Fiery Okra Jalapeno Slaw‏

Submitted by Natalie Lochwin



This intense, delicious, and very spicy side dish, inspired by Caribbean and Southern cooking flavours, is a great accompaniment to West Indian food, BBQ, picnic food, or just about anything that goes with heat and coleslaw! It also puts good use to okra, a woefully underused delight.



Here it is pictured with clay baked, curried goat!



Ingredients:

• 1/2 cabbage
• 1 onion
• 7 fresh green okra (frozen would likely work just fine)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 fresh Jalapeno's
• red hot pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp curry powder (I used Madras)
• butter
• olive oil
• vinegar
• cider, wine or broth
• lemon
• salt & pepper to taste

Cut the cabbage into a medium shred. You want a texture that is not too fine and is less shredded than many slaws.
Dice the onion.
Slice the okra into 1/2 " rings.
Slice the garlic, seed and slice the jalapeno. Always be careful seeding a jalapeno, as the seeds can irritate your skin, eyes, etc. Especially if inexperienced you might want to wear gloves. Seeding is a good idea, however, as if you don't, the dish will be intensely spicy and enjoyable for only the most seasoned spicy food palate. 
Add 1 TB olive oil to a hot medium or large sized frying pan.
Fry the onion until soft, add the jalapeno and cook for about 5 minutes. 
Add the okra. Okra has a viscous quality which blends well with other ingredients. It will act as a thickener. Cook for 8 minutes or so, until soft.
Add the curry powder and a small pinch of hot pepper flakes,  around 1/4 tsp (you can adjust later and add more if you'd like it hotter) cook for a bit, then add some cider or wine (a splash at a time) as your pan is drying out. Add garlic, and cook a little longer until fragrant. Add 1 tsp of vinegar.
Add the cabbage and cook down for several minutes, adding 1 Tbsp. of butter if desired (a  delicious addition).
Add salt and pepper to taste. More hot pepper flakes or a bit of cayenne may be added now if you'd like it even hotter. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.

This can be both made more al dente if you prefer a crunchy cabbage dish or on the softer side. Both ways are great.

Clay Baked Spicy Curried Goat

Though its popularity and use in North America is much less prevalent,  goat meat is the most widely consumed red meat in the world and features prominently in many cuisines. While it is making some inroads on major food retailer's shelves in Canada, it is still often only found in specialty stores or in markets.



This is a real shame, as goat is a delicious, tender meat with a distinctive flavour that has a nice hint of gaminess.

I have tried goat cooked a variety of ways, but I find that I both order it and cook it curried or West Indian style most often. It lends itself to these flavours perfectly.

Today I will share a basic recipe for Spicy Curried Goat done in a clay baker. I am using the clay baker as it is a cooking method that will produce very moist, fall-off-the-bone goat in a relatively short time, as well as making a thick and flavourful gravy as the goat cooks.

If you are not familiar with the ancient and very accessible technique of clay baking, we did an introduction to clay baking that you can take a look at on The Simple Art of Clay Baking. 

For this dish you need 2-3 lb. cubed goat meat, preferably bone-in. As always with a clay baker fill both sides with water and let stand for 15 minutes. After emptying the water out, take the goat meat and place it in the clay baker and sprinkle curry powder over it so that it covers the meat. Pour in one full bottle (350 ml.) of a Caribbean style curry cooking sauce (Grace makes one) or, if not available, the same amount of water and a tablespoon of curry paste. Add an equivalent amount of beef or chicken stock (or water and a bouillon cube as it will dissolve during cooking).

Add either 1 or 2 crushed scotch bonnet peppers (simply push on them with a spoon and then toss them in) or 1-2 tablespoons of your favourite Caribbean style hot sauce.  You can, of course, omit this, but that does change the flavour, and not for the better!

Add a small piece of crushed ginger, a half a teaspoon of browning liquid, a teaspoon of dry mustard, and a teaspoon of salt.

Again, as you always must with a clay baker, cover and place in a COLD oven. Set the heat to 400 degrees.

Cook for two hours. After the first hour, remove the baker, stir the goat and put back in.

After two hours, remove from the oven, skim off any fat, remove any undissolved ginger, add one tablespoon of flour to the liquid and stir it in gently until it is all dissolved. This will thicken the gravy. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes and then serve!

This dish goes wonderfully with rice or rice and peas, with roti or naan style bread or with a french style bread, and with red wine.

Enjoy!






 

Michael's West Indian Flavor in New Toronto: "Take-Out Counter" Spots II

In true take-out counter spot style, Michael's West Indian Flavor is simplicity itself. A small spot, it has the food counter, a small counter you can stand at if you want to eat inside, and a very small menu of three regular dishes that is expanded with other options depending on the day.

But this basic simplicity belies the tremendous complexity of flavour of their dishes, all of which are some of the best West Indian food I have had in Toronto (and I have had a lot of it!). 

Jamaican style Oxtail, Curried Goat or Stewed Chicken with rice or rice and peas are always on the chalkboard menu, while Jerk Chicken and Spicy Fried Chicken are regularly available as well.

Everything is perfectly done, and I have tried the lot multiple times. The goat, chicken and oxtail are always done bone-in, with a different saucing for each, and are dreamily moist and fall-off-the bone cooked. I have spent years trying to duplicate the oxtail gravy at Michael's. It is simply fantastic. If you are lucky you will get a piece of seeded Scotch Bonnet hot pepper "skin" in your dish

All dishes can be had with an optional creamy slaw. They are also all available small, medium or large (and the large is really large) and range from $5-$12.



If it is a nice day you can take you food and enjoy at one of the neigbourhood's many parks. Colonel Sam Smith Park, one of Toronto's waterfront gems, is a short walk to the west. Michael's is also on the 501 Queen streetcar line. They are located at 3067 Lake Shore Blvd. W., which is about 4 blocks west of Islington Ave.

If there is a "hidden gem" you like in your community that you would like to share a story about...please do! Send contributions to thatleftyfoodblog@outlook.com with "That Lefty Food Blog" in the header.

The Dish: Curried Goat with Rice & Peas @ Coconut Grove

The Dish: Curried Goat with Rice and Peas
Where: Coconut Grove, 183 Dundas St. W. Toronto

I have been a regular at Coconut Grove since before they had to move to their new location to make way for the giant eyesore that is Dundas Square. In fact, I have been enjoying their fine Caribbean fare for over twenty years.




There are many things to love at Coconut Grove. Their delicious roti bread ( I like to order it as a side to scoop up the gravy of whatever dish I am having ), their fiery scotch bonnet pepper sauce (at least it tastes like it is made with scotch bonnets), their tasty dumplings or doubles.

But I find that what always draws me in is their Curried Goat with Rice and Peas. Moist, succulent goat in a thick gravy. Served with a small salad. I get mine with plenty of the hot sauce! At just under $10, this is a great lunch at work, when wandering around downtown or  when visiting City Hall. 





The Dish is a regular feature that will look at one dish that we particularly love at a restaurant, diner, food truck, etc. Please feel free to submit your favourite dishes from restaurants in your community. Please include a photo of the dish or establishment if at all possible.

Ducky's Roti: Favourite "Take-Out Counter" Spots I

We all have them; favourite neighbourhood take-out spots that are not quite restaurants (in fact, sometimes they have no seating at all) but are places we go for quick, inexpensive, and occasionaly truly delicious fare. The best among these are almost hidden treasures that those "in the know" tell their friends about and that we go back to regularly...in some cases for one specific dish/sandwich/dessert etc. at which they excel.

As an ongoing feature we will be showcasing some of the best of these, so that when you are in whatever neighbourhood they are tucked away in, you can seek out a lunch or dinner knowing that you will find a gem.

Today we will look at a Long Branch, Toronto roti shop, Ducky's Roti, whose strip mall storefront location and total lack of decor might cause people to pass right by...which would be a shame, as they are missing out on a real treat.

Ducky's has a fairly large menu, actually, that includes not only rotis, but also many rice dishes and sides as well. It has Caribbean standards like Oxtail, Ackee & Saltfish, and so on, as well as specials available only certain days, such as their excellent Curried Duck, and their Saturday morning Caribbean breakfast menu. While there is not a lot of seating, there is usually a table available.

 But as the name implies, their forte are their rotis, which run between $5-10, depending on ingredients and whether you are getting large or small. The roti bread itself is always perfect, as are the potatoes which are included in every roti option.

Stand-outs on the roti menu are the Boneless Goat Roti, the Vegetarian Delight and the Boneless Jerk Chicken Roti which is fiery and never dry. You can get their in-house hot sauce either in the roti itself or on the side. It is very hot, so be forewarned!

As with most take out places, a lunch or dinner, with a drink (non-alcoholic, they are not licensed), will not cost you more than $10-15. If looking for a really quick snack, try their wonderful "doubles", a terrific Caribbean street food that consists of curried chick peas (Chana) wrapped in a fried flat bread. These, as well, can be had with or without hot sauce and are a steal at $2.50.

Ducky's Roti is located at 3296 Lake Shore Blvd. W, about 5 blocks west of Kipling.

If there is a "hidden gem" you like in your community that you would like to share a story about...please do! Send contributions to michaellaxer@hotmail.com with "That Lefty Food Blog" in the header.

The glories of oxtail! A quick & easy Fiery Curried Oxtail Dutch Oven recipe.

The delights of Jamaican and Caribbean style oxtail have lead me to spend over a decade trying to replicate the wonderful dishes that I would smother in hot sauce and savour on lunch breaks at work...and still do. 

It is only fitting, given that along with BBQ, steak, bourbon and Indian food, oxtail is one of the foods I love most, that I would begin with an oxtail recipe!

The recipe I am sharing today is  my "quick and easy" though not short on flavour, Fiery Curried Oxtail.

First, a bit about oxtail.  


Oxtail is a truly wonderful, succulent, fatty and moist meat, if properly prepared. Originally literally describing the tail of an ox,  it now refers to the tail meat of cows either male or female.

Oxtail is widely eaten in many parts of the world, but has only recently become more popular outside of specific communities in North America. There are many different oxtail stews, soups and mains from countries as diverse as Ireland, through to South Africa, Korea and the Caribbean. 

Almost all of these are slow cooked, in that they require a cooking time of at least several hours. This is due to the fact that oxtail, while fall-off-the-bone delicious when cooked for the proper amount of time, is basically inedible if not slow cooked. The only alternative, in some recipes, is pressure cooking.

While I have tried oxtail prepared in many different ways, (I had an Irish oxtail dish at McVeigh's Pub in downtown Toronto, for example, that was heavenly), I have a particular fondness for West Indian oxtail as I am both a huge fan of West Indian food and my introduction to oxtail came from eating it at take out Caribbean restaurants in T.O. like Coconut Grove. 

As I already noted, I have spent many years trying to perfect cooking oxtail West Indian style. I have likely not succeeded!  But I have developed recipes that taste like the wonderful dishes I have eaten for so long and that inspired me. I have also developed some more complex ones that are inspired in part by other cuisines, like an Caribbean oxtail dish based on a medieval Italian pepper pot veal shank recipe. 

But for the launch of the blog I wanted to share one that anyone, virtually, could make tomorrow as long as they own a Dutch Oven and have access to oxtail and few sauces. 

Let us call this a gateway recipe to the joys of oxtail!

Fiery Curried Oxtail

Mr. Goudas' Fire in Jamaica Hot Sauce

Take a whole oxtail and separate the pieces (or buy around 2-3 lbs already fully butchered).
Coat pieces evenly with Jamaican style curry powder
Place in the bottom of a Dutch Oven
Add 1 bottle of Curry style Cooking Sauce (Grace and Mr. Goudas make them)
Add 1 cup of water
Add 1 large can of herbed and spiced diced tomatoes Add 1 beef bouillon cube
Add 1 teaspoon browning liquid
Add 1 tablespoon Worcester Sauce
Add 1-3 tablespoons Fire in Jamaica hot sauce (to taste, and, of course, feel free to use any Caribbean style hot sauce...I just happen to like this one these days as it is super fiery, super cheap and super tasty)
Add 1 tablespoon Keen's Dry Mustard
Add 1 tablespoon each salt & pepper (this is the low end...feel free to add more, of course, to taste)
Add 2 Bay leaves (remember to remove at the end)

Put the cover to the Dutch Oven on. Cook at 375 for at least 4 hours. 5-6 hours is the best range.

Every hour, remove the Dutch Oven  from the oven and stir.

After a couple of hours you may have to add liquid. You certainly will after 3-4 hours.  But don't add too much water. This dish makes its own gravy (and it is awesome) so you want it to reduce and thicken. You both want and need liquid covering the ox tail, however. It is a balance.

If you feel it is too watery at the end (unlikely...but...) just add a bit of flour to thicken.

Serve with rice or rice and peas, naan or roti style bread, beer, a heavy full bodied red wine or rum or all of the above. And extra hot sauce of course!

It is quite easy, very spicy and really delicious.

A great way to start a love affair with cooking oxtail!


If you have any questions about the ingredients, ovenware, techniques, etc, please feel free to ask in the comments. I will try to get back to you as quickly as possible. 


Oxtail Photo from wikipedia commons