Tag: main course
Trinidad Corn Pie
Trinidad Corn Pie
Corn pie is really popular in Caribbean cuisine, especially in Trinidad and Barbados. It can be eaten as a side dish or a main course. One bite will have you reconsider this as the main course next to your meat. It’s that damn good. Other ingredients that you can add to enhance this dish even more include jalapeños, sausage, ham, and/or bacon.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 canned corn plus the corn water + enough water to equal 1 cup
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 4 tbsp butter
- 3 green onions finely chopped
- 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 yellow or green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Mix together the water from the corn, egg, and cornmeal. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium high heat. Sauté the onions, bell peppers, and green onions for 7-8 minutes.
- Pour in the evaporated milk and salt. Bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Stir in the cornmeal mixture. Consistently stir for 4 minutes.
- Mix in the corn. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Mix in a 1/2 cup of the cheese, sugar, and parsley.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the corn mixture into a greased baking dish. Top with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake the corn pie for 30 minutes. Lest rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Alambres
Alambres
Alambres are Mexican style beef kabobs. What sets these aside from a regular beef kabob is that there is a piece of bacon or pork belly touching each piece of beef. They can be either broiled or grilled; about 5-6 minutes a side depending on how well done you like your beef. Alambres are always served with tortillas, limes, a hot sauce, and guacamole.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- metal skewers
Ingredients
- 2 lbs top sirloin Cut into 1.5” cubes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tsp salt
- 3 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 lb pork belly or bacon Cut into 1.5” pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper Cut into 1.5” pieces
- 1 large green or orange bell pepper Cut into 1.5” pieces
- 1/2 large white onion Cut into 1.5” pieces
Instructions
- Rub the beef with vegetable oil. Season with 2 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of black pepper.
- Season the pork belly with 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of black pepper. If using bacon, skip this step.
- Skewer up the beef, pork, peppers, and onions on metal skewers. Make sure that every piece of beef has an onion on one side and a piece of pork belly or bacon on the other. 4 pieces of beef on a skewer is plenty.
- Preheat your broiler or grill. The alambres will take 5 minutes a side.
Angwa Mo
Angwa Mo
Angwa mo is a traditional Ghanaian beef rice recipe. Angwa mo translates to “oiled rice.” Instead of using day old rice and frying, the raw rice is sautéed with the onions and salted beef. Water is then added to it and simmered until it is absorbed. The rice is typically served with tinned sardines and fried eggs.What is different about this rice, especially to the American palate, is the concept of making the tolo beef. The beef is heavily salted and stored in a container at room temperature for 2 days. Yes, room temp beef for 2 days. I must admit, I was really skeptical in making this. I didn’t really want food poisoning, because in my mind and most others, leaving meat out for 2 days doesn’t sound safe. Amazingly enough, it didn’t stink one bit. It honestly looked more like a big piece of beef jerky, just more tender. Once the rice was finished, I tried a piece of the beef on it’s own. It really just tasted like salty beef. Nothing pungent or off in taste. Matter of fact, this rice was really good. Then when you think of it, this is how people preserved meat when there was no refrigeration. So give this “what looks like a risky recipe but not risky at all” recipe a try.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Tolo Beef
- 4 oz top sirloin
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 3 bay leaves
Angwa Mo
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 4 oz tolo beef diced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp beef bouillon powder
- 2 serrano peppers finely chopped
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Tolo Beef
- Add 2 tbsp of sea salt to the piece of sirloin in a small container. Make sure all sides are encrusted as much as possible. Add the bay leaves. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
- Pour out any liquid from the container.
- Add a little more salt to the beef. Cover and let sit for another 24 hours at room temperature.
- Pour out all of the remaining liquid. Wash the beef of any excess salt.
- Dice up the salted beef.
Angwa Mo
- Heat up cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in the chopped onions. Season with 2 tsp of salt. Cook down until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Take out half of the onions and set aside.
- Add in the salted beef. Give it a mix.
- Stir in the rice. Fry for 2 minutes, constantly stirring.
- Add in the serrano peppers.
- Pour in the water. Add the beef bouillon. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the other half of the sautéed onion back in. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Take off the heat. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
