complicated as you want with this dish. I chose simple. You can add yogurt, ginger, celery, tomatoes, lentils...the list goes on. Also, other spices and herbs can be added, such as paprika, basil, oregano or thyme. Cheese can also be added. This is a great recipe for using those odds and ends you have in the refrigerator.

I think you will enjoy this Indian touch to a much enjoyed dish. Namaste!