Bajan Seasoning

Ingredients

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 spring onions, white and green parts roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 bonney peppers or 1 habanero pepper, seeds and stem removed

1 tablespoon thyme, leaves

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped marjoram

100 ml white wine vinegar

1 lime, juice only

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 pinch ground allspice

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 tablespoon salt

Directions

In a food processor, blitz the onion, spring onions, garlic and chili to a coarse paste.

Add the herbs and vinegar and lime juice and blitz again. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Cover and store in the fridge for a week before using to let the flavors mature. It will keep in the refrigerator for six months.

Bajan Coconut Turnovers

Ingredients

Part 1 (Coconut filling)

2 Small coconuts (finely grated) How to crack open a coconut – read more

1-1/2 Cups sugar

1/2 Cup water

1/4 Cinnamon

1/8 Tsp nutmeg

1/2 Tsp almond extract

A dash of cloves

Part 2 (sweet bread)

4 Cups flour

1 Cup warm milk (use with sugar to activate yeast)

1/2 Cup butter

2 Eggs

3 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

1-1/2 Tsp salt

1 tsp sugar (to help activate yeast)

1 egg white (beaten) (use to glaze turnovers)

Directions

Filling

On low heat – combine water, grated coconut + sugar in saucepan. Stir to prevent burning.

Cook until mixed any visible liquid becomes syrupy.

Remove from heat, add spices + almond extract. Stir In.

Place aside to cool.

Dough

Activate yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1/4 cup warm milk for 10 minutes (read yeast package for temp and additional directions)

While yeast is activating – cream together butter, eggs, salt and sugar.

Add 3 cups flour and remaining milk (3/4 cup). Mix well.

Add yeast mixture, mix well and then add remaining flour.

Knead the dough either by hand or with a mixer

Grease a large bowl lightly using oil and a paper towel. Turn dough over once to ensure you coat both sides.

Let dough rise until double in size (30-60 minutes).

Remove dough and “punch down”

Divide dough into 20-24 pieces

Taking 1 piece at a time, flatten to about (3.5″x2.5″)

Place 1-2 Tsp filling onto center

Pinch together edges to secure filling inside. Work shape into long rectangle.

Place 10-12 finished pieces onto a greased pan 0.5″ apart

Let dough rise again to double the size (45 minutes) before placing in oven preheated at 425F.

Brush beaten egg white over tops of turnovers

Sprinkle with sugar

Place in preheated oven (425 degrees) on middle rack

Drop temperature down to 375

Bake for 16-18 minutes

Take out and rest on wire racks for 10 minutes.

Rum Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

1¾ cup (219 grams) all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup (1.2dl) non-fat or whole-milk dry milk powder

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (.9dl) cornstarch

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick (½ cup or 112 grams) butter, softened

1¾ cups (388 grams) granulated sugar

½ cup + 3 tablespoons (160ml) canola oil

¾ cup (175ml) milk

4 large eggs

¾ cup (175ml) dark rum (recommended: Tortuga Rum)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Rum syrup

1 stick (½ cup or 112 grams) butter

½ cup (120ml) water

¾ cup (166 grams) granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup (120ml) dark rum

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325°F (162°C). Spray a 12 cup bundt pan or 12in round cake tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, dry milk powder, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Set this aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the dry flour mix to this. It will resemble crumbs.

In the bowl that just had the flour mix, whisk together the canola oil, milk, eggs, rum, and vanilla extract. Add this to the crumb mixture and beat until well combined. The batter will be very thin.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

When there are about 15 minutes remaining on the timer, start the butter rum syrup.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter, water, sugar and salt until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally.

Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the rum (it might bubble).

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack. Wash and dry the pan and place the cake back into the pan (you can also line the pan with tin foil, enough that you can after wrap around the cake as this will enhance the flavors). Poke holes into the cake (I used a wooden skewer to do this) and pour the syrup slowly over the cake. Can be kept at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Barbados Shrimp Curry

Ingredients

3 lbs shrimp, cooked, shelled and deveined (you can buy raw and cook them the day before or buy cooked shrimp – medium size).

3 or 4 celery stalkes, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 sweet peppers, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup butter

1 (28 ounce) cans tomato puree (or tomato sauce)

3 tablespoons curry powder

Salt

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon A.1. Original Sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons black pepper

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Slivered almonds

2 tablespoon raisins

White Rice

Directions

Sauté chopped celery, onion, peppers and garlic in butter in a large skillet.

Remove to large pot or deep casserole and add one large can of tomato puree.

Simmer until the ingredients are tender.

Add curry and drop shrimp into mixture.

Simmer on very low heat for a few minutes.

Add all other ingredients and cook for about 20-30 minutes until thoroughly blended and well heated.

Serve over rice

Pudding and Souse

Ingredients

Souse

2lb pork shoulder cut into 1 inch pieces

One large onion, diced

Two cucumbers, grated

Scotch bonnet pepper (or chili of your choice), finely diced

Juice of 3 limes

Chopped fresh parsley

Pudding

1 ½ lb grated sweet potato

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp marjoram

1 tsp chives, chopped

Scotch bonnet pepper (or chili of your choice), finely diced

Pinch of sugar

Pinch of salt

2 tsp oil

2 oz butter

Coloring (optional)

Directions

Souse

Boil the pork in salted water, until tender.

Combine the cooked pork with the grated cucumber, onion, pepper, lime juice and parsley. Add salt to taste.

Refrigerate and serve cold with the pudding.

Pudding

Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Coloring (browning) gives the pudding a characteristic dark brown color but can be omitted.

The pudding may be steamed in a bowl over a pot of boiling water, or baked in a greased baking dish, until an inserted skewer comes out clean (approx. 1 hour at 375F).

Barbadian (Bajan) Rum Punch

1 measure lime juice

2 measures simple sugar syrup

3 measures Dark Caribbean Rum

4 measures passion fruit juice

Dash of bitters (angostura)

½ tsp grated nutmeg

Mix together and pour over ice

Optional: decorate with a rum infused strawberry or cherry