Whirlwind - Three recipes - Three Countries in Two Days...Antigua Pepperpot, Barbados Pumpkin Flapjacks and Jamaican Meat Patties

Better pour myself another beer, this is going to be a long post.   I got a bit overzealous this week and tackled 3 more international recipes,  two from the Caribbean countries of Antigua & Barbados  and then I veered off course to make  Jamaican Meat Patties.    Sometimes you just have to go with what you feel like eatin',  right?

First, let's talk about the National Dish of Antigua,  Pepperpot.    I've never heard of this dish before, but it has claim to fame and dates back to colonial times when George Washington instructed his cook to make this for his troops.

"During the long winter at Valley Forge, George Washington instructed his cook to make this soup to nourish and warm his starving, freezing troops. Though this West Indian dish may seem out of place in colonial American life, it was in fact quite common in and around Philadelphia, the last stop for ships traveling the Southern Trade Route. English ships returning from the islands transported slaves and exotic foodstuffs, so West Indian cookery found its way into the very fabric of Philadelphia life. It is assumed that Washington was familiar with pepperpot soup long before he camped at Valley Forge."

The recipe for Pepperpot that I used called for exotic ingredients such as West Indies Pumpkin, Pig's Snout, Calaloo, and Cho Cho.     This made for an exciting ingredient round up challenge.  

Perplexed at where to begin, I asked my husband, Marc, if he'd heard of these ingredients or where I could find them (he's the cook around here).   He snickered and said he'd ask his Mexican workers if they knew where his wife could find some "Cho Cho".

I thought nothing of this comment,  other than a sincere "Wow, thanks for the help!"  That was until I visited three different grocery stores and discovered that "Cho Cho" looked remarkably similar to Chayote Squash.    In fact,  after a bit of research on my phone,  I discovered that they are, in fact,  one in the same.    The Jamaicans, among others, have affectionately termed this squash "Cho Cho"  as it resembles lady parts.   I'll let you be the judge.

Innocently enought,  after realizing that "Cho Cho" referred to lady parts,  I remembered that Marc was going to ask his Mexican workers about it.   So I frantically text'd him:  "Don't ask any of your Mexican buddies where I can find Cho cho.  I just got some and discovered that it means vagina in Spanish."

He texts back "Yeah,  I know.  I kept telling you that I knew what Chocha meant."  

Great!   Haha - jokes on me.

Anyhow,  I gathered the ingredients the best I could.   I did end up substituting bacon for the pig's snout.    I read that pig's snout has to be special ordered and you have to commit to buying 10 lbs or more.  Yikes,  I'll gladly use the substitute, although I'm now intrigued by pig's snout - especially if it tastes like bacon!

Here's the official recipe:  

Antigua's National Dish:   Pepperpot

• 6 calaloo leaves, shredded
• 500g spinach, chopped
• 1 large aubergine, chunked  (Eggplant)
• 500g okras, chopped
• 500g West Indian pumpkin, peeled and chunked
• 3 cho cho, chopped  (Chayote Squash)
• 500g green papaya, peeled and chunked 
• 1 pint of frozen peas
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 whole scotch bonnet 
• 500g salt beef, chopped  ( or salt cure your own beef - generously salt and leave in frig for a couple days)
• 500g pigs snouts (fresh or salted), chopped  (or bacon)
• 1 cup beef stock or 1 stock cube
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• a bunch of chives  (or green onions)
• a couple of sprigs of thyme
• 3 tbsp ketchup

Simmer the salt meats in water for about 10 minutes to take away some of the excess salt. Remove and drain. Fry in oil for 10 minutes, add the onions and fresh snouts (if you're using them) and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the veg except for the peas and stir. Pour in just enough water to cover it all along with the stock and whole scotch bonnet, simmer until the veg is tender. When the meat and veg are cooked through mash the thyme, chives and garlic together in a mortar and add to the pot with the peas and ketchup. Simmer on a low flame until the stew thickens, about 15 minutes or so.

This was quite a delicious stew.  The recipe is vague on the cooking times, and I way overcooked mine.   You should simmer the vegetables for about 1 hour.   I left my Pepperpot on the stove for a few hours and it turned into mush, although it was still delicious mush.

It was a unanimous winner at our house - kids, husband, and I all loved it.  Delicious!

There were two other recipes that I made  -  Pumpkin Flapjacks from Barbados and Jamaican Meat Patties.   Both were delicious and a bit time consuming,  recipes below:

Jamaican Meat Patties

2 tb Olive oil 1 Onion, finely chopped 3 Garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 lb Ground beef, lean 1 tb Curry powder 1 ts salt 1/2 ts freshly ground black pepper 1/2 c Bread crumbs, dry 1/2 c Chicken stock or water 2 Green onions, finely chopped METHOD / DIRECTIONS: Heat oil in large heavy skillet. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring till onion wilts. Add ground meat. Cook, stirring until meat is browned and combined with onions. Sprinkle with curry, salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes. Stir in breadcrumbs and stock or water. Cook, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Mixture should be thick but not dry. Stir in green onions.

Recipe

Pastry

Country: Jamaica

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c Flour, all purpose
• 1/2 ts Tumeric
• 1/4 ts salt
• 2/3 c Shortening or Butter, cold & diced
• 1/4 c -ice water or more if necessary
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten

METHOD / DIRECTIONS:

Make pastry by combining flour with tumeric and salt. Cut in butter or shortening until in tiny bites. Add water; gather into a ball. Roll out to about 1/4 thickness and cut into 4 circles. Gather remaining dough together and lightly cut out again. Place about 1 Tbsp filling on each circle. Brush edges with lightly beaten egg, fold over and seal. Preheat oven to 400F. Place patties on cookie sheets lined with aluminum foil. Brush lightly with remaining lightly beaten egg. Bake 25 to 30 till browned.

Pumpkin Flapjacks -  Barbados

• 2 cups all-purpose flour $
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk $
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 4 large eggs separated $
• 1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter, melted $
• Preparation
• 1. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, beat milk, pumpkin, egg yolks, and butter to blend. Stir into flour mixture until evenly moistened
• 2. In another bowl, with a mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter just until incorporated.
• 3. Place a nonstick griddle or a 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat (350º); when hot, coat lightly with oil and wipe dry with a paper towel. Pour batter in 1/2-cup portions onto griddle, spreading slightly with the back of a spoon, and cook until pancakes are browned on the bottom and edges begin to look dry, about 3 minutes; turn with a wide spatula and brown other sides, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Adjust heat as needed to maintain an even temperature.

My son, Zach (finger in the picture),  loved helping make these -  or I should say, loved helping himself to the batter!    These flapjacks weren't as fluffy as I would have hoped,  but the pumpkin helped cut some of the typical sweetness of regular white flour pancakes.