Vindaloo and Curry Coconut Seafood Stew

I made this pan full of deliciousness a few weeks ago and decided to share the recipe with you all. It was one of my favorite dishes EVER!!!!! After all, it has one of my favorite spices (curry), favorite food (shellfish) and some delicious coconut milk. I happened to have some leftover hominy in the fridge and a bunch of fresh veggies that I was dying to use. Here's a great recipe that you can tweak as needed but this base is amazing and allows you to add other variety of veggies.

Ingredients

4 sections of small blue crabs
1/2 lb of Large Shrimp (I used head on but you can go for the headless ones)
2 Small Potatoes (diced and microwaved for 2 minutes)
1/2 Cup of Hominy
1/2 Cup Bell Peppers
1/2 Small Onion
Handful of Sugar Snap Peas
1/2 Can of Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp of Vindaloo Seasoning
1 Tsp of Curry Powder
1 1/2 Tsp of Chipotle Pepper
Salt to taste
Chilli Peppers to garnish

  Method
Boil shrimp, crab and potatoes in a deep pan until they are fully cooked, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and leave about 1/2 cup of water in the pan, then add the curry and vindaloo seasoning, coconut milk, sugar snap peas, hominy, onion and bell pepper and let simmer for 10 minutes. You'll need to stir at least twice to ensure the flavors are evenly distributed. Finish off with chipotle pepper and salt to taste. Remove from heat and serve with your favorite bread or roti.  I had this this treat with some flour roti, what will you have with yours? Do not forget to add your pepper garnish. 

Enjoy! BNW~

     

9 Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Chicken Soup

Here's to fall, and here's to Jamaica. In previous posts with soup recipes, you would have seen my note about our Saturday tradition in Jamaica. We eat one of the many variations of soups to get our Saturday fill, but no doubt, everyone has a pot of soup bubbling in the neighborhood close to 5 pm or so. This a twist on our Pumpkin and chicken soup that my mom makes EVERY Saturday. I used sweet potatoes instead of the pumpkin and a high protein base of a 9 bean mix. So, if you want to go meatless, simply leave out the chicken and you will still get complete nutrition from this meal.

Ingredients

2 Large Sweet Potatoes

1.5 Cups of 9 Beans Soup Mix

2 Seasoned and Cooked Chicken Breasts (Diced)

2 Corns On the Cob (Cut into 3 pieces each)

1 Packet of Chicken Noodle Soup

1/4 Cup Chopped Onion

2 Medium or One Large Carrot -(Cut into small circles)

1 Sprig of Fresh Thyme

2 Stalks of Scallion

Salt

1 Small Jalapeno

I Can of Chicken or Vegetable Stock

Water

1 Cup of Flour for Dumplings (knead flour with 1/3 cup of water and a pinch of salt. Pull little pieces of dough, about the size of a grape, and rub between your hands to form the dumplings. Add to soup)

Method

Wash beans and pour into a pot with 4 cups of water and soak overnight. This will significantly reduce the cooking time. Rinse and add another 4 cups of fresh water to the pot. Add carrots, onion, jalapeno, scallion, corn and sweet potatoes and bring to boil. Allow to cook for at least 35 -45 minutes. When the water reduces, add 1 more cup of water and the can of chicken stock, diced chicken, chicken noodle packet, dumplings, and fresh thyme and stir. Allow to cook until it thickens and the potatoes have completed dissolved. Stir occasionally to ensure that the potatoes do not stick to the bottom as they soften.

Finally, add salt to taste and  remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes before you serve.

 

Enjoy~BNW

Trio of Herb Lamb Shoulders with Mashed Cauliflower and Golden Beets

I know that Lamb is the kind of meat that you either like or hate, you can cook it well, or you just can't be bothered. So here's a recipe that may turn you into a lamb cooking queen or king. I incorporated a Jamaican cooking technique to get this meat tender, easy to cook and pretty tasty in a short amount of time. It takes less than an hour to cook but the same amount of time is needed for it to marinate, so plan accordingly. Let's go!

 

Ingredients:

2 Lamb Shoulders

1/4 of a Large Onion (chopped)

1 Teaspoon of Minced Garlic

1 Teaspoon of Oregano

1 1/2 Teaspoons Rosemary

Two Sprigs of Thyme

Dash of Soy Sauce

Salt and Pepper (1/4 tsp each or to taste)

1/2 Cup of Baby Bella Mushroom (chopped)

3/4 Cup of Warm Water

1 Tablespoon of Oil

Crushed Red Pepper (Optional)

 

Method:

Season lamb with all of the ingredients except mushroom, oil and water. Let marinate for at least an hour. When ready to cook, heat oil in a heavy medium pan, scrape seasonings from the lamb and brown on each side. Add seasonings back to the meat once browned, and add water and cover. Cook for 30 minutes, turning the neat once and then add the mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes. Meat should be just well done at this point, so if you need it medium, only cook it for 5 minutes after you've added the mushrooms. Rare, hmmm, I don't know, maybe only cook it for 30 minutes total? give it a shot and let me know.

You can find the recipe for the golden beets here.

For the cauliflower, I boiled them for 20 minutes. Added them to the blender, with milk, butter, a couple dashes of grated parmesan and salt. Blend until smooth and there you go!

Enjoy!

BNW~