Over the last little while I've been getting my mom to teach me some of the dishes I grew up on, from her native country of Trinidad and Tobago. She's turning 73 this year and doesn't cook much anymore. I remember as kid that she always cooked allot of food, and she always said it was in case someone dropped by...she always wanted to have enough to feed them if they stayed for dinner. Allot of those dishes were "one pot" type meals using cheap ingredients like ox tails and chicken legs & thighs, and her pot was always full. She grew up in a poor family, in a poor country, and I think this was part of it. I know many people can relate from their childhood, and even from the recent struggles many people have gone through. I think this is why I always have friends over, and why I always cook enough to feed a small army!
I don't want to lose these dishes, and the sad reality is that now that she doesn't cook much anymore, I miss the dishes I hated as a child. When my friends were eating hamburgers we were eating curry and we always longed for what we didn't have. Now I'm longing for the memories of my youth...
Anyway, sorry for the long sappy intro! I wanted to share something she taught me last week and the way I used it in my BBQ tonight.
We made a typical Caribbean Green Seasoning, which is used for marinating meat before cooking. While we were making it I couldn't help but think it would be a great base for poultry, pork and even beef. If people want the recipe I'll figure out the quantities and post it up in the recipe section.
Basically it's cilantro, culantro (often served with Vietnamese Pho, a member of the cilantro family, but long stems with different leaves. Also very popular in Latin cooking), parsley, fresh thyme, onions, garlic, green onions, cubanelle peppers, lemon zest & juice, salt and pepper.
Everything gets cut up:
Then whizzed in the food processor:
Then bottled in mason jars:
It will keep for months in the fridge because of the salt and lemon juice.
So for today's cook, I started with a whole chicken cut up with the bones left in. Added some tomato, onions, sambal olek and a healthy tablespoon of green seasoning. Mixed together, then refrigerated for a few hours. The smell coming off this was killer!
Reverse seared over sugar maple lump charcoal, then hit with some sweet baby ray's and some brats added to the grill while they glazed:
Lookin pretty good while they rest:
And served with potato salad and an Asian salad we pick up at Costco:
If you made it this far, thanks for hanging in. This meal reminded me so much of when we were kids. The only difference was the reverse sear technique - my mom always cooked the chicken over direct heat on a cheap charcoal grill with no lid so the skin was usually burnt
I don't want to lose these dishes, and the sad reality is that now that she doesn't cook much anymore, I miss the dishes I hated as a child. When my friends were eating hamburgers we were eating curry and we always longed for what we didn't have. Now I'm longing for the memories of my youth...
Anyway, sorry for the long sappy intro! I wanted to share something she taught me last week and the way I used it in my BBQ tonight.
We made a typical Caribbean Green Seasoning, which is used for marinating meat before cooking. While we were making it I couldn't help but think it would be a great base for poultry, pork and even beef. If people want the recipe I'll figure out the quantities and post it up in the recipe section.
Basically it's cilantro, culantro (often served with Vietnamese Pho, a member of the cilantro family, but long stems with different leaves. Also very popular in Latin cooking), parsley, fresh thyme, onions, garlic, green onions, cubanelle peppers, lemon zest & juice, salt and pepper.
Everything gets cut up:
Then whizzed in the food processor:
Then bottled in mason jars:
It will keep for months in the fridge because of the salt and lemon juice.
So for today's cook, I started with a whole chicken cut up with the bones left in. Added some tomato, onions, sambal olek and a healthy tablespoon of green seasoning. Mixed together, then refrigerated for a few hours. The smell coming off this was killer!
Reverse seared over sugar maple lump charcoal, then hit with some sweet baby ray's and some brats added to the grill while they glazed:
Lookin pretty good while they rest:
And served with potato salad and an Asian salad we pick up at Costco:
If you made it this far, thanks for hanging in. This meal reminded me so much of when we were kids. The only difference was the reverse sear technique - my mom always cooked the chicken over direct heat on a cheap charcoal grill with no lid so the skin was usually burnt
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