Who would have thought to make Otaheite apple pie, another great way to enjoy our apples. - Photos by Ray Chen/Taste of Jamaica, Ian Randle Publishers WE CAME this close to never having breadfruit and to never sinking
our teeth into the ruby red skin of the juicy otaheite apple. But for the outstanding navigational skills and tenacity of a young Englishman, Captain William Bligh (who also has ties to the ackee), Jamaican cuisine might be vastly different today.
Captain Bligh survived the mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty and cheated death at sea in his first expedition to bring breadfruit plants to the island. On February 5, 1793, the Captain, surviving fevers and migraines during his second voyage to the Pacific islands for the plants, finally landed in Jamaica with 2,000 plants representing five categories. (Pieces of the Past on page 2 of the Monday, February 11, edition of The Gleaner has the story of the arrival of the breadfruit and other foods to the island).
Today our food columnist Enid Donaldson-Mignotte serves up a bellyful using some of the foods brought to the island by the good Captain. We also have recipes for other foods like the pineapple which was introduced to Jamaica by the Spanish as early as 1520.
Otaheite Apple Pie
Otaheite apples make a delicious pie. They can be used fresh or stewed. They also freeze well when stewed which will allow you to enjoy this pie out of the apple season.
6 Otaheite apples
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Pie shell
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Do not peel apples but cut
and discard seeds.
3. Rough chop and cover with water.
4. Add sugar and salt.
5. Boil mixture until apples are almost transparent.
6. Pour into prepared pie shell and cover with pastry.
7. Make some slits in top of pastry to allow steam to escape.
8. Bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degree F until pastry is cooked (about another 30 minutes).
Serves 6.
Curried Ackees (in bread cups)
6 ackees (pods)
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chutney or hot sauce
2 tbsps. flour
1 tbsp. curry powder
2 tbsps. butter or oil
1 onion
1 red pepper
METHOD
1. Wash and prepare ackees for cooking, by taking the pods from the shell, discarding the black seeds, and taking out the pink lining from the flesh.
2. Cook for 5 minutes in boiling, salted water. Drain ackees and set aside.
3. Heat oil and add curry powder and cook on slow heat.
4. Add all ingredients except ackees. Bring to the boil and skim.
5. Lower heat and cook until the crude taste of the curry has disappeared.
6. Add ackees, cook on very gentle flame until ackees are tender but whole, and the sauce is absorbed.
7. When ready to serve, pile onto toasted cassava wafers, crisp toasted rounds, or in bread cups.
Yields 6 servings.
Bread cups
6 slices day-old bread
METHOD
1. Cut crust from bread slices
2. Use rolling pin to flatten slices
3. Press into muffin pans to shape.
4. Bake at 350 degree F for 10 minutes or until cups are toasted and stay in shape
5. Remove from muffin tin and allow to cool
6. Do not fill until just before
serving
7. Fill with curried ackees, chicken a la king and other tasty fillings
Breadfruit Chips
1 breadfruit
1 tsp. salt
Enough water to cover chips
Vegetable oil for deep frying
METHOD
1. Select a firm fit breadfruit.
2. Peel and remove heart.
3. Cut into thin slices, and stand
in salted water.
4. Drain and dry chips.
5. Fry in deep, hot oil until crisp,
but not brown.
6. Serve hot or cold.
Yields 24 thin slices (never enough)
Guava Cheese
1 1/2 lbs. guava
1 lb. sugar
METHOD
1. Choose large ripe fruit and pare as thinly as possible.
2. Cut into halves and scoop out seeds.
3. Pound the rind to a fine pulp and rub through a strainer.
4. Add sugar and mix thoroughly. Boil, stirring constantly until the mixture leaves the side of the pan.
5. Pour quickly into shallow dishes. When cold, cut in shapes.
6. Sprinkle with castor sugar and dry in the sun.
Yields 4 cups.
Chicken Salad in Pineapple Shells
2 small pineapples cut in
halves lengthways
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken (in cubes)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
METHOD
1. Cut pineapple flesh away from shells and set shells aside
2. Cut chicken flesh into cubes.
3. Place pineapple flesh in bowl with chicken, coconut and raisins.
4. Combine yoghurt and mayonnaise.
5. Add to chicken and pineapples. Toss.
6. Pile back into prepared shells, and serve chilled.
Serves 4.
Otaheite Apple Drink
12 ripe apples
1 lb. granulated sugar
1 qt. water
1/2 oz. root ginger
Juice of 2 limes
METHOD
1. Wash fruit and ginger
2. Grate ginger and set aside
3. Add sugar to water
4. Chop apples and sprinkle
with lime juice
5. Add apples and ginger to water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for about
20 minutes.
6. Cool, strain and sweeten
7. Serve with crushed ice
Serves 8.
