Trini Green Seasoning

Neither of you had the chance to really know your uncle Rob.

He was auntie Aviva's first boyfriend and his family was our family. He called me Sis up until his dying day. He was kind to a fault; he finished his apprenticeship to be an Electrician and was at the start of a promising career when he threw it all away to take care of his parents. Uncle Joe, his dad, had cancer. They moved back to Toronto from Trinidad and your uncle Rob gave everything up to work odd jobs and care for his parents. That's the kind of person he was.

One thing I would never forget about your uncle Rob (besides the dancing, dominoes, and drinks) was how well he could cook. Trini food was something I learned from him; not from auntie Carlen or Auntie Mel. Uncle Rob introduced me to Trini ingredients.

When we were in Trinidad it all came together; the garage on Epringham was his family's attempt to recreate the outdoor kitchen. It was there I first helped him (and learned in the process) make green seasoning.

Green seasoning is ubiquitous in Trinidad. Whether you are Indian, Black, Chinee or White, every culture uses it to marinate everything. It may vary here and there, but this is how I learned to make it, and to me this is the best.

I wish you both got to know your uncle Rob. You would have loved him.

Thanks for everything Robbie. We miss you.

From left to right: Canola oil, green onion, ginger, thyme, lime, scotch bonnet, garlic, salt, bandanya

Green Seasoning 

Bandanya/Chadon Beni		8 bunches
Green Onion		8 stalks
Thyme		6 stalks
Ginger (fresh)		1 knob (2")
Garlic		2 bulbs
Scotch Bonnet		1-3 peppers (depending on your preferences)
Lime (juice & zest)		1
Canola Oil		2 cups
Sea Salt		3 tbsp
Water		1 cup

Preparation:

1. Wash all your herbs, peel your garlic and skin your ginger.
2. Roughly chop the bandanya, green onion, garlic and ginger.
3. Strip the thyme leaves from the woody stalks.
4. Zest and juice the lime. 
5. Add all the ingredients to a blender. If your blender is not glass, it will hold the scent and flavour of these ingredients. Not great if you're making a smoothie. Rob's family had a blender set aside just for making seasoning.
6. Add the salt and the scotch bonnet peppers. One is hot enough, but if you want it super hot, add up to three. Are the kids going to eat? Maybe opt for no scotch bonnet. Even though I'm trying to introduce heat to my kids, this base seasoning can make them refuse an entire meal. Judge wisely.
7. Add the water. Just enough to help the blender along.
8. Blend all the ingredients until everything is well blended. It will not be smooth, but you should not be able to distinguish any one ingredient from the other. 
9. Remove the centre lid from the blender cover and restart the blender on slow. slowly pour in the canola oil. Continue blending until the mixture is a pale green.
10. Use this to marinate any meat or fish. Use this as a base for curry or stew. I can use a spoonful of this to make a quick mango chow in the summertime.
11. I freeze cubes for easy use and jar the rest of the mixture which stays in the fridge for immediate use. if you do this, pour a thin layer of oil on top to prevent spoilage.