I was flattered. No one had ever created a meme, I felt like
this guy at 1m52secs talking about "Orange peanut! For me? Wow!" Except orange peanut would be substituted for a meme. HA! It was a good one!
Shout outs to
Tristan D. Lalla Actor, Writer, Performer extraordinaire for this image! Needless to say this man has been WAY too busy to actually accept any of my invites what with being in movies, and plays all over tha damn world and all! ; ) Either way! I continued cooking and got better at it...
The Love Affair...
See, since I grew up in a single parent household, I had to learn my own way or starvation while parents were away throughout a day was imminent! Since I was about six years old the kitchen was a place I was pretty familiar with.
My mom would have tears rolling down her eyes while preparing our spaghetti and meatballs, and I asked her "Why are you crying?" and she said "Non bébé, it's because of the onions..." and that was the first time I found out onions could make you cry.
She would go on to show me how to tell when spaghetti was ready... Heheheh! By throwing it on the wall! If it didn't stick, it wasn't ready! Needless to say! Over the years there was a lot of squiggly marks on my walls until I became a teen and that wasn't an acceptable way of verifying the Al Denteness of the pasta.
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Dad would use Grace or Eve...
Mmmm! So tasty! |
When I lived with my father in Jamaica, his specialité was corned beef, with mashed potatoes, and usually some tin corn.... Mmmm mmmm mmm!!! Finger lickin' good! He always did something a little different to it that made it taste just lip-smacking good! However, my pops is a believer of "You eat to live, you don't live to eat!" He's kind of like Morpheus up top there ^^^heheheh! But as time progressed he finally confessed to me that my meals look delicious... They always come around some day!
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| Haitian Style Accras... Mine never came out this pretty |
In Haiti, I was exposed to some of the most out of the box dishes I had EVER seen! I mean, Jamaica had it's ackee and salt-fish which is extremely unique to Jamaica. Never seen ackee made in any other way except with salt-fish and sometimes people throw some bacon in there too. But in Haiti there was spaghetti and red herring for breakfast??? Maïs moulin ak Pwa???? They always had the tastiest fritter looking appetizers... Accras??? Oh lawdddd! Ou konnen déjà!
No word of a lie: It was a true tastebud heaven, in it's own right.
In my families, at least for me, there was no growing up with a mentality of: "I want to find a woman that's going to cook for me, clean for me, I'll keep her barefoot and pregnant." No. Growing up I felt like knowing how to cook was essential for my survival. My next door neighbour is the same way, whenever we got together there was almost always some kind of cooking going on.
We, as guys, were rarely if ever shooed out of the kitchen. On the contrary, we were encouraged to make our own food and sometimes, I was the one who would make dinner for my dad and stepmom in the evening. The tendency was to get creative with it... Using pita bread and ketchup to make pizzas... Jah know we used any kind of bread product and made pizzas...
HAHA! I remember one time, my folks went to visit our neighbour and told me they would be back for dinner. So I decided to make them dinner, my "specialty" at the time was spaghetti and sauce. Nothing too complex, but you know, it was important to me. They reached home late! Oh the nerve of them! Hahahaha! I just remember being upset that I had done all that work and the food was cold! Hmph!
At one point in time becoming a chef was some thing that really interested me. It didn't quite turn out that way, but every once in awhile I still dream about it.
Then when I left the nest and came to Canada, I got even more creative with meals. Taking leftover whole chicken piece and stirring them into a spicy mix with mustard, pepper, and a variety of spices, thyme, black pepper, hot pepper, etc to a beautiful leftover-makeover dinner!
Eventually I became acquainted with Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, followed by Kitchen Nightmare's. But those were his glamorized shows for the American public that loves drama for yo' mama for nothing. Many people I knew had a distaste for him. Thing is, you need to watch his real shows like the F word, or my most recent favorite
Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking. I would sit, watch and copy paste to my kitchen
My roots though, have always been in Caribbean cuisine. I find some of the recipes from back home the most difficult to reproduce. Especially some of the haitian dishes. The accras are particularly tricky for me. Really gotta know what you're doing, and how it's done to get it just right.
People who frown on cooking don't understand this is the most common fusion of art and science. Probably the first form of science that man ever knew. It's just that you don't need to be a scientist to understand what tastes good and what tastes like crap.
You really need a functioning, and hopefully sensitive, palate. A good eye. And most assuredly, a proper sense of smell. Those are paramount in the beginning of good cooking! Also, trial and error. Failing in the kitchen was a natural part of my cooking. My first time making pancakes from scratch I stubbornly used baking soda instead of baking powder... BLECH! I got confused between the two... Brrr! Never again though!
I love making good food, I can't tell you the number of times I've had friends over just because a large enough meal was being made. Nothing is better than when you get together over a delicious dish to chat and laugh, good times all around! That said, some people requested recipes of "mine" so I shall share a few of those, maybe save some for another "Love Affaire with the Kitchen" part deux...
Breakfast...
My parents in Jamaica didn't always look to make the traditional dishes. For a time, neither did I, but I honestly, ackee & saltfish could be one of the best breakfast dishes ever created.
Olive Omelette Taco:
As you can plainly see I conforming to traditions is not my forté. I make what I want when I want it, how I want it. If yuh nuh like it -- see di door deh!
3 - brown eggs
2 or 3 - leaves of Romaine lettuce
1 - handful cheese (whatever your preference)
½ - handful of olives (or more to your preference)
½ - handful of finely sliced onions
1 - tbsp of finely chopped scallions
2 - radishes
1 - large taco, preferably flavoured
1 - dash of oil
Black pepper
Italiano dressing
Garlic powder
Parsley
Always prep everything before you actually put the pots or pans on the fire. Things go much smoother and faster if you begin that way.
After washing the radishes, using a mandolin (I prefer this to a knife because it goes much faster, but I've already sliced my finger, so be careful) thinly slice and set them aside. Shred your lettuce as well.
Grater or crumble whatever cheese you decide to use.
With the exception of your oil, olives, onions and scallions beat your eggs then add the rest of the spices to it. Mix thoroughly.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium to medium-high heat on your stove.
Throw in your onions and scallion to cook down a little. When they've softened a little, pour in your eggs. Leave it open faced and lower the heat slightly. When it is about half-way dried on the surface, sprinkle your handful of olive on one side and delicately fold over one side of the omelette. Take it off the fire and set aside. It will continue to cook as it cools.
Set up your taco with the lettuce and radishes on one side, and then place your omelette on the other side. Sprinkle a little (or a lot) of your cheese to your taste. Fold over.
CHOW DOWN!
It may serve two people if you cut it in half - BON APPETIT!
Lunch...
I have taken to preparing my lunches in batches lately... It is not always easy when you're on the go, but it saves on money and time. Especially when you are one of those people who leaves home early and reaches back late. Eating too late in the evening, really isn't good for your system. So here's my recipe for Burittos!
Burritos:
1 - can black beans
2 - ripe avocados
1 - can chick peas
1 - cup brown basmati or jasmine rice
8 - Tortilla wraps preferably assorted flavors
½ - red onion (sliced thinly)
3 - scallions (sliced thinly)
2 - cloves red garlic (chopped)
1 - lime or lemon
2 - tbsp tahini (sesame seed butter)
Black pepper
Italiano dressing
Garlic powder
Parsley
Crushed red pepper
And also: Tristan Lalla's gramma's Trini-Peppa! (My favorite ingredient... I ran out soon after this recipe though. HA! The irony!)
This will make anywhere between 6 and 8 burritos depending on how precisely you measure your servings for each one.
Heat a non-stick deep frying pan on medium heat. Pour the contents of your can of black beans and bring to the boil. Add your ingredients (except your lime, and chick peas) and stir every so often, so that the bottom doesn't burn, when the smell gets your tastebuds salivating, and most of the liquid has evaporated turn down the WHAT! Bahahahaha! Sorry! I couldn't help myself! Turn down your heat and let it simmer uncovered.
Put the chick peas, tahini, some of your garlic, black pepper, and parley into a bowl (or food processor if you got one) and pulverize it all into a smoothe hummus! Yummmmm! Slice your avocado in half, remove your pit, then slice it thinly. In the meantime, boil your rice. Follow the instructions on your package, it usually takes 15-20minutes for the rice to cook, the put it on low to allow any remaining water to dry up.
When your mixture on the stove is a nice thick consistency, put your taco on a plate. Start with some hummus, 3-4 slices of avocado, a nice layer of your beans, then your brown rice on top. Ideally you want your taco to be a little rectangle.
Approximately 5in x 1.5-2in. Wrap your taco tightly and repeat until you run out of tacos, or all your mixture is done. Use wax paper to wrap each taco individually, then place in ziploc bags to preserve the moisture. You'll probably have to experiment with the wrapping to get it right. How I did it in the photo (below right) is good if you want to have it with an open top.
Put them in some tupperware and store them in the fridge if you plan to eat all of them in the short term (or you got a big family), or in the fridge for long term storage. Take em out and put them in the fridge the night before you plan on eating.
Dinner!
The last and final dish! Mmmmm! I shall share with you one of my favourites!
Jerk Salmon with homemade potato chips & salad!
2 - lbs Atlantic salmon (6-8 pieces and scaled)
2 or 3 - large potatoes, washed with the skin on
1 - apple
1 - avocado
1 - handful of baby carrots
1 - handful of grapes
1 - lime
Vegetable oil
WalkersWood Jerk Seasoning*
Black pepper
Italiano dressing
Garlic powder
Parsley
Crushed red pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Soya sauce (low sodium)
*Note: The WWJS is more expensive, but I find that the quality of the seasoning is much better, plus a little goes a long way with this dish. All the flavours I find are just right.
I try and prepare my fish a day in advance for maximum flavouring of the jerk. Seasoning the fish actually begins the cooking process before you even light a fire, as weird as that may sound. It's the same concept as when you cure the fish with salt. Anyhow, not what we're here for.
Season the jerk salmon with a 2 teaspoonfuls of jerk seasoning, soya sauce, black pepper, italiano dressing, garlic powder, parsley and crushed red pepper. Mix it all up til the salmon it completely coated. Put in the fridge overnight or at least til you've finished prepping everything else.
Using a spiral cutter slice your potatoes into chip-like pieces. Set them aside. These will cook very fast, so it's best to cook them closer to when the salmon is just about ready.
Chop up your apples into chunks with or without the skin, dice your avocados, slice your carrots lengthways into strips and half or quarter your grapes (red or green is fine). Coat in lime juice so your avocados and apples don't brown, be generous with it. Then pour on some italian dressing, and some balsamic vinegar and toss it gently without damaging the avocado until nicely coated.
I like to use a grill-pan because it marks the salmon beautifully, but a regular frying pan will do. Heat it to medium heat and put about a tablespoon and a half of oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, skin side down, carefully place the salmon into the pan, away from you, so the oil doesn't splash on you.
Let it cook for about 10-15 minutes or until it looks cook halfway through the flesh of the fish. Flip it over, and without moving it too much, another 10 minutes until it looks almost done. Heat the oven to about 350 F / 175 C and put the pan into the oven, set the oven to broil. Leave for about five minutes skin-side up, so the skin gets nice and crispy.
While the fish is cooking (preferably before you put it in the oven) begin frying your chips. You can also bake them but I have not yet done that successfully. But definitely opt for baking, its much healthier. Fry them til golden brown and place on a paper towel to get some of the oil out. When the oil has been drained, put them into a bowl and pour some ketchup, italiano dressing and garlic seasoning. Toss til coated. You can also have them without any seasoning, I just like the difference.
When cooked: Plate your food beautifully and serve!
Wooh! This was a long ass blog! I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know by hitting me up on Twitter or Instagram: @MrKDFerguson or find me on facebook! Share with your friends as well! And if you try any of these recipes (or a variation of it) send me your pictures! Have fun plating and being creative with your food!
Until next time: Bon Appetit!
Thank you for reading
See you on the other side
--
Kym Dominique-Ferguson
The Jamhaitianadian
