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Adding Some Spice:  New Recipes from Walkerswood Caribbean Foods

Edited by Jennifer L. Price

Walkerswood Caribbean Foods, a well-known that company that sells authentic Caribbean spices, cooking sauces, seasonings, preserves and canned vegetables, has created a menu with recipes by Virginia Burke, excerpted from Walkerswood Caribbean Kitchen and Eat Caribbean cookbooks, that will add some spice into your kitchen.

The menu starts off with a “Palm Heart Salad” and some “‘Bite and Kiss’ Jerk Shrimp with Soured Cream & Mango Salsa.”  For the main course, try fiery “Jerk Lamb with Guava Sauce.”  And finish it all off with something sweet like “Little Rum & Chocolate Puddings.”

PALM HEART SALAD

• 100 g can palm hearst, drained and sliced crossways

• 2 ripe mangoes, peeled and thinly sliced

• 2 ripe avocados (or 1 large), peeled, stoned and thinly sliced

• ½ cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

• ½ scotch bonnet or other hot chili pepper, de-seeded and finely chopped

• ½ lime or lemon (to be squeezed over to prevent avocado from discoloring)

• For the dressing

• ½ lime or lemon, juiced

• 1 tsp grainy mustard

• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 1 tsp sugar

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 

To make the dressing, mix the first four ingredients and then drizzle olive oil in slowly while stirring constantly. Season to taste. Assemble all the salad ingredients in a bowl and serve the dressing on the side.
Preparation time: 30 minutes; Serves 6.

“BITE AND KISS” JERK SHRIMP WITH SOURED CREAM & MANGO SALSA

Spicy jumbo shrimp marinated in jerk seasoning - grilled and served with a mango salsa using sweet pepper, celery and onion and then cooled out with a sour cream sauce with horseradish.  It is scorching hot, but cools down immediately with the contrast of the sour cream mixture and the tangy salsa – hence “bite and kiss”

For the shrimp

• 2 lbs. Jumbo shrimp peeled + de-veined

• 3 tbsp. Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning (or 4 tbsp. Walkerswood Jerk Marinade)              

• 4 tbsp. olive oil

Mix all ingredients together and marinate shrimp for about 1/2 hour in the refrigerator.

For the salsa

• 1 red pepper

• 1 green pepper

• 1 vidalia onion         

• 1 stalk celery

• 1 firm mango

For the salsa dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tbs. cider vinegar               

• Salt & pepper

Dice all salsa ingredients and mix together with the salsa dressing and chill.

For the sour cream dip

• 4 tbs. sour cream

• 4 tbs. mayonnaise

• 1 tbs. horseradish        

• 1 tsp. lemon juice

In a separate dish mix all ingredients and chill until ready to serve.

Presentation

Grill marinated shrimp for 2 minutes on each side. Place a dollop of the sour cream dip in the center of a large platter. Arrange the shrimp around the edge of the platter leaving space between each one for a dollop of the salsa in between.

Preparation time: 1 hour marinating + 10 minutes cooking + 20 minutes.  Serves 6.

JERKED LAMB WITH GUAVA SAUCE

For the sauce

• 1 head of garlic

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 175 g Walkerswood Guava Jelly

• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce (optional)

• 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tsp chopped fresh coriander

Preheat the over to 350ºF.  Cut off the top of a whole head of garlic, pour over the olive oil, wrap it in foil and roast for about 15-20 minutes until soft.  Squeeze the cloves out of their skins and crush them in a saucepan.  Add all other glaze ingredients (except parsley and coriander).  Stir and bring to a simmer making sure the guava jelly is melted.  Cool slightly before serving.  Sprinkle on chopped herbs.
Preparation time: 20 minutes roasting + 10 minutes.  Serves 6-8.

For the lamb

Rub the jerk seasoning and salt into the lamb thoroughly.  Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Rub the crushed garlic into the inside of the lamb leg and then roll it up and tie in three places to secure.  Roast for 45 minutes (medium rare) or about 15 minutes more for well done lamb.  If using cutlets, spread the crushed garlic over them and grill for 8-10 minutes on both sides. 

Allow the lamb to rest for 10 minutes before carving.  Slice the lamb and serve with the warm sauce.

Preparation time: 15 minutes + marinating overnight + about 1 hour cooking.  Serves 8-10.

Little Rum & Chocolate Puddings

• 5 eggs plus 5 egg yolks

• 4½ oz caster sugar

• 8 oz unsalted butter, plus a little bit more for greasing the moulds

• 8 oz dark chocolate, broken up

• 4 tbsp rum

• 3½ oz plain flour

• Icing sugar, to decorate

The day before you wish to serve the pudding, make up the mixture: beat the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together until the mixture is pale yellow.  Melt the chocolate and butter slowly together in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan half-filled with hot water. When the mixture has melted, remove from the heat, add the rum and them slowly add the egg mixture, beating constantly. Then fold in the flour. Pour into 6fl oz greased moulds, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge overnight.

The following day, preheat the over to 350°. Place in the center of the oven on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the centers puff up and look dry.  You will need to check this quite regularly.  Turn out on to individual plates, sift over the icing sugar and serve at once.

Preparation time: 15 minutes + chilling overnight + 15 minutes cooking.  Serves 6.

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