Above: Prune-stuffed roast pork.At right: A spread fit for queens, and served by the knights of the the Jamaica Defence Force. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
ON THE MENU
Cream of St. Bess Soup,
Sautéed Salmon with White Wine Sauce
Prune Stuffed Roast Pork
Steamed Chicken Balls
Chef Salad, Stir Fried Vegetables
Vegetable Fried Rice, Spanish Rice, Duchess Potato
Grapefruit Surprise and Cherry Cheese Cake
Cream of St. Bess Soup
(Warrant Officer Class 2 Ripley Shaw)
1 lb. (450g) kidney (red) peas
3 litres water
1 lb. (450g) soup meat
8 ozs. (240g) salt beef
4 ozs (120g) Irish potatoes
4 ozs. (120g) pumpkin
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 stalks escallion
1 scotch bonnett pepper
1 medium onion
1 pack beef noodle soup
1 tbsp. butter
2 ozs. (60g) coconut milk
Salt to taste
METHOD
1. Soak salt beef overnight to remove excess salt.
2. Place soup meat, salt beef with peas in a pot with 3 litre of water. Bring to the boil, skim off the scum.
3. Add one sprig of thyme and one stalk of escallion with cubed potatoes, yam and pumpkin reduce to a simmer and cook for approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours, or until the peas and other starches are soft enough to pass through a colander.
4. Pass the soup through a colander or sift and rub with a wooden spoon.
5. Discard peas skin and all other particles and return the liquid to the pot.
6. Add coconut milk and remainder of seasoning and salt to taste. Bring the soup to a simmer and if necessary adjust consistency. This soup should be moderately thick.
Sautéed Salmon with
White Wine Sauce
(Sergeant Curtis Rolston)
Sauce
8 ozs. (240g) dry white wine
2 sprigs fresh tarragon
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
3 onions, sliced
8 ozs. (240g) heavy cream
8 ozs. (240g) unsalted butter
2 ozs. (60g) lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
2.2 lbs (1 kg.) salmon fillets
3 ozs. (90g) olive oil
1 lb. (450g) carrots
cut in rounds
45 ml unsalted butter
3 tbsps. fish seasoning
METHOD
1. To make the sauce, combine the white wine, tarragon, rosemary, thyme and onions in a small sauce pan and reduce by two thirds.
2. Add the cream and reduce until thick, approximately 5-10 minutes. Stir in the butter and the lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
3. Season the salmon with salt, pepper and fish seasoning. Sauté the fish in olive oil until golden and cooked to the desired doneness.
4. In a separate pan, sauté the carrots in 3 tablespoon of butter for 10 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. To assemble, place the salmon fillets on individual plates, pour the sauce around them and arrange the carrots around the fillets.
Stir Fried Green Vegetables
(Major P.C. Dunn)
1 bunch Pak Choy
2 long green cucumbers
100g snow peas
250g broccoli flowerets
1 green pepper, chopped
250g string beans, halved
2 cloves garlic
2 small scotch bonnet peppers
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. sugar
2 dashes from the heart
METHOD
1. Cut garlic and scotch bonnet peppers into thin strips. Cut cucumbers in half lengthways, remove seeds, then slice cucumbers thickly.
2. Heat oil in a wok, add garlic and peppers, stir-fry until lightly browned; remove from wok; leave oil in wok.
3. Tear Pak Choy leaves into large pieces. Reheat wok, add vegetables, stir-fry until vegetables are just tender.
4. Stir in pak choy leaves water and sugar. Serve vegetables sprinkled with garlic and peppers.
Steamed Chicken Balls with Spicy Honey Sauce
(Major P.C. Dunn)
350g minced chicken breast
1 egg white
1 tbsp. very cold water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. freshly ground
black pepper
2 tsps. sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp. escallions,
finely chopped
1 tsp. cornflour
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
2 scotch bonnet peppers,
chopped
2 dashes from the heart
METHOD
1. Mixed the chicken in a blender or food processor for a few seconds. Slowly add the add the egg white and cold water and mix them for a few more seconds until they are fully incorporated into the meat. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix for a bout a minute until the meat mixture has become a light paste.
2. Using your hands, form the mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball. Put the chicken balls on a rack in a wok with simmering hot water. Cover and steam the chicken balls for about 15 minutes.
3. Heat the honey and water with the peppers bringing them to a boil.
4. Put the steamed chicken balls on a platter and pour the spicy honey sauce over them and serve.
Prune Stuffed Roast Pork`
(Sergeant Charles White)
6 pound pork loin
12 oz pitted prune`
1 cup boiling water`
1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt
1/4lb ground ginger
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup flour (all purpose)
METHOD
1. Soak prune in boiling water for 30 minutes
2. Drain prune and dry
3. Carve pork to set prune after seasoning
4. Stuff prune in the carving of the pork then fold and tie`
5. Preset oven to 350 degrees or 180 degrees celsius and roast for 2-3 hours
6. Use flour to make a sauce in the sauce pan with liquid that is left from the cooked meat
7. Then coat the roast with the sauce.
Vegetable Fried Rice
(Sergeant Curtis Rolston)
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
6 tbsps. soy sauce
6 tbsps. vegetable oil
2 medium onions chopped
1 medium sweet
pepper chopped
7 ozs. (200g) mixed vegetables
2 tbsps. sugar
2.2 lbs. (1 kg.) boiled rice
METHOD
1. Beat the eggs with 1/2 of the salt for ten seconds.
2. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan, add the chopped onions and saute gently for one minute. Repeat the same process for the sweet pepper and set aside.
3. Add two tablespoon of oil to the centre of the frying pan, when hot pour in the beaten eggs. When it sets scramble and remove from the frying pan.
4. Heat the remaining oil in the centre of the frying pan, when very hot add the cooked rice and mix thoroughly with the soy sauce and the sugar.
5. Pour the vegetables, chopped onions and sweet pepper, scrambled eggs and remaining salt and mix over high heat for one minute.
Chef Salad
(Warrant Officer Class 2 Ripley Shaw)
2.2 lbs. (1 kg.) cabbage
shredded
1 lb. (450g) lettuce shredded`
4 ozs. (120g) carrots shredded
6 ozs. (180g) sweet pepper
1 tin green peas
1/2 tin kidney beans
1/2 tin sweet corn
2 ozs (60g) mixed peel
1 1/2 ozs. (45g) raisins
3 ozs. (90g) peanuts
3 ozs. (90g) cashew
6 tbsps. mayonnaise`
METHOD
1. Combine lettuce, cabbage, sweet pepper and carrots in a bowl.
2. Add kidney beans, sweet corn, mixed peel, green peas and raisins to the mixture.
3. Lightly crush peanuts and cashew and add to the rest of the ingredients.
4. Combine the mayonnaise with the remainder of the ingredients and put to chill before served.
Grapefruit Surprise
(Warrant Officer Class 2 Ripley Shaw)
2 ozs. (60g) grapefruit juice
2 tsps. honey
4 grapefruits
1 small cantaloupe
8 ozs. (240g) red grapes
(seedless)
1 medium sized pineapple
4ozs (120g) non-fat yogurt
METHOD
1. Cut grapefruit into halves, take out segments carefully leaving skin intact.
2. Peel skin from pineapple and cantaloupe and cut into cubes (12 mm). Cut grapes into halves.
3. Mix the grapefruit segments, cantaloupe, grape and pineapple, together with grapefruit juice.
4. Spoon mixture into grapefruit shells.
5. Whisk yogurt and honey together and pour over mixture in grapefruit shells.
6. Serve chilled.
Cherry Cheese Cake
(Major Kirk Johnson)
Preparation time: 10 minutes plus refrigeration
Bake time: 45 minutes at 325 degree F
2 pkgs. cream cheese
(your choice of flavour)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1/3 cup crushed Graham
crackers (or biscuit of
your choice)
Or ready made pie crust
2 tbsps. margarine or butter
1 tsp. lime juice
1 can whipped cream
1 can cherry pie filling
METHOD
Crust:
If you are making the crust, mix crushed biscuits and margarine and press into bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake at 325 degree F for 10 minutes.
Cake:
1. Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer
at medium speed until well blended.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix again until blended.
3. Pour into crust and bake at 325 degree F for 45 minutes or until centre is almost set.
4. Cool in the refrigerator for three hours (or overnight if left outside).
5. Top cake with whipped cream and pie filling. Refrigerate for two hours.
Serves 10.
