Today I popped to the local green grocers to pick up some fresh vegetables. I'm one of those people who tends to use the supermarket for all my fruit and vegetables, but recently my personal situation has changed. I'm now in a situation where the local shops are a lot more convenient. A great butcher, Co-op which seems to always have great deals on wine. A barbers (If only I had hair!). Pet supplies (If only I had a pet!). Not forgetting the selection of fast food takeaways. Nacton Road in Ipswich is truly an local Micro village for produce.
So, today I visited Kay's Fruit n Veg. A lovely selection of vegetables and fruit. I was particularly after a Celeriac to go with the Lamb leg Steaks I had picked up the other day. 

I started off by frying some bacon with some cabbage and then adding it to some left over rice & peas from the fridge. I blanched (Quick boiled and cooled) some of the outer cabbage leaves and then stuffed them with the rice mix. Wrapped in clingfilm, I then placed them in  steamer. See photos below! 

The celeriac was peeled and cut in half. I cut one half into big dice to then boil and make mash. The other half a cut into small dice and then and fried in loads of butter, garlic and rosemary. 
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The purpose of todays dish was to introduce celeriac to the repertoire of the home cook. Some times when introducing a new vegetable to someone, I'd advise preparing it in a couple of ways. Today I made a mash/puree and a sauté (fried).

If you have any questions about this dish, please just reach out to me. I'm available al over social media @knifeofbrian Hit Me UP

1 kg Diced  Goat
Some All Purpose Seasoning
1 Bag of Mr Browns Curry Seasoning (other Jamaican Curry seasonings are available)
1 large Onion
1 Green Pepper
1 piece of fresh Ginger (about the size of half your thumb)
1 Scotch Bonnet Chilli
6 cloves Garlic
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 Sprig fresh Thyme
some fresh coriander
1 Tablepoon Tomato Puree
1 bunch Spring Onions
​450ml (approx) of Chicken Stock

At this point, lower the heat, a lid to the pan and let it cook slowly for 2 to 3 hours. This is GOAT. It will take a while to become tender. Low and slow. Check every 20 to 30 minutes. 

I like to add thinly sliced spring onion and chopped coriander at the very end, prior to serving. This adds another dimension to the dish.  Serve with rice n peas, Coleslaw, cold beer and a smile.

I think that's everything. Any Questions? Just holla at me!

Here's the thing. This curry does not exist in the Caribbean. I just wanted to make that clear. It's called a Caribbean curry because it was inspired by my West Indian heritage, family and friends and visits to the Caribbean Club back when I was a young'un! The smells. The flavours. The Chicken skin.  This is NOT supposed to be a "set your lips on fire!" curry. Think of it as a spiced casserole. It's about the flavours, not the heat!
​Enjoy>

Start off by marinating the chicken pieces for at least 24 hours before cooking. Its a dry marinade. Use Mr Browns curry seasoning or any other Caribbean Curry Seasoning and some of the garlic. These are available from ANY Afro/Asian convenience store/supermarket. 

The marinade just helps with the depth of flavour for this dish. 

Once its ready, start to colour the chicken pieces in a large oven proof frying pan. When you are happy it has an even colour, remove the chicken from the pan and set them to one side temporarily.

Now, into the pan which had the chicken in, add the garlic, onion, peppers and spices. cook on a low heat until they become slightly translucent. Usually around 2 minutes. Then return the chicken to the same pan and pour in enough chicken stock to come half way up the chicken pieces. Then add the coconut milk, the oregano and the sprigs of thyme.

Cover and place in the oven at 180 ℃ for around an hour. 

Once cooked, check the seasoning. add a little salt if required. Bare in mind that the Caribbean seasonings usually contain salt already!! I like to grate a little lime zest over the dish along with some thinly slice spring onions and chopped parsley.

ProTips: You can thicken the sauce with cornflour at the end if you want the sauce thicker. But this is NOT essential. 
The whole chicken gets used in this dish. Use the carcase to make the chicken stock. This can also be used for the Rice & Peas.  Which is traditionally served with this dish. 

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Here's the thing... I've been wanting to try this for a while. My daughter is vegetarian and always misses out when I make the Fishcakes. I had the idea of making them with cauliflower and here is Version 1.0
Recipe:

• 1 Cauliflower (See notes)
• 1 bunch Spring Onion
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• Diced sweet pepper
• tsp all purpose seasoning
• 1 egg
• 250ml milk (coconut milk can be added to make this dairy free)
• 1 chilli
• tsp Curry powder
• tsp Turmeric
• Fresh chopped parsley (to taste)
• vest of 1 lemon ( Save the rest to squeeze on them once done)
• tsp mixed herbs
• tsp Hot pepper sauce
• 300g Self raising flour (Gluten free can be used)

The cauliflower should be salted/brined for 24 hours before use. Just sprinkle with salt in a bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave in the fridge. Wash thoroughly, chop raw and add to batter.

All the ingredients can go in a blender together. Gently add to bring the mix together. You want to be able to drop a fairly solid spoonful into the deep fryer (180c)

So, I have never made Jollof rice before and being totally honest, I don't recall ever eating it. It's just one of those dishes which has passed me by. Coming from a West Indian background, my family hailing from Barbados. We were firmly raised on Rice n Peas. My mum's version of which, was made using Black Eye Peas. Jollof is a popular as part of Nigerian cuisine. That's about the extent of my knowledge. Totally embarrassed by that. I understand that my Bajan rice n peas is grandchild of Jollof. Generations later, here I am doing a google search to find out how to make it. 
Here is the recipe I used. It takes the recipes I found online and blends them with what I actually had in my cupboard.

• Fry a finely chopped onion with Garlic, Chilli, Cumin, Curry powder, Ginger and Smoked Paprika
• Add a cup of easy cook Long grain rice
• Add 2 tablespoons on tomato puree
• Add a cup of Passata (blended tinned tomatoes) 
• add a cup of good quality stock (Chicken or Vegi)
• Cover and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes. 

For my experimental version, I actually threw in half a tin of kidney beans which were hanging around in my fridge. As well as a small bag of frozen vegetables. I believe this may be frowned upon in the African cookery community. But I wont tell, if you won't😊 

Topped it off with some grilled Plantain and chopped parsley.  

Read more about Jollof here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jollof_rice

 On Wednesday afternoon I hosted a live, cook along, using Facebook Live. Aimed at beginners, this was a chance for me to try out Live Cookery Classes. Something I've been looking into for a year now. I will definitely be doing more. Watch this space.

Link to FB session https://www.facebook.com/KOBsuffolk/videos/526216748073434/ 

I've had a few people asking me for some sourdough tips. I have finally managed to get it right (once) So i'm declaring myself the master of all things sourdough LOL.

In all seriousness, what i'm actually going to do, is attach a couple of links to the video and pages I used.

https://www.instagram.com/firehousebread/ FireHouse Bakery Instagram page 

https://www.instagram.com/fitnaturally/ Fitnaturally is also really good at making Sourdough. Knows more about it than I do. Was doing it before it was cool!

Experimenting with video content again....
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So, Sunday evening at the Pub, I thought I'd knock up some Toad in the Holes for the specials board. They look good right? Well they didn't sell, so I had to eat them. Thanks! I'll start my diet next week, I guess?

For the batter:

• Equal volumes of Egg- Plain Flour- Milk (Coffee cup/cereal bowl)
• Mix together in a blender. Or just beat it like it owes you money!
• Rest the mixture for AT LEAST 1 HOUR. 

Depending on what type of sausages you use, I'd usually advise pre cooking them before adding the batter. 
Use a nice nonstick dish. Way less stressful when it comes to washing up. 
Cook in a very hot oven and don't keep opening the flipping door!

Serve straight away.

Question is..... What would you serve this with? Chips? Mash? New potatoes? Salad? Peas?

answer in the comments below?