Native Dishes

• 1/4 cp.grits
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cp. water

Bring the water with salt to a boil then add grits; reduce heat and cover. occasionally stirring. Cook approximately 15 minutes or until grits has desired consistency. Cool then serve.

• parboil rice
• water
• salt
• teaspoon oil

Add all ingredients to pan and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and cook uncovered for 25 minutes.

• 1 large tin pigeon peas
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 tsp. Thyme
• 1/2 sweet pepper, diced
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 c. water
• 2 1/2 c. grits
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 hot pepper
• 2 Tbsp. cooking oil

Pour oil into frying pan. Add onion & sweet pepper & sauté lightly. Add tomato paste & allow to steam down for approx. 5 min. Add thyme & hot pepper. Pour the mixture into a pot with the peas & water. Allow mixture to boil for 10 min.-Add grits, stirring constantly for about 10 min. then lower flame & continue cooking for 15-20 min.

Souse is anything boiled down in the juice of fresh limes. diced celery, diced carrot, diced potatoes, sliced onions, green peppers, black pepper, all spice and Bahamian red peppers to spice it up.

Chicken souse is one of the favourites. Other meats soused are Sheep Tongue, Mutton or Pig Feet.

• 7/8 cup flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 4 t. baking powder
• ½ t. salt
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. Blend in corn meal. Combine egg, milk & butter or margarine. Make a well in center of dry ingredients & add the egg mixture. Stir until blended. Pour into greased 8" square cake pan. Bake in preheated 375 degree F oven for 25-30 min. Serve hot with butter.

• 2 med. conch, clean & remove skin ½ small sweet pepper
• 1 small onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1-1/4 cups flour
• 1 t. hot sauce
• 1 t. salt

Put conch, sweet pepper, onion & celery through a meat grinder. Add remaining ingredients to make a batter. Drop batter by tablespoon into hot oil and fry for approx. 10 min. or until golden. Serve with cocktail sauce: ½ c. ketchup, ½ t. horseradish, 1 t. hot sauce, mix & serve.

Note: Conch can be substituted with Shrimp, Scallops or Lobster.

• 2 lbs. grouper or any fish preferred
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tsp. butter or margarine
• 2 T. hot sauce
• Juice of 2 lemons, limes or sour oranges
• 2 onions, sliced
• 4 potatoes sliced

Place cleaned & washed fish in cooking pot & ¾ cover with water. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, butter or margarine, hot sauce & lemon juice. Place onions on top of fish & cook over medium heat until fish is tender. Do not cook fish too long as it may fall apart. Serves: 4

• 4 Conch, cleaned & skin removed
• 1 small onion
• 1 stalk celery
• ½ small sweet pepper
• 1 large tomato
• ½ cup sour orange, lemon or lime juice
• Salt, pepper & hot pepper to taste

Cut conch, onion celery, sweet pepper & tomato into small cube pieces. Combine all ingredients & mix well.

Note: Conch can be substitute for Lobster or Crawfish.

• ¼ - ½ lb. bacon cut into cubes
• 2 quarts water
• 8-10 conchs, diced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 can tomatoes
• 6 large potatoes, diced
• 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2-4 bay leaves
• 2-4 T. thyme
• 2 T. butter or margarine
• 2-4 carrots, sliced
• Cayenne pepper or hot sauce to taste.

Directions: Place ham or bacon in cooking pot & add water. Cover & bring to boil, turn down heat to simmer. Add conch & simmer for about 2 hrs. or until conch is tender. Fry onion, green pepper & celery and sauté until light brown stirring to prevent burning. Add tomatoes & tomato paste; simmer for a minute or so. Add this mixture to pot with conch. Add remaining ingredients & simmer until vegetables are done. Note: this freezes well.

Note: Conch can be substituted with Shrimp, Scallops or Lobster.

• 1 large tin pigeon peas
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 tsp. Thyme
• 1/2 sweet pepper, diced
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 c. water
• 2 1/2 c. grits
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 hot pepper
• 2 Tbsp. cooking oil

Pour oil into frying pan. Add onion & sweet pepper & sauté lightly. Add tomato paste & allow to steam down for approx. 5 min. Add thyme & hot pepper. Pour the mixture into a pot with the peas & water. Allow mixture to boil for 10 min.-Add grits, stirring constantly for about 10 min. then lower flame & continue cooking for 15-20 min.

• 2 c. yellow split peas
• Pinch of salt
• 3 sliced celery stalks
• 2 large onions, diced
• 3 large potatoes, peeled & quartered
• 5 c. water
• 1 tsp. Thyme
• 2 large carrots, peeled & sliced
• 1 lb. meat - salt beef can be used

Soak salt beef in water mixed with vinegar overnight. Wash peas, soak in 5 cups water overnight, drain. Add salt to water, bring to a boil. Add peas, lower heat. Simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Puree peas through sieve or blender. While peas cook, place meat into a pot. Add water to cover, about 6 cups. Bring to a boil. Add thyme & cook until done, about 1 1/2 hours, then add celery, carrots, onion & potatoes & cook 30 minutes longer. Remove meat & vegetables from broth. Stir broth into pureed peas and simmer until thick. Add cooked meat and vegetables.

• 1 (16 ounce) bag coleslaw mix
• 1 small onion sliced
• 1 small sweet pepper sliced
• 2/3 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lime juice
• Red pepper optional

1.Combine the coleslaw mix, onion and sweet pepper in a large bowl. 2.Whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, red pepper (optional) in a medium bowl; blend thoroughly. Pour this mixture over coleslaw mix and toss to coat. Chill at least 1/2 hours before serving.

• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 sweet pepper chopped
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• black pepper
• salt

Place the potatoes in a large pan of water and boil over medium-low heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes, and leave to cool. Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water over medium heat, and bring to a full boil, until shell is relatively hard. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, Cool the eggs thoroughly under cold running water and shell them. Stir the onion, sweet pepper, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper in a bowl. Mix in the chopped potatoes.Chop the cooled eggs and place them on top of mixture in the bowl then refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. Serve cold.

• 8 oz elbow macaroni, cooked & drained
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped green pepper
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped celery
• 6 oz cheddar cheese, grated
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp. evaporated milk

Add the onion, green pepper and celery to the cooked macaroni; stir. Add 1/2 of the cheese & stir over low heat until melted. Season & stir in evaporated milk. Spoon into well-greased 8x8x2" baking pan & sprinkle remaining cheese evenely over top. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes and cut into squares to serve. 4-6 servings.

• Peas (optional)
• salt beef
• 1 chopped onion - cook in crab fat
• 1 chopped sweet pepper
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 2 cp. water
• 1 cp. rice

Fry all ingredients in oil of your choice. After ingredients are cooked add water, bring water to a rapid boil. Add rice and simmer until cooked.

Note: Peas can be substituted with crab, bean, okra, conch, pumpkin, coconut or salt beef.

• 1 cp. pigeon peas - boil until tender
• 2 strips bacon - fry and chopped
• 1 chopped onion - cook in bacon fat
• 1 chopped sweet pepper
• 1 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 2 cp. water
• 1 cp. rice

Fry all ingredients in oil of your choice. After ingredients are cooked add water, bring water to a rapid boil. Add rice and simmer until cooked.

Note: Peas can be substituted with crab, bean, okra, conch, pumpkin, coconut or salt beef.

• 6 Average size conch, cleaned, skin removed & pounded with until very thin and coming apart.
• Water
• 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine (optional)
• 1/2 to 1 ounce salt pork or 1/4 cp. bacon drippings or 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 cp. flour
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp. Thyme
• 3 med. sweet potatoes, peeled & cut in quarter
• 3 med. irish potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
• 3 cassava, peeled and cut in quarters
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: Place conch in saucepan & just cover with water (approx 5 cups), and parboil uncovered 40-45 minutes or until tender. Watch closely so water does not boil over; skim off froth as it forms. Most of the water will be boiled away. Chop salt pork in small pieces and fry out in heavy skillet. Add flour & cook & stir until golden brown. Add onion, tomato paste and thyme; mix well. Stir in 3 cups water (more if desired) to flour mixture, simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add conch, vegetables & seasoning; bring to a boil, cover & cook for 15-20 minutes without lifting cover. Normally eaten with grits or Johnny cake.

• 6 med. conch, bruised until thin & fairly well shredded
• 2 eggs, beaten until frothy
• 1/2 cp. evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cp. flour

Clean conch for cooking. Bruise (pound) with a metal mallet until very tender. Mix together eggs, milk, salt & pepper. Dip conch in egg mixture, then roll in flour. Fry in 1/4" or less fat until brown.

Note: Conch can be substituted with Grouper.

• 1 whole fish or several small ones, scaled
• Oil
• tomato paste water
• thyme
• salt
• 2 Tbsp. Flour
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 sweet pepper chopped
• potatoes cut into cubes
• carrots

Partially fry fish in oil, remove fish. Put tomato paste in a pan, add all vegetables, thyme, salt and enough hot water to make a sauce. Return fish to pan and simmer gently 5-10 minutes. Season to taste.

• ½ cp. peanut
• ½ cp. sugar
• 2 cp. water

In a pan heat sugar until liquefied add peanuts and form desired shape. Remove from the pan and place on cookie sheet allow it to set. serve. To Make: 1 cake

Note: Peanuts can be substituted with benny.

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1tsp. baking soda
• 1/2cup butter
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 3/4 cup pecans

Work first four ingredients together by hand until "crumbly". Add remaining ingredients and do not over mix. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes in greased 9"x5" loaf pan.

• 10 slices stale homemade bread
• 4-5 c. water (approx)
• 4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2/3 c. evaporated milk
• 1/2 c. raisins

Soak bread in just enough water to soften bread. Let stand until soft; drain. Using hands, squeeze water out of bread; mix thoroughly. In a small bowl, mix together butter or margarine, sugar, egg, vanilla & milk; cream together until blended. Combine the 2 mixtures & add raisins. Turn into a 7 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 2 1/2" baking pan. Bake 1 hour and 45 minutes at 350° or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. This can be eaten plain or with a mound of whipped cream or whipped topping. 12-15 servings.

• 4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1 c. sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 c. guava pulp (guava put thru a sieve or food mill)
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground clove (optional)
• 3 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter or margarine with sugar; add eggs, guava & spices. Beat until smooth. Sift together flour & baking powder & add to guava mixture. The dough will be stiff. Place mixture in greased top of double boiler and cook over boiling water; or use a can with a tightly fitting cover and place can in tea kettle or pan of boiling water about 2/3 from top of can. Steam 3 hours. Slice and serve with Butter-Egg sauce. Butter Egg Sauce: 4 Tbsp. butter or margarine 3/4 cp. sugar 1 egg, separated Cream butter or margarine & sugar; add egg yolk and blend. Beat the egg white until stiff and fold into mixture. If too thick, a very small amount of hot water can be added. Serve over Guava Duff (hot).

Note: Guava can be substituted with Raisin or Coconut.

• Switcher ( Lemonade)

Native Teas

Native Tree leaves are picked and boiled before adding sugar.

• Pear leaf Tea 
• Sour Leaf 
• Fever Grass 
• Love Vine 
• Cane Juice