Green Onion Oil

Addictive.
Try this with steamed chicken or fish. Or cardboard. Anything really. This is the only oil I drizzle without pause.

When I had my first job I went to a restaurant every couple weeks at Elizabeth and Dundas called "Garden". They have a bowl of soup; Beef brisket and bok choi over rice noodles. It is delicious. But then they have an oil based condiment with green onions. And when I added that, the dish was heavenly. I've since seen it served with roast pork or roast duck. I've tried to recreate it to no avail. And then, one day, my sister did what I never did. She ASKED "what goes into this?" and they actually told her. So armed with the recipe, I made it. And it goes like this:

YUM.

Green Seasoning 

Green Onion		8 stalks
Ginger (fresh)		1 knob (2")
Garlic		8 cloves
Canola Oil		1 cup
Sea Salt		1 tbsp

Preparation:

1. Chop the green onion, mince the garlic and grate the ginger.
2. Heat the oil in a small skillet on medium heat.
3. When oil is warm enough that it is visibly viscous, add all the ingredients.
4. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes.
5. Never let the oil come to a boil. Reduce heat if necessary.
6. Remove skillet from heat and allow the mixture to cool.
7. Spoon over (as I said above) any dish of meat or fish.
8. Jar the rest of the mixture to reuse for 2-3 weeks.

Fry Shark

My darling children,

So Alexis, in true form to how we raised you, you will not say you do not like a food until you have managed one bite, and you have decided shark is not for you. You cannot understand how devastating this is to me. This is the greatest of beach side foods that I was hoping you would join me in loving. At least, as we both agreed, the shark had no chance to bite you, you bit the shark. Alistair, I'll have to feed you some flavour neutral fish before you can tackle the almighty shark. I'll prepare it again when you are old enough to form an opinion on its taste. So in the event that the flavour is something you both will grow into over time (I hope), here is the recipe for that weird fish mamma used to make.

It is not typically Guyanese, but since having bake and shark at Richards in Maracas Bay (thank you Paula/Natalie/Mikes) it is a food that evokes strong memories and elicits strong feelings that cannot be recreated elsewhere. A mix of swimming, jumping waves and general beach exhaustion under the sun generates a hunger which can only be satiated by the one perfect food. I know I cannot recreate the experience. In fact, I do not fry bake at home and will only pan fry fish. But I have no problem frying up some shark, which is a little different than Banga Mary thanks to green seasoning, making it a decisively Trini dish. I will publish the green seasoning recipe for you both, but that will come later. For now, my take on preparing shark, including the butchery, is based on the original from Caribbean Pot.  His video on the coleslaw is a great accompaniment which appears in the images below.



Green Seasoning 

Green Onion		6 stalks
Bandanya		6 bunches
Garlic		8 cloves
Scotch Bonnet		1 (optional when you have babies)
Lime		1, juiced
Canola Oil		1/4 cup
Black Pepper		1 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tbsp (ground)

Breading Flour 

White Flour		1/2 cup
Black Pepper		1 tbsp (ground)
Sea Salt		1 tsp (ground)

Shark

Shark Fillets		6
Canola Oil		for pan frying

Preparation:

1. Buy the fillets or butcher the steaks as shown in the Caribbean Pot video
2. Wash shark in lemon and salt solution, rinse well and pat dry
3. In a food processor, add all ingredients for green seasoning and blend 
4. In a bowl, add green seasoning and shark. My rule of thumb is at least two tablespoons per steak.
5. Let shark marinate for at least two hours, covered
6. Pour breading flour ingredients into a shallow glass dish. Square will work best, because you can shake the four down easily between steaks. Stir until it is well mixed
7. Pour enough oil into a saute pan to pan fry
8. Turn heat up to medium high
9. Test oil with flour. If it fries, it is ready to cook
10. Toss steak in flour and place in pan. Do not touch it once it is down! Let it fry for at least four minutes. With a good pan and the right heat, the steak should come up easily when it is ready to flip. Never force it or you will lose the crust (and worst case, the shark) to the pan.
11. Once flipped, it should take less than the time it took on the first side. check with the tongs to test the give from the pan. It will let you know when it is ready.
12. Remove from the pan and let it drain on a paper towel covered drain rack.
13. If you are going to eat it as a sandwich, make your bakes and fixings, and don't forget the coleslaw.

Shark (peppersauce on top) with coleslaw on the side

Beefaroni

Alexis, there is nothing more heartwarming than to see you thoroughly enjoying a meal. Pointing to me and saying 'good cook!' But I get it all from your Grandma. Alistair, you'll learn this as well. In fact, I see you wolf down beefaroni just as quickly (if not faster) than your sister!

Ah, beefaroni. How many school night did I come home before my parents and found comfort in dishing out a bowl of leftover beefaroni from the fridge, my mouth watering as the smell wafted from the microwave as it heated up. Of course it is best as soon as it came from the pot (even sneaking a spoonful before dinnertime) but it didn't matter to me; it was afterschool comfort and both my sister and I enjoyed it every day.

I could make my own sauce from scratch and I could get fresh pasta for any dish, but the key to this beefaroni is in it's minimalist approach to cooking. I've tried it with everything homemade and it never turns out right. Take it from yourself Alexis - you will eat any of my pastas, but this is the version you will devour.

Beefaroni:
Ground Beef (lean)		2 lbs
Pasta Sauce		2 (680mL) cans
Pasta (Ditali or Macaroni)		750g
Garlic		1 clove, finely minced
Water		680 mL
Sea Salt		1 tsp (ground)
Black Pepper		1 tsp (ground)

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, brown the ground beef and garlic until fully cooked.
2. Add the pasta sauce and stir together.
3. Rinse the pasta sauce from the cans with the equivalent of one can of water and pour it into the pot.
4. Bring the pot to the boil and then reduce the heat to low.
5. Add salt and pepper and stir.
6. In a separate pot, bring salted water to boil and cook pasta to one minute shy of al dente.
7. Strain pasta in a colander and pour pasta into the beef sauce.
8. Stir to fully incorporate and turn off the heat.

Mashed Potatoes and Sausage

If there was a comfort food fit for a chilly fall evening then this would be it. My mother would brepare this in all it's carby buttered goodness. It doesn't have to be that way, really, so we all now use 1% milk and Becel. It's still absolutely delicious. And Alexis and Alistair, you both love them. Alexis loves the sausage coins and brother laps up spoonfuls of mashed potatoes. I'm hoping you both will love this for years to come.

The sausages are just store bought, parboiled and then roasted in the oven. It's the mashed potatoes that shine here. The recipe below makes a potful.



Mashed Potatoes 

Yukon/Yellow Potatoes		8 large
Garlic		4 cloves
Milk		2 cups
Butter/Becel		4 tbsp
Salt		1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Peel and chop potatoes into approximately 2" cubes. Set aside in a bowl of cold water.
2. Fill a tall pot three quarters full with water. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and bring to a boil.
3. Drain potatoes and add to the pot.
4. Add the garlic cloves to the pot.
5. Wait for the pot to return to a boil and then reduce the heat slightly (med - med-high)
6. When the potatoes can be pierced with a knife without resistance, they are ready.
7. Strain the potatoes and garlic in a colander and rinse the pot they were boiled in.
8. Return the same pot to the same burner on the stove. It is already hot and timing is important now.
9. Add the Becel margarine to the pot. Let it melt completely.
10. Pour in the milk. This is critical. You do not want to add cold milk to the potatoes; the liquid must be brought up to heat to guarantee fluffiness. Else you will have starchy, gluey ick.
11. Once the milk is steamed through (but not boiling), add the salt.
12. Fish the four garlic cloves from the colander and add to the pot.
13. Using a potato masher, mash the garlic cloves until they are pulverized.
14. Stir the liquid together.
15. Return the potatoes to the pot and turn the heat off. The residual heat is more than enough to finish the dish.
16. Mash the potatoes until they are all light and fluffy. Do not overmash or the texture will go from fluffy to gloopy.
17. Taste for salt - you can always add a little more salt and/or butter.
18. Dig in!

Dhal: A Guyanese Staple

When I was a baby one of the first solid meals I had likely had dhal. I loved dhal and roti growing up. Alexis grew up with dhal and rice, and sometimes she refuses to eat unless she gets dhal. That happened this weekend when my parents came to visit on a cold Saturday morning. I'm glad, because to those who have not grown up with it, it seems to be an acquired taste. It is something every Guyanese should know how to make, yet I rarely make it, since my mom makes so much of it she is always sending some for us.

Now I can have dhal alone in a cup with a heaping spoonful of achaar. That's the best. Dhal over curry and rice is still nice. And sometimes, for breakfast, dhal and roti is still a treat. I'm so glad Alexis loves it. I hope her little brother does as well.

Alexis and mom washing dhal

Alexis and mom chunkay dhal

Ingredients

Dhal (dry)		2 cups
Water		2 litres
Garlic		12 gloves, sliced
Geera		4 tbsp
Turmeric		2 tsp
Canola Oil		1/4 cup
Salt		1 tbsp
Maririri Pepper		4 whole (optional)

Preparation:

1. Rinse dhal until the water runs clean (about 2-3 times).
2. In a pressure cooker turn heat to high. Add the turmeric, half the geera and half the garlic. 
3. And rinsed dhal and add the water so it covers the dhal at least half a finger.
4. Lock the pressure cooker on high heat.  cook until the pressure sound changes (about 5 minutes) and the pressure valve pops up. Leave on burner but turn heat off. 
5. Once pressure is finished cooking (use the valve to check) check that the dhal is almost melted and crushes to the touch. If not, take the time to pressure it once more.
6. Once the pressure has released, open the lid (away from you to avoid the steam),
7. Add salt.
8. With a hand blender, blend the dhal thoroughly. 
9. (optional step) If you want it spicy, add the maririri peppers now.
10. Turn the heat to medium high.
11. On a separate burner, heat a small pan with a 1\4 cup of oil until it is pitching hot. 
12. Add two heaped tbsp of chopped garlic and two heaped tsp of geera. Do this carefully - the oil may start to spit. 
13. Stir until mixture is bubbling. Just before it gets too dark, plunge The entire pan into the dhal. Make sure the entire mixture has been incorporated into the dhal.This step is 'chunkay'ing the dhal. I've heard this reference to mean 'tempering' the dhal, but it's this step that makes dhal so tasty.
14. Stir and simmer for five more minutes and turn off the heat.

Red Wine Venison Stew with Dumplings

[NEEDS PIC]

En's friends and co workers go hunting every year, and sometimes we will get a nice hunk of venison. When this happens I love to make venison stew. For the wine, I like using Cono Sur. It is my go to cooking wine (good to drink, good to cook) and is wonderfully inexpensive. Other reds are not so forgiving in a stew.

My parents are not really big on stews that are not Guyanese (i.e. heavy on potatoes and thyme), and to them, dumplings are duff, the Guyanese torpedo shaped boil and fry bread, but they did find this yummy.

Now that I'm pregnant and going on my second maternity leave, wine based cooking isn't an option (for the next few years), but this will come back once the kids are a little older (5 seems reasonable). Then again, I haven't had any venison delivered lately. This does work just as well with boar, bison, or even beef.


Ingredients - Stew:
* 1.5 kg trimmed venison meat, cut into 3-4 cm chunks
* 750ml good red wine
* 6 cloves of garlic
* 3 juniper berries crushed
* 1tsp thyme
* 4 bay leaves
* Vegetable oil for frying
* 60g butter
* 2 onions, finely chopped
* 3 tbsp plain flour
* 1/2 tbsp tomato purée
* 1 1/2 litres dark meat stock
* Sea salt & fresh black pepper

Ingredients - Dumplings:
* 1/2 cup plain flour
* 1tsp baking powder
* 60g butter
* 1tbsp chopped parsley
* 1tbsp finely chopped celery leaves
* 1/2 tsp ground celery seeds
* Water to mix
* Sea salt & fresh black pepper


Directions:

* Marinate venison in stainless steel or ceramic bowl in the fridge for two dayswith the red wine, garlic, thyme, juniper and bay leaf.
* Drain meat , reserve marinade, and dry the pieces on some kitchen paper.
* Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan, lightly flour the meat with a tablespoon of the flour, salt and pepper and fry the meat on a high heat, a few pieces at a time, until nicely browned.
* Heat butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and sautee onions until soft.
* Add flour and tomato purée and stir over a low heat for a minute.
* Slowly add the marinade, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming. Bring to the boil and simmer until it has reduced by half.
* Add meat stock and venison, bring back to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 11/2 hours until the meat is tender.
* It's difficult to put an exact time on cooking braised meats: half an hour extra may be required.
* The sauce should thicken sufficiently. If not, dilute a little cornflour in some water and stir into the sauce and simmer for a few minutes.
* Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add half a teaspoon of salt.
* Mix in the butter, parsley and celery leaves and ground celery seeds, then add enough water to form a sticky dough.
* Flour your hands and roll the dough into 12 little balls.
* Poach the dumplings directly in the stew for the final 15 minutes of cooking. They will float in the  stew when cooked..

Steamed Spare Ribs (Dim Sum!)

Sometimes I go to the Asian grocery store and they have strips of spare ribs (or precut to serving size) and the cost is very reasonable. I know this is not a healthy cut of meat, but it is a dim sum dish I can recreate with ease. I used to get this dish sometimes when going for dim sum with my parents, but because it is so fatty, my dad no longer wants to get it. To be honest, there are many other things I would prefer while at the restaurant, especially now that I can make this at home. But if you are in Scarborough and happen to be wanting to try this dish, the best restaurant by far is Very Fair Seafood restaurant. They open at 8.30am and is a true dim sum experience. I've read some reviews and to haters I say 'suck it up!' Not every restaurant is going to follow western fashion; if you pick up on social queues from those around you, the servers have a system of getting you what you want. The important thing is that the food is great and not expensive. It's rare I've had poor quality, and if something is 'old', you can tell fairly quickly.

But back to the point, the steamed spare ribs are super tasty. At home we just eat over rice. Super yummy. Super easy.

Top layer of steamed spare ribs all ready to eat

Steamer on wok: water barely touches the bottom of the steamer

Ingredients

Spare Ribs (niblets)		2 lbs
Black Fungus		1/2 cup
Garlic		10 gloves, ground
Ginger (fresh, grated)		1/2 tsp
Cooking Wine Vinegar		4 tbsp
Dark Soy Sauce		2 tbsp
Canola		1 tbsp
Sesame Oil		1 tbsp
Black Pepper		1 tbsp, freshly ground
Chili Peppers		1 pepper, sliced

Preparation:

1. If the spare ribs are in strips, cut exactly between each bone so each piece has a 'rib'
2. Wash ribs in vinegar and salt solution (sit for 5 minutes) and rinse 
3. In a marinating dish (preferably with a lid), add all other ingredients
4. Add ribs, lock dish and shake to coat every rib well
5. set in fridge (closed) to marinate, preferably overnight
6. In a bamboo steamer (or regular steamer, if you don't have bamboo) place parchment down on each level.
7. Spread marinated ribs out evenly on each level of steamer
8. In a small bowl, add the black fungus and boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes
9. In a wok, heat enough water (just to touch the bottom of the steamer) to a boil 
10. Drain fungus and sprinkle on top of ribs
11. (optional) sprinkle on sliced chilis
12. When pot comes to a boil, place steamer on top of pot
13. Steam for 20 minutes and serve