Hey everyone, I hope all is well in your culinary world. A few months ago an Aunt of mine asked me to do a dinner for her. It hasn’t happened yet but I’m hoping it will be on the menu. It isn't very often that I use my Caribbean roots as an influence for a dish, I feel that I have alot more to learn, but every once in a while I experiment with a dish I am creating. This started out as a Carrot, Chicken & ginger soup and while I was flaking the chicken for inside the soup, I decided to do a new dish as well. I saved some of the flaked chicken and once I had pureed the soup I also saved about a cup for the new dish I was thinking about.
1 Mandarin
2 Limes segmented
¼ scotch Bonnet (Fine Dice)
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Celery leaves
Thyme leaves
Dill leaves
½ Cup Flaked Chicken
1/8 tsp Fennel Seeds
1/8 tsp Smoked Paprika
½ Cup Carrot ginger sauce (here)
Salt
Pepper
Bay leaf powder
The following day I got everything together. My sauce( the soup), chicken and all of the ingredients to do the salsa.
A few days ago I was in indigo café and saw a book that I have been meaning to get for over a year. As I stood up turning pages and looking at pictures and recipes from the cookbook NOPI, I stopped and there was a dish that looked great and sounded awesome. It was the baby squid with almond tarator & Lime relish. Every dish created by a chef is inspired by an experience, an old recipe. That’s what makes everyone’s dish their own. I took a picture quickly for reference as my girlfriend was checking out and I was about to be left behind in Indigo. Now I always look at NOPI’s recipe’s whenever I can. They do great food and the book has great pictures. As I stood in the kitchen the day before while I was pureeing the soup dish, I said why not do my own lime relish. It was decided, that’s what was going on the chicken.
Put your sauce/soup on a low heat, you don’t want it to burn on the bottom or get too brown, so a nice low heat to bring it up to temperature. Make sure you stir the sauce every couple of minutes to prevent burning.
I skinned and diced my limes and mandarins; in the kitchen we call it segmenting. I then got my scotch bonnet pepper, finely minced that, added my oil, salt and picked leaves. I gave it all a good mix, and adjusted the seasoning.
The relish reminded me of home, and that’s because It tasted like gooseberries. Some people call them raspberries but I don’t think they are similar in genus. If you’re ever in the Caribbean go and give them a try. They have a flavor combination that’s like a crunchy tart celery leaf, it’s a bit weird to be honest, but so good!
Next was the flaked chicken which I put in a hot pan with oil, paprika, fennel seed and ground bay leaf. I left them in there to crispy up and get a golden brown colour. I lightly seasoned it with salt & pepper and stored it in a small dish when I was done. Now we have everything, the Relish, chicken and sauce. When plating, add a spoonful in the center of the dish and lift it up and with the palm of your hand lightly bang the underside of the plate upwards. This will encourage the sauce to spread evenly. Place your chicken in the middle of the sauce and put the relish on top. There you have it, an awesome dish that tastes like the Caribbean.
