The coming week will be intense, stressful, exciting, expectant, and let’s not forget that there will be those dreading it, for all sorts of reasons.
I know that like Santa’s Elves, you have much to do so I won’t keep you long. I’ll share a few ideas with you and quick reminders. So here we go, in no order of importance.
If you love the flavour of Garlic Pork but not the acidity, consider making a paste of fresh thyme, garlic, hot peppers with a little bit of mustard along with salt to taste. Cut the meat into 2 or 3-inch cubes and marinate it for 24 to 48 hours maximum, bake it low and slow until tender then crank up the heat and let the meat brown, giving it a turn halfway through to brown both sides. If you have a broiler, then put the pan under the broiler to brown the meat, turning it once. Only put it under the broiler after the meat is fully cooked. You’ll have all the flavour of Garlic Pork; be sure to let the meat marinate for at least 24 hours; 48 hours is even better. If, like me, you are not a fan of the traditional rich, dense Christmas cake but like the flavour, and you are thinking of something else for dessert this holiday, then how about this – make Sweet Rice/Rice Kheer/Rice Pudding. Make the pudding and sort it based on how you plan to serve the dessert – in one large dish or in small individual dishes. When the Rice Pudding is cooled to room temperature, stir/swirl in some blended rum-soaked fruit, cover with cling film/plastic wrap and refrigerate. This dessert can be made 2 to 3 days ahead. For texture (crunch) and a bit of sweet-salt flavour, just before serving, top the dessert with some fried salted nuts – peanuts, cashews, walnuts, or whatever you have on hand. The pudding can be served chilled or at room temperature.
Salad is always a kind of headache at the holidays. People insist on having vegetables on the table (as they should) but let’s be honest, those dishes are hardly touched. This year, instead of sliced cucumbers, serve a smashed cucumber salad dressed with a soy-lime dressing along with toasted sesame seeds. Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves pair well with this salad. To make the salad, working with 1 or 2 cucumbers at a time, wrap the cucumbers in a clean tea towel and using a rolling pin, bash the length of the cucumbers a few times to crack them open. Remove the cucumber, discard the filling and chop roughly into large pieces. Mix together, regular soy sauce, fresh lime or lemon juice and a drop or two of sesame oil, taste and add salt if needed, then generously spoon over the assembled cucumbers, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately. Top with cilantro/coriander, if using.
Another salad idea made even simpler is to thinly slice apples and pears (such as Bartlett pears), top with bits of good quality blue cheese and dress lightly with drizzles of good quality store-bought or homemade honey-mustard dressing or a vinaigrette of your choice/making.
Have family, friends or guests who are not meat eaters but consume seafood? Tuna-Pasta bake will hit all the right notes and can be served to everyone, so you don’t have to make a separate dish of Macaroni Pie.
Add corn and carrots, even chopped sweet peppers to the mix. Make it cheesy delicious. What you are essentially doing is making Macaroni Pie with tuna and veggies. Also, it’s the holidays so use a combination of cheeses if you can. And be generous with the tuna! I recommend using chunk tuna for this recipe and don’t break up the chunks too much.
Looking for a nibble with sweet and savoury notes? Then it cannot get more Caribbean than baking some ripe plantains cut into 1-inch rounds, wrapped in bacon. Make plenty. Don’t say I didn’t tell you because they will disappear quickly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.
Listen there are many of us that will, scratch that, must have some sort of meat curry on the table. This. Is. Who. We. Are. To save yourself having to make 2 sets of rice, cook one large pot of rice and peas. Sauté lots of onions and minced fresh thyme and cook the rice and peas with coconut milk using the absorption method (like how you would make Cook-up Rice). The rice and peas will go well with curries, stews, roasts etc.
Finally, some quick reminders.
Skim the froth that appears at the top of the Pepperpot as the pot comes to a boil. Also, carefully remove the oil that settles at the top. Look at the pot and where you see part of the pot is bubbling and the other part is not, the part that is not bubbling is because oil is sitting over the liquid, so spoon it off. Or you can wait until the following morning when the Pepperpot is completely cooled and easily remove the white congealed fat.
Check the ham you bought to see if it is fully cooked, if it is, remember that all you are then doing when ‘baking’ the ham is heating it right through. Make sure the ham is completely defrosted before cooking it. Cook the ham at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes for every pound. Therefore, if your ham is 6 pounds, cook it for 2 and half hours.
Regardless of the glaze you are using, if you want to give it a spicy kick, mix in some achar to the warm glaze and brush the ham. Start glazing the ham half an hour before it is done baking; do 2 glazes at 15-minute intervals and then you can do a last glaze when it is done and leave it in the oven with the heat turned off for 15 minutes and then remove it. If you glaze the ham early, the glaze will burn quickly because of the high sugar content of the jam/jelly.
Bring all your seasoned meats/roasts up to room temperature before cooking them to ensure even cooking.
As you busy yourself this weekend and the coming week, please remember to be safe. And this is not simply a platitude – spare a thought for all the people among us who are without; for the displaced around the world, and those stranded at borders; for people experiencing droughts and starvation. Eat, drink, and be merry but let’s not waste.
Happy Holidays everybody!
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
