Serves 8-10 This grown-up Mac & Cheese gets its kick from cayenne pepper. Substitute paprika for the cayenne if you prefer non-spicy food. Ingredients: 1 lb elbow macaroni 2 eggs 2 tbsp. butter 1 cup onion, minced 1/2 cup green pepper, minced 1 – 1 1/2 tsp cayenne (mild-hot) 1 lb grated cheddar cheese 1 12 oz can evaporated milk 1/2 tsp salt Method: 1 Boil elbow macaroni for about 5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and return to pot. 2. Stir in cheddar, pepper, and onion. 3. In a small bowl or measuring cup stir together eggs, cayenne, evaporated milk, and salt. Pour over macaroni and stir to combine. 4. Pour into a greased lasagna pan, spreading evenly with spatula. Dot with butter. NOTE: At this point I refrigerated the macaroni until shortly before I needed it. 5. Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes and slice into squares. Serve hot. Macaroni Pie | Island Macaroni & Cheese Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe …
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Serve 6-8 Bahamian Conch Chowder is light and brothy, not creamy like the famous New England version. Leftovers thicken slightly, due to the starches that leach out of the potatoes. I might actually prefer this chowder the next day. Ingredients: 1 large onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, sliced 1 green pepper, diced 1 Anaheim pepper, diced 1 ham bone (I used a smoked ham shank) 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes 4 Tbsp tomato paste 2 carrots, sliced into half-moons 4-5 potatoes, cubed 1 cup clam stock 1 lb conch, diced 1/2 tsp dried thyme 3 bay leaves water, to cover everything Method: 1. In a large pot, sauté onion, garlic, green pepper, and Anaheim pepper, over medium heat until softened. Add ham bone, tomatoes, paste, carrots, potatoes, clam stock, conch, thyme, bay leaves, and water to cover. 2. Bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer covered for at least 2.5 hours, or until conch breaks down and gets tender. I simmered my chowder for 5 hours and all the flavors had melded wonderfully. NOTE: If you try to serve this …
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Coconut Bimini Bread, fresh from the oven Makes 2 small loaves or 1 large “Pullman” style loaf Coconut Bimini Bread is easy with the help of a bread machine or standing mixer fitted with dough blade. Sweet and doughy, try serving leftover slices in French Toast or Bread Pudding! Ingredients: 2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast 4 1/2 cups unbleached flour (plus extra , if the dough comes out too wet) 1 tsp salt 1/4 c nonfat dry milk powder 1/3 cup sugar 1 cup coconut milk (if you warm this slightly it will help the dough rise quicker) 3 Tbsp honey 3 Tbsp butter, softened 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs Method: 1. In the mixing bowl of bread machine add all ingredients in order given. Set on dough cycle (just mixing and rising). The dough cycle usually lasts about 1 1/2 hours. Alternatively, add all ingredients to a large bowl and knead together until a smooth dough forms. Add extra flour if necessary. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about …
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Makes just over a gallon Cooking a meal for every country in the world makes this mama thirsty! The Bahamas have the perfect solution – a traditional, tropical Bahama Mama. Serve Bahama Mamas chilled, under the hot summer sun. Play around and adjust this recipe to your preferences. NOTE: Some prefer to add unflavored rum for all or part of the rum flavor. You decide for you, below is what I like 🙂 Ingredients: 1 quart chilled orange juice 1 quart chilled pineapple juice 1/4 cup grenadine 2 cups chilled coconut rum, or to taste Method: 1. In a large pitcher, combine all ingredients. Stir well. Return to refrigerator until needed. 2. Serve over crushed ice. Garnish with orange slices if desired (I completely forgot to do this, but I know you’ll forgive me as soon as you taste this drink 🙂 ) Bahama Mama Votes: 3 Rating: 4.33 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe “Cooking a meal for every country in the world makes this mama thirsty! The Bahamas have the perfect solution – …
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This fun video will teach give you a glimpse into Bahamian Junkanoo, the national festival of the Bahamas, celebrated at Christmastime:
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I know we spent yesterday talking about the lovely slug-like conch, but we’re not quite done. Stay with me. You’re going to love this. You see, I have a mild obsession with children’s stories and it just so happens that there is a Bahamian folk-tale involving a conch. Food often makes its way into folk-tales in interesting ways, and the conch is no exception. Guess what? The conch is in a race! A race! Oh, the silliness. Let’s remember what a conch looks like: But perhaps this isn’t so far fetched: Jumping Snails! A conch does not just slowly creep along. Instead, it can move in jerks. While most other snails have a broad operculum to seal the shell opening, members of the Conch family have a narrow operculum. Instead of a broad flat foot, a conch has a narrow foot that is strong and muscular. The conch digs its claw-like operculum into the sand and pushes against it to ‘hop’ forwards like a pole-vaulter. Source: Wild Fact Sheets So here’s the story: One day …
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I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be eating the flesh of a giant slug this week (here’s a crazy photo). But that’s probably the yuckiest way to look at the whole thing. In reality, this large creature lives in a beautiful shell (prized by the Victorians I might add) and is happily eaten throughout the Caribbean. Although I had my fears, I quickly learned that proper cooking makes conch (pronounced “konk”) tasty and even worthwhile. (Photo by Pratheep PS) If you aren’t in the Bahamas you’re probably going to have to buy frozen conch (most good fish markets carry frozen conch). The good news? Frozen conch (usually) comes cleaned for you. No icky black stuff, no eyes, just pristine white flesh. I was beyond thrilled to discover this. About the texture: Conch meat is thick and, well, meaty. Things to watch out for: – the flesh should be white. Gray areas indicate age and/or spoilage. – the scent should be clean, even sweet. The conch is no good if it smells strongly of fish. So, you’ve heard …
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I tried to book a flight for all of us to go to the Bahamas this week, but their capacity was 50. We’ll have to settle for a Bahamian feast instead. Get ready for some down-home cooking, spiked with a little (or a lot) of Bahama Mama! Red Conch Chowder [Recipe] Everyone makes Conch Chowder a little bit different. Our version is made with ham, potato, green pepper, carrot, and celery. Island Macaroni & Cheese (Macaroni Pie) [Recipe] This macaroni and cheese is sliced into squares for serving – perfect for parties. Coconut Bimini Bread [Recipe] Sweet and dense, this bread is flavored with honey and coconut milk. Leftovers are perfect for French Toast. Bahama Mama [Recipe] Sail away with a Bahama Mama. Our version of this famous drink has coconut rum and orange juice.
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Remember this part of Forrest Gump? Well, in the Bahamas, seafood comes any (and every) which way you want it. The most popular seafood treats are the giant, snail-like conch, crayfish, shrimp, and the clawless spiny lobster. Take conch, for example. Typical food shacks keep live conch on hand, cleaning them for each order. Most menus offer boiled conch, crack conch (deep-fried), grilled conch, and steamed conch. Some customers eat the sweet mollusk raw while others prefer it cooked. The creamy white flesh can be tossed with fresh lime juice, laid on a salad, layered in a sandwich, made into a grilled patty for a burger, or floated in a brothy soup. And in case you were hankering for fish for breakfast, you’re in business. Locals eat seafood for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bubba Gump would be impressed. Not a fish person? There are plenty of other great foods from the Bahamas, many of which are also loved in the US south. Grits and johnnycakes are popular side dishes. Another side dish, Peas n’ Rice is …
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This is meal #6 in my personal challenge to eat one meal from every country in the world. Sea, salt, sand, balmy, breezy, beautiful. Nope. I woke up to 40F and overcast (with the closest beach a full day’s drive away). Not exactly the best weather or locale for Caribbean picnic food. And, just think, we had had 70 degree weather a few days earlier. Darn. Refusing to be brought down by ol’ man winter, I got dressed up to my smile and chanted the old mantra “mind over matter, mind over matter.” By meal time I was still dragging a little (I kept glancing out at the clouds, looking for some piece of blue sky – only to be dissapointed). I’ll tell you what – one bite into my sandwich and the dreary weather was far from my mind. The delicious flavors of the Caribbean uplifted me! (Perhaps I should be chanting “food over mood, food over mood” from now on). The meal just oozed spring sunshine (coconut rum, anyone???). So much so that, after eating, I invited our guests to bring their daughter Abigail out back …
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Serves: 4 This chicken salad is incredible. The intense curry melds with the grilled chicken, while sweet bursts of pineapple and raisin leave you begging for more. For the best flavor, serve on a rustic baguette brushed with olive oil and toasted on the grill. YUM! Ingredients: 3 cups of grilled boneless chicken breasts, shredded (about 4 chicken breasts. Grilling the chicken just adds more flavor.) 1/2 cup raisins 16 oz pineapple tidbits 1/2 cup mayonnaise 3 Tbsp mango chutney 1 Tbsp curry powder 2 lemons, juiced salt pepper 1 head red boston lettuce 1-2 rustic baguette – depending on your appetite! (a rustic baguette is wider than a traditional baguette – holds more filling) Method: 1. In a large bowl, combine chicken with raisins and pineapple. 2. In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, chutney, curry, and lemon juice. 3. Pour over chicken and stir to combine. While you can enjoy the chicken salad right away, it’s great to let flavors meld for an hour in the refrigerator. 4. Slice baguette(s) in half long-ways and brush the inside with olive oil. …
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Serves: 4 Baked bananas are delicious in brown sugar and butter. Serve hot over ice cream, making sure everyone gets a little of the sauce. NOTE: not all rum will light. I had coconut rum on hand and it does not flambe (however, it did add great flavor to the bananas). You will need to buy Bacardi 151 for this. Also try Benin’s Baby Bananas in Orange Sauce. Ingredients: 6 ripe bananas peeled 1/2 cup brown sugar 4 Tbsp melted butter 2 ounces coconut rum 1 ounce bacardi 151 (to light it on fire) Vanilla ice cream Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 2. Lay bananas in a casserole dish. In a small bowl combine brown sugar with butter. Spoon mixture over bananas. 3. Bake for 20 minutes (longer if bananas are firmer). 4. Transfer bananas to a serving dish. Pour rum over the bananas and carefully light on fire. CAUTION: You can burn yourself. Don’t do that! 5. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream. Baked Brown Sugar Bananas Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: …
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