‘The one so like a child’s corall, as not to be discerned at the distance of two paces, a crimson and scarlet mixt; the fruit about three inches long and shines more than the best pollisht corall. The other, of the same colour and glistening as much but shaped like a large button of a cloak; both of one and the same quality; both violently strong and growing on a little shrub no bigger than a gooseberry bush.’ These words come from Lignon’s History of the Barbadoes, written between 1647 and 1653. He is talking about chillies – peppers that ‘burn the mouth’.
We had first hand experience of the devastating effects of Capsicum frutescens when we visited Dounne Moore (award-winning business entrepreneur and self-styled ‘Black Cinderella’) in her flat in East Ham, London. She started her highly successful enterprise by importing peppers direct from her native Trinidad and using them as the base for a unique preparation: Gramma’s Pepper Sauce. This highly concentrated condiment, enhanced with a dozen or more herbs, originally came in four strengths: mild (‘That’s hot’), hot (‘That’s very hot’), extra hot (‘That’s extremely hot’), and super hot (‘That’s just unbelievably hot’). The recipe and all the little tricks of the trade were gleaned from Dounne’s muchloved grandmother during her Trinidad childhood.
These sauces are used in tiny quantities as condiments on the side of the plate or as flavourings for all kinds of meat, fish and noodle dishes. Impressive claims are also made for their medicinal properties: they are high in vitamins and minerals, they improve the digestion, stimulate the circulation and alleviate rheumatism, chilblains, skin diseases and much more. There is even a West Indian therapeutic pickle called Mandram, consisting of chilli pods mixed with thinly sliced, unpeeled cucumber, shallots, chives or onions, lemon or lime juice and Madeira. It is claimed to work wonders with a weak digestion.
Chilli peppers are also the most common ingredient of more conventional West Indian pickles, along with sweet peppers, carrots and cho-cho— a curious vegetable that looks like a cross between a pear and a gourd. To say these pickles are very hot is an understatement!
Make no mistake: this pickle is one of the strongest and most powerful you are ever likely to taste. Its devastating heat comes from special West Indian peppers that look a bit like wrinkled snooker balls; look for them in Caribbean and Asian shops and markets. Mayblin Hamilton, of the Plantation Inn, Leytonstone, London, who devised this recipe, makes it look pretty by carving some of the pieces of vegetables into sunny smiling faces with big grins. Cho-cho is a pale green, pear-shaped vegetable related to the marrow. It is also known as chow-chow, chayote and christophene, and is available from Caribbean markets and shops, either fresh or in tins.
MAKES ABOUT 1 kg (2 lb)
12 HOT RED PEPPERS, RED AND YELLOW
2 ONIONS, THINLY SLICED
3x5 cm (2 INCH) STRIPS CARROT, PEELED
1x5 cm (2 INCH) STRIP CHO-CHO, PEELED
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) ALLSPICE BERRIES
1x5 ml SPOON (1 TEASPOON) SALT
1 PINT (600 ml) WHITE VINEGAR
Wash the peppers, remove the stems and cut the flesh of each into 4 strips lengthwise. Pack the strips into a large sterilised jar. Add the onions to the jar. Arrange the carrot and cho-cho strips around the outside of the jar so they look attractive. Add the allspice and salt, then cover with vinegar, filling the jar to the top. Seal and leave for 24 hours before using.
A word of warning: handle the pepper with great care, and wash your hands thoroughly as soon as you have finished slicing and packing. Don’t touch your face and eyes until you have done so.
The information for this Haitian recipe comes from Caribbean Cookery by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz. It is one of those good working pickle recipes without precise ingredients. You start with any vegetables that are to hand: equal quantities of, say, chopped French beans, finely shredded cabbage, cauliflower florets, carrots cut into thin slices, onions, green peas, sliced radishes, celery, plus the obligatory hot red peppers pricked with a fork. Pack everything into a large crock or jar. Cover with white vinegar and leave to stand in a cool place at least 1 week. The pickle is served with steak or roast meat, or with biscuits, cheese and drinks. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
Every family in every town in the Caribbean seems to have its own recipe for hot-pepper sauce. Here is an all-purpose version that will blister the taste-buds, spike up soups and stews and clear the brain after a heavy night’s drinking.
MAKES ABOUT 175 ml (6 fl oz)
3 FRESH HOT RED PEPPERS, DE-SEEDED AND FINELY CHOPPED
1 ONION, FINELY CHOPPED
2 CLOVES GARLIC, FINELY CHOPPED
120 ml (4 fl oz) WHITE-WINE VINEGAR
1x5 ml SPOON (1 TEASPOON) SALT
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) VEGETABLE OIL
Put the peppers into a bowl with the onion and garlic. Put the vinegar, salt and 120 ml (4 fl oz) water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and pour hot over the pepper mixture. Stir well.
Leave until cold, then purée in a blender or food processor and pack into a cleaned, sterilised bottle. Finally add the oil, drop by drop, so it forms a sealing layer on top of the sauce.
The sauce will keep well for at least 1 month, particularly if stored in the refrigerator.
This recipe is bulked out with cho-cho (see p. 104).
MAKES ABOUT 350 ml (12 fl oz)
1 CHO-CHO
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) VEGETABLE OIL
1 ONION, FINELY CHOPPED
3 CLOVES GARLIC, FINELY CHOPPED
2 SPRING ONIONS, FINELY CHOPPED
6 FRESH HOT RED PEPPERS, DE-SEEDED AND FINELY CHOPPED
300 ml (10 fl oz) WHITE-WINE VINEGAR
1x5 ml SPOON (1 TEASPOON) SALT
Put the cho-cho in a saucepan of water and simmer for about 20 minutes until soft. Drain, peel and roughly chop the flesh. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan. Add the onions, garlic and spring onions and fry until the onions become yellow and translucent.
Purée the onion mixture, cho-cho and peppers in a blender, adding the vinegar gradually until you have smooth sauce. Season with salt. Pack into warm, sterilised bottles or jars and store in the refrigerator. The sauce keeps well for up to 1 month.
A simple, spicy chutney devised by Mayblin Hamilton of the Plantation Inn, Leytonstone, London. The ginger and hot red peppers give it a typically Caribbean punch.
MAKES ABOUT 1.25 kg (2½ lb)
450 g (1 lb) PUMPKIN, PEELED, TRIMMED AND DICED
300 ml (10 fl oz) MALT VINEGAR
450 g (1 lb) LIGHT OR DARK BROWN SUGAR
3 HOT RED PEPPERS, DE-SEEDED AND FINELY CHOPPED
25 g (1 oz) FRESH ROOT GINGER, PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED
25 g (1 oz) GARLIC, FINELY CHOPPED
100 g (4 oz) ONIONS, FINELY CHOPPED
100 g (4 oz) RAISINS, FINELY CHOPPED
1x15 ml SPOON (1 TABLESPOON) SALT
Put the pumpkin into a pan with 600 ml (1 pint) water, bring to the boil, then cook for about 15 minutes until tender.
Add the vinegar and sugar to the pumpkin, stir well and bring to the boil. When the sugar has dissolved, add the peppers, ginger, garlic, onions, raisins and salt and cook rapidly for 35-45 minutes, stirring well. Leave to cool, then pack into warm jars, and store in a cool place for a couple of months before opening.
Paw-paw, or papaya, is a tropical fruit not unlike mango: it is green when unripe, yellow when ripe. This recipe can be used for green mangoes too.
MAKES ABOUT 1 kg (2 lb)
1 kg (2 lb) GREEN, UNRIPE PAW-PAW,
PEELED AND CUT INTO 2.5 cm (1 INCH) CUBES
225 g (8 oz) SULTANAS, RINSED AND COARSELY CHOPPED
2 CLOVES GARLIC, CHOPPED
2 FRESH HOT RED PEPPERS, DE-SEEDED AND FINELY CHOPPED
600 ml (1 PINT) MALT VINEGAR
450 g (1 lb) LIGHT BROWN SUGAR
PINCH OF SALT
Put the paw-paw, sultanas, ginger, garlic and peppers into a large pan with the vinegar. Stir well together and simmer for about 15 minutes.Warm the sugar, then add it to the mixture and simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the chutney has thickened. Add salt to taste.
Pack the hot chutney into warm sterilised jars, seal and store at least 2 months before using.
This is the West Indian version of Escabeche (see p. 149), given to us by Mayblin Hamilton of the Plantation Inn, Leytonstone, London. It is often eaten for Sunday breakfast, with ‘bammies’ (round white bread made with cassava flour), hard dough bread, Johnny cakes (deep-fried dumplings) and fresh lemonade.
4x 225 g (8 oz) FISH (SNAPPER AND RED MULLET ARE BEST)
JUICE OF 2 LIMES
SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
VEGETABLE OIL
1–2 CHO-CHOS, PEELED AND CUT IN 5 cm (2 INCH) STRIPS
1–2 CARROTS, PEELED AND CUT IN 5 cm (2 INCH) STRIPS
2 ONIONS, SLICED
2 GREEN PEPPERS, DE-SEEDED AND CUT IN 5 cm (2 INCH) STRIPS
2 HOT RED PEPPERS, DE-SEEDED AND SLICED
2 BAY LEAVES
2x15 ml SPOONS (2 TABLESPOONS) ALLSPICE BERRIES
300 ml (10 fl oz) WHITE-WINE VINEGAR
Clean and gut the fish, keeping them whole. Rub with lime juice, then pat dry with a cloth. Sprinkle them, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Heat plenty of oil in a pan (it should be at least 2.5 cm/1 inch deep) until it begins to smoke. Place the fish in the hot oil, one at a time, taking care that they do not overlap. Reduce the heat and fry for a few minutes on each side.When the fish are cooked, lift them out, drain well and arrange on a large platter.
Put the cho-chos, carrots, onions, peppers, bay leaves and allspice in a saucepan with the vinegar. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the hot pickle over the fish. The mixture should be left to marinate for 24 hours, and will keep up to 3 days in the fridge. It can be served hot or cold.
Here’s an extremely powerful condiment that can be used, drop by drop, in soups and sauces. It is best put into a bottle with a dropper at the top— an empty Angostura bitters container is perfect. Replace the vinegar with dry sherry or light rum and you have a very different, alcoholic condiment that can be used in the same way.
MAKES ABOUT 600 ml (1 PINT)
6 WHOLE FRESH HOT RED PEPPERS, OR 50 g (2 oz) DRIED RED PEPPERS
600 ml (1 PINT) WHITE-WINE VINEGAR
Put the fresh or dried peppers whole into a bottle or jar. Pour in the white-wine vinegar, shake well, cork and leave for at least 4 weeks. The vinegar will continue to mature for at least 6 months—in fact there are stories of legendary bottles matured for 25 years.