IW014 - Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen
Can’t get to the Caribbean? No worries, sunshine and deliciousness are on their way to you via Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen cooking show. Visit sites like chocolate farms and spice growers, then zip down to the beach where Chef Ainsley Harriott is in his pop-up beach kitchen stirring up homemade dishes like Pimento Prawns with Apple-Ginger Slaw on Johnny Cakes or Pineapple Toast with Caramelized Rum Bananas. All of the sudden, it’s time for cocktails - maybe a rum punch, maybe a sorrel martini. Are you in?
Join the party - click the link below to listen.
Photo by The Pop’d Shop. Licensed through Unsplash.
Island Watch Picnic Picks
for Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen
Every Island Watch episode, we cook up a specialty picnic based on the show we watched, and this time we’ve got a picnic smorgasbord that stretches from Antigua to Grenada, and a few stops in between. We have things to try when you can visit in person, excellent appetizers to nibble for your viewing picnic, and what to cook if you want a deeper dive into the local cuisine.
ANTIGUA!
Eat when you visit: Ainsley says the Black Pineapple are the sweetest and most delicious he’s ever tried, and you will not find them anywhere but here.
Cook right now: “No more perfect dessert than a decadent Antiguan bread pudding with spicy mango pineapple jam...” Yes please!
Ainsley’s Scotch Bonnet Buttermilk Chicken Burger with Green Seasoning and Tamarind Mayonnaise sounds scrumptious, but you’ll have to get his book if you want the recipe.
Deep Dive: Pepperpot and Fungie is Antigua’s rib-sticking national dish of stew with maize dumplings. Fungie is pronounced fun-gee, as in “gee, this is fun”!
DOMINICA!
Eat when you visit: Don’t eat the Mountain Chicken - it’s actually a species of endangered frog! Have some fresh-off-the-boat fish instead, or try the national dish of fresh callaloo soup!
Cook right now: You need to dip these tostones (crispy, double-fried plantains) into garlic sauce. Right now! Recipe here! Creamy, crunchy, golden fritters!
Deep Dive: Ainsley’s Dominican Calypso Chicken with cassava bread.
Traditional cassava bread is made from cassava, and nothing else. Here’s a quick overview of how it’s made and the recipe to make it from scratch with raw cassava. Here’s an adapted version that uses cassava flour.
ST. LUCIA!
Eat when you visit: Hello, chocolate grown straight from the island’s volcanic soil. I’m going for deep indulgence and pampering by visiting here , here , and here. Because chocolate.
Cook right now: Ainsley takes Green Fig Salad, a St. Lucian specialty, and puts his own spin on it, turning it into Green Banana Rosti with Saltfish Guacamole. If you want to shake up your guacamole game, this is how it’s done.
Deep Dive: If you want to make everything coming out of your kitchen taste amazing, you’ve got to blend up your own Green Seasoning, St. Lucia style and use it on everything you want to make tasty. Add to stew; season your proteins. Try to restrain yourself from glugging straight from the bottle.
GRENADA!
Eat when you visit: Nutmeg ice cream is a specialty on the island, and though we are sharing a recipe here, I think I’d rather try it there first.
Cook right now: We’re not forgetting a drink for the picnic! Sorrel drink isn’t unique to Grenada, but we’re including it here because it contains spices, and Grenada is the “Isle of Spice” Drink and enjoy as is, but know also you’ll be ready for when you want to try Ainsley’s sorrel cocktail at the end of the episode!
Here’s another recipe from a Grenadian cook that is an even spicier version!
Deep Dive: This is a charming video of a family making an enormous pot of Grenada- style Oil Down. Chef Ainsley visits a chef who makes it on the show, but you can do this if you visit a specialty store for items like breadfruit, the star of the show. You’ll toss the meats (or beans if you want vegetarian) and other veggies in the pot with coconut milk and spices, and cook it till the starch is unctuous with coconut fat and the pot nearly dry. Then you’ll sit back with a belly full, go into a carb coma, and dream of your upcoming island trip...
Ainsley Harriott : ITV
Island Cast
It’s Chef Ainsley Harriott, travelling solo through the islands and meeting lots of folks along the way. Listen to our podcast for more information about Ainsley!
Nutmeg, the Musical
If you are a fan of John Legend and comedy, then check out his Nutmeg song on Steven Colbert’s Christmas special. View it before deciding to share it with youngsters, as it’s mildly racy. Just like nutmeg.
Photo by Juja Han. Licensed through Unsplash.
Ratings
Here’s how we rate the shows we watch. To help you head for the island show that's exactly right for you, we answer two questions:
Does this show make me feel like I’m actually on the island? That's our specialized Island Rating. No other show gives you that!
Do we recommend this show? Our Star Rating lets you know if we loved a show or not, regardless of the island.
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Island Rating
Gemma: Splashing in the Surf (5 out of 5)
One recipe that Ainsley missed: Mix 7 teaspoons salt with 1 liter of water. Now you have “sea water”. Sprinkle yourself with it each time you see the ocean in any given episode. You will get soaked. Which is to say...these episodes are packed with beautiful island scenery.
Dave: Splashing in the Surf (5 out of 5)
We got a taste - pun intended - of the cuisine, the history and culture of each island.
Star Rating:
Gemma: 3.5 out of 5
If you need a gentle, easy virtual stroll - just enough to whet your appetite for Caribbean food and travel - this will be perfection for you. Listen to the podcast to learn why it’s not 5 out of 5.
Dave: 3.5 out of 5
I found the cooking segments interesting. And I got enough from the cultural and historical parts to whet my interest in learning more about these islands.
Photo by Tom Winckels. Licensed through Unsplash.
Find The Island
An island whose unique architecture and culture draw people from all over the world.
Photo by Tatiana Bernardi. Licensed through Unsplash.
Our Next Island
Our next island: The South Pacific includes thousands and thousands of islands - from the Hawaiian Islands in the north, to New Zealand in the south - and yet only 1% of the area is land. Let’s do the math...um, that’s an incomprehensible amount of water. We’ll get to understand this entire region better through the BBC documentary series South Pacific.
Photo by Andrew Measham. Licensed through Unsplash.
Messages In A Bottle
The best way to get in touch with us is by email.
Send your questions and comments to us at:
islandwatchpodcast@gmail.com