Cottage Pie

Like its cousin, shepherd's pie, this is a simple, hearty dish combining meat and mashed potatoes. The 2 names are interchangeable, but for traditionalists, shepherd's pie uses lamb meat while cottage pie uses beef. This dish was originally a peasant dish from the UK, and would use left over meat and potatoes from the Sunday roast. These days minced beef is more commonly used.

The beauty of this dish is its simplicity. There are just a few ingredients and the cooking method is very simple.

Jerk Chicken

What springs to mind when you think of Jamaica ? Sun? Beaches? Reggae? Bob Marley?!?!?

Maybe its just my foody mind at work, but I think of Jerk chicken, possibly the ultimate summer barbecue recipe! Jerk marinade can be used for any type of meat or fish but is particularly tasty with chicken legs and pork ribs.

The key ingredients to jerk chicken are allspice or pimento berries, thyme and scotch bonnet peppers. Everything else is supplementary but these 3 ingredients are unmissable. If you don't use them you may still have some delicious barbecued chicken but it won't be jerk chicken!

Caribbean Barbecue Sauce

This spicy and tangy sauce is perfect with barbecued spare ribs and chicken thighs, but can also be eaten as an alternative to ketchup on burgers, or even with french fries. The rum gives it that Caribbean zing. It reminds me of Notting Hill Carnival in London and Zomercarnaval in Rotterdam, where the stands cooking ribs and chicken in oil drum barbecues line the streets.

Pisang Goreng/Bakabana (Fried Plantain)

This is an Indonesian street food, also very popular in Suriname. It doesn't actually use bananas as you or I might know them, but plantains, a cousin of the banana used mainly for cooking. Plantains come in many varying degrees of ripeness. For bakabana the plaintain should be ripe, with the skin yellow getting towards black and you should be able to press down on the flesh. Don't get too ripe plantains, however, or these will fall apart when you try to fry them.

Saoto Soup (Indonesian Chicken Soup)

This delicious and filling soup originates in Indonesia, and was popularised in Suriname through the contracted workers from Java who came to work the sugar plantations after the abolition of slavery in Suriname in 1863. It is a firm favourite with my kids, who ask for it almost every week!

The secret of this soup is as much in the garnishes that accompany it as in the soup itself. Rice noodles, shredded cabbage, potato sticks, fried onions, boiled egg, chopped celery leaves, bean sprouts, boiled rice - the list of possible additions to the relatively simple soup are what give it such a flavour explosion and "moreishness".

Bruine Bonen met Rijst (beans with rice)

One of the most popular Surinamese dishes; a favourite at parties and feasts, but also great as a Sunday lunch or a midweek dinner. The possibilities are endless!

Beans with rice is a Caribbean staple, and although Suriname is not strictly in the Caribbean, the ethnic diversity and laid back attitude of Suriname is much more in tune with the Island life than with it's South American neighbours.

Scotch Eggs

The ultimate picnic food! These beauties are perfect for outdoor eating, they are just as good hot or cold, and require no knife and fork!

The secret to a good scotch egg is getting the right ingredients.
The eggs should be fairly small in size but of good quality.

Tonno e Fagioli (Tuna and Bean Salad)

A very simple salad originating in Tuscany, ideal for informal outdoor eating. This is so easy to make and tastes great. It can be eaten as a starter as part of a larger meal, or on its own as a simple lunch.

Insalata Caprese (Tomato and Mozzarella Salad)

Some things just go perfectly together - bacon and eggs, ham and cheese, peanut butter and jam (!). Tomato and mozzarella is another match made in heaven; whether it be on pizza, as the topping for lasagna al forno, in a panino, or here, in a simple yet delicious salad.

Salsa Roja

There are many different varieties of salsas (salsi?) in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. Some are cooked, like the "salsa roja" (red sauce) here, while others are made with only raw ingredients, like "pico de gallo" (rooster's beak), with the lime juice in this salsa acting as a preservative.

This cooked salsa roja will stay good for several weeks if kept in the fridge. It is a perfect condiment for dishes like chili con carne, burritos, tacos, and also as a dipping sauce for nachos. It is a little bit spicy, a little bit sour but also a little bit sweet, and is great either hot or cold.