Caribbean Passover Continued: Curacao Exodus

One of the lesser Antilles, the ABC (Antigua, Bonaire, Curacao) Islands have a food and culture that is a rich amalgam of Dutch, Spanish, French and African influence. Curacao also happens to be the home of the oldest Jewish Synagogue in the Caribbean--if not the oldest in the New World. In its own way, Curacao became part of a ongoing exodus from persecution that Jews the world over have found themselves facing since that original flight from Egypt. Sephardic Jews arrived in Curacao in 1634 and by the 1800s Jews comprised half the non-slave population on the island. As an nod to their fascinating history I give you the Curacaoan national dish: Keshi Yena, or stuffed Edam cheese. Omit the chicken for it to be Kosher and veggie (though not vegan). This recipe comes from the LA Times, and has been adapted from the original old school method of hollowing out a large, dried Edam cheese and cooking the stew inside it. Still it is as good an adaptation as any I've ever seen. You can find also find it here.

Keshi Yena

Servings: 6 to 8

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup sliced onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/3cup chopped bell pepper

1scant teaspoon seeded, stemmed, minced habañero chile

2 tablespoons sliced green olives

1 1/2 teaspoons capers

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped parsley

1/4 cup raisins

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 canned peeled tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon mustard

1 pound cooked shredded chicken

Salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs

1 whole (2-pound) Edam cheese

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Cook the onion, garlic, bell pepper and habañero until soft, about 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the olives, capers, parsley, raisins, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard and chicken. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning the bottom. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature, then beat the eggs and stir in.

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the cheese into slices one-fourth inch thick. Line the bottom and sides of an 11-inch x 11-inch (2 1/2-quart) baking dish with two-thirds of the slices. Spoon the filling over. Cover the top with the remaining cheese slices.

3. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake 40 minutes, until the cheese is soft and golden brown.

4. Serve hot with toasted French bread slices or tortillas.

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Each of 8 servings: 588 calories;

46 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 40 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 201 mg. cholesterol; 1,277 mg. sodium.

Passover Dessert: Caribbean Style

Growing up in New York City, I've attended my share of Passover seders. I'm always happy to volunteer to bring a dessert because there are so many flour-free options in the Caribbean repertoire, like this Stewed Guava or the simple coconut "cakes" that are an interesting variation from macaroons. Both are from my book Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago.  It's simple, sinfully delicious, but exotic enough to be the star of the show. Try them and let me know what you think.

Sugar Cakes

Makes 40

This simple confection is heavenly, especially if you are a coconut lover like I am. In my experience, freshly grated coconut is really the only way to go with this recipe, though fresh frozen will also work. Don’t use sweetened shredded coconut or dried coconut however—the consistency just won’t be the same. Sometimes this sweet is called “chip chip,” after the popular local clams, but no one is sure why since one does not resemble the other.

1 cup sugar

4 cups grated unsweetened coconut

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon mixed essence

1.     Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

2.     Bring the sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil and cook until small bubbles appear and the mixture forms a light syrup.

3.     Add the coconut and cream of tartar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the coconut mixture comes away easily from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir vigorously for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the mixed essence.

4. Drop tablespoonfuls of the coconut mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Allow to dry and set completely, about 6 hours. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Stewed Guava

4 servings

Stewed or, really, poached fresh fruits are a simple but delicious Trinidadian dessert. Use seasonal fruits from your own area to make the most of this recipe, choosing soft-fleshed, noncitrus fruit. Cooking fruit in sugar syrup acts as a preservative, so you can store poached fruit in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

3/4 cup sugar

1 pound ripe guavas, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 cup heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon mixed essence (found in Caribbean markets)

1. Combine the sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the guava and continue to simmer until the fruit is fork tender.

2. In a small bowl, combine the cream and mixed essence.

3. Divide the fruit and syrup among four bowls and drizzle with the cream, as desired.

The Milky Way

You may have read the recent article in the New York Times, touting the culinary versatility of sweetened condensed milk. In the American kitchen, a can of sweetened condensed milk might hang out for years, used for a few key recipes. As Times writer Julia Moskin points out--key lime pie is one. But in the Caribbean, South and central America, and much of the rest of the world sweetened condensed milk is a pantry staple, used daily in everything from tea and coffee to elaborate desserts. The reason is simple: few places have the vast prairies required to keep massive herd of dairy cows and fresh milk products are fairly seasonal and often rare. Tinned milks--and later asceptic packaged milks like Paramalat--made the creamy goodness of milk available to all levels of folks all over the world.

But here in the US, sweetened condensed milk can confound the home cook as a daily concern. To solve that, I give you some sweetened condensed milk recipes from my book Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago (2nd edition, June 2010, Hippocrene, NY) in which nearly every dessert recipe makes use of milky, sweet stuff.

Soursop Punch

8 (5-ounce) servings

Soursop is also known as guanabana. While the fresh fruit isn’t always readily available, companies such as Goya offer the frozen pulp and juice. I have adapted this recipe accordingly to make use of the frozen fruit.

1 (14-ounce) package soursop pulp, thawed

2 cups evaporated milk

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons Angostura Bitters

Place all the ingredients in a blender with 2 cups of water and puree until smooth. Serve over crushed ice.

Carrot Barfi

6 to 8 servings

This confection is sometimes called carrot halwa. You can substitute freshly grated coconut for the carrot and garnish each piece with a candied cherry, raisin, or slice of almond.

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons ghee

5 large carrots, peeled and grated finely

1/4 cup condensed milk

1 cup heavy cream

20 cashews, chopped or almond slivers (optional)

1. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside.

2. Combine the sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan and simmer until the mixture reaches the consistency of a syrup, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. Heat the ghee in a deep saucepan and add the carrots. Stir well, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the carrots are soft and there is no liquid left in the pan.

4. Stir in the condensed milk, cream, and sugar syrup. Mix well and add the nuts. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan to form a ball.

5. Pour the carrot mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly with the back of a large spoon. Allow to cool, then cut into squares or other shapes.

Ponche Crema

5(6-ounce) servings

Ponche crema is a type of eggnog popular throughout the Caribbean. It is delicious served over ice as a creamy summer cocktail. 

4 eggs

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 cup evaporated milk

3/4 cup good-quality dark rum, such as Myer’s

1 teaspoon Angostura Bitters

1/4 teaspoon mixed essence

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Whipped cream, for garnish

Ground cinnamon, for garnish

1. Blend the eggs in a blender at high speed for 20 seconds. Add the condensed milk,  evaporated milk and about half the rum.
2. Mix again for 10 seconds. Add the remaining rum, bitters, mixed essence, nutmeg, and cloves. Pulse in the blender once more.
3. Refrigerate and serve cold, over ice cubes, with a dollop of whipped cream, dusted with cinnamon.