Sweet cassava cheesy cornbread made by Shalorna Williams.
Several entrants participated in the The Gleaner's Cassava Challenge contest and on Monday the five finalists brought their entries to our North Street headquarters for the judging. Lorna Gooden, manager, social service/home economics unit of the Rural Agricultural Development Agency (RADA), Evrol 'Blackie' Christian proprietor of Little Ochi Seafood Restaurant and Barbara Ellington of The Gleaner were the judges.
Rosetta Falconer's entry was sweet cassava pudding; Ona Gordon entered cassava punch; Sharon Edwards presented a sweet cassava chicken casserole; Shalorna Williams submitted her sweet cassava cheesy corn bread and Pauline Thomas entered cassava saltfish fritters.
Mrs Gooden told the group that there is a difference between bitter and sweet cassava. The bitter variety is used for making bammy because it has more starch and a more gummy texture. Many people have reservations, but the sweet variety is used to make a number of one-pot meals. When using bammy, cooks have to be careful not to allow other ingredients to overpower it.
Comments on entries
The sweet cassava cheesy cornbread had too much cornmeal and fell down in its presentation. First-place winner, the cassava pudding was very good in taste, presentation and texture, very moist and showed creativity in the accompaniments also made from cassava.
The cassava fritters were far too oily and too much wheat flour was used with the cassava flour. It could have done better with a binding agent such as eggs. The third place winner, cassava casserole is an excellent one-pot meal, easy to prepare and tasty but its presentation was poor. Placing second , the cassava punch is a very creative idea which the contestant makes at home on Sundays but the proportions have to be consistent and care must be taken to remove ginger sediments before serving.
The three winners will receive 100 fruit trees from the Ministry of Agriculture, gift packages from RADA, as well as packages from The Gleaner, Wray and Nephew Limited, Blackwell Gold Rum, Ocean Spray and more.
Rosetta's Cassava recipes
Perfect Cassava fruit Cake
Taking first prize is this Cassava pudding with a coconut topping and thin slices of carmelised cassava. - photos by Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore
Ingredients8oz Blue Band margarine
8oz Gold Seal margarine
4 cups cassava flour
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons baking powder
10 eggs
5 tablespoons browning
2 cups home made cassava wine
4 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoons rose water
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons almond essence
1 tablespoon cinnamon
marmalade
1 cup chopped soaked prunes
2 cups currant
1 cup chopped cherries
4 cups chopped raisins
Method
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
2. Beat eggs with vanilla, almond essence, rose water and brandy. Fold into creamed mixture.
3. Sieve all dry ingredients together, add currants and chopped cherries.
4. Fold in dry ingredients alternately with chopped fruits, marmalade and cassava wine.
5. Add browning. Mix in well
6. Pour into greased and lined baking tins.
7. Bake at 325 F for 1 hr.
8. Allow to cool.
9. Decorate with Royal Icing
Royal Icing
4lbs icing sugar
12 egg whites
4 tsp Rose water
4 tsp lime juice
3 drops glycerine
Method
1. Beat egg white rose water and lime juice
2. Add icing sugar gradually and beat well
3. Mix in glycerine
4. Continue beating until the icing is stiff enough and will stand in a peak.
Curried Cassava Beef Stew
1/2 lb beef
4 cups diced cooked sweet cassava
1 cup grated cassava barley
1 medium carrot diced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup red and green sweet pepper rings
1 cups black eye peas
1 pk Run a Boat seasoning
2 onions (1 Sliced)
1 spring thyme
1 sprig scallion
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper {diced}
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 qts water
2 tablespoons full cooking oil
Method
1. Wash beef with vinegar season with scallion, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper, curry and Run a Boat seasoning. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. Cook black eye peas in 1 qt water until tender
3. Toss beef in oil and pressure in 1 qt water.
4. Add carrot, cassava, chocho.
5. Make spinner with cassava barley
6. Add to stew
7. Simmer for 5 minutes
8. Add sweet pepper and onion rings
9. Simmer for another 2 minutes
Cassava Wine
Ingredients2 lb sweet cassava
1 oz root ginger
1 lemon
2 lb granulated sugar
1/2 gallon water
1 teaspoon yeast
Method
1. Peel, cut up cassava
2. Put to boil until just soft
3. Strain
4. Add sliced fruits and ginger
5. Boil for 15 minutes
6. Add sugar, stir until dissolved
7. Strain
8. Cool
9. Add yeast, leave for 3 days. Strain and leave to ferment
10. Bottle and date
Ready within a year.
Sweet Cassava Cheesy Corn Bread
1lb sweet cassava {1 1/2 cup}
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup butter milk
1 cup grated cheese
2 1/3 cups cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/2 cup margarine
Method
1. Peel sweet cassava and bake until tender
2. Cut and cool mashed cassavas
3. Place mashed cassava in bowl and whisk in eggs, cheese and butter milk.
4. Blend cornmeal and remaining ingredients in processor until mixture resembles coarse meal.
5. Add egg mixture, stir just until blend.
6. Pour into greased 9x9x2 inch baking pan.
7. Bake until deep gold on top and tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
8. Sprinkle grated cheese on top.
9. Serve warm.
Sweet Cassava Punch
Ingredients1lb sweet cassava
Milk to sweeten
1 tsp almond
1tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1tsp rum
1 cup paw paw juice
Method
Boil and blend sweet cassava. Add milk to sweeten. Add paw paw juice, almond, rum, vanilla and nutmeg. Serve on crushed ice.
Cassava Ginger Coconut Bun
Ingredients3 cups grated sweet cassava
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 oz margarine
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp grated ginger
2 cups grated coconut
2 eggs
1tsp browning
1 cup raisins
1tsp bun spice
4 cherries
Method
1. Sieve flour and baking soda twice
2.Combine browning, raisins, bun spice, fat sugar in a sauce pan and heat gently until sugar dissolves.
3. Beat eggs well. Add ginger.
4. Combine all ingredients.
5. Pour in greased loaf tin.
6. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour.
7. Decorate with candid sweet cassava and cherries.
lifestyle@gleanerjm.com
Ona Gordon from Manddeville, Manchester took second place with her innovative cassava punch.
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Did you know that cassava makes a delicious sweet wine? Just ask Rosetta Falconer who heads the home economics department at B.B. Coke High School in St Elizabeth.
Finalists in the Gleaner's Food section Cassava Challenge from left: Sharon Edwards, Pauline Thomas, Ona Gordon, Juliet Wellington(deputising for Shalorna Williams), and Rosetta Falconer.
Rosetta Falconer came prepared to show off her skills with cassava and along with her entry, baked this delicious cassava bun.
Rosetta Falconer, head of the Home Economics department of B.B. Coke High School, St Elizabeth and her colleague Juliet Wellington went all out to impress the judges with this beautiful tablecloth featuring a bandanna appliqued lettering and a hand-painted root of cassava in the centre. - photos by Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore
Chief judge Lorna Gooden (second right), manager, social service/home economics unit of the Rural Agricultural Development Agency, Evrol 'Blackie' Christian (left), proprietor of Little Ochi Seafood Restaurant and Barbara Ellington (second left), Lifestyle Editor, The Gleaner, look at the entries in the Cassava Challenge contest held at 7 North Street on Monday, September 15. Juliet Wellington (right), tells them about Shalorna Williams' sweet cassava cheesy cornbread.
Pauline Thomas made cassava saltfish fritters.
