I had the pleasure to be in Atlanta in May for a family reunion. It was also the weekend for the West Indian Carnival and, as luck had it, there was a Jazz in the Park festival. This all meant that the aroma of home cooking was every where. When my brother and I went looking for lunch, we struck out. We didn't enter the food court of the Carnival because of time constraints. We did find a homey cafe along the main drag to the food court, but it was crowded and understaffed.
As the sun set, we decided to have dinner at a spot we had Googled earlier. Finding Chef Rob's Caribbean Cafe at 5920 Roswell Rd in the Sandy Springs area of Atlanta was a challenge. Rob's is a combination restaurant and catering service. It's in a small shopping center and has a small patio with outdoor seating facing the parking lot.
No surprise, the dining area was small and intimate. At 5 pm, we had a choice of seats. The staff was polite, but inattentive. We asked a lot of questions, but our waitress didn't think it important to explain and sell the menu items to us. She just stood there like a statue and wrote down what we selected. (Any of you thinking of opening a restaurant, the wait staff is important to your success!)
Thank goodness for the food. It was good and authentic, with a blend of jerk , seafood and vegetables. The signature drinks were excellent, especially the mojitos: at $8 for a 16 ounce glass, a clear winner. You can also order a pitcher of mojitos for $24. Our server didn't entice us to do this.
The menu was a fusion of Caribbean dishes and spices combined with Italian and other dishes to create a nuevo style. Our group of five ordered a combination of plates. Italian dishes weren't the kitchen's strength. The pasta in the jerk chicken-shrimp fettuccine pasta was overcooked, but the well-seasoned chicken and shrimp made it tasteful. The kitchen aced other dishes. The coconut fried shrimp starter at $8 was good. So, too, was the grilled shrimp drizzled with a pina-colada sauce and served over grilled pineapple.
Chef Rob was offloading a catering van as we were leaving. He is a Jamaican who moved down from New York, and has catered events for many of Atlanta's growing hip-hop stars. There were various restaurant reviews on the walls of the restaurant. He was trained at the Culinary Institute of America.
While dinner had its flaws, Chef Rob's Caribbean Cafe is definitely worth a repeat visit.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Labor Day Weekend Nostalgia
Labor Day is a federal holiday honoring the millions of West Indians who call these United States home. There'll be a huge street parade in New York. So come September 1, head for Crown Heights, Brooklyn, for this eye-opening, street drinking, food consumption carnival.
Fool you! I know Labor Day doesn't honor West Indians, but if you're in New York on this day for this carnival it sure seems so. If you are like me, you will be in a New York frame of mind on Labor Day.
It's also the last chance to barbecue, so grill away. But first, be sure you do it right! Some grilling can do more harm than good. So here are my two cents if you are going to fire up the "barbie."
So, now that I have scared the daylights out of you, remember to:
Fool you! I know Labor Day doesn't honor West Indians, but if you're in New York on this day for this carnival it sure seems so. If you are like me, you will be in a New York frame of mind on Labor Day.
It's also the last chance to barbecue, so grill away. But first, be sure you do it right! Some grilling can do more harm than good. So here are my two cents if you are going to fire up the "barbie."
- Avoid flaming or charring food. It is true that grilled and especially charred meats can present health risks. Your cooking habits can help eliminate or reduce those risks.
- Be sure to clean your grill first. The buildup of fat drippings on the coals can smoke during barbecuing and create hydrocarbons. If your meat is burned, scrape off the blackened parts.
- Don't set the flames on high, as this can cause chemical reactions in food products. A study found that compounds in foods react at high temperatures to create some carcinogens, a study whowed triggered breast, colon and prostate tumors in rats and mice. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory showed a link between high consumption of grilled or well-done foods and cancer.
So, now that I have scared the daylights out of you, remember to:
- Set your grill at 350F.
- Cook your meat medium-rare to medium.
- Heat your meat four minutes per side for a two-pound flank steak. You'll have a succulent and flavorful steak.
- Use marinades to set a barrier against heat.
- Eat grilled vegetables as a side dish, including broccoli, squash, onions and asparagus; all are good grill items.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Harvesting In Lean Times
Yeah mon! That was my joyful exclamation as I reaped my first pineapple from my own backyard Saturday. It was the size of a grapefruit, with a Borinquen sunset color and sweet to the core like brown sugar.
You can do the same. I have over a dozen other pineapple plants at various stages of growth on my 40 acres (and a mule). Some are in pots, while others are in the ground. So, next time you buy a pinapple, cut off the top (the part with the green leaves) about 1/2 inch down into the fruit. You then make a hole deep enough to cover the 1/2 inch fruit base part and cover up to the leaves with dirt.
Please, don't stop there. Next time you are at the garden shop or even at the vegetable section of your supermarket pick up some fresh herb plants. Parsley, basil, oregano, cilantro, green onions and dill are all easy to grow. You can also do tomatoes and squash.
I also have a Pondersa lemon tree. These trees grow about three feet and, at the moment, my tree has six lemons and lots of buds. My brother Clunis has two grafted mango trees in his yard, and he was born with a brown thumb! So get out there before the summer is over. How about a garden salad recipe before I leave you?
Garden Salad
3 lbs. potatoes (about 6 large)
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup low fat milk
3 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. dill, diced
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1. Wash potatoes, boil in jackets until tender about 20 minutes. Cool, peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Add celery, carrots, green onions and parsley.
2. In blender, blend cottage cheese, milk, and rest of ingredients. Chill for 1 hour.
3. Pour dairy mixture over vegetables; refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.
You can do the same. I have over a dozen other pineapple plants at various stages of growth on my 40 acres (and a mule). Some are in pots, while others are in the ground. So, next time you buy a pinapple, cut off the top (the part with the green leaves) about 1/2 inch down into the fruit. You then make a hole deep enough to cover the 1/2 inch fruit base part and cover up to the leaves with dirt.
Please, don't stop there. Next time you are at the garden shop or even at the vegetable section of your supermarket pick up some fresh herb plants. Parsley, basil, oregano, cilantro, green onions and dill are all easy to grow. You can also do tomatoes and squash.
I also have a Pondersa lemon tree. These trees grow about three feet and, at the moment, my tree has six lemons and lots of buds. My brother Clunis has two grafted mango trees in his yard, and he was born with a brown thumb! So get out there before the summer is over. How about a garden salad recipe before I leave you?
Garden Salad
3 lbs. potatoes (about 6 large)
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup low fat milk
3 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. dill, diced
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1. Wash potatoes, boil in jackets until tender about 20 minutes. Cool, peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Add celery, carrots, green onions and parsley.
2. In blender, blend cottage cheese, milk, and rest of ingredients. Chill for 1 hour.
3. Pour dairy mixture over vegetables; refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Summer Package Deal
A couple months ago I did a dish -- red snapper and vegetables, including sweet plantians wrapped in a banana leaf. Maria gave it raving reviews, but low and behold I did not write it down and haven't been able to duplicate it.
Cooking in banana leaves is a reminiscent of vintage French cooking, as in cooking en papillote (the use of parchment paper to seal the food with a little wine). In a short time, you will have a tasty and succulent meal with little or no dishes to wash up.
Cooking en papillote can be applied to a variety of foods that don't require a lot of heat to cook, such as corn, chicken breast and ripe fruits in desserts. The trick is to have a balance of solids and liquid. You don't want a soup. Seasoning is a must but take care not to overpower.
Banana leaves add a herbal flavor to food; they also keep food moist. You can seal leaves with twine or enclose in aluminum foil. The package is baked at 450F for about 20 minutes.
Halibut in Banana Leaf
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided use
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 sprig green onions, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 red chiles, seeded and sliced into 1-inch strips
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. adobo powder
3 tbsp. apple cider or white wine
4 banana leaves, cut in 8 x 8 pieces and smoked
2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
4 (4-oz.) halibut fillets
1. Preheat oven to 350F. For the salsa: In a medium saucepan heat 1 tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Add garlic, green onions, jalapeno and red chiles. Cook 3 minutes. Add cilantro, oregano, adobo and cider; cook 2 minutes more. Remove from fire.
2. Place banana leaves on flat surface with shiny side up. Brush remaining oil lightly on leaves. Place 6 slices of plantain in center of each leaf. Place a halibut fillet over plantains. Top with 1/4 of prepared salsa. Fold the sides of the leaves toward the center. Place packets in one layer, folded side down, in a glass baking dish. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Place packets, folded sides up, on individual plates. Serve halibut in the leaf.
Serves 4.
306 calories per serving
Cooking in banana leaves is a reminiscent of vintage French cooking, as in cooking en papillote (the use of parchment paper to seal the food with a little wine). In a short time, you will have a tasty and succulent meal with little or no dishes to wash up.
Cooking en papillote can be applied to a variety of foods that don't require a lot of heat to cook, such as corn, chicken breast and ripe fruits in desserts. The trick is to have a balance of solids and liquid. You don't want a soup. Seasoning is a must but take care not to overpower.
Banana leaves add a herbal flavor to food; they also keep food moist. You can seal leaves with twine or enclose in aluminum foil. The package is baked at 450F for about 20 minutes.
Halibut in Banana Leaf
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided use
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 sprig green onions, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 red chiles, seeded and sliced into 1-inch strips
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. adobo powder
3 tbsp. apple cider or white wine
4 banana leaves, cut in 8 x 8 pieces and smoked
2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
4 (4-oz.) halibut fillets
1. Preheat oven to 350F. For the salsa: In a medium saucepan heat 1 tbsp. of oil over medium heat. Add garlic, green onions, jalapeno and red chiles. Cook 3 minutes. Add cilantro, oregano, adobo and cider; cook 2 minutes more. Remove from fire.
2. Place banana leaves on flat surface with shiny side up. Brush remaining oil lightly on leaves. Place 6 slices of plantain in center of each leaf. Place a halibut fillet over plantains. Top with 1/4 of prepared salsa. Fold the sides of the leaves toward the center. Place packets in one layer, folded side down, in a glass baking dish. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Place packets, folded sides up, on individual plates. Serve halibut in the leaf.
Serves 4.
306 calories per serving
Front Burner News
Hey chef, there is a spy in my soup. Yes, famed chef Julia Child is reported to have been a spy for the Office of Strategic Services, an earlier version of the CIA created by President FDR. Seems like we had over 20,000 spies made up of military and civilian cohorts who were looking under your kitchen sink and bed.
Better ask your grand dad to come clean and come in from the cold. The list had lawyers, doctors, soldiers,athletes, reporters and actors. The full report will be out soon stating why they were hired, what job they did and the missions they might have done while working for the agency. In the kitchen this axiom works, "Never trust a skinny cook."
Bon Apetit!
Better ask your grand dad to come clean and come in from the cold. The list had lawyers, doctors, soldiers,athletes, reporters and actors. The full report will be out soon stating why they were hired, what job they did and the missions they might have done while working for the agency. In the kitchen this axiom works, "Never trust a skinny cook."
Bon Apetit!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Jicama Citrus Salad
This is a healthy, simple salad and can be prepped ahead of time. Jicama is a root vegetable that is known in Mexico and South America. It's a creamy beige on the outside and white on the inside, and can be as small as a potato or as large as a cantaloupe. It tastes like a firm, spicy apple or radish. The salad is nice to look at, with orangy colors. You can serve as a salad or dice it up for a salsa to serve with tortilla chips. The salad was one of the dishes on the menu in my earlier posting.
Jicama Citrus Salad
2 small jicamas, peeled and cut into 2-inch strips
1/2 cup of bitter orange juice*
1/4 tsp. salt
3 oranges, peeled and sectioned
4 tangerines, peeled and sectioned
1 cucumber, scored, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
2 ripe and firm mangoes, peeled , seeded and cut into 3/4-inch strips
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
4 cups watercress
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
1. Place jicama in large bowl. Pour orange juice over jicama and sprinkle with salt. Toss and let stand at room temperature for an hour.
2. Meanwhile, toss together oranges, tangerines, cucumber, mangoes, cilantro and chili powder . Add jicama after 1 hour. Serve over watercress or other greens. Garnish with avocado.
Serves 6 to 8
* You can find bitter orange juice in Hispanic supermarkets. If you can't find it, you can make your own by blending the juice of 6 limes (about 1/4 cup), 1/2 grapefruit juice and 1/2 tsp. of orange zest. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours. Strain.
Jicama Citrus Salad
2 small jicamas, peeled and cut into 2-inch strips
1/2 cup of bitter orange juice*
1/4 tsp. salt
3 oranges, peeled and sectioned
4 tangerines, peeled and sectioned
1 cucumber, scored, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
2 ripe and firm mangoes, peeled , seeded and cut into 3/4-inch strips
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
4 cups watercress
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
1. Place jicama in large bowl. Pour orange juice over jicama and sprinkle with salt. Toss and let stand at room temperature for an hour.
2. Meanwhile, toss together oranges, tangerines, cucumber, mangoes, cilantro and chili powder . Add jicama after 1 hour. Serve over watercress or other greens. Garnish with avocado.
Serves 6 to 8
* You can find bitter orange juice in Hispanic supermarkets. If you can't find it, you can make your own by blending the juice of 6 limes (about 1/4 cup), 1/2 grapefruit juice and 1/2 tsp. of orange zest. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours. Strain.
A Mouthful of the Caribbean
Caribbean cooking is plain and simple Creole cooking, a mouthful of African, East Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern and European flavors. Today, Caribbean cuisine offers some of the most exotic foods in the world. When we say Caribbean, we are referring to the archipelago of islands from Cuba to Trinidad and Tobago.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of presenting and cooking the menu below to a 12-person cooking class. Everything was a hit but the callaloo! Some people just can't stomach the slimy okra in this traditional Trinidad dish. I should have served it with rice or provisions, which was my recommendation. But time constraints forced me to eliminate the rice dish.
The class loved the simplicity of the food and the combination of spices such as cilantro, sazon (Hispanic seasoning), curry, cumin, geera, cayenne pepper, garam masala and allspice. Their favorite dishes were the meat pies and Mexican-style roasted corn on the cob. They loved the fried plantains and tostones (green plantains). Most had never tasted plantains before. How can you go through life without eating plantains?
Of course, any Caribbean setting must have music. The class cooked to the sounds of calypso and soca from this year's Trinidad Carnival, thanks to my brother Clumpy.
Here's the menu:
Buljol
A blend of salted codfish, onions, tomatoes and hot peppers
Meat Pies
Creamy puff dough filled with spicy beef or chicken Hispanics call this empanadas)
Callaloo
A thick pureed soup made from taro leaves and okra, crab and coconut milk
Tamales
Meat-filled masa dough steamed in corn husks (Caribbean folks also make tamales, although Mexican tamales are better known).
Veggies
Roasted fresh corn rolled in parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper (cotija is a better known Mexican cheese)
Jicama and avocado salad
Jerk Pork
Meat marinated in a blend of spicy spices and grilled to perfection (very Jamaican)
Chicken Roti
A delicate Indian flat bread, which can be filled with curried chicken, potatoes and chick peas
Dessert
Tropical cheesecake with guava sauce, which I developed for a food company using passion fruit (granadilla or parcha).
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of presenting and cooking the menu below to a 12-person cooking class. Everything was a hit but the callaloo! Some people just can't stomach the slimy okra in this traditional Trinidad dish. I should have served it with rice or provisions, which was my recommendation. But time constraints forced me to eliminate the rice dish.
The class loved the simplicity of the food and the combination of spices such as cilantro, sazon (Hispanic seasoning), curry, cumin, geera, cayenne pepper, garam masala and allspice. Their favorite dishes were the meat pies and Mexican-style roasted corn on the cob. They loved the fried plantains and tostones (green plantains). Most had never tasted plantains before. How can you go through life without eating plantains?
Of course, any Caribbean setting must have music. The class cooked to the sounds of calypso and soca from this year's Trinidad Carnival, thanks to my brother Clumpy.
Here's the menu:
Buljol
A blend of salted codfish, onions, tomatoes and hot peppers
Meat Pies
Creamy puff dough filled with spicy beef or chicken Hispanics call this empanadas)
Callaloo
A thick pureed soup made from taro leaves and okra, crab and coconut milk
Tamales
Meat-filled masa dough steamed in corn husks (Caribbean folks also make tamales, although Mexican tamales are better known).
Veggies
Roasted fresh corn rolled in parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper (cotija is a better known Mexican cheese)
Jicama and avocado salad
Jerk Pork
Meat marinated in a blend of spicy spices and grilled to perfection (very Jamaican)
Chicken Roti
A delicate Indian flat bread, which can be filled with curried chicken, potatoes and chick peas
Dessert
Tropical cheesecake with guava sauce, which I developed for a food company using passion fruit (granadilla or parcha).
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