Catherine's Kitchen

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Catherine's Kitchen

Catherine Manning

CHRISTMAS

ANOTHER YEAR GONE and even faster than last year. When Natalie (my youngest) and Gerry came to me one night in February and said that they were not really here for the reason they had given me (not that it mattered but the timing was strange), I just said "So, have you got engaged then?" They looked at each other and turned up their eyes in disgust. "She guessed!" I keep telling them I have ESP, they should listen! So now we have an Old Year Wedding, December 30th and Christmas looming. Thankfully Fleur will be coming home; she has to, as she's bridesmaid, still says she's not getting married, but then so did Nat! There's hope still. I would like a grandchild or two at some stage.

Christmas has become very commercialized and really is for children; the shops are out to make a fast buck. Nevertheless, I still buy a 'real' imported Christmas tree which will cost me $40. But it's Christmas and even though it's Barbados and hot, I Iove the smell of pine. It's tradition and I would miss it. I say it's hot; well, we have had three inches of rain in two hours this morning and it's very windy and VERY chilly.

Several years ago, when the economy of the island wasn't good and they didn't want foreign exchange leaving the island, Christmas trees were banned. For some unknown reason, I had saved mine from the year before(it didn't get burned in the barbeque!) so I retrieved it from behind the pool house and spray painted it green and went from there. It worked quite well and I didn't have to be sweeping up needles all the time! I used it for two years without the smell until things got back to normal.

We had such fun at Christmas. I would like to think that children today will be able to say the same in the future. It wasn't as though we had loads of presents and toys like there are now, but there was the excitement and believing in Santa Claus for a time and the Christmas party.

There were six of us and on Christmas Eve night we all slept in the same bedroom. The rooms were big and the girls' room already had three beds, so the boys pushed one of their beds in and we doubled up. The first one up woke up the others, which was usually about 2 to 3 a.m. This really didn't suit my mother as she was usually just going to sleep after going to church at midnight, preparing for the Christmas lunch and stuffing our pillowcases. I think she protested once, but that was delayed reaction and didn't stop us. She finally stopped the midnight mass and made us go at 5 a.m. with her.

One Christmas, my elder brother got a cricket set, so it was cricket at 3 a.m. and some broken glass and the next Christmas we got skates. I was the first casualty when I managed to put my arm through a glass door; I still have the scar today. Not to forget the apples. The first thing we did was go to the fridge and get an apple before we opened our presents. By apple, I mean what we called English apples, like Golden Delicious or whatever. We had everything else: mangoes, avocados, Golden apples, Mammie apples, cherries... You name it, we had it, but we didn't have Golden Delicious, so they were a treat at Christmas. Of course they're ten a penny now in the supermarket, though I exaggerate the 'ten a penny', more like 75 cents each.

I was the first to blow the Santa 'myth'. We used to leave a bowl of soup and toast for Santa in the drawing room, where the Christmas tree was, before we went to bed and were accustomed to seeing it empty with a thank you note from Santa, when we woke up to open our presents. I don't remember how old I was, but obviously old enough to recognize my mothers hand writing saying:

"Dear Children,
Thank you very much for the lovely soup.
Have a happy Christmas
Love
Santa"

Naturally I blew it, though I think the little ones still kept believing for a while longer.

Our Christmas lunches were memorable and as we always had the Christmas party for the entire family and strays. It could amount to between 70 or 80 people. Everyone started arriving by midday, but lunch was never before 2 p.m. which gave the adults enough time to imbibe their rum punches or gin & tonics, while we children got up to no good.

Christmas lunch consisted of roast turkey and stuffing with gravy, roast pork with crackling and gravy, baked ham, fish, pepperpot, Jug Jug, yam pie, candied sweet potatoes, plantain, conkies and on and on! After that there would be the plum pudding, Christmas cake and other desserts. The tables were always beautifully decorated and had crackers and candles to add to the atmosphere. Even though my mother doesn't like cooking very much, she is very good at flower arranging and decorating, so the house always looked lovely.

Jug Jug is a traditional Xmas dish in Barbados and is a favourite of some. I make it, but only pick at it; it's filling.

JUG JUG

4 pints Pigeon Peas (fresh or canned. If using dried peas, soak overnight before cooking)
1/4 pint Guineacorn flour
2 pints water
1/2 lb. salt beef
1/2 lb. salt pork
1 bunch chopped seasoning (Chive,thyme,parsley)
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic (optional)
Black pepper to taste
Touch of sugar

Boil peas and meat until cooked. (If the remaining stock is too salty, add water to dilute to taste and don't use all with the flour.) Strain off remaining liquid and mince the meat and peas in mincer or processor till fairly smooth. Put stock from peas to cook with seasoning for five minutes and then add the guineacorn flour blending with wooden spoon till smooth. Add rest of ingredients and cook slowly for 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently till consistency is right; it should come away from the sides of the saucepan. Just before taking the pan from the heat, stir in a tablespoon of butter. Serve hot with Christmas lunch or dinner.

Tip: If mixture is too soft, sprinkle in more guineacorn flour till corrected, or if too dry, add more liquid a little at a time. P.S. The Jug diehards would die if they knew that I added a touch of sugar!

Conkies are a MUST at Christmas and they MUST be made properly. Sometimes they are overloaded with flour, sweet potato (which I don't use), contain no baking powder and turn out very stodgy and inedible, in fact awful, though no doubt the person who made them thinks they're good! Again, they need to be the right consistency for steaming, but if necessary it's better to use the Indian corn flour to achieve this rather than white flour. Indian corn flour is a coarse corn flour made from freshly ground corn. I'll pass on a recipe but I adjust to suit consistency and taste. Also, we use banana or plantain leaves to wrap them in, but if they are unavailable, foil may be used. The leaves give them a smooth texture.

CONKIES

Prepare leaves. Cut leaves that are whole with few tears. Remove stalk with a sharp knife and tear leaves into pieces about 8" x 8", wipe clean with damp sponge and sear leaves over gas burner till pliable but not burnt. (They could also be dropped in a pan of boiling water till soft.) You will need about 40 or thereabouts, depending on size of recipe. I have done these ahead and frozen them, saves time as this is a time-consuming recipe. After steaming, conkies may also be frozen if not used immediately.

FILLING

4 cups fresh corn flour (maize)
1/2 lb. all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
21/2 lb. pumpkin (steamed and mashed. If canned pumpkin is used, drain all water well)
1/2 lb. Margarine, melted
1/2 lb. lard (or all margarine)melted
2-3/4 lb. brown sugar
1-1/2 pts. milk
6oz. raisins
4 eggs, beaten
1-2 dry coconuts, grated
salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and almond essence to taste.
(Don't overdo the salt, maybe about 2 tsp. but make sure you can identify the others).

Grate coconut and add mashed pumpkin in large bowl. Mix in sugar, liquids and spices and blend well. Stir in flours and raisins last. Mixture should be thick and drop slowly off a spoon. If too sloppy, add a little more corn flour and if necessary a little more all-purpose flour. Place about 2-3 TBS. of mixture on each leaf, and fold carefully; the mixture shouldn't leak.

Steam conkies on a rack over boiling water in a large pot or steamer, until they are firm and cooked. I find it is better not to do too many layers at once, as they cook quicker, maybe half an hour. Keep repeating till all are done and don't forget to check the water in the steamer! Cool and eat or freeze 'till Christmas in banana skins. Defrost and serve warm or at room temperature in the skins.

I have never been a lover of fruitcake, but since I had dried fruit in the fridge for about two years, I decided I would make one since I have Nat's bridal tea (she's very untraditional) on the 28th of December. Normally it would be a dinner but 'Faraway' lends itself to daylight entertainment, so a tea it is. I don't think the in-laws have quite realized what they're dealing with. Pity! The 'tea' will obviously include 'other' beverages! Have to try and remember how I made the cake, half is gone and I'm on a diet! Luckily I didn't eat all, just picked, but that is enough to kill any diet.

FRUIT CAKE

RUM a bottle of Barbados! 750ml
11/2 cups raisins
11/2 cups mixed citrus fruit
11/2 cups apricots
11/2 cups cherries
1 lb. chopped nuts. Almonds, pecans etc.

Soak fruit in rum, bourbon or whiskey to cover for at least 48 hours or three weeks!

3/4 lb butter or margarine
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
6 eggs yolks
6 egg whites
2 large tsp. baking powder
5 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1 TBS. ground cinnamon
1 cup Rum or other

Recipe makes 3 loaf pans or tube pan plus a loaf pan.

Preheat oven to 275F (135C). Grease and flour pans and line with greaseproof paper.

Before making cake, drain the fruit, well reserving liquid. Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl. In large mixer bowl, cream butter with white sugar. In seperate bowl cream egg yolks and brown sugar till light. Combine the two mixtures and beat well.

Alternately add flour mixture and reserved rum, mixing well on slow with each addition.

Add fruit mixture and fold in. In a clean bowl, whip egg whites till stiff but not dry and fold into batter.

Pour into prepared pans. Place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven and bake cakes for four hours, depending on the size. Watch baking time and test with skewer until it comes out clean. Maybe less or more depending on the pans.

Cool cakes, wrap in rum-soaked cheesecloth. Every week or so dampen the cheesecloth. I also poke holes with a skewer into the cake so it absorbs the rum. Be careful not to overdo the rum though, as the cake is good and very moist anyhow.

Happy Holidays
and
Bon Appetit
Cath