Merry Christmas

Christmas day is only five days away, where has the time gone?

Funnily enough, compared to years gone, the groceries aren’t as busy, neither are the lanes overflowing with goodies begging to be bought. May be we have a lot more food stores and groceries all sharing in the same consumer pool.

Maybe shoppers are more price conscious and will shop where prices are cheaper or everyone is simply cutting back. I think it’s a combination of all. Let’s face it food has become more expensive, but buying power has remained the same.

I paid $67 for a three-and-a-half-pound chicken a week ago, I would usually make my pastelles with boned chicken, so I would purchase two four-pound chickens, bone them and mince the meat for my pastelle filling. Coincidentally this year I decided to make a riff on a Venezuelan
hallaca, and opt for making pulled beef instead for my filling.

Surprisingly a three-and-a-half-pound New Zealand boneless prime rump was $116 compared to $160 had I done chicken. We are a chicken loving nation and chicken is indeed king at the moment, but at those prices I bet many have begun to cut back.

Sorrel has been very affordable at the Barataria roundabout about one month ago where I have been buying my sorrel for as long as I can remember, this year I paid $25 for five pounds, in years gone I paid as much as $40 for five pounds. It's relatively easy to make and once the time is spent cutting and brewing, you can easily have sorrel all-year round. The trick is to buy it early, if you wait then the price will increase.

I am loving the butter wars at the different groceries, one has $10 off a pound of Irish butter until the end of December, another had a one-day sale on the New Zealand brand. Either one works for me so I stock up while the price is discounted, it's an item I cannot give up and I am always happy when it’s on sale.

Don’t let the prices get you down, just plan tasty menus more economically. If you try to make your meals and desserts from scratch, you will save a lot. Buy a smaller turkey, or ham, try roast beef or lamb this year for a change, or even roast a chicken in place of turkey. Buy your veggies at the market and buy local I guarantee you will save again.

Mix up the menu, you don’t need all imported foods to make it celebratory, our local fresh produce and fruits are stellar.

Ingredient costs can drive our meal costs up. If you are breading something to fry. Why opt for imported Panko when we can make superb breading from Crix crackers? Additionally, why buy bread crumbs for your stuffing, a Kiss butter bread is superb in stuffing.

Try making a pineapple-papaya crisp or crumble in place of an apple crisp. Grill fresh pineapple to top off your ice-cream. If you are making a creamy vegetable casserole, use local cauliflower, and zucchini, (which I got today), in place of broccoli (when did that get so expensive), add carrots and some corn if you like.

Make your own bread, double the recipe and you can have dinner rolls too, it's much better than store-bought and flour did decrease in price!

The idea is you can have a five-star meal and spend less, take your time when you shop and make some substitutions, you will be surprised how pleased you may be.

Delicious wishes to all my readers!

Grilled pineapple with brown sugar and rum

There’s something to be said about grilling fresh pineapple, the fruit becomes succulent and juicy absorbing all the flavours they are infused with. Serve with ice cream for a show-stopping dessert.

1 large pineapple

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup dark rum

1 tsp bitters

Preheat grill or broiler.

Peel pineapple, remove eyes then cut into half lengthways. Now cut these lengths into eight lengths. Remove centre core.

Line a shallow baking pan or dish with foil.

Place pineapple into this, sprinkle with sugar, bitters and rum.

Grill or broil until pineapple turns brownish and sugar starts to bubble and caramelise.

Serve warm as is or with ice cream.

Serves 6 to 8

Papaya and pineapple crumble

1 3-lb pineapple, peeled and cut into one inch pieces

1 3-lb paw-paw (papaya) half-ripe, peeled and cut into one inch pieces

1 cup brown sugar

3 cloves

2 sticks cinnamon

1 cup water

dash aromatic bitters

Place all the above ingredients into a medium sized sauce pan, cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick, do not overcook the fruit. remove.

Crumble

3 cups flour

⅔ cups butter

½ cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine butter with flour until mixture resembles fine crumbs, add sugar and toss.

Place fruit into an ovenproof dish, spoon crumble on top and cover fruit, sprinkle with a little brown sugar.

Bake until hot and bubbly, 35 mins.

Serves 10 to 12

Roasted chicken stuffed under the skin with fresh herb and currant stuffing

1 4-lb chicken

1 tbs minced garlic

1 tbs fresh herb paste

1 tbs lime juice

2 tbs olive oil

Remove the back bone from the chicken, combine all the other ingredients and paste onto chicken, let marinate for 30 to 40 minutes

Stuffing

2 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 onion finely chopped

2 pimento peppers

½ hot pepper, seeded and chopped

½ cup chopped fresh herbs

½ cup raisins or currants

½ cup soft bread crumbs

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a sauté pan, add garlic, onion, peppers, sauté until tender and fragrant, 5 minutes, add herbs and currants, combine, add ½ cup breadcrumbs and stir, add a little more crumbs gradually mixing, add a little stock to moisten, don’t make your mixture too dry or wet, it should just hold together.

Place stuffing in a plate to cool.

Preheat oven to 375F

Take chicken and loosen the skin, stuff the chicken under the skin.

Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until juices run clear.

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