A Caribbean Christmas – Part II

News Americas, BROOKLYN. NY:  Christmas is finally here and as I wrote in my last article, for Caribbean nationals, it is excitement and merriment until New Years Day in the homes of all Caribbean Nationals who celebrate the holidays! The excitement and merriment starts increasing on Christmas Eve! This is of course after the multitude of office parties and surprise get togethers, church services and Christmas cantatas and plays,

The special dishes that you will find in  homes will be the tastiest and most delicious you will find anywhere in the world! The biggest feast and merriment will begin on Christmas Eve into Christmas and New Years Day!

For Spanish and French Caribbean nationals, including those living in the Diaspora – Puerto Ricans and Dominicans mostly, they will be feasting on pickled bananas, yuca, tamales, pernill , Coquito, Plain Cakes and beers while the Haitians will partake of  Black rice, Red rice& Peas, griot, lambi (stewed Conch), Creamy potato and red beets salad, baked ham with pineapple and cherries, Lasagna, Creme, Haitian Rum and Haitian Cake.

It should be noted, because of the fact that there are so many Caribbean nationals that have intermarried in the Diaspora, each major meal will reflect the mixed influences. For example, you will find influences of Haitian cuisine in my menus.

Among the English-speaking Caribbean for the most part, the large feastings will include Christmas Souse, Black pudding, honey Baked ham with Pineapple and cherries,  escoveitched fish, special Breads like sweet breads and of course black cake, eggnog and rum punch. Parties and every get together will undoubtedly continue into Christmas morning , which will be greeted with a large breakfast  consisting of Johnny cakes,  bakes, liver with onions, kidney with bacon , scrambled eggs, bacon, corn flakes and milk, slices of ham, steak and onions,  calaloo and cod fish, hard dough bread, hominy corn  porridge , Ackee  and Saltfish, salted mackerel with green bananas and roast breadfruit, fried sweet plantains, boiled yellow yam, boiled dumplings and Steam fish and pepper pot washed down with chocolate tea, coffee, English tea, Milo, Ovaltine or Horlicks. Breakfast menus will invariable continue into lunch.

Dinner will usually consists of the following dishes: Roast beef, potato salad, rice and peas, curried goat, stewed fowl, jerk chicken, jerk pork, pot roast pork shoulder, roast turkey, green salad, macaroni pie, yellow  Yam balls, potato au gratin.

For my personal festivities on Christmas Eve, my Dinner menu is as follows:

Spicy Fish Tea

Cubed honey baked ham

Carrots , Cabbage and Lettuce Salad with mint dressing

Baked chicken legs stuffed with bacon and breadcrumbs

Haitian  Pork Griot

Roasted leg of Goat with Scotch Bonnet /red onions

Jelly Black Rice with cashew and baby Lima Beans

Dessert

Black Cake with creamy rum sauce

Blue mountain  Demi Tass Coffee

Rum Punch/ Port Wine/ Eggnog/Sorrell

Christmas Morning Breakfast Menu

Spicy Shad with sautéed grape tomatoes and sweet peppers

Firm young Green Bananas

Sautéed onions and goat liver

Fried dumplings

Roast Breadfruit boats stuffed with Ackee and Salfish

Fried Sweet Plantains

Steam Okra/ Pack Choy with garlic and olive oil

Steam Doctor Fish Jamaican hard dough bread

Coco tea/ mint tea/ coffee/Milo/Lemonade

Christmas Dinner Menu

Pepper Pot Soup

Five Spice Parsley, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, chickpeas salad with honey mustard dressing

Pot Roasted Pork Shoulder

Spicy Fricassee of Rooster Or (Coq au Vin)

Roast Beef and vegetables (Carrots, Celerey, Brussels sprouts)

Lambi (Stewed Conch) in tomato sauce

Green Pigeon Rice and Peas

Hot Sweet Yellow Yam Cakes/ butter

Creamy Potato with beets salad

Honey Baked Ham

Dessert

Mango Ice Cream, Pineapple Upside down Cake, Black Cake , cassava pone

Blue Mountain coffee

Sorrel, Rum punch, Port Wine, Fruit Punch

I will now share my recipe for Hot Sweet Yellow Yam Cakes and Lombi(Stewed Conch):

Hot Sweet Yellow Yam Cakes

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Hot Sweet Yellow Yam Cakes

To make yellow yam cakes, peel, boil, and mash yellow yam until creamy with melted butter, nutmeg, and cream, then let it cool. Mix in condensed milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and chopped onions, adjusting the texture with flour if needed. Shape the mixture into slightly flattened balls, brush with melted butter, and bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350°F for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot with butter for a delicious treat.

Course Main Course

Cuisine #caribbean, jamaica

Keyword Yellow yam Cakes

Ingredients

2 pounds of Fresh yellow yam

3 whole Eggs beaten

10 oz of melted salted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white ground pepper

3/4 cup Condensed Milk

1/2 Heavy Cream

1/4 Tsp nutmeg

1 medium white onion chopped

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheet with butter.

Peel and boil yellow yam until cooked.

Remove from water

Heat drain and add 8oz melted butter, nutmeg  and cream.

Crush yam and ingredients until creamy.

Allow to cool at room temperature.

Add condense milk and eggs.

Mix thoroughly.

Form mixture into ball, press slightly between palm.

If mixture is too wet add a little flour to make it manageable.

Place cakes on a greased cookie baking sheet.

Brush with melted butter.

Bake for 30-40 mins. until golden brown.

Makes 8-10 cakes

Serve hot with butter!

Lamb Curry

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Lamb Curry

To make Caribbean lamb curry, start by seasoning lamb chunks with a blend of spices like curry powder, turmeric, and allspice. Sauté onions, garlic, and ginger in oil until fragrant, then add the seasoned lamb and brown it. Stir in fresh herbs like thyme and Scotch bonnet peppers for heat. Add chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, and water to create a rich sauce, and let it simmer until the lamb becomes tender. Adjust the seasoning, and garnish with fresh cilantro before serving, often with rice or roti.

Course Main Course

Cuisine #caribbean

Keyword goat curry, Lamb Curry, mutton curry

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

2 lbs. lamb cut into stewing pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 whole garlic peeled and chopped

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp white rum

1/2 scotch bonnet pepper finely chopped or any other hot pepper you prefer

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tbsp curry powder

1/3 cup water

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp salt

2 medium potatoes peeled and quartered.

Instructions

To make Caribbean lamb curry, start by seasoning lamb chunks with a blend of spices like curry powder, turmeric, and allspice. Sauté onions, garlic, and ginger in oil until fragrant, then add the seasoned lamb and brown it. Stir in fresh herbs like thyme and Scotch bonnet peppers for heat. Add chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, and water to create a rich sauce, and let it simmer until the lamb becomes tender. Adjust the seasoning, and garnish with fresh cilantro before serving, often with rice or roti.

Lambi (Stewed Conch)

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Lambi (Stewed conch)

To prepare conch (lambi), tenderize the meat with a mallet and clean it using lime or sour orange juice. Season and marinate overnight. Cook the meat in a pressure cooker with oil, tomato paste, onions, and shallots for 30-45 minutes, adding hot water as needed to maintain moisture. Then, add boiling water to cover the meat and cook for about an hour until tender. Finish by mixing in additional onions, shallots, tomato paste, and seasonings, stirring well. Add thyme shortly before serving.

Course Main Course

Cuisine #caribbean

Keyword Lambi

Servings 8 People

Ingredients

1 5lb box of conch (lambi)

1 lime and sour orange juiced

1 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 tsp of thyme

1 tsp of black pepper

1 scotch bonnet pepper

1 tbsp of Adobo seasoning salt

1 Maggi chicken bouillon cube

1 tsp of baking soda

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 cup tomato paste

4 large onions diced

6 small shallots diced

1 gallon of boiling water

1 sprig of thyme

Instructions

Using a meat mallet, pound the conch until tenderized.

Clean the meat thoroughly with the lime and/or sour orange juice.

Season well.

Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Using a pressure cooker, place the meat and half of the  tomato paste, shallots, onions and  oil into the cooker and allow the conch meat and seasonings  to cook for  30-45 minutes.

Do not burn.

Add hot water to provide moisture as needed.

After 30-40 minutes, add  1 gallon boiling water, covering meat and close cover securely with regulator in place.

Cook for an hour until the meat is tender.

Lower the fire and add the rest of the onions and shallots, tomato paste and pepper to taste. Stir the meat and combine all ingredients.

Add thyme minutes before it is finished.

Eat, Drink, Pray, together and have a Merry, Merry Caribbean Christmas and  a Happy Kwanza!

By Minna LaFortune

EDITOR’S NOTE: Minna LaFortune is a trained Caribbean caterer and also president, Society for the Advancement of the Caribbean Diaspora (SACD). Check out her food group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/bestfoodscaribbean/