Hello!
This week we dove into the country of Grenada which is located at the southern tip of the Caribbean Sea. Grenada is part of a group of islands called the Grenadines. The official language of Grenada is English but Grenadian Creole English and Grenadian Creole French are spoken more than English. The capital of Grenada is St. George's and it is know as the the "Island of Spice" because nutmeg and mace plants are abundant.
Grenada was inhabited by the indigenous Arawaks and later the Island Caribs before Europeans arrived in the Western Hemisphere. France colonized the island in 1650 and it was later given to Britain as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Grenada finally gained independence in 1974.
Grenada is a small island at only about 135 square miles. The population is about 115,000 people.
This is the flag of Grenada. The green recognizes the agriculture and vegetation on the island. The yellow symbolizes the sun and also the warmth and wisdom of Grenadians.The nutmeg represents the spices for which the island is known.
This week, we actually ended up cooking two recipes from Grenada. We made a main dish as well as a dessert! We highly recommend both, so we hope you decide to cook either dish or both if you are feeling crazy like me!
We made Grenadian Pelau as the main dish. I got my recipe from https://simplegrenadiancooking.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/grenadian-pelau/
The really nice thing about this dish is that it is a one pot meal! It made for easy clean up after which was greatly appreciated! It would have been even easier if I hadn't burned sugar on the bottom! Below are the ingredients. The phrases in red are the things I changed or wish I had known.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked beans or pigeon peas (1 cup uncooked / if using canned–wash thoroughly and drain) (I used 1 can of black beans that were rinsed well.)
3 lbs. of chicken pieces (whole chicken cut up, thighs or drumsticks), washed with lime or vinegar and drained (I didn't wash the chicken because I personally don't like to. I used drumsticks and it worked great!)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp oil
1 stalk celery, diced (about ¾ cup)
1 medium red sweet pepper, diced (about ¾ cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (about ¾ cup)
2 cups parboiled rice, washed and drained
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups fresh or canned coconut milk or water
Maggie seasoning cube (chicken) (I used a chicken bouillon cube)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 seasoning (pimento) pepper diced or 1 scotch bonnet pepper (Hot) (I couldn't find scotch bonnets or habaneros anywhere so I found a jar of pimento peppers that were diced and used that)
Ingredients for the chicken marinade:
4 large cloves garlic
4 scallions, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 bunch thyme
1 medium onion, chopped (about ¾cup)
1 pimento pepper
1. In a food processor or blender, add garlic, scallions, thyme, onion and pimento and chop finely.
2. To the chicken add half of the green seasoning(reserving the other half), salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to coat the chicken with the seasonings. Marinate for at least an hour or overnight. Definitely do not skip this step! The marinade needs time to get into the chicken. I only did an hour and it wasn't enough for my liking.)
3. In a dry large deep heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat oil then add sugar. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is melted completely and starts to froth, bubble and become dark brown. (Make sure to have a good pot and don't burn the sugar! It will make your life very difficult!)
4. Add the seasoned chicken, turning frequently to coat and prevent sticking – about 5 minutes. Cover for 2 – 3 minutes to bring browning liquid to a little boil.
5. Add the rice to the chicken and stir to coat. Add beans or peas, diced sweet red pepper, carrot, celery and the remainder of the green seasoning. Mix well.
6. Pour in coconut milk and water or other cooking liquid. Add scotch bonnet pepper (whole), chopped seasoning(pimento) pepper, thyme and tomato ketchup.
7. Add maggie cube. Stir to dissolve. Taste – adjust with salt and back pepper if needed.
8. Cover pot and bring to a boil. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to low or simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until rice is cooked and all the liquid has evaporated.
Honestly, this has been the best dish we have made during this whole process! It was so good! We enjoyed it without the spice, but I am sure the spice would have enhanced the flavor even more. This recipe helped me hone some skills that I have been trying to learn. The flavor of this dish was so good! The chicken cooked in the caramelized sugar was something I don't think I have ever experienced before. We also loved the rice and vegetable mixture. It was delicious! You all should definitely try this if you get the chance!
The dessert we made was Sweet Potato Pone which is basically a sweet potato pudding. As someone from the United States this was definitely what we would consider a side dish, but I loved it as a healthier dessert. We really enjoyed it!
https://www.food.com/recipe/caribbean-sweet-potato-pudding-62399
This was the site where I found the recipe! I strongly urge you to go to the site and make this dish! It takes some time and effort but it was delicious! It has hints of lime throughout it and is very creamy and slightly sweet. It is a perfect dessert or side dish.
We thoroughly enjoyed this week and cannot wait to try food from Haiti! That is our next meal and we are excited to try something that is similar to Grenadian food, but different as well! We hope to have you continue this journey with us!
See you soon!
Aerika, Nick, and Lily
This week we dove into the country of Grenada which is located at the southern tip of the Caribbean Sea. Grenada is part of a group of islands called the Grenadines. The official language of Grenada is English but Grenadian Creole English and Grenadian Creole French are spoken more than English. The capital of Grenada is St. George's and it is know as the the "Island of Spice" because nutmeg and mace plants are abundant.
Grenada was inhabited by the indigenous Arawaks and later the Island Caribs before Europeans arrived in the Western Hemisphere. France colonized the island in 1650 and it was later given to Britain as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Grenada finally gained independence in 1974.
Grenada is a small island at only about 135 square miles. The population is about 115,000 people.
This week, we actually ended up cooking two recipes from Grenada. We made a main dish as well as a dessert! We highly recommend both, so we hope you decide to cook either dish or both if you are feeling crazy like me!
We made Grenadian Pelau as the main dish. I got my recipe from https://simplegrenadiancooking.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/grenadian-pelau/
The really nice thing about this dish is that it is a one pot meal! It made for easy clean up after which was greatly appreciated! It would have been even easier if I hadn't burned sugar on the bottom! Below are the ingredients. The phrases in red are the things I changed or wish I had known.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked beans or pigeon peas (1 cup uncooked / if using canned–wash thoroughly and drain) (I used 1 can of black beans that were rinsed well.)
3 lbs. of chicken pieces (whole chicken cut up, thighs or drumsticks), washed with lime or vinegar and drained (I didn't wash the chicken because I personally don't like to. I used drumsticks and it worked great!)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp oil
1 stalk celery, diced (about ¾ cup)
1 medium red sweet pepper, diced (about ¾ cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (about ¾ cup)
2 cups parboiled rice, washed and drained
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups fresh or canned coconut milk or water
Maggie seasoning cube (chicken) (I used a chicken bouillon cube)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 seasoning (pimento) pepper diced or 1 scotch bonnet pepper (Hot) (I couldn't find scotch bonnets or habaneros anywhere so I found a jar of pimento peppers that were diced and used that)
Ingredients for the chicken marinade:
4 large cloves garlic
4 scallions, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 bunch thyme
1 medium onion, chopped (about ¾cup)
1 pimento pepper
1. In a food processor or blender, add garlic, scallions, thyme, onion and pimento and chop finely.
2. To the chicken add half of the green seasoning(reserving the other half), salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to coat the chicken with the seasonings. Marinate for at least an hour or overnight. Definitely do not skip this step! The marinade needs time to get into the chicken. I only did an hour and it wasn't enough for my liking.)
3. In a dry large deep heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat oil then add sugar. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it is melted completely and starts to froth, bubble and become dark brown. (Make sure to have a good pot and don't burn the sugar! It will make your life very difficult!)
4. Add the seasoned chicken, turning frequently to coat and prevent sticking – about 5 minutes. Cover for 2 – 3 minutes to bring browning liquid to a little boil.
5. Add the rice to the chicken and stir to coat. Add beans or peas, diced sweet red pepper, carrot, celery and the remainder of the green seasoning. Mix well.
6. Pour in coconut milk and water or other cooking liquid. Add scotch bonnet pepper (whole), chopped seasoning(pimento) pepper, thyme and tomato ketchup.
7. Add maggie cube. Stir to dissolve. Taste – adjust with salt and back pepper if needed.
8. Cover pot and bring to a boil. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to low or simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until rice is cooked and all the liquid has evaporated.
Honestly, this has been the best dish we have made during this whole process! It was so good! We enjoyed it without the spice, but I am sure the spice would have enhanced the flavor even more. This recipe helped me hone some skills that I have been trying to learn. The flavor of this dish was so good! The chicken cooked in the caramelized sugar was something I don't think I have ever experienced before. We also loved the rice and vegetable mixture. It was delicious! You all should definitely try this if you get the chance!
The dessert we made was Sweet Potato Pone which is basically a sweet potato pudding. As someone from the United States this was definitely what we would consider a side dish, but I loved it as a healthier dessert. We really enjoyed it!
https://www.food.com/recipe/caribbean-sweet-potato-pudding-62399
This was the site where I found the recipe! I strongly urge you to go to the site and make this dish! It takes some time and effort but it was delicious! It has hints of lime throughout it and is very creamy and slightly sweet. It is a perfect dessert or side dish.
See you soon!
Aerika, Nick, and Lily
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