Spice Islands Supper

Today was not the welcome relief of a crisp sunny day at the end of summer heat. The weather here in western Massachusetts turned raw and rainy. It made me wish for a warm beach and turquoise waters.

Spicy and infused with subtle local flavors like coconut milk, West Indies and other island recipes are fusions of African, Asian, Indian, Spanish, French and Dutch cuisine. In the islands, you're more likely to find a main dish kabob prepared with goat or lamb. I use beef sirloin tip, a tender, flavorful and economical substitute. Spoon whole kernel corn over brown rice for a side and your island style dinner is served.

Add a little spice island style to your life -- I think you'll like it!

ISLAND HOPPER BEEF KABOBS
1 pound sirloin tip steak, cut into one inch cubes
1 small yellow onion, cut in quarters
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root
1 teaspoon red chile paste, or 1 finely fresh chopped hot chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut or sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Skewers, soaked in water for an hour to prevent burning

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except meat. Place meat in a large zip-loc bag. Pour marinade over meat in the bag. Zip closed and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Thread seasoned meat on moistened skewers. Discard marinade. Cover kabobs with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to grill.
Preheat grill for medium-high heat (450 degrees F). Brush grate liberally with oil, and arrange kabobs on grill. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, turning as needed to brown evenly. Serve with peanut dipping sauce.

WEST INDIES STYLE PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon peanut or sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon chile paste, or 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup coconut milk

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Use puree cycle, adding more coconut milk to get your desired consistency. Serve the sauce warm or at room temperature.

Makes four servings.

Comments

  1. Best Wishes, MarieAugust 25, 2010 at 5:22 PM

    i was watching a show .. who ?? and they were saying it is better to do the kabobs with all the meat on one. veggies another (cut to cook equally). that way you avoid the dried out this and the undercooked that.

    one of those things that seems very obvious, but i was not doing it like that.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grape Infused Vodka Update

Image
It took an overnight frost for our homegrown grapes to sweeten up but the wait was worth it. A big sloppy thank you smooch goes out to Mayor Mike Tautznik of Easthampton, MA for sharing his home infusion method for fruit flavored vodka. Fiddling around with Mayor Mike's sure-fire recipe helped me come up with the perfect formula for home infusing store-bought vodka with the Concord grapes from our backyard garden. And the abundance of those grapes carefully cultivated by the Man of the House deserves another big sloppy thank you smooch, this time for Farmer Paul. Start by boiling a big pot of water to sterilize pint-sized canning jars and their covers. Once they are cool, fill each about 3/4 full with thoroughly washed Concord grapes plucked from the ripest of bunches. Add one teaspoon of super fine sugar. Pour your choice of plain vodka over the grapes, leaving about 1/2 inch headroom before closing the jars. Shake gently to dissolve sugar before storing in a cool dark spot. Two w
Read more

The Joy of Holiday Cookies

Image
Nothing sweetens the season like holiday cookies! The name comes from the Dutch koejke which translates to "little cake" -- the perfect single serving treat. Cookies have been part of cooking history for more than a thousand years and nearly every culture has a bite sized sweet that qualifies as a cookie. Every year I try to come up with a new twist on an old favorite to celebrate the season for my annual cookie swap. These tasty morsels are my version of rugelach , a traditional Jewish pastry filled with nuts, raisins or apricots, cinnamon and sugar wrapped in a flaky crust. A few good friends sharing a bottle of bubbly then going home with the bounty of a platter full of homemade cookies and the recipes. Lots of fun and yumminess, too! RUGELACH Dough 2 cups all-purpose flour Dash of salt 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 cup unsalted butter 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1/3 cup plain or lemon flavored yogurt Filling 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 cup finely
Read more

A Perfect Sunday Supper

Image
Nearly everyone has a favorite pot roast recipe. Pot roast begs for inspiration from the cook, roasted red peppers can be a delightful addition. Try mushrooms or whole green beans for a different twist. Choosing the spices can be daunting, bay leaf or thyme, coriander or clove? Some recipes call for tomatoes, others for a brown gravy base. I even saw a barbecue style pot roast recipe recently; not to mention the cut of beef. There’s brisket, chuck, rump roast, to name a few. Over thirty plus years of home cooking successes and disasters, I’ve tried many different pot roast recipes but always go back to page 127 of the Silver Palate Cookbook for the best and simplest example of “A perfect Sunday supper.” I follow the recipe closely though not exactly -- you might like my slightly fiddled with version. Starting with the basics is a good start but no excuse for boring – add your own special flair! PEPPERCORN POT ROAST 3 pound boneless chuck roast 1 teaspoon fresh coarsely ground black pe
Read more