Aye,
I be Gumbatz, ships cook yada yada, yada.
We once owned a restaurant and I be hankirin to open another here in St Augustine.
So to that, I want to be sharin some of me favorites, old and new, but all have been simplified so anyone can make em.
To whit I be startin with this one: It be about as authentic as ye can get, but still edible:
Ifn ye like it, let me know!
Caribbean stewedbeef.
During long voyages beefwould have been salt cured and dried, it then would have to be soaked in water,wine or rum to be reconstituted to a state that was edible.
Needless to say the meat wasusually terrible and didn’t last that long on a voyage, so new ways needed tobe devised to make the food palatable.
Following is one of thoseways, the recipe has been changed to suit the tastes of today’s society, whiletrying to maintain a level of authenticity.
1.5 lbs of beef, cubed into 1inch pieces
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershiresauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 Cloves of Garlic, thinlysliced or crushed
1 teaspoon fresh ginger,crushed—(or use ½ if it is ginger powder)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil,(one that can withstand high heat)
1 Medium Onion, chopped (midchop)
1 Medium tomato, chopped (midchop)
2 Tablespoons cilantro, (or2tbs Trinidad Green meat seasoning)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground blackpepper
¼ hot pepper, (you canreplace with Banana pepper)
1 Green onion or chive,chopped (mid chop)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1tsp of dried)
1 Lime or Lemon
3 Tablespoons of Vinegar
1 Small Shallot
Cut beef into 1 inch piecesif you haven’t already done so.
Combine the Lemon or Limewith the vinegar and “Wash the meat” with the liquid and drain away excessliquid.
Add all the ingredients aboveexcept the oil, water and sugar, to the meat and allow to marinate for at least30 minutes, (2 or more hours is best) in the fridge.
In a heavy pot on high heatpour in the oil and allow to get hot.
When oil is hot, but notsmoking, add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves, browns and starts tobubble.
As soon as the sugar, oilmixture starts to bubble add the meat and stir, coating all the meat with themixture.
Leave on high for about 3minutes then turn down the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.
Allow to cook for another tenminutes, stirring occasionally to brown all the meat evenly.
Remove the lid and return toa mid high heat to burn off all remaining liquid.
The meat should look a richbrown color.
Add the water to the marinademixture and stir to get all the little bits off the side of the bowl.
When all the liquid from themeat is gone out of the pot, add this mixture and bring to a boil, then turnthe heat down to a gentle simmer.
Keep pot covered and allow tocook for about an hour, or until the beef is really tender.
If after an hour there isstill a lot of water left in the pot, turn up the heat to simmer off.
You want it to look like arich gravy when done.
This makes a great meal onits own or can be served over rice, mashed dikon, boiled yams or any otherstarch you wish.