Tastes Like Home

When long holiday weekends like this one loom, I start planning during the week for a lazy, no-cook weekend.

Listen up people, you have got to make this this weekend or sometime very soon – fried Bakes and Bangamary.

There are certain fruits that offer more enjoyment than simply eating as is.

At the end of a meal of celebration such as that that will take place tomorrow for Eid Al-Adha, we yearn for something soothing and comforting, and homemade custard is just the type of treat that fits the bill.

One of the many fascinating things about cooking is how revealing ingredients can be if they are cut a different way (from the usual to which we are accustomed), or if they are cooked using a technique or method we have never considered applying before.

We (here in Barbados) are definitely seeing the effects of the ongoing disruption to supply chains that occurred due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and now the war in Ukraine.

While I have been enjoying the pleasures of eating mangoes, evidenced by my frequently juice-stained hands to my orange-yellow stained t-shirts, I have also been drinking my mangoes, in a variety of ways.

There are many ways in which you have had salt fish before, most notably and popular is with fried dough, whether called bakes, floats, Johnny cakes, or muffins.

On My Plate (OMP) is a series in which I share with you what I’m eating.

The surface is uneven, rough, resembling rocks but that is where the similarities stop; in appearance between real rocks and the baked good, Rock Cakes, or Rock Buns as they are also known.

I have a very good friend who lives here (in Barbados) but has been in Guyana for almost 2 months.

Over the years, on the occasion of Mother’s Day, I’ve shared something of my late Mother with you – from her influence on my sense of self to the quarrels we’ve had trying to make her a perfect cup of tea.

If you have been reading me over the years, you know that I like to bake, generally, but I also bake when I want to avoid work, such as planning classes or grading assignments.

Last holiday weekend, I was thinking of a potato side dish to accompany the roast I made but didn’t want to make any of the usual – scalloped, baked, roast, or mashed potatoes; I didn’t want potato salad either.

Tis the season of baking – buns, breads, and rolls, all with enriched dough and dried fruit, the most popular being Cross Buns.

If the headline confuses you, don’t let it, I’ll explain. A few years ago when I first saw the name of this dish on social media, I tilted my head to one side in confusion.

It is the third week of Lent – the 40-day period leading up to Easter.

It’s hot and sour with a hint of sweetness. This is Passion Fruit Dhal.

What’s Cooking is a series in which I answer questions and share advice about food and cooking that you have but may be too shy to ask.

On My Plate (OMP) is a series in which I share with you what I’m eating.