Caribbean_food_recipes_ Manchester

OXTAIL STEW

2010-09-05T23:23:00.002+01:00

Ingredients

1/3 cup Dried small white beans

      1 tb Vegetable oil

      3 lb chopped Beef oxtails

      3 Garlic cloves; peeled and crushed

      1 medium Yellow onion; peeled and diced

      1 medium Tomato; diced

      2 cups Canned beef stock

      2 cup Water; (approximately)

      2 tablespoon freshly ground allspice; or Salt; to taste Black pepper,

         freshly ground Tabasco sauce; to taste.

Preparation Method

Place beans in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup of the water, bring to a boil, covered, then turn off the heat.

Allow to sit for 1 hour, covered, then drain. Brown the oxtails well in the oil. Place the oxtails in a 6-quart stove-top casserole. Add the garlic, onion and tomato. Add the beef stock and enough water so it just covers the contents of the pot. Add the allspice, salt and pepper.

Cover and simmer for 3 1/2 hours, adding the drained beans after 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. Remove the lid during the last hour of cooking if you want a thicker sauce.Be careful the pot does not dry out. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce.

Serves 4 to 5.

ROTI RECIPE

2010-09-05T22:46:00.002+01:00

Ingredients

1.5 kg plain flour
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
500g butter
500 ml water
Vegetable oil as needed

Preparation Method

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add butter, and crumble into mixture.
Add water slowly, and mix to form a dough.
Knead, and let stand for 30 minutes.
Knead again, and then divide into 12 small balls.
On a floured board, roll out each ball, as thinly as possible using a rolling pin.
Spread some vegetable oil with a brush onto a a large flat griddle, or frying pan, heat on a medium until hot.
Place each individual roti on the pan, and cook for about one and a half minutes on each side, coating each side with a little vegetable oil as it cooks.
Remove and drain on paper towels

SOUS RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:44:00.005+01:00

Ingredients

2 kg pigs trotters and tails, cut into pieces
3 cucumbers grated.
6 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 large onions, grated, or finely chopped.
1 hot pepper, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime.
2-3 litres of water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Preparation Method

Wash the meat and place in a large pot with the water and salt, and half the cucumbers and onion.
Boil for about 2 hours, but for the last half hour, put in the remainder of the cucumbers and onion, and all other seasoning.
Can be eaten cold as well as hot. Liquid will be jelly-like when cold.

PEPPERPOT RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:43:00.001+01:00

Ingredients
250g callaloo or spinach
12 okras
12 cups water
1/2 pound pig's tail or salt beef
1/2 pound shin of beef
3 cups coconut milk
1/2 1b yello yam and coco, peeled and sliced
2 stalks spring onion, crushed
1 sliced hot pepper, seeds removed
black pepper

Preparation

Wash thoroughly and finely chop the callaloo and okras
Put them to poil in the water with the pig's tail or salt beef, and the shin of beef for 2 hours, or until the meats are tender.
Add the coconut milk, yam and coco, spring onions, hot pepper and black pepper.
Add more water if required, though the soup should be fairly thick.
Simmer for a further 30 minutes.

Serves 4 - 6

RICE & PEAS RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:39:00.003+01:00

Ingredients

   1      16 oz can pigeon peas
   6      cloves garlic -- finely chopped
   1/2   medium onion -- chopped
   2      tablespoons olive oil
   2      cups   rice
   1      15 oz can coconut milk
   1       cup water
   4       teaspoons granulated chicken boullion

Preparation Method
1. If using canned peas, drain and reserve the liquid.

2. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over high heat. Add the rice, and continue saute until the rice turns opaque and golden brown.

3. Add the garlic and onion and saute for a few more minutes.    Be careful not to let the rice go too brown.

4. Stir the peas in with the rice. Do not stir again during cooking!

5. Combine the coconut milk with the bean liquid. Add water to make 4 cups of liquid. add to the rice and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to simmer.

6. Cook uncovered until the liquid is slightly below the surface of the rice and holes form in the rice. Cover the pot and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Allow to sit covered for another 1/2 hour.

                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Serving Ideas : Great with curry or jerk chicken!

Additional Notes:
Rice and peas (or beans) is a very popular dish throughout the
Caribbean. The peas used in this recipe are
called pigeon or gungo peas. They are about the size of garden peas and are usually found dried. However, cooked, canned pigeon peas are also available. If they are not available in your area, black-eyed peas or kidney beans can be substituted. (Not the same, however)

TURN CORNMEAL RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:31:00.001+01:00

1 medium onion
2 tbs olive oil
3 stalks spring onion
1 tomato, chopped
2 slices hot pepper, chopped
6 okras, chopped
1/2 cup shredded raw saltfish
5 cups coconut milk, or water
black pepper
2 cups cornmeal

Preparation

Saute the onion and spring onions in the oil.
Stir in the tomatoes, hot pepper, okras and salt cod.
Stir for a few minutes then pour in the coconut milk, or water.
Let it come to boil, add the black pepper, then gradually add the cornmeal, stirring it all the time.
The cornmeal will swell considerably. When well mixed in, turn the heat to very low, cover the pan and cook for a further 15-20 minutes.
Place in oiled bowls and roll around until smooth to turn out on the serving plate.
Serve with seasoned saltfish or stew fish, or stewed liver.

COCONUT RUNDOWN RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:29:00.003+01:00

Ingredients
2 tins of coconut milk
1 kg pickled mackerel or shad
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 stalks spring onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 hot pepper, Scotch bonnet
2 - 3 sprigs thyme

Preparation

Soak the mackerel or shad in water for at least 3 hours to remove excess salt, remove as many bones as possible.
Boil the coconut milk rapidly in a heavy frying pan until it is reduced to oil and coconut separated.
Add the fish, cover and cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat.
Stir in the onion, garlic, spring onions, tomatoes, hot pepper and thyme. Lower the heat and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
Serve with boiled green bananas and dumplings.

JERK PORK RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:28:00.003+01:00

Ingredients

4 large pork chops
1 tsp jerk seasoning ( more if preferred hot)
(Alternative jerk seasoning:-
50g pimento berries,
6 stalks spring onions,
2-3 hot peppers, chopped,
4 fresh cinnamon leaves, chopped, or bay leaves.)

Preparation Method

Wash and dry the pork
Rub in the jerk seasoning
Leave to stand for 10 minutes
Grill or barbecue the pork until cooked, turning once.

JERK CHICKEN RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:20:00.004+01:00

Ingredients
2 pounds chicken pieces
1 tablespoon of jerk seasoning rubbed in well.

(Alternative if you have no jerk seasoning:
1 tablespoon Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground thyme 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large Onion, peeled and chopped 5 Garlic cloves, peeled and -chopped 1/4 teaspoon Scotch Bonnet pepper )

Preparation Method

Wash and prepare chicken.
Mix all ingredients except chicken in small bowl until well blended.
Pour dressing over chicken; cover. Refrigerate 1 hour to marinate, or overnight.
Drain and discard dressing mixture.
Place on greased grill over hot coals or on rack of grill pan 5-7 inches from heat.
Grill 40-45 minutes or until cooked through, turning
frequently. (Or bake in on gas mark 5 for 1 hour)

Makes 6 servings.

Prep Time: 10 minutes plus marinating.
Grilling time: 45 minutes.
Baking time: 1 hour

SEAFOOD SOUP RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:18:00.003+01:00

Ingredients

400 g shrimps, mussels, clams, squid and fish
150 g oysters
250 g tomatoes
50 g parsley
50 g coriander
3 dl olive oil
80 g flour
1 dl brandy
4 cloves garlic
80 g onions
¼ l. cream
1 tsp chillies
1 bay leaf
1 dl white wine
2 l water

Method

Clean and dice oysters, shrimps, mussels, clams, squid and fish. Heat olive oil gently in pot. Chop garlic, onions, tomatoes, chilli, half of the parsley and coriander, and add to olive oil.
Then add brandy, wine, seafood and bay leaf; fill the pot with water and leave it to boil for a few minutes.
Mix the flour well with cold water and pour slowly into the pot. Stir well for a while. Add the cream and the rest of the parsley and coriander.

PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:17:00.003+01:00


1 kg pumpkin, peeled and diced
3 litres water
500 g yellow yam
2 cocos
250g flour for dumplings
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 sprig thyme
2 stalks spring onion, chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
black pepper
salt

Preparation Method

Place the pumpkin in the water in a large pan
Bring to boil, then reduce heat, and cook until the pumpkin is tender and almost disintegrating.
Make the dumplings by mixing the flour, a little salt and water into a firm dough. Make small dumplings, either round or long (spinners).
Mash the pumpkin further with a fork if necessary, then thrown in the peeled yam and cocos.
Add the dumplings.
Add the whole scotch bonnet pepper, and thyme, spring onion, garlic and black pepper.
Add salt to taste.
Simmer for a further 15 minutes, or until the yam and cocos are tender.
Remove the sprig of thyme and whole scotch bonnet pepper before serving.

Serves 4-6 people.

Conch Chowder Recipe

2010-09-05T18:16:00.001+01:00

Ingredients

60g salt pork or bacon
2 onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 sprig thyme
2 green peppers, diced
2 celery sticks, finely sliced
3 potatoes, diced
5 ripe tomatoes, or 1 can peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
6 conches, pounded and diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Method

    * Fry salt pork or bacon in a pot until golden brown.
    * Add onions, garlic, thyme, peppers and celery to the pot.
    * Cook until soft, then add tomatoes and paste. Stir well.
    * Add diced conch.
    * Put in potatoes. Add sufficient water to cover the mixture.
    * Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes.
    * If preferred, blend when cool.

CALLALOO SOUP RECIPE

2010-09-05T18:05:00.000+01:00

1 1b Callaloo,(Dasheen leaves) or spinach, cleaned and chopped 6 Fresh okras, trimmed 1 large Plantain, cubed 1 ts Oregano 5 Scallions, chopped 6 Cloves, pounded 2 Garlic cloves, pressed 1 lb Yam, peeled; diced Salt; pepper Scotch bonnet, to taste (Can Replace the yams with either cassava or dasheen root. Cook in the same way.)

Preparation Method

Combine all but the last three ingredients in a pot with 2 quarts of boiling water. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, simmer the yam in lightly salted water until just tender.
Drain the water; reserve the vegetables.

Allow the soup to cool slightly. Strain the stock; set aside.
Puree the cooked solids ; return to the pot. Add enough of the reserved stock to form a syrupy consistency. In a small pan, reduce the remaining stock until thickened ; add it to the soup.

Add the salt, pepper; Sctoch bonnet. Simmer for 1 hour.
5 minutes before serving, add the diced yams. Heat through; serve.

BEAN SOUP RECIPE

2010-09-05T17:39:00.007+01:00

Ingredients   (use a very large pot)
1lb Smoked ham on the bone -- chopped -or salted pig's tail
1Lb Stewing beef -- cubed
2 cups Kidney beans, dried
4 litres of Water
4 small Potatoes -- peeled and cubed
1/2 cup Coconut milk -- optional
1 Onions -- chopped
2 Green onions -- chopped
1 Sprig fresh thyme
1 Hot pepper Salt

Preparation Method

   1. Put the ackees together with the liquid from the can into a saucepan with the chicken stock, tomatoes, shallots, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil.
   2. Cover and simmer gently until the shallots are tender.
   3. Cool, then puree in an electric blender.
   4. Return to saucepan, season to taste with hot pepper sauce, stir in cream and heat through.
   5. Garnish with chopped chives or chopped parsley or with sweet paprika.

BEEF SOUP RECIPE

2010-09-05T17:33:00.003+01:00

3 carrots diced
1 cho cho
1 lb pumpkin
2 turnips, diced
1 1b potatoes
10 - 12 cups water
1 1b shin of beef, chopped
3 cups flour for dumplings
1/2 1b yam
1/2 1b coco or green breadfruit
1 clove garlic
2 stalks springs onions
1 sprig thyme
3 slices hot pepper
black pepper
12 pimento berries

Preparation Method

Cut the carrots, cho cho, pumpkin and turnips into small pieces and put them to boil in water with the shin of beef.
After boiling for 5 minutes, turn the heat down to a moderate temperature and cook for 1 - 2 hours, until the meat is tender. Add more water if the liquid is reduced too much.
For the dumplings, mix the flour and water and a pinch of salt to form a stiff dough. Roll into smooth small balls or spindles as big as a little finger, and place in the soup mixture.
All the peeled yam, potatoes and coco. Crush the garlic and spring onions and add to the pot with the thyme and hot pepper. Sprinkle black pepper and salt. Add the pimento berries.
The soup is ready when the yam and potatoes are cooked.

ACKEE SOUP RECIPE

2010-09-05T17:26:00.004+01:00

Ingredients

1 can Ackees (19oz), 1 1/2 cup of Chicken stock, 1/2 cup Tomatoes -- peeled, chopped, 1/4 cup   Shallots -- chopped Salt -- to taste Pepper, black -- to taste Tabasco hot sauce -- to taste 1/2 cup Heavy cream

Preparation Method

   1. Put the ackees together with the liquid from the can into a saucepan with the chicken stock, tomatoes, shallots, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil.
   2. Cover and simmer gently until the shallots are tender.
   3. Cool, then puree in an electric blender.
   4. Return to saucepan, season to taste with hot pepper sauce, stir in cream and heat through.
   5. Garnish with chopped chives or chopped parsley or with sweet paprika.

SWEET POTATO RECIPES

2010-09-05T17:22:00.001+01:00

Different Styles of Sweet Potato:

Boiled sweet potato.
Baked sweet potato.
Sweet potato chips.
Mashed sweet potatoes.
Sweet potato and coconut soup.
Sweet potato pudding.
Sweet potato fritters.

Boil in slightly salted water, with or without skin.
Wash carefully. Roast in oven with skin on.Peel, and cut as chips.
Deep fry. They cook in a shorter time than ordinary chips.
Boil then mash with a little butter.
Boil with seasoning and a little butter.
Blend, then Add coconut milk in the end.


Candied sweet potatoes recipes

1 kg sweet potatoes, 50 g butter, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 cup water.
Boil potatoes, then slice and arrange in layers in a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle
each layer with nutmeg and sugar, and dot with butter. Add water, and sprinkle top with sugar.
Bake for 40 minutes. Add sweet potato to any soup Thickens, and adds flavour.Add sweet potato
to a duckanoo mix Gives body.

BAMMY RECIPE

2010-09-05T15:56:00.003+01:00

Ingredients

1 kg sweet cassava
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation Method

Preparation

   1. Peel and grade the cassava.
   2. Place in a muslin cloth and wring out and discard as much of the juice as possible.
   3. Add the salt to the cassava 'bran'.
   4. Place about a cup of the mixture into a greased shallow baking pan or frying pan. The bammy should be about 6 inches in diameter. Press down with the bottom of a glass.
   5. Place the pan over a moderate heat. When the edges shrink slightly , flatten the mixture, and turn over.
   6. Each bammy takes about 10 minutes to cook.

Fried Dumplings/Bakes/Johnny Cakes Recipe

2010-09-05T02:08:00.000+01:00

Ingredients

1 1/2   cups of flour
   1      teaspoon of baking powder -- rounded
   1/2   teaspoon of salt
   2      teaspoons of sugar
   1     tablespoon of shortening or margarine
1/4   cup of water
          frying oil

Preparation

   1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt.
   2. Rub in shortening or margarine
   3. Add enough water to ingredients to make a soft dough.
   4. Knead lightly, with floured hands, if needed. Break off pieces and roll into smooth balls.
   5. Flatten to 1/2 in thick.
   6.
      Fry in hot oil or bake on a hot greased pan.

Beef Patties Recipe

2010-09-05T01:40:00.009+01:00

(If preferred, replace beef with chicken or lamb or vegetable curry)

Ingredients FILLING

2 tbs Olive oil
2 Onions;finely chopped
5 Garlic cloves;finely chopped
1 lb Ground beef; lean
1 tbs Curry powder
1 tsp -salt
1/2 tsp -freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Bread crumbs, dry
1/2 cup Chicken stock; or water
2 Green onions; finely chopped

PASTRY
500g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Tumeric
1/4 tsp -salt
200 g Shortening or Butter; cold,
-diced
1/4 c -ice water or more if
-necessary
1 Egg; lightly beaten

Preparation Method

1. Heat oil in large heavy pan.
2. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring till onion wilts.
3. Add ground meat. Cook, stirring until meat is browned.
4. Sprinkle with curry powder, salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in breadcrumbs and stock or water. Cook, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Mixture should be thick but not dry.
6. Stir in green onions. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

7. Make pastry by combining flour with tumeric and salt.
8. Rub in butter or shortening until crumbly. Add
water; gather into a ball.
9. Roll out to about 1/4" thickness and cut into 4" diameter circles.
10. Gather remaining dough together and lightly cut out again.
11. Place about 1 Tbsp filling on each circle. Brush edges with lightly beaten egg, fold over and seal.
12. Preheat oven to 400F. Place patties on baking trays lined with aluminium foil. Brush lightly with remaining lightly beaten egg.
13. Bake 25 to 30 till golden brown.

MAKES: Approx
30 Patties These can be made ahead and frozen

Jamaican Food Saves a Hard Day

2010-09-04T14:04:00.000+01:00

Fluttering flags in the balmy breeze signalled the start of the 2nd ODI at Sabina Park on Sunday. The sky was even clearer than it was on Saturday, removing any thoughts of possible rain to thwart the proceedings. The fans had left their Sunday routine hoping to exchange it for some exhilarating cricket. Instead, what they ended up getting would certainly have made them wish they had stayed home to enjoy their traditional Sunday dinner in leisurely fashion.

I arrived at the ground to find our batsmen at the crease. "Oh, we lost the toss," the sightscreen screen man at the Blue Mountain end quickly corrected my assumption. Mr Lara decided to be brave and bat first. Remember, we are 'experimenting'. The experiment of using swashbuckling batsman Ricardo Powell to open was not repeated today. One wondered why, since it wasn't exactly a failure yesterday. But we will not interfere with the scientists and their experiments.
These reports are less about cricket and more about happenings around the ground.

Remember, I am a lady and I have never played a game of cricket in my life, so today I'm staying clear of cricketing details and sticking to what I know more about -- food. Sunday is traditional family day in most parts of the Caribbean and food forms an integral part of that day. Today at Sabina was no different. While the batsmen were being pegged back by the superior Aussie bowlers, I scouted the ground in search of food to see what was on offer.

If you missed breakfast, you could find a few things to break your fast. Hominy porridge anyone? If that’s not your thing, you might have liked the callaloo sandwich on sale by the same vendor and then had some coffee-tea, milo-tea or plain ole tea to wash it down. If you're wondering what these are, I will tell you that in Jamaica, some people call anything hot 'tea'! Ah jus' so wi stay man.

For some people, anything goes where breakfast is concerned. I spotted a man in the Air Jamaica stand having a hefty plate of what I would consider dinner at 10:30 in the morning. Perhaps he had not had any breakfast. Seems like that might have been the case with Gayle, Smith and Samuels. For the way they were batting they couldn’t not have had any strong cornmeal pap or ackee and saltfish this morning. Very sluggish and obviously in need of sustenance. Even Lara, after scoring 6 runs off his first 2 balls, seemed to be in the same hungry state.

After 19 overs, 54 for 4. Time for a snack. You could take your pick from bun and cheese, banana chips, peanuts, cashews, pizza, popcorn, spicy pepper shrimp popular in St Elizabeth (a.k.a. St Bess) or perhaps some chicken soup if you needed something hot. While Sarwan and Powell were blazing way (they obviously had breakfast while the earlier bats were in!), I went in search of a patty. Jamaica is unique for a lot of things, and one of them is the variety of our cuisine. The patty was made popular by Vincent Chang who created Tastee patties back in the day.

A more recent player in the patty market is Juici Beef. I found them on the first floor of the George Headley Stand. Ahead of me in the line was an Australian, with whom I struck up a conversation as I was curious as to what he knew about Jamaican patties. My conversation revealed that he is employed by a bauxite company, and has been on secondment here since 2001. He loves the island, and has just extended his stay without even blinking. Jamaica land we love, and others too! The land of wood, water and patties.

With wickets falling a-plenty, many fans made their way to the food outlets for an early lunch. While living outside of the region, I was struck by the differences in our eating patterns as against theirs. Quite often, lunch in the United Kingdom would consist of something light – a salad, a sandwich, soup. In the Caribbean, that can’t hold us. We need food-food. Hot food. The meat of choice today was chicken. Typical Jamaican Sunday dinner. Other offerings were Jerk anything – burger, chicken sandwich, fish sandwich and even Jerk Hotdog. If you fancied something light, there was Chicken Chop Suey, and if you just couldn’t stay away from things foreign, Kentucky, Burger King and Dominoes could answer your call. There was corn-on-the-cob, and you could pick your selection from boiled-with-meat and boiled-without. No dry coconut to eat it with though. They slacking up.

It was hot, so the beverages went like…well….hot bread. Tropical Rhythms, Zesti sparkling fruit drink, and ‘bax’ juice (in a box) offered you something nutritious…um kind of, if you forgot all the sugar added to them. Soft drinks in any flavour could quench your thirst, or you might have preferred a Malta, or even a Guinness to ‘bring out the power in you’. Hmmm. Send out a Guinness for Powell to go with that Curry Goat cricket he is playing. In fact, maybe they needed something stronger. Overproof whites perhaps? No chaser.

After the Aussies dropped Banks, they didn’t make the mistake twice. Out caught shortly thereafter. Baugh bowled middle stump, Drakes out after a flurry of runs, and Collymore didn’t trouble the scorers. That’s lunch. Let’s eat. My food-food? Roast pork, curried goat, baked chicken, rice and peas, vegetable salad and potato pudding. If you come from the Eastern Caribbean, that might have read roast pork, goat curry, baked chicken, peas and rice, vegetable salad and potato pudding.

Anyhow you take it, Caribbean food provides a welcome respite from a dull day's cricket such as today's match was. We'll feed the lads with food-food before Wednesday and hope for better things from them in St Lucia.

Source: http://www.caribbeancricket.com

Who is supplying Caribbean Food to Thierry Henry?

2010-09-04T13:54:00.001+01:00

(As an avid football fan - in particular an Arsenal supporter, I felt blessed when I discovered this article about a great goal-scorer and a mention of Caribbean food. Editor)

By 9.30 tonight Galatasaray could be the latest in a long line of victims wishing Thierry Henry had stuck to his guns. One morning, soon after his arrival at Highbury, the Frenchman dragged himself miserably out of bed intent on demanding a move.
This was not a move from Arsenal but from the striker's role he feared was ruining his career. Out of the Champions League side and looking as potent in the Premiership as John Jensen, Henry decided enough was enough. He had to ask Arsène Wenger to go back out wide.

"It was so hard at the beginning," he recalls. "Patrick [Vieira] used to tease me all the time. At first it was funny but it was true as well. I missed so many chances, not even difficult ones. In my mind I was in the France squad at the World Cup as a winger and one day I decided I had to speak to the boss.

"But when I arrived at training I thought: 'It's all right.' There are players who stop when they have a little problem. I decided I had to keep going and maybe we would see at the end of the season. I had a lot of confidence in Arsène."
Presumably the 22-year-old will not be banging on Wenger's door tomorrow, unless it is to demand a pay rise. He has been sensational of late, his pace, power and finishing mocking the early doubts. Goals have flowed like David Ginola's locks. Why the £11m fee? Because he is worth it.

Henry remembers the day he started to feel a "real striker" again. As a youngster he always had that sense, 45 goals in one season for Monaco's youth team catapulting him into Wenger's side at 17. But Wenger soon departed and Henry was moved to the wing. Four years later, when he arrived at Highbury from Juventus, the scoring confidence was gone. At home to Derby last November it began to flood back.

Twice set up by Marc Overmars, twice he made no mistake. "When you score two goals, and you win with that, suddenly you feel more like a striker," he says. The statistics tell it all: two goals in 17 games before, 22 in 27 since, 26 in all. Here he hopes to score for the 11th successive match. How different Arsenal's Champions League and Premiership fortunes might have been if Henry had been in this form from the start. "No one," he confesses, "has missed the chances I have."

The new incisiveness is based not just on confidence but on his adjustment to the Premiership. Team-mates have toughened him up in training and this month Henry even brushed aside Marcel Desailly to score against Chelsea. That prompted Wenger to compare Henry's build to a boxer's but not even he expected His 'Enery to settle this fast. "I didn't expect he would be such a success," says the manager, who originally wanted Henry to play with Nicolas Anelka, not instead of him. "I thought it would need more time. I was disappointed with the way he played at Liverpool alongside Bergkamp. He showed no signs it would be a success. But he learns quickly."

The counter-attacking thrust of Anelka is no longer missed. And Henry - outgoing but not arrogant - has become part of the dressing room and the club in a way his friend never did. In the canteen he pulls faces at Vieira, trying to distract the midfielder from his interview. On Friday he watched the under-18s win the Youth Cup. He remembers how much that meant to him at Monaco - small touches, big impression. It says much that a message flashed up at Highbury recently proclaiming "Well done Thierry, only 162 to go". Goals to beat Ian Wright's record, that is. Henry studies Wright on video (the goals not the chat show) and there is a sense that he is here to stay.

He enjoys London, though not a in pubbing-kebabing Gazza sort of way. As a teenager at Monaco he ignored the casinos and the beach, and still football comes first. "I go to dance," he says, "but not all the time, you know." More often he is with friends, visitors from Paris, occasionally tucking into the Caribbean food that reminds him of his mother's Guadaloupe cuisine. He appreciates the less intense life on and off the pitch: "In Italy, if you miss one chance, even if you are Batistuta or Bierhoff, they have to kill you. Here they were singing my name."

Henry says he likes pressure and not only Arsenal should celebrate his reincarnation. France have surely found the striker they won the World Cup without. Henry may be asked to start alone up front in Euro 2000 but he believes he and Anelka could work as a pair. "Romario and Bebeto used to play together for Brazil," he says, "and they played the same way." Henry and Anelka, 22 and 21, may have to vary the baby-cradling celebrations. Tonight Arsenal would settle for the upraised arm and charge towards the corner flag.

Youth of Caribbean Origin - and food culture

2010-09-04T13:54:00.000+01:00

There is a rumour going around that some Caribbean youth actually prefer fish and chips to Caribbean food. Although this is not a widespread belief, it does ring true for some, and these are reasons why. Not enough exposure is given to Caribbean food and drink.   Unless youths have a grandparent, parent or other people around who regularly cook it, or extol its virtues, then of course fish and chips or the Big Mac will be more familiar to them.

Youths simply do not have it very often, because their parents very rarely cook it at home.    Unfortunately many 2nd and third generation West Indians, who were either born here or largely bought up here really do not take the time or effort to live this very important part of their culture.   Also with many grandparents migrating back to the Caribbean, so much of our culture is going back with them. Sunday lunches where 3 generations get together as now not as common as it used to be. Caribbean Food Emporium tried to find a three- generational family who regularly come together for a typical Caribbean Sunday lunch, for a BBC documentary about food. We are still looking.

Time is a factor. The parents who themselves might have experienced some Caribbean cooking at home when they were younger, now do less of it since it takes longer to cook. Apart from speed being a factor convenience is also an issue. There are certainly not as many Caribbean food Take Aways as there are Fish and Chips shop. So for many youths, there is no choice about what you can obtain quickly. If your nearest available shop is 5 miles away, unless you are a die-hard cultural purist where nothing else but some rice and peas and oxtail will cure your craving you are unlikely to travel to this shop on the bus. If your family has a car you are might make it more often. Some Take Aways have started doing home deliveries, but once again, this would be within a particular radius.

Caribbean Food has not yet made an impact in the amount packaged convenienced foods available in the supermarkets. Patties are available in a few of Tescos supermarkets. Marks and Spencers have recently introduced a Caribbean option in the Café foods range. Sainsbury's were also doing a version of Hard Dough Bread.

There is a cost issue. Some ingredients are more expensive to buy. Sweet potato for instance is anything from 75p per pound, whereas white potatoes are from 20p per pound. A complete take away Caribbean meal for one would be more expensive costing say £5 compared to £3 for a KFC or fish and chips. However some elements are cheaper, such as a patties, or dumpling and saltfish.   Price comparisons are better if cooking at home though, since rice is the same price however it is cooked, (the English way, or using Caribbean seasonings) same with chicken and so on.
Another factor is that the media is not giving enough exposure to Caribbean Food.   The black media in particular do not think it important enough to have a food feature in every publication, every week.    I weekly comb through the Voice and New Nation and Caribbean Times for information on Caribbean Food and regularly find nothing.    Black web sites will have general news, music, business, sport and dating/chat sections but no food section.   Do Caribbeans not eat?   It seems that it has been assumed that readers are not that interested in food.   I think this is a shame.    They could be continually educating about our food and also helping to build up the Caribbean Food Industry.

Youths of all cultures all over the world enjoy the main fast foods, such as MacDonalds, Pizza, KFC.   This does not mean however, that their own cultural food is not important to them.
However when youth go to Caribbean weddings, most are very happy to have the rice and peas and curry coat, jerk chicken and fried fish.    Many fantasize about having this more often.      If the family unit makes a fuss about a good Sunday lunch, then Rice and peas and chicken it is, with possibly macaroni cheese, plantain, coleslaw, roast potatoes and more.   Yam and green banana admittedly do not quite grab the tastebuds in the same way as chips might.   But even yam and green banana can be made exciting, it depends on how it is cooked.

There is some progress.   Even school dinner planners are adding Caribbean style dishes to menus for school children in areas of a sizeable West Indian population.   Jerk chicken and rice and peas have been observed on the menu.    Patties are available in some places, such as pubs and clubs.

Parents have a duty to teach their children about Caribbean Food - whether they are from mixed or pure parentage.    There is a vast range of dishes, so there are bound to be some that are liked.   Youth of all backgrounds enjoy plantains, fried chicken, dumplings, patties, saltfish, rice and curry goat.

So in conclusion these are some pointers to what could be done about this issue:

Parents should educate youths at home about Caribbean Food
Parents should cook Caribbean food at least 2-3 times weekly, or get a Take Away, or patronize Caribbean Restaurants.
Schools should inform about Caribbean Food as well as other foods.
The black media should have a weekly focus section on Caribbean food, restaurants and Take-Aways.
Caribbean Food Businesses should raise their profile, by regular press releases, and advertising. There can never be too much positive publicity.
Caribbean Food Businesses should break into the mainstream market, with packaging. We want to see a section for Caribbean Food in the supermarkets, just as we can see large sections for Indian food, Chinese Food, and Italian Food.
We need to see more Caribbean Food Establishments opening up - with great decor, great service, as well as delicious food to make it accessible for far more people.

Jamaica's history is told by the food Jamaican's eat.

2010-09-04T13:42:00.000+01:00

Rich and spicy as the pepperpot soup that originated with the Taino Indians, Jamaican cooking is a culinary melting pot that combines a hint of Spanish, a dash of English and a heaping teaspoon of Indian and Chinese with a cup or two of African ingredients to serve up the Caribbean's most creative cuisine.

Jamaica's history is told by the food Jamaicans eat. The cassava the Arawaks grew is used today as "bammie," a toasted flat cake eaten with fried fish. The Maroons, always on the run, devised a way of spicing and slow cooking pork that they called "jerking", today's visitor tastes jerk chicken and fish as well. To feed the slaves cheaply and well, the ackee fruit was brought from Africa, as were breadfruit and a variety of yams and root vegetables.

The Africans carried their own culinary secrets with them, including duckunoo, a steamed pudding made of green bananas and coconut. Breadfruit arrived on the island courtesy of Captain William Bligh, of Bounty fame. And the ubiquitous meat patties sold by roadside vendors are a direct, but much spicier, descendent of English meat pasties.

Curried goat, a popular island dish often served with rice and peas, dates to 1845 when -- following the abolition of slavery -- plantation owners began importing indentured laborers from India and later China; the new arrivals quickly added their own contributions, including curry and other spices, to the island's expanding palette of exotic flavors.

In addition to indigenous vegetables like cho-cho, which tastes a little like squash, and callaloo, which is similar to spinach and used in pepperpot soup, Jamaica's lively markets are piled high with bananas, coconuts and pineapples, as well as the more exotic guineps, pawpaws, sweetsops -- and the star apple that, when mixed with oranges and condensed milk, makes a delicious dessert called "matrimony."

The native pimento tree, the source of allspice, adds itself to numerous Jamaican dishes. So do ginger, garlic, nutmeg and Scotch Bonnet peppers, considered the hottest on earth. These may or not be a key ingredient of the island's famous Pickapeppa Sauce -- the recipe is a closely guarded secret -- but they're essential when it comes to making the mouth-searing jerked pork, chicken and fish for which Jamaica is equally famous.

A technique thought to originate with the Maroons, descendents of slaves who escaped from their Spanish masters to the island's most remote mountain areas, "jerked" meat is marinated for hours in an incendiary mixture of peppers, pimento seeds, scallion, thyme and nutmeg, then cooked over an outdoor pit lined with pimento wood. The low heat allows the meat to cook slowly, so it loses little of its natural juices while becoming saturated with the flavor of the wood.

Jerk stands can be found all over the island. Rastafarian I-tal, or vegetarian, meals abound in Negril. In the Middle Quarters area of the South Coast, dried peppered shrimp are sold by the bag. Delicacies like Stamp and Go (saltfish cakes eaten as appetizers) and mackerel Run-Down (whole salted mackerel simmered in coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, scallions, thyme and hot peppers, and served with boiled green bananas or yams) can be enjoyed island-wide.

Spice it up in Jamaica

2010-09-04T13:40:00.000+01:00

Jamaica, a true Caribbean classic, has been a popular vacation destination for decades. In the 1940s and 50s, it was "the" place to go for the jet set, including Elizabeth Taylor, Errol Flynn and Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. We visited the island to produce a program for CNN Travel Now, and were entranced by the lush landscapes, vibrant people and delicious cuisine.

Jamaica's cuisine is as lively and colorful as the island itself. Many of the flavors trace their roots far back in history. The best example is the story of jerk. Food historians believe jerk seasoning -- used to liven up chicken, pork or fish cooked slowly over a hardwood fire -- may have originated with the Arawak Indians who once populated the island. The jerk seasoning combination of salt and peppers began as a means of preserving meats. Then, in the 18th century, African slaves brought to the island to work on sugar plantations adopted jerk cooking methods, added some of their own spice twists. Today jerk is a national taste treasure.

Jerk seasoning mixes vary from cook to cook, but they often start with a combination of hot, sweet and savory spices including: peppers, pimento, nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic, scallions, and salt. The heavily seasoned meat is then slow-cooked over a barbecue grill.

The origin of the name "jerk" is harder to pin down. Some say it originated from the Arawak language while others believe it describes the action of the cook jerking the meat -- turning it over and over again as it cooks on the grill.
All you really need to know today is that jerk is a taste not to be missed when you visit Jamaica. It is served just about everywhere on the island from upscale resort buffets to down home local eateries known as jerk huts.
Anyone who's ever been serious about their own backyard barbecue methods can appreciate the patience and pride that goes into the plates dished up at the family-owned jerk huts. And, they are the perfect spots to find out how jerk seasoning blends vary from place to place.

A spread of Jamaican specialties presented beautifully on a table with a view of the sea welcomed us to Golden Eye, a luxurious, small hotel near Ocho Rios, which was the home of Ian Fleming. Traditional dishes included jerk chicken (of course!), rice and peas, spicy marinated escoveitch fish, and ackee and salt fish which is known as the national dish of Jamaica.
Ackee is a small fruit that when ripe bursts open to reveal soft yellow flesh inside. When cooked it looks a lot like scrambled eggs but tastes more like avocado. It definitely falls into that "adventures in eating" category!
Another evening of culinary classics unfolded at Belfield 1794, a restaurant located near Montego Bay in what was the old sugar mill on the Barnett Estates -- a 300-year-old sugar plantation.

Here we tasted peppery hot red peas soup, codfish fritters called "stamp and go," curried goat and braised oxtails.
Sure, you can get cheeseburgers in this paradise, and even Italian and Mexican dishes at most resorts catering to U.S. tourists, but part of the exploration of traveling is trying the local food specialties. And whether it's a chat about seasonings with cooks at a jerk hut, or asking islanders about the preparation of ackee and salt fish, conversations over great-tasting food is one of the best ways to get to know the people and cultures of the world.