Juliana Dinnall

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9 v 6 New Living Translation (NLT)

Christmas season is once again upon us and as Christians we take time to remember, reflect and celebrate the fact that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born into this world with the mandate to reconcile man to God ultimately through his death and resurrection.

In remembering the birth of Jesus, we are reminded of the hope that was brought to many with his birth. That hope has remained and has been extended through the corridors of time. As Christians we hold unto the biblical definition of hope. “The sure and confident expectation of receiving what God has promised us in the future” We are able to celebrate that because of Jesus, we have life and a hope both now and in the future.

“All praise to God, the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live in great expectation” 1Peter 1v 3 (NLT).

It is wonderful to know that as born-again believers we have the hope Jesus gives. What could be more wonderful than sharing and talking about the hope we have in Jesus Christ with our family, friends, and acquaintances. A great opportunity is over a meal, so over this Christmas and new year season let us take the opportunity to invite people to partake in a meal and share with them the hope with have in Jesus.

Need some recipe inspiration? Here are a few recipes inspired by some of the cultural backgrounds of members of our local fellowship. Need some healthier recipe inspiration have a look at our Heathy Eating Series. Bon Appetite. 

Recipe (Disclaimer – There are a variety of ways that each of these dishes can be cooked. These recipes are intended as a guideline. Please feel free to add or take away ingredients in accordance with individual taste preference or dietary needs.

Barbados – Caribbean Islands // Christmas Glazed Ham

England // Sunday Roast. Rosemary and Garlic Roast Chicken

Plantain Stuffing

Guyana // Vegetarian Cook Up Rice

Jamaica // Ackee and Saltfish

West Africa // Jollof Rice

Jollof rice aka Jollof, is a rice dish from West Africa. Jollof is traditionally made with long grain rice, tomatoes, scotch bonnet pepper, onion, and spices. How Jollof is prepared varies across different regions. Jollof rice is a welcomed dish at many celebrations Christmas being one of them.

Ingredients

• 400g x 2 cups long grain or basmati rice
• x2 two tins 400g chopped tomatoes.
• 3 tbsp tomato purée.
• 1 red pepper.
• 1 scotch bonnet chilli
• 1 onion.
• 3 maggie cubes
• I chicken or vegetable stock cube.
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
• A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme.
• 2 bay leaves. (optional)
• 1 tbsp curry powder. (optional)

Method

• Blend the pepper, onion, tomatoes, and scotch bonnet to a smooth paste.
• Heat the oil in a medium sized pan add the blended tomato paste along with the curry powder thyme sprigs and bay leaves, maggie cubes and stock cube of choice. Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• While your tomato base Is simmering put the rice into a bowl, cover with cold water and use your hands to wash the grains. Tip the water out then repeat twice until the water runs clear.
• Add the rice to the pan, turn the heat down to a simmer then cover with foil and a lid (so no steam can escape) cook for approximately 20 mins or until rice is soft.

Jollof dish can be served with roast chicken or a protein of your choice. 

Ackee and salt fish is the national dish of Jamaica. It is made with salted codfish and the national fruit ackee. Traditionally the dish is served for breakfast on Christmas morning although it is eaten all year round.

Ingredients

• 1packet boneless salted cod.
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
• 1 medium onion finely chopped.
• 4 gloves garlic finely chopped.
• 3 spring thinly sliced.
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and finely chopped (you can half his dependent on taste
• A few sprigs of thyme. 
• ¼ tsp of black pepper or add according to your desired taste.
• 1 tsp ground pimento (allspice).
• ½ red pepper deseeded and finely chopped.
• ½ green pepper deseeded and finely chopped.
• 1 large tomato, chopped.
• 1 can ackee, drained.

Method

1. Put the salt cold in your pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then boil for 5 minutes, drain, and add fresh cold water to cover.
2. Repeat this process until you’re happy with the saltiness when tasted; approximately boil the fish three times in total to get a good balance of salt in the fish. Drain and leave to cool. Use a fork to shred the salted cod into pieces and set aside.
3. In a medium to large frying pan. Pour the vegetable oil into the frying pan and place over a high heat. Once the oil is sizzling hot, turn the heat down to low-medium. Add the onion, garlic, spring onions and scotch bonnet, then cook until soft, for around 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the salted cod, put in black pepper, thyme, and pimento, then mix it together and cook down for around 3 minutes.
5. Next, add in the red and green bell peppers, along with your tomato. Mix and cook -3 minutes. These ingredients help to bring a heat balance, so it’s not too spicy.
6. Gently stir in the ackee; the ackee is soft so it’s important to stir it in gently so the ackee does not “mash”.
7. Once stirred in, simmer for 3-5 minutes before serving.

Ackee and saltfish when eaten for breakfast can be severed with several sides such as fried /boiled dumpling, callaloo, breadfruit, boiled banana, or hard dough bread.

Cook-up rice is a one pot dish which is traditionally made on Old Year’s Night (New Year’s Eve).  Meat such as pork, lamb or beef is used in the dish as well as a range of vegetables.

This recipe is a vegetarian option.

Ingredients

• 300g long grain rice.
• 1 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil.
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar.
• 2–3 garlic cloves.
• 1 onion finely chopped.
• 1 tsp grated ginger. 
• 1 x 400g/14oz tin of cooked pigeon peas aka gungo peas, (black-eyed peas) or red kidney beans), drained.
• 200g/7oz pumpkin or seasonal squash, peeled and chopped into chunks.
• 2 carrots peeled and cubed.
• 2 okras, sliced.
• 150g/5½oz baby spinach.
• 1 tin of coconut milk.
• A few sprigs thyme.
• 1 chilli scotch bonnet finely chopped.
• 2 tsp salt.
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper.
• 15g/½oz coriander, roughly chopped.

Method

1. Wash the rice. Tip the rice into a bowl and rinse with cold water repeat two- or three-times unclear water is clear. Drain, then set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat and add the sugar. Keep the heat on low and wait for the sugar to caramelise. Once the sugar starts to bubble, stir in the garlic, onion, and ginger.
3. Add the drained peas, pumpkin, carrots, okra, and baby spinach. Mix well to make sure the vegetables don’t stick to the pan.
4. Before the spinach starts to wilt, add 250ml/9fl oz water with the coconut milk, thyme sprigs and Scotch bonnet. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
5. Season with the salt and pepper, then add the rice. Stir until everything is mixed and the veg is evenly distributed throughout the rice. Reduce the heat to low, cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated.
6. Turn off the heat and leave the pan covered for a further 20 minutes. The steam will finish cooking the rice.
7. Scatter over the roughly chopped coriander and serve.

Stuffing is a side dish to the “beloved” Sunday roast dinner. In England traditionally sage and onion stuffing was originally used. Today there are many variants of stuffing mixtures. Here is one using ripe plantain, a staple food which originates from south Asia and is used in many African and West Indian dishes.

Ingredients.

• I packet of stuffing mixture. For this recipe a cranberry, chestnut and orange stuffing mixture was used but feel free to use a stuffing mixture of your choice.
• 2 overripe plantains
• Boiling water according to packet instructions. The packet instructions for this recipe were 180ml
• The water is to combine the plantains and stuffing mixture

Method

1. Pre heat oven at 200c Fan / 180c for gas oven
2. Peel and cut the plantains. Place in a bowl and mash together.
3. Add the stuffing contents from the packet to the mashed plantains and mix
4. Boil water and add to the mix. Allow mixture to stand for 15 minutes
5. Place in a rectangle cake tin and bake in oven according to the instructions on the packet (For this recipe the stuffing mixture was baked for 20min)

Alternative Options

• Instead of placing the plantain mixture in a cake pan shape into small round balls and placed on a baking tray coated with oil. Bake in the oven according to the packet instructions.

• If cooking chicken or turkey the stuffing mixture can be placed in the cavity of the bird to cook while the meat is cooking. NB: The amount of ingredients needed will depend on the size of the chicken or turkey.