Tropical Foodies

Creole once, creole twice, creole shrimp stew

Tropical Foodies — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:33:20 +0000

Name: Creole Shrimp

Eaten in: Haiti/Caribbean

Foodie: Linda

This dish made me realize how ridiculous it was to only stick to the same few dishes because I knew how to make them or they came easy to me. It was flavorful, with melt-in-your-mouth vegetables, and pop-in-your-mouth shrimps, it was easy to make and I had all the ingredients at home already. Simple, yet unique, creole shrimp deliver a very distinct taste with everyday ingredients. Definitely a winner.

Creole shrimp

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Serves	6
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	1 hour

Ingredients

1 shrimp (cleaned, cooked)
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups canned tomatoes (peeled)
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
a dashhot sauce (e.g. tabasco) (I used a yummy Bajan hot sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions

1.	Sauté pepper, onion, celery, and garlic in butter.
2.	Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, prepared mustard, sugar, Tabasco, seasonings, and bay leaf.
3.	Simmer 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often. Add shrimp and simmer 10 minutes longer. Remove bay leaf.

Note

Recipe adapted from: http://recipes.caribseek.com/Haiti/creole-shrimp.shtml

Amazing bread recipe from Puerto Rico, Pan de Mallorca

Tropical Foodies — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:55:35 +0000

Name: Pan de Mallorca

Eaten in: Puerto Rico

Foodie: Linda

The coolest thing about Tropical Foodies is that we do not just travel geographically and explore how different people and different cultures transform the same ingredients, we also travel in history as we do get to see how past encounters or clashes
left their marks on a country’s cuisine. Through the waves of history, Spanish recipes and tastes were exported to the Caribbeans, and this is exactly what happened with this wonderful bread recipe. Mallorca or Majorca is a Spanish island, and yet, Pan de Mallorca is a staple in tropical Puerto Rico. if historical discovery is not encouragement enough, nothing beats fresh homemade bread on Sunday brunch.

Pan de mallorca

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Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter ((3/4 stick))
1 packet active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoons salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
2-1/2 to 3 cups flour ((plus extra to dust the work surface))
butter (to grease bowl and pan)
confectioners'sugar ((for dusting))

Directions

1.	Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the sugar, salt, egg yolks, milk, 4 tablespoons of the cooled butter, and 2-1/2 cups of the flour. Mix well.
2.	Lightly flour a work surface. Turn out the dough and knead for 5 minutes. Add enough of the remaining flour so that the dough is not sticky.
3.	Grease a bowl with butter. Pur the dough in it and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
4.	Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Set aside. Punch the dough down. Knead it on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 18x9 inches. Brush with the remaining melted butter. Roll up the dough from one short end and cut it into 9 slices; trim the ends to make them neat. Arrange the slices in the baking pan. Cover and let rise for 40 minutes.
5.	Preheat the oven to 375 F. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the rolls cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and dust with confectioners' sugar

Note

Adapted from: http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/01/sunday-brunch-pan-de-mallorca.html

Stuffed plantain boats, take this festive boat ride anytime

Tropical Foodies — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:14:37 +0000

Name: Stuffed plantain boats

Eaten in: Jamaica

Foodie: Linda

I would make these stuffed plantain boats over and over again, just to look at them. The combination of colors and shape create a pure delight for the eyes. But then comes the time, where the eating must happen, and there again, you realize that the dish tastes even better than it looks. That’s a pretty amazing feat. It is spicy, but not overwhelmingly so, as the impact of the chili peppers is attenuated by the softness of the plantain flesh. It is filling, without being too heavy and is also very versatile as it can easily be turned into a vegetarian or vegan dish. All in all, a festive dish, perfect for entertaining.

Stuffed plantain boats

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Serves	6
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	45 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish

Ingredients

2lb plantains, about 6 ripe and firm plantains ((1 kg))
1/2 cup oil ((125ml))
1/2 cup finely grated cheddar (or other) cheese, grated

Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 scotch bonnet or jalapeno chili, deseeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, deseeded and minced
1/2 green bell pepper, deseeded and minced
8oz ground pork (250g)
3 spring onions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Filling
1.	To make the filling, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scotch bonnet chili and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the bell peppers and sauté for 4 minutes until soft. Add the pork and sauté until the pork is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the spring onions and season with salt and pepper. Set aside
2.	Peel the plantains. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry the plantains until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3.	Preheat the over to 350F. Make a slit in each plantain from top to bottom. Fill each plantain with 3-4 tablespoons of the filling and sprinkle with a bit of the cheese. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until the plantain is cooked through.

Note

Adapted from Authentic recipes from Jamaica by John DeMers

Hearty, flavorful, yummy yams stew

Tropical Foodies — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:30:44 +0000

Name: Yam stew

Eaten in: West Africa

Foodie: Linda

Ragôut d’ignames, yam ragôut was an all-time favorite of mine growing up. I loved how the yams soaked in the tomato sauce but not completely so, thereby avoiding the curse of mushiness and keeping their heart dry as I drove my knife into each piece. Delectable experience made of layered tastes within one filling, hearty dish. This one-pot dish is even better the next day so make sure you make enough to also be able to enjoy the leftovers.

West African yam stew

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Serves	4
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	1 hours, 15 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish

Ingredients

1 yam (cleaned, peeled and cubed) ((smallish, ~ 2 pounds))
1lb beef ((for stews, cubed))
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
salt, pepper and chili (habanero) pepper to taste (I have seen recipes that call for grated ginger to be used as a spice, I think it would add a kick to the dish, but have not tried that variation yet)

Optional

carrots (sliced thickly)

Directions

1.	Heat the oil in casserole. add the chopped onion, garlic, chili and fry for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the beef pieces and fry until browned then add ~ 5-6 cups of water.
2.	Bring to a boil, then add the tomato sauce. When the sauce is boiling again, add salt, pepper and more chili to taste. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15mn.
3.	Add the yam cubes into the ragout. The water from the sauce will cook the yams as they absorb the tomato and beef flavors for about 20 mn.
4.	The yams are cooked when they are tender (try inserting a fork into one cube, it should glide easily). The sauce should be thick, with very little water left.

Note

Adapted from: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-ragout-ignames-boeuf

Curry puffs, or the best way to have curry a bite-size appetizer

Tropical Foodies — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:30:29 +0000

Name: Curry Puffs

Eaten in: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore

Foodie: Elodie

I first had curry puffs in New York City and I immediately fell in love with them. They were such a tasty appetizer that I decided to go on a quest for a recipe. Well it turns out curry puffs are very popular in Thailand and Malaysia and there are many many different
versions of it. You could choose to make the dough from scratch, or opt for purchasing an already made puff pastry. I chose the latter . You could also make them vegetarian, and adjust the filling to your liking as much as you’d like. I went with chicken puffs because those are the ones that I had in New York. The ones I made did not exactly taste like the ones I had, (I wonder if that restaurant would give me their recipe if I asked nicely), but they were very tasty nonetheless!

Curry puffs

Print recipe

Serves	6-8
Prep time	40 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	1 hours, 5 minutes
Meal type	Appetizer, Snack

Ingredients

½of a big onion
2 teaspoons of curry powder
½ teaspoon of turmeric
½ teaspoon of chili powder
½ teaspoon of cumin
½ cup of coconut milk
1 teaspoon of sugar
3 russet potatoes
½lb of chicken breast
salt, to taste

Directions

Filling
1.	Cut the chicken and the potatoes in small cubes
2.	Heat some oil in a pan, and saute the onions and garlic, until fragrant
3.	Add the curry powder and cook for a few minutes
4.	Toss in the chicken and potatoes, and turn for a few minutes until they are coated with the curry
5.	Add the sugar, and some salt to taste
6.	Add the coconut milk and simmer until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through
7.	When everything is cooked, lower the heat, and allow most of the liquid to evaporate
Assembly
8.	Cut the puff pastry into squares
9.	Add 1-2 tsp of filling in the center and fold the pastry over
10.	Seal the edges by twisting around or using a fork
11.	Brush each puff with some egg wash ( egg + a little bit of water)
12.	Bake the puffs at 400 F for 15-20 min or until brown