Jamaican Ackee & Saltfish

INGREDIENTS:

Serves: 4

1 Canned Ackee, drained
1/4 lb saltfish (salted cod- deboned and flaked)
4 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 small bell pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)                                            

Scotch bonnet pepper-finely chopped (to taste)

Soak the saltfish in a pot of water for at least 4 hours to remove most of the salt. Alternately you can boil the salfish for at least 15 minutes abd drain. Flake the fish and remove any bones. (You can use boneless saltfish for an easier flaking process.)

Heat oil in a skillet and keep on medium heat. Add the onions, scotch bonnet pepper, and sweet pepper. Stir gently for a few minutes, then add the salt fish. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 4 minutes, then add the ackee. Add black pepper and Stir very lightly to mix saltfish mixture with the ackee, being careful not break up the ackees too much.  Cover and cook for a few more minutes. Remove and serve with dumplings and green bananas or with white rice.

Best served with bammy, roast breadfruit, fried or cooked dumplings, or fried or cooked plantains, cooked yams and Jamaican sweet potatoes.

Jamaican Christmas Cake Recipe

Sandy's Christmas Delite

(Handed down one generation from Aunt Cherry)

Ingredients:

2 lbs butter

2 lbs sugar

11/2 lbs flour

1 lb bread crumbs

3 tsps baking powder

11/2 dozen eggs (eyes removed)

6 tsps rose water & almond food flavouring

6 tsps vanilla

2 tsps nutmeg

8 tsps mixed spice

1 tsp salt

1 bottle browning

2 lbs raisins

2 lbs currants

2 lbs prunes (pitted)

1 lb mixed peel

1lb cherries

Red Label Eine

I Bottle Appleton White Rum

Method:

Prepare fruits from December the previous year to get it very mellow. Chop prunes and cherries and grind mixed peel. Put prunes, raisins, currants, mixed peel and cherries in a covered glass container. Pour enough Red Label wine and Appleton white rum to cover fruits. Check fruits about every four months to add more wine & rum. Do not allow it to dry out. By December the fruits will become soft & mellow. If you are late in your preparations, prepare the fruits the same way then steam them in the wine and rum mixture. Bring the pot to a boil for about 15 minutes then turn off and leave to cool.

Cream butter and sugar until mixture become light and creamy. Combine all dry ingredients -- flour, salt, baking powder, mixed spice and nutmeg. Blend all liquids -- eggs (remove eyes to reduce rawness), rose water & almond flavouring, vanilla and add about two tablespoons of wine & rum to mixture. Blend with mixer at low speed for two minutes.

Combine butter and sugar mixture with flour mixture a portion at a time alternately until all is combined. Then add browning. Mix until mixture is completely brown. Add fruit mixture and bread crumbs a portion at a time alternately until finished. You can add or reduce the amount of fruits you would like in the mixture. The more fruits the heavier the cake. Preheat oven at 250 degrees. Bake at 250 degrees for two hours. This mixture should give you about two large and four medium cakes. At the end of two hours check the centre of the cake with a knife. If the knife comes out clean, the cake is done if not leave in for a few more minutes until done. Depending on the thickness of the cake the large cake may take another half -hour. (Jamaica Observer Website 2002)