Caribbean recipe ideas?

[Recipeguru86]

So I'm entering a recipe competition to win a cooking lesson with James Martin (my fav chef!) but the recipe needs to be from Spain, the Caribbean, Italy or Greece. I want to give the Caribbean recipe a go just for a bit of a challenge but not sure where to start, any tips on what type of ingredients I should be looking at?

[Margi Cintrano]

Buongiorno, Recipe Guru 86,

This sounds exciting.

As you know, the world of recipes is uncountable, and thus, so are the 4 categories of gastronomy you have mentioned. I have travelled to Greece eight times, and live in both Puglia, Italia and the Madrid Capital, and thus, could provide thousands of traditional recipes we eat daily from the Granmom´s Kitchen to Ferran Adriá´s .

However, are you looking for a shellfish - seafood - fish recipe ? Chicken ?
Beef ? Lamb ? Pork ? Etcetra ...

Could you narrow down your scope, goals a bit ? Need details.

Best Regards.
Ciao,
Margaux Cintrano.

[CraigC]

Pick an Island/country. I lean more to those that have spanish influence. Cuba or Puerto Rico. A nice Ropa Vieja from Cuba or Mofongo from Puerto Rico. If you want a little more spice, Jamaican jerk.

[GotGarlic]

Fish or crab and citrus come to mind.

[4meandthem]

Spicy pulled pork sliders with a fruit salsa and some slaw on soft Hawaiin style buns.

[Margi Cintrano]

Recipe Guru 86,

We had been in the Caribbean Islands many times in the 1990s and being a publishing journalist, I had collected many lovely shellfish and fish dishes from the former French, Spanish, Dutch and British islands that make up this region.

Please do advise details.

Grazie.
Margi Cintrano.

[Siegal]

I work in a very jamaican area and have been eating the food every so often. I know it's not fancy but everyone seems to love a good Jamaican patty

Ackee and salt fish is evidently the national dish had it in a patty. Was "interesting"

[dcgator]

The best I can cook is Sancocho, a hearty soup with caribbean yams, plantains, beef, chicken, and various herbs and veggies. You can google the recipe for it. It is called the resurector of dead people, as it is delicious and filling.

I also like Ropa Vieja, a take off on an old Spanish dish, shredded flank beef cooked with pimentos, and onions, with black beans, rice and fried maduros (ripe plantains).

[Gravy Queen]

I'm a fan of Jamaican dishes, jerk chicken, jerk pork which go nicely with festival and corn and of course a mind blowing hot sauce. Also Goat Curry (you can use lamb in place of goat if you have trouble catching a goat), Rice and Peas, Pepperpot stew, Brown Stew Chicken, Escovitch/Escobeche (a vinegar based marinade and sauce often used with fried fish and vegetables), Patties (can do these with just veg or veg and meat). Another traditional jamaican dish is saltfish and ackee, not sure if you could get hold of the ingredients, we can get them in more specialised supermarkets (although we have to make do with ackee in a tin), goes lovely with callaloo.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[Gravy Queen]

P.S where are you based? I watch James Martin every week on Saturday Kitchen here.

[CWS4322]

If I were entering a competition (and hoped to score big), I'd probably pick a cuisine with which I was comfortable, rather than one with which I wasn't, and put a twist on the dishes. That's just me. I am a risk taker, but would stick with what I know and do well. I remember that America's Best Chef (was that it?) where the winner was a young gal from the south and for her final dishes (fried chicken, turnip greens, etc.), she stuck with food from the South and won. Her competitor did Beef Wellington and got slammed, as I recall.