Caribbean culture popular in Lowcountry
Published Wed, Oct 25, 2006


ERVENA FAULKNER
Gazette columnist
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So many things make this place special. Many say, "If you drink the water, you are here to stay." I say mingle with the people and learn to love them and the things they love -- that is what traps you like the crabs caught in a crab trap.
It can begin with a sunrise; people moving about, going about their daily tasks, talking, and being merry. With the day, clean farmers begin to toil in the fields, hoping for a good crop.

One can learn the seasons by the produce at the markets and truck stands. The make-up of the place, just rural enough to make one feel free to just stand and grab at the wonders of nature close at hand and then to move away to see sand and sun while enjoying a breeze. It is something so special that we fight to keep it like cooks do over a prized pot. If the pot is gone, it cannot be replaced. Nothing cooks as well as a seasoned pot.

The slow pace of the Caribbean region can be experienced here. The connection of people who enjoy life, most of the fun around food with friends. I love to sit at the table of an islander, whether the island be Warsaw, Lady's, Coosaw, Port Royal or St. Helena. Then it can get rather specific when I am invited to a celebration and all the special dishes too numerous to name are there. You want to taste all of them. There are some that are prepared as only islanders can.

Caribbeans are known for spicy food, and much of their culinary world is a blend of European, African and Asian cooking. The method of cooking was shared and each set of people learn from the other, using the bounty of the land and waters.

Crabs, shrimp, conch and fish are prepared in a variety of ways depending on the raisin' of the cook. Beef, chicken and pork are prized as much in the culinary arts as the seafood. Sweet potatoes, greens, corn and tomatoes are always served with meals. Just as one would not find a Caribbean meal without a rice dish, the same is true of Lowcountry islanders. A popular dish is peas and rice, sometimes called Hoppin' John. Did I forget to name the okra with the vegetables? I must put the okra in a class alone as okra is a prized vegetable, prepared in soups, with beans and peas, with seafood, rice and then alone.

The Caribbean, the islands of Beaufort and the Gullah people of the Lowcountry have much in common. The beauty of the place, the love of mankind and the sharing of food. Many of the recipes of the Caribbean will show the connection. Just try them until such time that you can taste of the islands of the Lowcountry.

Okra Creole

1 large onion, sliced

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

3 Tablespoons bacon drippings

1 pound okra, sliced

2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 cup fresh corn, from the cob

Salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy skillet, brown the onion and pepper in the bacon drippings. Then add the okra and cook them over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and corn, lower the heat, and continue to cook for 15 minutes, or until the okra in fork tender.


Matrimony

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 McIntosh apple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 oranges, peeled and sectioned

1/4 cup condensed milk

Grated nutmeg

Place the pear and apple pieces into a glass bowl. Remove all membranes and seeds from the orange sections and add them to the bowl. Mix the fruit together, sweeten with the condensed milk; add nutmeg to taste. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve chilled.


Pineapple Bread

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh crushed pineapple

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease well a 9-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter and slowly add the sugar, beating well. Add egg. Sift the dry ingredients and add them to the mixture. Fold in the pineapple and mix well. Place the dough in the greased pan and bake for 1 hour or until light golden. Serve warm.


Baked Sweet Potatoes

6 medium sweet potatoes

1/2 cup peanut oil

3 Tablespoons Dark Jamaican Rum

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons grated coconut

Salt and cinnamon to taste

Wash the potatoes. Rub them with oil and place them in an oven which has been preheated to 350 degrees. Cook them for one hour or until when pierced with a fork, the potato seems tender.

With a spoon, scoop the sweet potato meat into a medium-size bowl. Add the rum, butter, and coconut to the potato mixture; mix well and return the mixture to the potato shells. Sprinkle each shell with salt and cinnamon to taste. Place the filled sweet potatoes shells on a baking tin, return them to the oven, and continue to bake them for an additional 5 minutes or until they are heated through. Serve at once.


Cook-Up Rice

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 medium-size onion

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 scallions with green tops, sliced

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 pound salt pork, diced

4 1/2 cups water

2 cups uncooked white rice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound steak or roast beef

1/2 teaspoon Angostura bitters

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the sugar and fry it until it bubbles. Add the onion, tomatoes, scallions and thyme and fry until the onions are golden brown. Add the salt pork, water, rice and salt; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until the rice is nearly done; add the diced meat. Just prior to serving, ad the Angostura bitters. Stir and serve.

I've had that okra and rice more times than I can even remember. Talk about good. Oh lawd!!!

And let's not talk about red rice. Alright, I'm gonna' make dinner tonight at the homestead.

I finally got my red rice cooked the way I like it. Man, we've been eating off that thing for about 4 days.

Next I gotta' make some okra and tomatoes with some white rice and fried porgies or catfish.