FOOD SECTION
For a taste o f Spanish Main:
A Caribbean buffet
by Robert H. E llio tt
Most Americans think o f the C ar
ibbean as lazy islands in the sun or
the legendary Spanish M ain o f p i
rate lore. They dream o f sunswept
beaches and romantic nights among
moonlit palm trees; steel drums and
lim b o dancers. Very few th in k o f
the Islands as an adventure in good
eating fro m the West Indies to the
Panama Canal.
A n isla n d feast is m oveable in
every sense o f the w ord, and, fo r
tu n a te ly, you d o n ’ t have to go to
school to summon up a proper C ar
ibbean feast in your own back yard
or dining room.
The b u ffet that follow s is a tasty
to u r o f the Spanish. It borrow s
fro m countries th ro u g h o u t the is
lands and C e n tra l A m e ric a . You
w ill find it a great way to add spice.
Most o f the dishes in this buffet
can be prepared well in advance so
you can avoid the hectic, last minute
preparation that takes much o f the
fun out o f entertaining. Indeed, the
Jamaican, Panamanian and Cuban
cooks who brought us their favorite
recipes in sist that some o f these
dishes are best when they arc a l
lowed to rest a day or tw o and ab
sorb the fu ll fla v o r o f the season
ings.
Caribbean cooks generally have a
laid-back attitude tow ard food and
food preparation. It goes well w ith
good times and parties. Keep that in
mind when preparing your Caribbe
an buffet.
The relaxed attitude is one benefit
o f livin g in the tropics, but it also
comes from a generations* old tradi
tion o f making do w ith whatever is
at hand. Not all o f the inlands have
the advantage o f lush tropical vege
tation; most have fa irly limited agri
culture and little livestock. The peo
ple have learned to do fa n ta s tic
things w ith such hum ble basics as
rice, corn meal, peas, p o u ltly and
fish.
I f that sounds suspiciously like
the soul food tradition in the Am er
ican South, (hat is exactly what it is.
Much o f the Southern Cooking hcri-
A taste of Spanish Main fla
vors this Caribbean b u ffe t.
C lockw ise from left: C orn
meal and Raisin C ake, H ea
venly Lima Souffle; Summer
Squash Au Gratin, Escovitch,
Green Peas & Rice, Picadillo;
Surullitos, Islander Cheese
A p p etizer, Teste of the
Tropics Salad.
tage comes from the islands.
Over the years, the Islanders have
learned to stretch and to improvise,
cre a tin g an immense va rie ty o f
dishes and tastes w ith a re la tive ly
few basic ingredients. Some dishes,
such as green peas and rice, appear
w ith m in o r va ria tio n s th ro u g h o u t
the C a rib b e a n . O thers, such as
Picadillo (th a t’ s pronounced "pca-
c a h -D E A L -y o ” ) are m ostly local.
However, you can find variations o f
Picadillo in some Spanish-speaking
islands and Central America.
The Spanish in flu e n ce pops up
everywhere in the Caribbean. It is ri
valed by E nglish, D u tch , French,
African and Asian influences. These
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varied cultures have created a C arib
bean cuisine th a t shows traces o f
each, yet is uniquely its own.
The two appetizers in our buffet
come fro m islands that are only
about 500 m iles a p a rt, bu, have
vastly d iffe re n t traditions. S u ru lli
tos come from Puerto Rico, a U.S.
Com m onw ealth steeped in Spanish
tra d itio n and language and w ith a
population o f mixed Spanish, A f r i
can, In d ia n and A sian ancestry.
S u ru llito s arc best served w arm .
They taste great all by themselves,
but are also dippable.
The islander Cheese A p p e tize r
comes from Curacao in the Nether
lands A n tille s , where the p rin cip a l
languages are D utch, Spanish and
English and the most famous export
is a liqueur flavored with the peel o f
the sour orange. This appetizer is
one dish that leaves no le fto ve rs.
Serve it w ith assorted snack crack
ers, or Melba toast. Then when the
cheese center is gone, break the loaf
apart and cat it— scrumptious!
Coconut bread is one o f those dish
es that deserve a much greater rec
o g n itio n . T ry it, and we’ re certain
y o u ’ ll agree. Grate your own fresh
coconut and reserve the coconut
m ilk to use in your green peas and
rice or on busy days su b stitu te
canned coconut for fresh.
P ic a d illo and E scovitch can be
prepared a day or more in advance
o f your b u ffet and be all the better
fo r it. They can also be made as
m ild or as spicy as you like. Just a
little spice creates a zingy fla v o r
when the food is allowed to m a ri
nate in its own juices fo r a day or
two.
Picadillo, by the way, is the name
M exicans give th e ir g ro u n d beef
taco fillin g . This dish can also be
used in that w ay, and it makes a
great Sloppy Joe. You can also serve
it over rice or with rice on the side.
The marinade used in our recipe
for Escovitch, a Jamaican specialty,
is a not-so-distant relative o f the Es
cabeche sauce used to marinate jala
peno peppers, carrotsd and onions
fo r those potent relish dishes served
in Mexican restaurants.
Veronica Brather, a native Jamai
can w ho now w orks as a nurse in
C h icago, in tro d u c e d us to Esco-
v itc h . She served it fresh, but she
to ld us it is “ re a lly b e tte r i f you
m ake it tw o o r three days in ad
vance. Put it in the refrigerator and
it w ill get better every day as the fish
and vegetables absorb more o f the
m arinade."
M rs. B rather said many Jam ai
cans prefer a h o tte r, spicier m a ri
nade than that shown here. When
using the mild marinade, they gener
a lly o ffe r a hot sauce on the side.
The diners may dip their fish in the
sauce, or pour the sauce over their
fish.
You can make a ta n ta lizin g side
sauce fo r your Escovitch ( i t ’ s p ro
nounced "e s -c o e -V E E C H "), w ith
-H»< barbecue sauce, straight fro m
the bottle.
Escovitch appears with variations
throughout the Caribbean and Cen
tral America. The most popular ver
sion uses red snapper, as it is shown
here, but almost any fish, poultry or
meat can be used. One v a ria tio n
uses catfish.
O ur C urried Chicken also comes
fro m Jamaica. It shows the strong
im print o f the island's large East In
dian p o pula tion. G lo ria B o w lin, a
native Jam iacan w ho lives and
w orks in Chicago, brought us this
recipe. M rs. B ow lin said some Ja
maican cooks s till prefer to make
their own fresh curry powder from
Jam aican yellow ginger (tu m e ric)
and East Indian spices. She added,
however, that most contem porary
Jamaican cooks, including herself,
prefer the convenience and consis
tency o f commercial curry powders,
a va ila b le in superm arkets every
where.
You may wish to increase the time
you marinate your chicken and get a
stronger fla v o r, but M rs. B o w lin
recommends serving it rig h t fro m
the range. Fix this dish on the day o f
your buffet.
Green peas and rice show up in
the C aribbean w ith the same fre
quency as red beans and rice in the
U.S. South. Our recipe comes from
Panama by way o f M rs. Joyce
Moore, a native o f that country who
now supervises a public health agen
cy fo r the State o f Illin o is . This is
another dish the natives prefer after
it has been refrigerated for a day or
two, tnen reheated. Some variations
are as hot as Texas chili. The version
given here is relatively m ild , but it
has zesty fla v o r that is a long way
fro m the blandness usually asso
ciated with rice and peas.
Summer Squash au G ratin comes
fro m M a rtin iq u e and reflects the
French influence on the foods and
culture o f that island. This dish is
easy to make and sim ply delicious.
It is a perfect complement to Esco
vitch or Curried Chicken at a buffet
or form al dinner.
The tw o desserts on our b u ffe t
co u ld easily become fa v o rite s at
your house. The Cornmeal and Rai
sin Cake has a unique fla v o r and
texture that really grows on you. It
doesn’ t require a lo t o f fuss, and
may be prepared a day in advance be
cause it tastes best when it has had a
chance to chill overnight.
Our Heavenly Lime Souffle is no,
quite as simple, but i t ’ s the kind o f
dessert that sends your guests away
ra vin g a bout its sm ooth, creamy
texture and delicate lim e fla v o r.
W hen y o u ’ re starved fo r c o m p li
ments, lay this one on your fam ily
and friends. The results w ill put you
on Cloud Nine.
There’ s no law , o f course, that
says you have to wait fo r a party to
try any dish on our Caribbean b u f
fet. They’ re all great any time, and
they are adaptable to alm ost any
menu. You are urged to experiment
w ith your own va ria tio n s o f these
dishes. A fte r all, who knows what
yo u r fa m ily likes b e tte r than you
do?
T his C aribbean b u ffe t can p ro
vide a great theme fo r your enter
ta in in g . Put these dishes together
and they a u tom atically conjure up
visions o f lazy islands in the sun or
sw ashbuckling adventure on the
Spanish M a in . W hat m ore could
you ask fro m a meal in those lan-
guourous days when late summer
slow ly eases its way in to early au
tumn?
A steel drum band, perhaps?
SU R U LLITO S
2 cups water
I teaspoon salt
1 ’/ i cups cornmeal
I cup (4 oz.) shredded medium
cheddar cheese
O il
B rin g w ater and salt to b o il.
G ra d u a lly add cornm eal, s tirrin g
vigorously over medium heat u n til
m ixture forms a ball. Remove from
heat; s tir in cheese. C o o l. Shape
heaping tablespoonsuls o f batter
in to 3-inch logs. Fry in '/j-in ch hot
o il, 375°, 3 to 4 m inutes or u n til
golden brown, turning once. Drain;
serve warm.
Approximately 2 dozen.
IS LA N D E R CHEESE
APPETIZER
’4 lb. round French bread loaf
'4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons margarine
4 cup chopped tomato
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 6-oz. pkg. frozen cooked salad
shrimp, thawed, drained
!4 cup pitted ripe olive slices
2 7-oz. pkgs. gouda cheese,
shredded
1 tablespoon flour
C ut o f f to p o f lo a f. Remove
bread from center, leaving !4-inch
shell. Saute on io n in m argarine.
Add tomato and red pepper; cook 3
minutes over medium heat. S tir in
sh rim p and olives; remove fro m
heat. Toss cheesew(ith flo u r ; s ti/
in to vegetable m ix tu re . F ill shell
w ith mixture. Bake at 350*. 25 to 30
mnutes or un til hot and bubbly. To
serve, spread on thinly sliced toasted
French bread. 6 to 8 servings.
Note: Bread removed from center
can be sliced, toasted, and served
w ith cheese spread.
TASTE-OF TH E TROPICS
SALAD
2 cups orange sections
2 cups pineapple chunks
'A cup Haked coconut
2 bananas, sliced
Vi cup cashews
2 papayas, peeled, sliced
Lettuce
Creamy Lime Dressing
Combine oranges, pineapple and
co co n u t; c h ill. A d d bananas and
nuts to fr u it m ixtu re ; m ix lig h tly .
Arrange papaya and fru it m ixture
on lettuce-covered p la tte r. Serve
with;
CREA M » L ¡M E DRESSING
Vi cup marshmallow creme
1 tablespoon lime juice
I cup mayonnaise
I teaspoon grasted lime rind
C om bine m arshm allow creme
and lime juice; mix until well blend
ed. Add mayonnaise and lime rind;
mix well. 8 to 10 servings.