Ann's Blog
Hog Island, Grenada:
January 21, 2012
Pineapple and pan:
Tying up loose ends from Trinidad
We finally broke suction with Trinidad last week and motorsailed up to Grenada on the best forecast we’d heard in more than two weeks. That doesn’t mean it was a terrific forecast. Imagine being in a washing machine for a 13-hour wash-and-spin cycle, and you’ll get an idea of the passage. Before I begin to blog about life at anchor in Grenada, however, I’ve got a few loose ends to tie up from Trinidad. Weeks ago, I promised to share Jesse James’s Pineapple Chow recipe from our Trinidad tasting tour. Well, it’s time to live up to my promise.
Chow doesn’t require precise quantities – you make it “to your taste.” Here are the ingredients:
• a slightly underripe pineapple
• a few cloves of garlic
• salt
• a lime or two
• a handful of chadon bene or cilantro
• a Scotch bonnet or other hot pepper
Here’s what you do:
Peel the pineapple and cut out the eyes. Cut the fruit into rings and then cut each ring into pieces (about 1”–1½” wide). Add a clove or two of finely chopped garlic, a good sprinkle of salt, the juice of a lime, and some chopped chadon bene and hot pepper. Stir to combine thoroughly. (A master of KISS, Jesse combined everything in a plastic container, snapped on the lid, and gave it a good shaking. No spoon necessary.)
Taste and add more garlic, salt, lime, chadon bene, and/or hot pepper as necessary. The chow should have a nice balance between hot, sweet, salty, and acidic, with noticeable punch from the garlic and the chadon bene.
Eat immediately, or let stand briefly for the flavours to develop fully.
***
If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that Steve loves steel pan music. So much so, that he’s been lobbying for the last few years for a pan of his own, so he can learn to play. I know he’s not really serious. He just likes to see my reaction when he brings it up. (“A FULL-SIZE TENOR PAN ON ALREADY CROWDED-TO-THE-GILLS RECETA????!!??”)
No “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” for my Stevie. He wanted to start with his all-time favourite pan piece, the classic, complicated only-experts-need-apply “Woman on de Bass.” Uh-huh.
So far, I’ve heard only tuneless plinking from the forepeak. But on the upside, his request for a real pan has been – at least for now – effectively silenced.
Back to topSign up to be notified by email when I post a new blog
Hey, I support Steve’s desire to own a pan! I bought a steel pan a couple years, ago. Just love it! I live in Louisville, Kentucky. It is wonderful. Every time I begin to play, it just instantly transports me to the Caribbean. I think Steve should get one.
All to well appreciated your passage metaphor (all hail to the patch), no-muss ,no -fuss virtual pan solution, and will give Jesse’s pineapple chow a try upon our Grenadian return Feb.11. hope to see you there…..
Your sailing trip sounded much like our flight to B’dos yesterday. so good to be back in the Caribbean.
Another recipe to try now, I see!!
Like the idea of virtual pan playing….must check this out.
Thanks so much for your Blogging.
Joy
Tobago, January 29, 2012
Ann:
Stayed up late last night to finish a dog-eared copy of “An Embarrassment of Mangoes” (given to me by Pat, a British friend who arrived from London on Virgin last Thursday) after a Saturday night of winin’ (placidly) at Crown Point Hotel in Tobago, and just had to google you this morning to see what you are up to now. Thanks for capturing the essence of the Carribean in your book. We will surely be trying some of your recipes and following your Blog. Come to Tobago to try some truly baked (i.e., not fried) coconut bakes if you haven’t already.
Karl (married to Trini Joanne and 10th year overwintering in Tobago)
Last night I made several of your recipes from your first book including Curried Lobster, Bahamian Peas n rice, Fried Plantains and Steve’s favourite Ti Punch. I could only find an amber Rhum Agricole here and used equal parts cane sugar to water for the syrup. The punch was incredible and the four of us polished off the bottle. I am off on my first caribbean cruise in 2 weeks and plan to see if i can get Ti punch in the southern caribbean. Love your books!