Travel and Tourism

Tobago Food - food to make your mouth water

  • PLANTAIN FRITTERS - 'tostones'

    • INGREDIENTS: serves 4, 4 green plantains, 12 tbs corn oil, salt.
    • A quick and easy dish to accompany a main meal or just as a snack.
    • Peel the plantains, this should be difficult if you are using good green fresh plantains
    • Slice them into approximately 2cm (1in) thick slices.
    • Heat the corn oil (or sunflower oil) in a frying pan or skillet until it is hot, this can be tested by dropping a slice of plantain in - it should bubble in the pan
    • Fry the slices in the oil, until they start browning
    • Turn them over and brown the other side.
    • Drain them on paper towels.
    • Remove them from the paper, place the plantains on a flat surface, and smash them with a flat knife; they should end up ½in thick or less
    • Re-fry the plantains on both sides until they're crispy
    • Drain once more, salt to taste - enjoy

  • STUFFED PAWPAWS (PAPAYAS)

    • INGREDIENTS: serves 4
      • 3 tbs corn oil
      • 6 spring onions
      • 1 garlic clove
      • 1 fresh red chili
      • 3 ripe tomatoes
      • 3 tbs sultanas
      • 2 tbs cashew nuts or peanuts
      • 2 tbs parmesan or hard cheese
      • 2 pawpaws
      • 2 tbs fresh breadcrumbs
      • salt and pepper
      • fresh parsley
      • lime or lemon
    • This dish would traditionally be made with ripe but firm pawpaws which are used as a vegetable in Tobago and Trinidad. In this recipe they are ripe, however, providing a sweet contrast to the filling. It is recommended that you make twice the amount - have half hot today and have the other half cold later with a salad.
    • Heat the corn oil (or sunflower oil) in a frying pan or skillet, slice then add the spring onions and cook for 2 minutes. Crush and add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the seeds, chop finely and add the chili, plus skinned and chopped tomatoes, sultanas and nuts - cook until the mixture is a thick sauce.
    • Remove the pan from the heat and stir in half the Parmesan grated cheese plus salt and pepper.
    • Cut the pawpaws in half and remove the seeds, place the halves in a shallow ovenproof dish and spoon in the sauce into the shells. Pour boiling water into the dish to come a quarter of the way up the pawpaws. Mix the remaining cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the pawpaws.
    • Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F - Gas mark 4) for 30 minutes.
    • Carefully lift the pawpaws from the dish with a draining spoon. Garnish with chopped parsley and a squeeze of lime or lemon - serve.
    • VARIATION
      1. Use large red peppers - halve them and deseed. Replace the pawpaw with these. In Bosnia they charcoal grill the skins first.
      2. Use large aubergines - halve them and scoop out the middle - mix half the middle with the onions at the start. Replace the pawpaw with these. In Iraq they charcoal grill the skins first to take the bitterness out of the skins - they call it ‘Imam Bayaldi’. You will need to double the cooking time.

        3. VARIATION: red peppers OR aubergines

  • BAGO BOUILLABAISSE

    • INGREDIENTS: serves 4
      • FISH STOCK
      • fish bones
      • 1 onion
      • 1 carrot
      • 200g snapper filet
      • 200g grouper filet
      • 12 shrimp peeled and cleaned
      • 12 scallops
      • 300g fresh mussels
      • 8 fresh water shrimp
      • ¼ globe of garlic
      • 2 onions
      • 6 large tomatoes
      • ½ whole celery
      • plantains peeled
      • 2 sweet potatoes
      • ½ tbs hot sauce
      • 1 pinch saffron
      • 1 can coconut milk
      • salt
      • pepper fresh ground
      • 1 cup fish stock
      • 1 cup thick cream
      • ¼ cup olive oil or corn oil
      • 1 lemon
    • Although far from the roots of this dish in southern France, the ingredients of fresh sea food has a much higher quality and freshness in Tobago. Remember it is a fish stew for fishing folk.
    • You can make your own fish stock by boiling fish bones and small fish in enough water to cover plus a pinch of salt and pepper. Add a small chopped onion and a chopped carrot. After simmering for 30 minutes, filter the stock through a very fine sieve.
    • Do not worry if you can not find some of the fish ingredients - this is a soup originally made to feed the poor in Marseilles and was made with any fresh fish. To peal the tomatoes, get a pot of boiling water, put them into the water for 2 minutes - this should loosen the skin so that it peels off - do not burn your fingers - use a fork.
    • In a large frying pan heat the olive oil (or corn oil). Peel and chop the garlic and the onions, sauté the garlic in the oil - then remove; then sauté the onions - then remove. Season all of the fish & seafood with salt & pepper and sear in the same olive oil until sealed and starting to turn golden. Remove the shrimp and scallops and set aside. Add the garlic and onions with all of the chopped vegetables and sear for 2 minutes.
    • Heat a pinch of saffron in 1 can coconut milk - (not cream of coconut.
    • Add the fish stock, coconut milk with saffron, thick cream and hot sauce. Put the fresh water shrimp on top.
    • Simmer gently covered for 15 minutes. Add the mussels, scallops and shrimps 1 minute before serving. Squeeze juice of lemon (or 2 limes) into the soup just before serving. Ensure you have big chunks of bread to mop up your plate.

  • PARMIGIANA DI MELANZANE

    • INGREDIENTS: serves 4
      • 2 kg eggplants
      • 2 tins tomatoes
      • ¼ kg parmesan
      • 6 garlic cloves
      • basil leaves or oregano leaves mashed
      • 1 tsp salt
      • 3 tbs olive oil
    • A delicious vegitarian meal with its origin in Italy.
    • Peel eggplants and slice them, each in 4 to 5 thick slices - sprinkle both sides with salt - leave for 2 hours - they will bleed out the bitter taste - wash them and drain off all water.
    • Deep fry the eggplant in olive oil (or corn oil) in a large frying pan until they are light brown - they drink the oil. They do not have to be too soft. Take them out and let the oil drip onto a kitchen paper towel to eliminate excess oil.
    • Prepare tomato sauce, in a medium size pot put olive oil and garlic and sauté till light brown, add the tins of tomatoes - crush the tomatoes - gently boil them and reducing them to half their original liquid volume.
    • Add salt and fresh basil or oregano leaves mashed, cover and let it cook on a medium fire for 5 more minutes. The sauce should not be too thick.
    • Use a cooking tray for oven. Lay six slices of eggplant and cover with tomato sauce and grated parmesan or local hard cheese. Lay six more slices of eggplant on top of the first ones and cover again with tomato sauce and grated parmesan cheese - it can be done three layers for bigger portions. Bake for 10 minutes in oven at 120°C (250°F). Wait ten minutes before cutting in 4 to 8 portions. Serve luke-warm and garnish with basil leaves.
    • If, by luck you made too much, this is even more tasty served cold with a fresh green salad.

  • LINGUINI WITH SHELLFISH SAUCE

    • INGREDIENTS: serves 4
      • 300 gm lobster meat
      • 6-8 large shrimps
      • 4 tbs olive oil
      • 2 onions
      • 2 tbs parsley
      • 2 cloves garlic
      • 1 glass white wine
      • 2 glasses water
      • salt
      • fresh pepper
      • 500 gm linguini
      • 1 fish stock cube
    • Take fresh lobster meat and cut into small pieces. Clean and cut into small pieces the shrimps. Peel and finely chop the onions, garlic and parsley.
    • Dissolve fish stock cube in one cup of water - a fresh fish stock would be better.
    • In a large saucepan sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil (or corn oil) over medium to high heat until onions are soft and are transparent in colour.
    • Add the dry wine, two glasses of water and the fishstock and simmer until liquid is reduced to about 2 cups. Add lobster, shrimps and parsley, cook for four minutes, stirring ingredients with wooden spoon, do not overcook. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    • In the meantime cook the linguine al dente in plenty of boiling salted water - drain, stir in a splash of olive oil - this keeps the pasta separated - then put on a large deep dish - blend well with half of the sauce - pour remaining sauce over and sprinkle with remaining parsley.
    • VARIATION
      • If you wish to have a red sauce, replace white with red wine and water with tomatoes and add chopped red pepper to the onions.
      • NOTE: al dente relating to pasta or rice means that it must not be overcooked but slightly firm in the middle - test by squeezing between finger and thumb to ensure a little firmness in the middle.

        • VARIATION: 1 red pepper, 1 tin tomatoes, 1 glass red wine.

  • FISH CAKES (ACCRAS) WITH GARLIC MAYONNAISE SAUCE

    • INGREDIENTS: serves 4
      • FISH CAKES
        • 1 cup flour
        • 1 cup oil
        • 1 cup salt fish
        • 1 onion minced
        • 1 cup water
        • 1 egg
        • 2 tsp baking powder
        • salt
        • fresh pepper
        • 1 tbs celery
        • 1 tbs parsley
        • 1 tbs fresh pepper
        • ¼ tsp hot pepper
      • GARLIC SAUCE
        • 12 cloves garlic
        • 1 cup mayonnaise
        • 2 tbs ketchup
    • A brilliant snack or at the beginning of a meal. If you are brave, double the amount of garlic so that the sauce burns the tongue - that's how the French eat it.
    • FISH CAKES: In an electric mincer chop the deboned and skinned saltfish with a little oil, then chop the onion. Add seasonings flour, egg and water to chopper and chop until mixed but not diced too fine - the ingredients should still be recognisable. Add chopped hot pepper or use a little hot pepper sauce. Add salt and pepper. Lastly, beat in 2 teaspoons baking powder.
    • Drop into hot, deep oil a teaspoon at a time. It should puff out immediately and rise to the top of the oil. When they sink, remove and drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with garlic mayonnaise sauce.
    • SAUCE: Put peeled garlic in electric mincer. Chop well. Add mayonnaise and ketchup. Mix together. Refrigerate and use as required.

Category:

Most Read . . .