Caribbean Christmas Kitchen

Dec 25, 2015 News

Christmas is indeed the busiest time of the year. The season is filled with lots of shopping, cleaning, decorating, and overall preparations, in anticipation of the big day…today, of course!
But prevalent in almost every household at Christmas is the spread of the choicest cuisine and goodies.
Despite nationality, cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs, Caribbean people are known for serving up unforgettable flavours in the kitchen. Guyana is no different, although the country is not geographically part of the Caribbean; there are certain historical and cultural factors which tie Guyanese customs, beliefs and cuisine to the inhabitants of the Islands.
And since no holiday or festivity is complete without some favourite delicacies, we decided to explore and give readers a ‘taste’ of the feasts which people, in other parts of the Region, relish at Christmas. You might even find some of these recipes, as helpful ideas to add to your holiday spread this season.
Let’s start with Jamaica. Since for natives of that Island, Christmas meals are usually prepared on Christmas Eve, the traditional Christmas meal in Jamaica includes fresh fruits, sorrel and rum punch and meat. Jamaicans are most famous for their jerk meat, ackee and saltfish, breadfruit and plantains.
A typical Jamaican breakfast on Christmas Day will include the latter, in addition to some fruit juice or tea. However, nothing spells a Jamaican Christmas more than jerk chicken, pork or fish, curried goat, stewed oxtail with some peas and rice. Dinner would usually conclude with a traditional glass of Jamaican red wine and rum fruitcake.

Jamaican Jerk Tilapia packets

4 tilapia fillets, about 6 ounces/170 g each
1 cup/240 ml white onion, chopped
1 cup/240 ml red or orange bell pepper, julienned
2 poblano (chili) peppers, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons/45 ml olive oil
3 tablespoons/45 ml fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons/45 ml Jerk Seasoning
2 tablespoons30 ml fresh lemon juice
salt and black pepper
4 large pieces of aluminum foil

Preheat grill medium high heat. Place one piece of tilapia in each piece of foil. Combine, garlic, olive oil cilantro, lemon juice, and jerk seasoning in a small bowl. Brush well with mixture on both sides of fish. Place equal portions of onion, bell pepper, and poblano on each piece of fish. Season lightly with salt and black pepper. Crimp edges of foil over and seal packets well.
Place on grill and cook for 10 minutes, turn, and cook for a remaining ten.
When Fish no longer appears opaque and vegetables become tender, remove from heat. Allow packets to stand for 5 minutes before opening.
Prep Time: 12 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes

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In Trinidad natives consume lots of fruits, raisins, and nuts. Trinidadians savour the taste of ponche-de-creme (a version of egg nog), ham, turkey, homemade bread, ginger beer, pastelles (a version of tamales) and lots of local wine at Christmas time.

Ponche-de-creme – a Trinidad version of egg nog

6 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
3 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup canned evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups rum
1 tablespoon aromatic bitters
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

In a large bowl, beat eggs and lime zest using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually pour in the condensed milk while continuing to mix, and then pour in the evaporated milk.
Stir in the rum and bitters, and sprinkle with nutmeg. Transfer to a bottle and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve over crushed ice.

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It is local tradition in Barbados, like most places that Christmas is spent with celebrations at home. A Bajan Christmas spread table is often laden with great cake, jug jug, and ham.
Jug Jug is originated from a Scottish dish called haggis, it is made from green peas, guinea corn flour, herbs and salt meat. On the other hand, the great cake is made with a combination of dried fruits (cherries, raisins, currants, and prunes), spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice) and a fair amount of liquor (rum, port wine, falernum).
Some like their cake iced with royal icing, while others prefer it plain.
The baked ham begins by studding a cured ham with cloves. During baking the ham is basted with a glaze (pineapple and sorrel glazes are favourites). For many, the crispy ham fat (crackling) is the best part!

Bajan-Style Honey Baked Ham with Cloves

1 cup honey
1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard (high quality)
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup whole cloves
1 ham of choice

Score ham with a sharp knife in a diagonal pattern. Repeat scoring, diagonally, in the opposite direction to create a crossing pattern. Insert whole cloves at the crossings.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place ham in roasting pan fat side up; the melting fat will baste your ham. Turn ham over half way through baking to avoid uneven salting from the brine in the meat. If roasting a ham that is not precooked, bake for approximately 20-30 minutes per pound. If the ham is precooked, follow the label directions for cooking times.
While ham is roasting, combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat and bring to a full boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and cook one minute.
Remove the ham from oven prior to the last 30 minutes of baking. Cover ham with glaze. Glaze ham every 10 minutes during last 30 minutes of baking.
Serve remaining glaze with ham.
Tip: Baste ham with pan drippings while glazing.

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In the French-speaking island of Haiti, typical Haitians celebrate Christmas with a meal of banane fri, chicken in sauce, rice and beans, a variety of salads.
Over in the Spanish-speaking Dominican Republic, Christmas foods on the menu for a family Christmas dinner would usually include: Puerco asado (Roasted pork), Pollo asado o al horno (Roasted chicken or Chicken cooked in the oven), Moros de guandules (a combination of rice and ‘peas’ – usually gungo peas), Ensalada Rusa (Russian salad – macedoine of potatoes and carrots, with peas and boiled egg bound with mayonnaise).
Also, Ensalada verde (Fresh green salad), Pasteles en Hojas (Tropical root vegetables cooked in banana or plantain leaves), Pan Telera (a very long, soft white bread with a crusty top) Dulces (Sweets – such as jellies, marshmallows, caramels), Galletitas dulces y biscochos (Biscuits and Cakes – like pastries filled with figs, Danish Butter Biscuits and others), Pudim Navideno (Some families might have a version of the European Christmas Pudding).
Since fruits are important to a Dominican’s diet a fruit salad would consist of Manzanas (Apples), uvas (grapes) and peras (pears) which in the Dominican Republic are fruits consumed just at Christmas time, as a kind of ‘delicacy’! They also love to eat frutas secas (nuts) at this time of the year, especially hazelnut (‘coquitos’ or small coconuts”), walnuts (nueces), and almonds (almendras)!

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A typical Christmas meal in St. Lucia might include a roasted lamb or turkey, lots of local yams and plantains and a refreshing ginger beer to drink.
For dessert, the local specialty is a spicy black pudding. Just like a more traditional British cake, the fruits are soaked prior to baking. Unlike British Christmas cake, however, the fruits are soaked in a local red wine for more than three months to develop a spicy and rich flavor.

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In the Bahamas, breakfast of boiled fish is quite filling, no one is hungry for Christmas dinner time. The time between breakfast and dinner is spent cooking.
Besides turkey, a traditional Bahamian Christmas dinner includes baked fresh ham topped with pineapple, brown sugar and cherries; baked macaroni and cheese; and potato salad.
Another island specialty is pigeon peas and rice. Most of the year this dish is made with dried or brown pigeon peas — the peas dry right on the vine making them easier to pick and hull. However, at Christmas, fresh green pigeon peas are often substituted to give the dish a richer flavor and prettier color.
There also are such island specialties as baked fish.

Bahamian-Style Grilled Fish

2 boneless fillet of bass or any white fish
2 ripe plantains, peeled and cut in 2 inch wide slices
3 roma tomatoes, cut in quarters
1 sweet onion, cut in quarters or slices
lime, cut in half
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut foil twice the length of a cookie sheet or large baking dish. Spray the bottom of the foil with olive oil spray. Rub the fish with one half of the lime. Season the fish with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Place the fish in the foiled topped dish. Squeeze lime juice over the fish. Place the plantain, tomato and onion around the fish. Close the foil packet tightly. Bake in 400 degree oven 30 min or grill over medium high heat.