Food for the Soul

[Gumbatz]

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.

[Jas. Hook]

Barbeque -

2 tablespoons vegetable oil,(one that can withstand high heat)

Historically, would a vegetable oil have been available at the time? Or would they have used olive or a nut oil or collected grease from cooking?

Jas. Hook

[jendobyns]

Barbeque -

2 tablespoons vegetable oil,(one that can withstand high heat)

Historically, would a vegetable oil have been available at the time? Or would they have used olive or a nut oil or collected grease from cooking?

Jas. Hook

A reasonable oil for the period would be olive oil.

Mistress D.

[Gumbatz]

Aye, they would have used a mixture of lard and olive oil. High heat would have caused the pure olive oil to burst into flames. Hence for safety sakes I substituted VEg oil.<div><br></div><div>Safety first mate. Some people just follow directions.</div>

[LadyBarbossa]

I'd say lard would be best to use. In some places (like around here) it's usually readily available. But wouldn't pure butter be a better sustitute than any sort of oil? Butter would be more common, would it not? Olive Oil being more of a spice commodity that people would pay through the nose for? Aye? Would rather sell that or barter olive oil rather than use it?

Keep the recipes a coming! Shall have to try this Caribbean beef stew. :) I'm always enjoying the amount of recipes that are posted here on the Pub.

~Lady B

[Gumbatz]

I'd say lard would be best to use. In some places (like around here) it's usually readily available. But wouldn't pure butter be a better sustitute than any sort of oil? Butter would be more common, would it not? Olive Oil being more of a spice commodity that people would pay through the nose for? Aye? Would rather sell that or barter olive oil rather than use it?

Keep the recipes a coming! Shall have to try this Caribbean beef stew. :) I'm always enjoying the amount of recipes that are posted here on the Pub.

~Lady B

Thank ya Lady B,

The recipes shall continue, and please ask questions all, It keeps me on me toes.

The problem with butter is

A) At the heat you need to sear the meat it would burn.

Combined with the Brown sugar it would turn to a caramel type substance and would change the taste of the meat.

Lard would be the best or Fish oil a rare commodity indeed.

[LadyBarbossa]

Hmm... good point. It would carmelize it and sweeten the beef rather than allow the beef's natural flavors to shine through. GOod point.

~Lady B