Slow-cooked pork hotpot which is a classic example of afro-carribean one pot cookery. The sort of meal I like – bung everything in the pan and see what happens! Don’t be put off by the length of the ingredients list, it is really dead simple to prepare. This is not as spicy as it sounds and is deliciously warming rather than stuffed full of chilli. Cook in the morning and leave to simmer for as long as possible.
A sticky-rum soaked cartoon of a cake. You must try it, is is worth every ounce of money and effort! My sister’s favorite request every Christmas. I start making it in October. This cake is euphoria. This is Fruitcake done right. YOU WILL NEED TO START THE BAKING PORTION OF THIS CAKE AT LEAST A WEEK BEFORE YOU WANT TO EAT IT. BEGIN SOAKING THE FRUITS AT LEAST A MONTH IN ADVANCE. Not really for the novice baker (only because you have to figure out the baking time on your own based on the size of the cakes you make). I recommend mini loaf pans for this. Merry Christmas!
These delicious snacks are served on the side of the road down Trinidad way. Kind of like the Fast Food of the Caribbean. This recipe comes from the book A Taste of the Tropics by Jay Solomon, since I could not get anyone to share their secret recipe.
This is my absolute favourite cake for the Christmas holidays. I would always look forward to this season just to get a piece of this cake. The longer the fruit sits in the alcohol the better is tastes, minimum 2 weeks, maximum 3 months. As for the cake, the longer it sits there better it tastes! But make sure you have it wrapped properly if you want to leave it sitting for a long time. Make at few days ahead of serving for good measure. Prep time is minimum time required for fruit to soak.
Substitute chard or kale and spinach if you don’t have access to a West Indian market and can’t access the calalloo leaves (taro leaves). This is a trademark of Trinidad where crab and callaloo is the national dish. Served with rice, or macaroni pie, coo-coo or a selection of local root vegetables. Trini’s have this iron rich soup at least once a week, usually on a Sunday. Can be made in advance and freezes well.
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