St. Lucian Rum Punch | Recipe

I can’t identify what in particular makes this drink from St. Lucia.  It seems like the sort of smartly crafted yet generic punch you could just about anywhere in the Caribbean, but what sold me on this was the line of mixing ahead of time “so the flavours can get to know each other.” A recipe with personality, on a website that’s clearly devoted to the country, well, that’s good enough for me. And you know what, this was a lovely punch and I wouldn’t change it a bit.

Greenfigs and saltfish | Green bananas with salt cod | Recipe

I’d heard of green plantains being used as a starch, but this was my first encounter with a regular ol’ green banana used as such.  Exotic as it seems to do so, it’s really quite easy, you just want to first cover the whole bananas in boiling water to soften and blacken the skin, then just peel and then boil like a potato. And voilà, you’ve got a mildly banana-flavored, potato-like starch.

The sailfish part of the dish is a simple stir fry, made with cod or other salt-preserved fish that’s been soaked and boiled, plus various fresh veggies and those most Caribbean of herbs, chives and thyme. Note that “seasoning peppers” are hard to come by, they’re essentially small and very mild chilies with a lot of flavor, so your best bet might be the mildest chili you can find. 

For as homely as it looks, this is a pretty tasty dish! And it sings with a dash of hot sauce.

Bouyon | Meat and root vegetable stew | Recipe

From the French “bouillon,” this is a good ol’ throw-what-you-got-in-the-pot dish, and of course everyone has their own variation. Frankly, this was just okay, without much in the way of seasoning it was a bit flat. Also, my attempt at winging it with dumplings was kind of a disaster, which fortunately I sorted out with the St. Vincent meal.

Cocoa tea | Recipe

To make this version of hot chocolate, you use a “cocoa stick,” made from roasted and compressed cacao nibs. The ones I found on eBay were from Barbados and came pre-spiced. This recipe makes the flavors even more complex with vanilla and bay leaf, but others keep it simpler by just mixing grated cocoa stick with some sugar and milk.

The flavor was quite nice, but I don’t think I’ll go out of my way to make this again as opposed to the easier, powder-based hot chocolate we’re used to in the states.

Penmi | Sweet coconut-cornmeal dumplings | Recipe

Both African and Amerindian cultures have traditions of steaming starch-filled leaves, so it’s no wonder they’re popular in one form or another throughout the Caribbean. In a sense, this is a dessert tamale, with sugar, milk, and warming spices, plus pumpkin and coconut all mixed into the cornmeal dough. (As the recipe notes, you can swap out several ingredients and use meat instead for a savory version). It was tasty, but my goodness filling too — I think this is more of a sweet heavy snack than a true after-dinner treat.