How to Cook Like a Bajan recipes

Christmas is a foodie’s best time of year, and Fine Cuisine obliges by providing some recipes from our How to Cook Like A Bajan series. They’re all Bajan Christmas favourites!

If it’s your first time preparing any of these recipes, just follow them to the letter, and you’ll feel like an expert when you’re done.

Valrico Jug-Jug PREP TIME: 15 min COOk TIME: 1 hr SERVES: 4-6 serving(s) Ingredients • 4 cups water • 2 cups Valrico Pigeon Peas • 1/2 lb salt beef, soaked • 1/2 lb chicken and/or beef, cut into bite sized pieces • 1/4 lb green seasoning • 3 springs fresh thyme • 3 stems fresh marjoram • 1 cup guinea cornflour • salt and pepper • 2 tablespoons Waitrose Butter

PREPARATION STEPS 1. First boil your Valrico Pigeon Peas and salt meat until soft. Reserve the cooking water. 2. Fry the chicken/beef pieces. Add the green seasoning, herbs and the reserved water. 3. Take the meat out of the water, put it in a food processor with the Valrico Pigeon Peas and grind it all up together. Meanwhile, add the guinea flour to the water and cook until you get a nice porridge-like consistency. Add a little bit of water as needed if the mixture is too thick. 4. Transfer the meat and peas back to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring often until spoon stands up in mixture. Place pat of Waitrose Butter on top and serve. You may crisp the top under the broiler in you prefer.

PREP TIME: 15 min COOk TIME: 3 hr SERVES: 30 servings Ingredients • 1 Farmer’s Choice Picnic Ham • 1 Bottle Banks Beer • Honey Mustard Glaze (optional) PREPARATION STEPS 1. Preheat oven to 320˚F/160˚C. 2. Score the Farmer’s Choice Ham skin in a diagonal pattern. Place the Farmer’s Choice Ham, with the fattier side up, in the roasting pan. Pour the Banks Beer over the ham. Place lid or foil on roasting pan. 3. Bake for two hours on low temp. 4. When the fat on the Farmer’s Choice Ham is soft turn the oven up to 375˚F. Bake for another 45 minutes or until the ham is done. • Apply glaze of your choice (optional) and return to the oven (without foil) for 10/15 mins to crisp ham crackling (skin). Ingredients • 4 lbs meat (oxtail, rabbit chicken), cut in chunks • Salt • 1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional) • 1 teaspoon thyme • 1 teaspoon white pepper • 1/2 medium onion, diced largely (about 1 cup) • 1 cup of beef stock • 1-2 tablespoons Plantation Reserve Brown Sugar • 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced (optional) • 1 medium onion, chopped • 2 green onions, diced • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced • 1 scotch bonnet pepper • 1/2 cup cassareep • 3 cups water less or more • 1 cinnamon stick, split in half • salt and pepper to taste PREPARATION STEPS 1. Place beef and other meats in a large bowl or Waitrose food storage bag then add salt, garlic, thyme, white pepper, onion and stock. 2. Mix with a spoon or with hands until they are well coated and every inch of the meat is covered. Set aside in the fridge. If possible let it 3. marinate overnight. When ready to cook, shake off any excess spice 4. 5. from the meat. Place in a large Dutch Oven or heavy bottom pan on medium heat, then add sugar, keep stirring until it caramelises and begins to turn deep brown. Be careful not to let it burn. Add the oxtail to the dutch pan and brown to seal in flavours, this might take about three minutes. Remove oxtail from the pan and set 6. 7. aside on a plate. Add rabbit/chicken and brown, stirring to prevent any burns, until brown. If pot is not too large, do so in batches. Throw in the garlic, onions, thyme and scotch bonnet. Continue cooking for about 3-5 8. minutes. Add the cassareep, cinnamon stick and throughly mix and continue cooking for about 9. 1-2 mins. Next add water to cover the meat, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. 10. Put the mixture, all the meat, the other half of the cassareep into the slow cooker, add more water, if needed. Water should not be above the meat 11. Cook for a minimum of 12 hours on low or until the oxtail is tender. 12. Adjust with seasonings to taste. 13. Garnish with parsley and serve with bread or white rice