Acorn Squash with Apple Cinnamon Pecan Topping

I made this dish for one of the thanksgiving dinners I attended with my sister Tuedy. She offered to help me out, which she did, by tasting and giving me thumbs up. This delicious, you should try it.

Acorn squash is not very popular, simply because people don't have many recipes to choose from. So, with this in mind, I'm skipping the Jamaican touch and just creating a recipe using ingredients around me.

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash

1/2 Granny Smith apple

3 tbsp of butter

3 tbsp of brown sugar

1 cup of chopped pecans

1 tbsp of honey

Olive oil
Salt
Cinnamon

Method

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Wash and pat dry. Slice squash along the lines to make little pegs. Brush the slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt; bake for 30 minutes or until tender.

Topping:

Melt butter and sugar in a sauce pan. Dice apple and add to the mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes to allow the apple flavor to come alive. Add the chopped pecan, honey and cinnamon and summer for another 2 minutes. Add more butter if the sauce is too thick.

Pour topping over the slices of acorn squash and serve. Yum yum.

You can also use maple and walnut instead of the brown sugar and pecan. This was my original intention but Alexis, my friend, hated both maple syrup and walnuts. So I tweaked it.

Jamaican and other Tropical Fruits and Vegetables (Updated)

I was talking to one of my besties who currently lives in Jamaica, and she could not describe a passion fruit for me. So, it's
education time for everyone. I'll add fruits as I go along.

  s

Passion Fruit- Shiny yellow or purple exterior with a very tart pulp over edible seeds. This fruit has a lot of flavor and may be eaten as is, or pureed with water and strained for a refreshing juice. Give it a try, your taste buds will have a little party, I think.



The beautiful inside of a Dragon Fruit.

Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit tastes like an edible flower mixed with Kiwi and hint of watermelon. It's hard to describe because it so unique. Instead of reading my take on it, I encourage you to go out and try it.

Guava

 Hmmmmm....What can I say about these little gems? BOLD and "citrusy",  love them. These are packed with small edible seeds and are firm to the bite. Ripe ones can be green or yellow, depending on the origin of the fruit. We have a few in Jamaica. The yellow ones are deep pink on the inside and the green ones are yellow on the inside.

Papaya

This is great in smoothies and fruit salad. It's a bit pricey in the US, but worth the bucks if you are ever looking to try something new or unique. It's a hearty fruit with a burst of juicy goodness. Buy a small one and give it a try. The ripe ones are usually yellow or if green, will sink when you gently press into it.

Jicama

 Jicama is semi-sweet root vegetable that is quite popular in Latin America, and more so in Mexico where it is an everyday staple. One of my closest friends is from Mexico and she used to share Jicama with us during our college years; being the health nut that she is, we always had it raw and would never question its many other uses. Today, there are a ton of recipes online with different ways to prepare Jicama, be it fried, baked, boiled or sliced thinly for slaws, wraps and vegetable trays. Here is another picture to show what the inside looks like. It's cost me a $1.50 for one, and it is certainly worth the price. I will share a Jicama fries recipe with you in another post. Stay tuned.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings

 

 Here is an oven cooked recipe for one of Jamaica's world renowned dishes, jerk chicken. The term "jerk" in cooking, refers to a smokey spicy rub added to meats which are cooked over pimento wood. Since we do not have the pimento wood or smoke pan to cook this dish, we'll season with pimento seeds and bake in an oven. I also recommend that you use dark meat. This is a crowed pleaser!

 Ingredients

2-3lbs chicken Wings

Fresh Thyme

4 Stalks of Scallion 

1 Small Onion

1/2 of a Small Bell Pepper

Onion Salt

1 Tbsp of Browning (see picture above)

4-5 Tsp Jamaican Jerk Sauce (Mild or Spicy)

Method

Thaw meat and add chopped scallions, thyme, onion salt and diced bell peppers and onion. This allows the fresh seasonings to marinate before we add the jerk sauce and browning for color. I let this stand for at least an hour before I add the final two ingredients. Add the sauce and browning and allow to soak overnight or for at least 2 hours. Once marinated, bake covered in a 375 degrees oven for 2 hours. 

Check the meat after 1.5 hours, to turn each piece and drain excess liquid. 30 minutes to show time. Remove from heat after the full two hours and serve with your favorite side. I love festivals with this dish. Looks like I am going to have to post a recipe for Jamaican festival, soon :). For now, enjoy!

BNW

Chinese Chilli and Stone Ground Mustard Crab

 

Give this recipe a shot.

2lbs Jonas Crab (or whichever  you like)

2 Tbsp Chinese Chilli Sauce

1Tsp Whole Grain Mustard

1 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1 Cup of Water

Dash of Soy Sauce

 Method:

Buy cooked and cracked crabs or claws to ensure that the juices will get to the meat inside the shell. Combine water and all of the other ingredients and boil. Add crab and cook on medium for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before you eat. This is so tasty. The soy sauce adds sodium and flavor at the same time.

BNW~

Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

Every Saturday is soup day in Jamaica. We eat kidney beans, pumpkins, broth like, or seafood based soups. I love them all, but my preference is pumpkin and yes, seafood based soups. Today, I am going to share a pumpkin and chicken soup recipe. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breasts

2 Chicken Legs or Thighs

My mom would frown upon this, but, a can of pumpkin (we usually peel and cook the pumpkin ourselves)

4 Stalks of Scallion

2 Sprigs of Thyme

2 Gloves of Garlic

1lb Yam (not sweet potato, look for the caribbean coco)

1 Cup of Flour

2 Potatoes

2 Large Carrots

1/2 Onion

Grace Chicken Noodle Soup Base, or two chicken bouillion  

1 Whole Scotch Bonnet or Haberno Pepper

Salt

Method

Bring 1/2 gallon of water to boil. Chop chicken legs or thighs add to pot, along with garlic, onion and chopped potatoes and carrots. Cook for approximately 30 minutes. In the meantime, knead flour with a pinch of salt and let sit. Cut chicken breasts and  yam into small cubes and set aside.

Add the can of pumpkin and allow to boil. Once boiled, add chicken and yam to the pot. This may get tricky now, pull small pieces of the flour and rub between your palms to make little dumplings. Add them to the pot and cover and cook for another 30 minutes. 

Your kitchen should start smelling like a Jamaican kitchen on a Saturday afternoon :). Time to flavor your pot. Add the scallion, thyme, pepper (do not cut), and soup base or bouillion. Taste and add salt if needed. Stir and cook for another 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meet each other. Remove thyme and scallion and serve hot.

You can cut a corn cobb into 3 or 4 pieces and add to the soup with the dumplings, for a richer soup. I didn't have any on hand, but the show must go on.....

BNW~

Fun Beverages With a Caribbean Flare

These are some of my favorite punches and juices. I will continue to add recipes on this thread, so check back often.  To get started, hail to the black gold and green...RUM punch, a Jamaican favorite.




Jamaican Rum Punch

500ml (3/4 Bottle) Jamaican White Rum
750 ml  Pineapple Juice
750 ml  Fruit Punch
3 Tsp of Angostura Bitters
1/4 Cup Lime Juice

Method:
Pour contents in a large jug, stir and refrigerate.Serve chill






(Irish) Potato Punch

1lb Potato
2 Cups of Milk
1/2 Cup Condensed Milk
Sugar 
Vanilla
Nutmeg
1 Tbsp of Rum

Method:
Boil potatoes until they are tender. Drain half of the water and empty contents in a blender, add milk and puree until potato has dissolved. Sweeten and flavor with condensed milk, sugar to taste, rum, vanilla and nutmeg. Chill and serve.






Jamaican Style Carrot Juice

1lb Carrot
2 Cup of Milk
1/2 Cup of Condensed Milk
Sugar
Vanilla
Nutmeg

Method:
Boil carrots until tender. Let cool (do not drain). Transfer to your blender, add milk and blend until carrots have completely dissolved. Sweeten with condense milk, sugar to taste, vanilla and nutmeg. This is a preferred drink to accompany your Sunday dinner.

This recipe was one of my favorites with Sunday dinners. Some of my friends, not so much, they prefer to get the nutrients instead of having them destroyed in the boiling of the carrots. This taste better to me, so I am sacrificing the nutrients here and I will seek them from the solid portion of my meal. If you want to get the full nutrients however, see the recipe below.




Carrot and Beet Root Juice

1lb Carrot
2 Beets
3 Cups of Water
1 Tin of Condensed Milk
2 Tsp Vanilla
1Tsp Nutmeg (optional)
1 Tsp Almond Flavor

Method:
Wash and cut carrots and beets into small cubes. Add to blender with water and puree until the vegetables have completely shredded. Strain into a jug and sweeten with condensed milk, vanilla, nutmeg and almond flavor. Refrigerate and enjoy with a yummy dish.




Papaya, Mango and Orange Punch

1 Lg Ripe Papaya
1 Lg Ripe Mango
2 Cups of Orange Juice
2 Cups of Water
Juice of 1 Lime
Sugar to taste


Method:
Gotta have my mango. Dice mango, and papaya and add to blender with orange juice, lime juice and water and blend until the fruits have completed dissolved. Pour contents into a jug and sweeten to taste. Refrigerate and serve chilled. Yum :)



Pineapple Ginger Zinger

2 Cups of Fresh Pineapple chunks
3 Cups of Water
1/3 Cup of Fresh Ginger Sliced
1 Lime or Lemon Juice
Sugar
Sprite or Ginger Ale ( optional)

Method
Blend pineapple water and ginger until the chunks have Liquified. Pour through a strainer into a large jug, add lime/lemon juice and sweeten to taste. Top off with some soda for a nice little fizz (optional). Refrigerate and enjoy chilled.





Pumpkin Punch

My mom used to make this at least once a month. It is so rich and creamy and easy to make.Since the country is in a pumpkin frenzy, I think it is a good time to share this one.

1 Small Pumpkin (scale if you wish to make a bigger batch)
4 Cups Almond Milk ( sweetened vanilla)
Sweetened  Condensed Milk
1/2 Bottle Guinness or Any Dark Full Bodied Stout
Grated Nutmeg
Vanilla
Salt
Water

Method:

Boil Pumpkin in salt and water. When tender, remove from heat and let cool. Blend with water, almond milk and Guinness. Sweeten to taste with condensed milk and flavor with nutmeg and vanilla.

Jamaican Mango and Black Bean Salsa

Veggie time. I am a BIG mango lover. Mango in my meat dishes, vegetable dishes, chutney, by itself....all fantastic on my taste buds.  If you are not a fan, you can replace it when your favorite hardy tropical fruit.


Ingredients:
1 Large Mango
1 Cup of Corn
1/2lb Uncooked Black Beans or 1 Can of Cooked Black Beans
1/2 Green Bell Pepper
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1Tsp of Sugar
1Tsp of Lime Juice
Salt and Cayenne Pepper


Method:
If you choose to cook your beans, start off by cooking them ahead of time, drain and set aside. Dice the mango, and pepper and add to the beans. Add all of the remaining ingredients, stir and refridgerate for a couple of hours. Serve chilled.

Variations:

After you've created the colorful side dish above, you can add tomatoes, and carrots for crunch. I did both versions, but the simply black, green, and gold was more pleasant on my palate.