From the monthly archives:

May 2009

Sorrel Drink

May 30, 2009

You may recall I wasn’t too impressed with the sea moss drink I made this week. So I thought I’d move on to making sorrel drink, a beverage I definitely like. I first had a drink made from sorrel in Mexico, where it’s called agua de jamaica. Sorrel is a Christmas tradition in the Caribbean and our friends, Mike and Julia Donovan, gave us [...]

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Sea Moss

May 26, 2009

There are an astonishing number of Caribbean beverages and soups reputed to be aphrodisiacs. Mannish water, bull foot soup and creole fish broth will put lead in your pencil. Mauby, ginger beer and peanut punch are good for the wood. Or so they say.

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Hurricane Hole

May 21, 2009

I think Caribbean farmers may have invented the concept of free range. At any given time you might find chickens, goats, sheep, cows or pigs in your garden. Given our close proximity to the local livestock, the good news is that I don’t have swine flu. The bad news is that I do have a nasty case of [...]

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Spaghetti with Arugula, Pancetta and Cream

May 17, 2009

I moved to Tortola from New York City 16 years ago and the hardest thing for me to adapt to wasn’t the heat, the bureaucracy and red tape, or the slow pace of life. It was the food available in the supermarkets. It was of poor quality-and there was so little of it. The chicken was [...]

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Fede’s Farm

May 14, 2009

Federica drives like an Italian: fast and fearless. At least I think she does since I couldn’t actually keep up with her. We left yoga class at Mount Healthy and took the twisting, turning, mountainous Ridge Road to Federica’s home overlooking Cooper Bay. Federica led the way and I followed, made brave by the promise of fresh arugula and aged parmigiano reggiano flown in from [...]

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Ride & Walk for the Cause

May 11, 2009

I did it. It took me almost an hour and a half. I had to walk up Slaney Hill and back down again. I have a bloody blister on my right foot. But I completed the full course of the Mother’s Day Nature’s Little Secrets Ride & Walk for the Cause.

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Curry Leaf

May 8, 2009

Bones has pointed out that I’ve called for curry leaves in a few of my recipes and this ingredient may be unfamiliar to some of you. The curry plant (Murraya koenigii) is native to the sub-tropical forests of Asia and is widely used by cooks in South India. You may also see the name written as kari [...]

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Pink Pachadi

May 7, 2009

Bones loves beets. He comes home at least once a week with a bag of beets but because he’s so busy these days I usually end up cooking them. I like to roast beets whole; then peel and cut them into chunks and dress them with olive oil, a little lemon juice and a sprinkling of fresh dill. [...]

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25 Things About Living In The Caribbean

May 5, 2009

If you’re on Facebook you know this game and you’ve probably been tagged. If you’re not, the basic premise is to post 25 random facts about yourself. I thought I’d post 25 things about living in the Caribbean. Here we go:

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Bake Sale

May 4, 2009

I get such joy out of cooking (and eating) and I’m really enjoying helping Audrey learn to cook. Her kitchen skills are coming along nicely. She’s a master experimenter and pretty fearless when it comes to putting together a pasta sauce. She’s getting the hang of baking, which requires more careful attention to ratio and technique to produce the [...]

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Frangipani in Bloom

May 2, 2009

I’m pleased to report that my frangipani did not blow away in Tuesday’s gales as I feared they would. The baby buds are now blooming and the view from the balcony is even more stunning with the soft pink and white flowers dotting our seascape.

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Baigani

May 1, 2009

Devica, our nanny/housekeeper/savior/friend, is a never-ending source of surprise. I’ve known her for eleven years and it was only yesterday that she let slip that she cooked for a living back in Trinidad. We’ve been raving about her food for years and now I find out she’s a pro.

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