The Caribana parade's coming -- and we can't wait.
Already we can feel the famous festival's sultry heat heading our way this weekend and there's lots to celebrate.
And why not? Every summer, the Big Smoke blazes with the excitement of calypso, steel pans and elaborate costumes joyfully taking the city by storm.
Caribana's celebrating its 40th anniversary this year as the largest Caribbean festival in North America. The annual parade, with its thousands of brilliantly costumed masqueraders and dozens of floats carrying live music, is ready to take over Lake Shore Blvd. W. this Saturday, with literally a million participants on hand. (Check out www.caribanafestival.com for more info).
And what would a party be without great food! If Caribana were a flavour, it would be the fiery heat from the innocent-looking Scotch bonnet pepper, soothed by the thirst-quenching coolness of fresh ginger tea.
We're talking mouth-watering, soul-replenishing foods that reflect their Caribbean, African and South American heritage, including the famous Jamaican jerk chicken, curries, patties, rotis, fried plantain and more.
Nothing satisfies a sweet tooth like chewing on fresh sugar cane, or gulping the sweet nectar of green coconuts, say Norris Sutton and Naren Singh of Belle Eden foods in the city's west end. The two specialize in products that reflect the true spirit of the Caribbean and "it's amazing how foods once considered exotic have now become mainstream thanks, in part, to events like Caribana."
The company imports speciality items like baby okra, cocoa yams, eddoes, green mangoes, tropical pumpkins, fiery peppers and the famous Purple Sweeties, white-fleshed sweet potatoes and "in a few short years we've found not just Ontario, but Canada is really going crazy for these items - demand is incredible."
Executive Chef Steve Quigg, reached in his kitchens at the famous Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa in Jamaica, says interest in Caribbean cuisine has spilled over in all areas, including travel, thanks in part to the media, and cooking shows. "We've found travellers are now asking for cooking classes to be part of their travel experience," says the 42-year-old Toronto-born chef who now makes Jamaica his home, sentiments shared by Jeffrey MacKenzie, executive V-P, of Itravel2000, a company specializing in vacations to the sunny south. "People's appetites have become more adventurous, and we've seen an interest in travellers seeking out another dimension to their vacations -- food included."
"We do a weekly cooking classes that include classic Jamaican cuisine as well as other cuisines," says Quigg. "We also have weekly wine classes." Quigg attributes his interest in the Caribbean to "my mom, whose from Trinidad. Also, there's a great deal of heritage in the recipes, which have come down from generation to generation. And events like Caribana, really open up people's palates."
Toronto chef Eglon Walker of The Trane Studio and Restaurant on Bathurst St. ( 416-913-8197; www.tranestudio.com), whose specialties include jerk salmon fillet, sea scallops and shrimp run-down with coconut cream sauce and oven roasted whole snapper stuffed with okra, kallaloo and thyme says Caribana has been instrumental in "opening people's minds and mouths to new taste experiences ... I've been involved in Caribana for 15 years, including creating special menus and hosting private functions, and just as the festival's evolved, so have people's tastes. I don't see this as work, but as cheering on the city."
More than enough to build on a big appetite!
Enjoy the following recipes.
CHAOTE A LA ZUNY
(Makes 3 servings)
Chayote (or chocho) is a member of the squash family. They have a light green skin and a white interior that can be added to virtually anything thanks in part to its subtle taste. The recipe's courtesy of Belle Eden (www.belleeden.com/recipes.)
- 3 large chayotes
- 1/3 cup(80mL) chopped onion
- 1/3 cup(80mL) chopped ham
- 3/4 cup (175mL) grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 Tbsp. (30mL) olive oil
- Salt/pepper, to taste
Cut chayotes in half (lengthwise) and remove centre. Place shell of chayote in boiling water until softened (approx. 20 minutes). Allow chayote shells to cool. Using a spoon, remove the remaining chayote meat and mash. Do not discard shells.
In a fry pan, heat oil; add chopped onion and ham until onion is transluscent, about 8 minutes. Add mashed chayote and saute additional few minutes.
Divide mixture equally among chayote shells; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake stuffed chayote in 350F (180C) oven for 10 - 15 minutes, or until cheese is starting to brown. Serve immediately.
JERK SAUCE
Courtesy of Steve Quigg, executive chef of the Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa in Jamaica. Can be used on chicken or fish, or experiment with your favourite meat, even vegetables!
- 2 hot peppers, seeded (note, wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers)
- 1 lb. (1/2 kilo) mixed peppers, sliced and seeded
- 1 onion, peeled
- 3 scallions, or green onions
- 1/2 tsp. (2mL) rubbed thyme
- 1 tsp. (5mL) ginger, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. (2mL) nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (125mL) white vinegar
- 1/2 cup (125mL) soy sauce
Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree.
Marinate desired food to be "jerked" a day in advance. Roast/grill as required.
Caribbean ingredients aren't complicated, neither is the cooking method. Here's a listing, courtesy of Lucinda Scala Quinn's Jamaican Cooking (Macmillan) of ingredients (available in most specialty shops and in the larger food chains, or check www.perfectpotato.com or belleeden.com for more info)
ACKEE: Red tropical fruit with a creamy white flesh, which cooks up like scrambled eggs.
ALLSPICE: Also known as pimento berries, has a taste of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg combined.
GINGER: Used in both fresh and powdered form.
PLANTAINS: Green bananas, different from sweet bananas. Slice and fry for a side dish or use them in tarts and puddings.
RED PEAS: Refers to beans that are commonly known as kidney or French beans.
SALTCOD OR SALTFISH: Is an integral part of Caribbean cuisine. Ackee and saltfish is Jamaica's national dish.
SCALLION: A main ingredient in jerk sauce, along with thyme. Forms a base for many dishes.
SCOTCH BONNET PEPPER: The primary pepper used and a key flavour ingredient. It's named for its resemblance to a Scottish tam, and comes in a range of colours -- the brighter the colour, the hotter the heat.
