Pelau

Here's a recipe for a traditional New Year's Day dish in Trinidad. What's nice about it is that you can cook up a whole pot and serve a lot of people for relatively low cost--particularly good if you have many New Year's Day visitors.

Pelau
Serves 6

Pelau is one of those dishes that really exemplifies Trinidadian cuisine because it is an admixture of various cooking styles. Pelau, or rice layered with meats and vegetables is a variation of East Indian pilau, which originated in Persia where it is called “pollow.” The anglicized version of the dish is called “pilaf.” The process of browning the meat in sugar for pelau is an African tradition and ketchup is a new world addition to the dish, although I suspect it has its basis in tomato chutneys available in British India and likely brought to Trinidad by the English.
Chicken is the usual meat in pelau but tender cuts of stew beef or lamb work just as well. In Tobago, pelau is often made with crab and that recipe follows.


3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar (white or brown)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup pigeon peas, pinto beans, or black eyed peas
2 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons Green Seasoning
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
5 scallions, stemmed and chopped (white and green parts)
2 cups long grain rice (not instant)
2 cups cubed fresh calabaza or butternut squash
1 small scotch bonnet pepper, whole
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon butter


If using dried peas, soak peas overnight in three cups of water. Drain. Bring 3 fresh cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and add peas. Simmer for 15 minutes or until cooked almost completely through. Drain and set aside. If using canned beans, drain rinse with cold water, drain again, and set aside.
Heat a Dutch oven or other heavy deep pot. Add oil and heat. Add sugar and swirl in pot and allow to caramelize to a dark brown color. Add chicken and stir well to coat. Lower heat to medium and add onion and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Wash rice by placing in colander or fine mesh sieve and running cold water over rice until water runs clear. Drain well and set aside.
Add water, coconut, coconut milk, Green Seasoning, parsley, thyme, carrots and scallions to chicken. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes.
Add rice, squash, peas, pepper, ketchup and butter. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until peas and vegetables are tender.
Remove lid and fluff. Rice should be moist but not sticky.

Make a Smilebox greeting

Little Packets of Holiday Joy

Widely sold by street vendors at Christmastime, pastelles are also made at home as a must-have part of the holiday meal and they are most similar to a tamale. Pastelles are traditionally wrapped in a leaf similar to a banana leaf, or a banana leaf itself, and boiled or steamed. However, heavy duty plastic wrap works well too.

Truth must be told, however, pastelles are not easy to make. Get together an assembly line of family and friends if you can and make a part of it--sort of like a tamalada party. Pepper sauce is a good condiment for these.

Vegetarians will find that ground, cooked chickpeas in place of ground meat work very well in this recipe too.



Karen Felician’s Pastelle
Makes about 24

Karen Felician of Maraval serves this traditional pastelle on Christmas Eve. She uses a homemade Green Seasoning made from the local herbs that have made the Paramin region from which her husband Carlos hails, famous.

For dough:

2 cups masa cornmeal
3 cups hot water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
banana or soharee leaves cut into 8 inch squares

For filling:

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, mined finely
2 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons Green Seasoning
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped fine
1/2 pimento pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped fine or 1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
3 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup raisins

Make dough by combining cornmeal, water and oil. Mix until the dough comes together in a ball. Set aside.
If using banana leaves, scald in boiling salted water until malleable. Remove, cool and set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet and onion. Cook until translucent then add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Add ground beef and mix well, using fork to break up chunks of meat. Brown meat then add Green Seasoning, peppers, salt and black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, capers, and raisins.
Cook for 2-3 minutes more then remove from heat and cool.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of cornmeal and place on top of a leaf square or square of plastic. Place a sheet of plastic on top of the cornmeal and, using a rolling pin, roll out to the edges of the leaf square, leaving about 1/2 inch on all sides.
Remove plastic wrap and place a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture on one side of the cornmeal square. Fold the side of the leaf that contains the cornmeal without the meat up and onto the filled side of the square. Fold sides of cornmeal square forward as well. Gently pat down all edges.
Fold leaf or plastic over pastelle as though gift-wrapping a present. Tie with twine.
Place a steamer basket or colander in a large pot halfway filled with hot water. Do not let water seep into the colander or steamer. Put a single layer of pastelles in the steaming utensil and cover pot. Steam for 20-25 minutes. Repeat until all pastelles are cooked.



Paramin Green Seasoning
Makes 1 cup

The area of Paramin, perched breathtakingly high atop the mountains of Trinidad’s Northern Range is the herb basket of the country. The steely sloped hillsides and cool mountain air, make the region ideal for growing green herbs like shado beni, chives, thyme and parsley. The Creole-descent farmers who cultivate these seasoning plants are the go-to guys for every Trinidadian cook, since their spices are an absolute necessity for the local pantry. The addition of shallots, onions and vinegar and omission of oregano makes it a bit different from standard green seasoning.

4 large shallots, peeled, and coarsely chopped
1 bunch chives, minced (about 1 cup)
1 small bunch fresh thyme, (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons shado beni or cilantro, mined
1 medium onion, peeled, and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
water as needed

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pure, adding water as needed to achieve a smooth, somewhat liquid paste.

Caribbean Holiday Drinks

Every Trinidadian I know says two things as a matter of course "you can't miss carnival" and "Christmas isn't the same if it isn't at 'home'" Interestingly "home" as it refers to Trinidad is something even we 1st and 2nd generation Trini-Amerians have taken up to refer to the island. It's become Home with a capital "h" as though it is the proper name for the place. In any case, in T&T (Trinidad & Tobago) Christmas is as big a deal as it is in European countries and the best part about it is the special foods cooked at this time.

In addition to Black Cake, Sorrel, a drink made with a native hibiscus flower is incredibly popular. It has a sweet-tart taste and a little warm spiciness from the cloves and ginger. Some folks like to spike it with rum or vodka and if you do that, it makes for a different sort of holiday punch at a party.

When I was a child, dried sorrel flowers were very hard to get, but now you can even get them in health food stores, though they are usuall ground up like a tea. They work just fine though. My brother gets them this way at his food coop in Brooklyn. Another good option is Tazo's Passion tea which, though it has other flavorings, is essentially an hibiscus tea.

Coconut Nog or Ponche Creme is another tropical holiday drink that is especially good if, like me, you don't like regular egg nog.


Sorrel
Serves 8


8 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 cup dried sorrel flowers
2 cups sugar

1. Place water, cinnamon and cloves and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add sorrel and sugar and simmer for 2 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to steep overnight or for at least a couple of hours.
3. Strain and store in glass bottles in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can add water as necessary to make a lighter and less concentrated drink.

Ponche Creme
Serves 4


4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup of cream of coconut
3/4 cup good quality dark rum like Myer’s
1 tsp Angostura Bitters
1/4 teaspoon mixed essence (available in Caribbean markets)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon for dusting
whipped cream for garnish if desired

1. Add eggs to a blender and mix on high for 20 seconds. Add condensed milk, cream of coconut and about 1/2 of the rum. Mix again for 10 seconds.
2. Add remaining rum, Angostura bitters, mixed essence, nutmeg, and cloves. Pulse in blender once more.
3. Refrigerate and serve cold, over ice cubes, dusted with cinnamon with a dollop of whip cream.

Black Cake Frosting

Lots of people have asked me about the frosting that goes on Black Cake. This is yet another of those vagaries of Caribbean cooking. Some folks use it, some don't. I've most seen the cake frosted when used as a wedding cake. In my family, it has never been frosted and the most I do is lightly dust it with confectioners sugar before serving at special occasions (though, truth be told, the cake is so moist it absorbs the sugar pretty quickly.)

For those who want to ice this cake, a typical boiled sugar icing is used. Here is a recipe from allrecipes.com that is as good as any other. To make it taste more West Indian, I might add a teaspoon of Mixed Essence (available in Caribbean markets) along with the vanilla.

Boiled Sugar Icing

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1. Combine sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt in a saucepan; stir until well blended. Boil slowly without stirring until mixture will spin a long thread when a little is dropped from a spoon (hold the spoon high above saucepan), or reaches 238 - 242 degrees F (114 - 117 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer until they are stiff, but still moist. Pour hot syrup slowly over egg whites while beating. Continue until mixture is very fluffy, and will hold its shape. Add vanilla, and beat until blended. If icing does not seem stiff enough, beat in 2 or 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff enough to hold its shape. Spread on cake.

Caribbean Black Cake

Here it is Christmas time and the requests are rolling in for Caribbean Black Cake. So far 20 folks have asked for one and I'm about up to making number 3. For those of you who haven't had this cake, the best way to describe it is "what plum pudding wishes it could be." The cake, which I always thought originated in plum pudding, is made from dried fruits that are soaked in rum and cherry wine then ground up and baked in a cake that begins with the standard butter creaming method.

For many years, the traditional thinking was that Black Cake actually did come from plum pudding, especially because of its strong presence in those islands that were once British Colonies. The thing that always stumped me was how a steamed pudding evolved to include butter and white flour, both relatively expensive in the colonial West Indies since there is little land to keep cattle and wheat isn't grown there.

I found my answer on a recent research trip to Ireland. Black Cake seems actually to be descended from Christmas Cake, a dense Irish cake that is made in virtually the same way as Black Cake but without the burnt sugar syrup used in the Caribbean that gives the cake its black color. A little more research revealed that, in fact, there was a strong presence of Irish indentured laborers in Jamaica and Trinidad, the two islands most known for black cake. Their historical presence has largely been subsumed in the records by the larger story of the slave trade and later Indian indenture. So, now I'm rethinking Black Cake and my cousin's habit of soaking her fruits in Guinness (a heritage drink in Trinidad too, as it happens) doesn't seem so odd.

Black Cake is relatively laborious when made in the old way. It involves soaking the fruit for at least 3 weeks, though most hard-core Trinis have the fruit soaking from one Christmas to the next. I know I do. As soon as this year's black cakes are made, the next year's fruit go into the jar with the rum, cherry wine, and spices. I like to use whole cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, and star anise to give an especially warm spicy flavor. It should be said, that nowadays it's especially important to have the fruits at the ready since lots of people use the cake for any kind of special event. It's long been used as a wedding cake (I made 200 mini cakes for favors at my brother's wedding 5 years ago) but now graduations, christenings, prayer meetings, and more are all good reasons to have black cake.

Here is the recipe for Caribbean Black Cake from my book Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad & Tobago. It includes a "fast soak" method if you don't have the time or inclination to keep a jar of soaking fruits around.

If you want to see a demo of how it's made, check out this You Tube video I did last year.

Please check out the December issue of Caribbean Travel & Life magazine and see my article on Christmas in the Caribbean, including a recipe for--what else--Black Cake.

Because Black Cake recipes are fiercly personal (everyone has "The Best" version) I hope folks will post their versions here as well.

Black Cake
Makes 2 cakes

For soaking the fruit:
1 pound raisins
1 pound currants
1 pound prunes
1/4 pound mixed peel
1/2 pound candied cherries
4 cups cherry brandy or cherry wine
4 cups dark rum, such as Old Oak
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise pods
1/2 vanilla bean

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon mixed essence
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon burnt sugar syrup*

For basting the cake:

1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup cherry brandy
2 tablespoons sherry

Place the fruit in a large saucepan. Add the cherry brandy, rum, cinnamon stick, and star anise pods. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Add these to the pot, along with the bean. Mix very well and place over medium high heat until just under a boil. Turn off heat, cover pan, and allow to sit for 1-2 hours or up to overnight. Alternatively, place fruit and spices in a gallon jar that can be tightly sealed—preferably with a suction lid. Store, unrefrigerated, in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks or up to 1 year.
To make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 250°F and grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
3. Place the butter and sugar a bowl, and cream with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the mixed essence and vanilla.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove 5 cups of the soaking fruit from its storage jar. Place in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to a coarse paste. Remove from the food processor and beat well into the butter mixture. Add the flour ½ cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the burnt sugar syrup and mix well.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 1 ½ hours or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Combine the rum, brandy, and sherry, and evenly brush the cooled cakes with this mixture. Allow the cakes to cool completely.
Remove from the pans. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then tinfoil. You may also place the loaves in a tightly lidded plastic container. Store in a cool, dry place for at least 3 days before eating.
7. Black cake can be stored for up to 3 months in the refrigerator. If doing so, rebaste with the rum mixture, once every 7 days.

*If you cannot find commercially prepared burnt sugar syrup, you can make it by placing 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat. Heat slowly, swirling the sugar in the pan until it starts to caramelize. Continue swirling until the sugar syrup becomes very dark brown—almost black. Add to batter as needed.