Monday, May 11, 2020

St.Martin

For the 'beginning' of our international date night shenanigans, I let Louis choose the first country.  As many of you know, this entails us choosing a folded up piece of paper with a country name on it, out of a ziploc bag. As luck would have it, he chose St.Martin, which was a country we hadn't done before.  As luck would UN-have it...is that even a thing?!?!....we're in the middle of the world wide Covid-19 pandemic, so some of the supplies were a bit difficult to source, and of course, I coulnd't really go into any stores like World Market or anything to see f they had any cool goodies....I doubt they would have, but you never know.

BUT, without further ado, here is St.Martin



Facts about St.Martin:

  • St. Martin is the smallest island in the world divided between two countries, France and the Netherlands. The island is 34 square miles in total size
  • The northern French part of the island is known as St. Martin and is an overseas collectivity of France.  The southern Dutch part  is known as St. Maarten and is one of four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
  • The land mass of St. Martin is split roughly 60/40 with the larger French side covering about 20 square miles.
  • Slightly more people, however, live on the Dutch side of the island (where the estimated population is 39,689) while 31,754 people reside on the French side.  Philipsburg is the biggest city of the Dutch side while Marigot is the capital of the French side.
  • The division of the island between the Netherlands and France dates to March 23, 1648, under the Treaty of Concordia. Local folklore indicates that the division of land began with walking contest between a Frenchman and a Dutchman. Before they started, the Frenchman drank wine while the Dutchman drank the stronger jenever (Dutch gin), allowing the Frenchman to cover more territory and claim more land. (The Dutch say he cheated.)
  • Before the French or the Dutch arrived, Christopher Columbus claimed the island for Spain on November 11, 1493. Since that day was celebrated as St. Martin Day, he named it Isla de San Martín after Saint Martin of Tours. Spain did not make settling the island a priority.
  • Wanting the island’s salt, the Dutch founded a settlement in 1631, erecting Fort Amsterdam as protection from invaders. Jan Claeszen Van Campen became its first governor, and the Dutch East India Company began their salt mining operations. French and British settlements sprang up on the island as well.
  •  Peter Stuyvesant was a major figure in the early history of New York City. Before he came to New York, however, Stuyvesant (born in the Netherlands in 1612) was director of the Dutch West India Company’s colony of Curacao from 1642 to 1644. In 1644, Stuyvesant led an attack on the Spanish-held island of St. Martin. A cannonball injured Stuyvesant’s right leg, causing it to be amputated below the knee. When his leg was replaced with a wooden peg, and he became known as “Peg leg Pete.” A year later, in May 1645, Peg leg Pete Stuyvesant was selected by the Dutch West India Company as Director-General of the New Netherland colony, which became New York City.
  • Despite its short runway that is located between a large hill and a beach, major airlines fly large jet aircraft into St. Martin’s Princess Juliana International Airport. 
  • There is no physical border between the Dutch and French sides of the island but there are 37 white sandy beaches to enjoy.
Lolos are a roadside BBQ joint that serve various fare, but ribs seems to be a standard staple.  No one that I found online declares to have an a exact recipe, but i did find a recipe from a chef in St.Martin for BBQ ribs as well as johnny cakes which also seem to be an standard staple with most meals.
St.Martin Lolo style Ribs



Ingredients:
♦ 3lb barbecue ribs
♦ 2 tbsp garlic powder
♦ 3 tbsp cumin
♦ 1 tbsp pepper
♦ 1 tbsp paprika
♦ 1/3 cup soy sauce
Directions:
For the ribs:  With a sharp knife, remove the silver sinew on the underside of the meat (or ask your butcher to do it). Next, combine the dry ingredients and soy sauce then rub on both sides of the ribs. Once the ribs have been evenly covered, place in glass dish, cover and refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to start cooking, preheat the oven to 350F and pre-bake the ribs in the oven to tenderize, for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Afterwards, throw the ribs on the grill for 15 minutes each side. When there’s just a few minutes to go, slather the ribs in barbecue sauce. Chi Chi recommends combining a few dashes of brown sugar and garlic powder with Kraft barbecue sauce – it’s as easy as that!

Caribbean Coleslaw, via Immaculate bites


Ingredients:
    • 1-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or to taste
    • 2-4 Tablespoons Combination Honey and/or Brown Sugar
    • ½ Jalapenos pepper minced about 1 Tablespoons or more adjust to taste
    • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 1 teaspoon Caribbean hot sauce adjust to taste
    • 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 6 cups cored and shredded Napa Savoy, green and/or red cabbage
    • 1 Large Ripe Mango peeled , sliced or Julienne
    • 1 cup shredded carrots
    • 2-3 diced scallion more or less
    • White pepper to taste
    • 1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
    • 1/2 cup nuts almonds, sun flower seeds more or less nut
    • Salt to taste
Directions:
  • Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl;  honey, the hot sauce, mustard, white pepper, garlic, vinegar, lemon, Jalapeños pepper, and olive oil : Shake like crazy -to emulsify for about 2 minutes. Set aside. Be sure to shake it before each use.
  • Arrange Cabbage, Coleslaw, Carrots, scallons, mago in a bowl.
  • Add dressing to salad and toss to coat right before serving.Sprinkle with parsley and almonds
  • You may chill at this point. Serve when ready
St.Martin Johnny Cakes via St Maarten Nectar


Ingredients:


  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2-4 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons room temperature butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
  1. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and work in the butter with your fingers.
  2. Add 1 cup of water to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
  3. Sprinkle some extra flour onto a flat surface and knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Feel free to sprinkle additional flour on the surface as needed.
  4. Allow the dough to sit in a clean bowl covered with a towel for at least 30 minutes.
  5. After dough has rested, heat the oil in frying pan over medium heat.
  6. Create small balls of dough and roll out the dough into circles on a lightly-floured surface with a rolling pin or the palm of your hand. Be sure to not make them too thin.
  7. Pierce each piece with a fork or sharp knife several times and then drop in hot oil.
  8. Fry on each side until golden brown.
  9. Allow to cool and drain on paper towel or brown paper bag.
Rice and Peas via food.com

Ingredients:
Directions:
  •   Rinse and sort beans and place in a stockpot.
  • Cover with several inches of water and soak overnight,-or- bring to a boil, boil gently for 3 minutes, then remove from heat, cover, and allow to sit undisturbed for 1 hour.
  • Drain and rinse beans.
  • Bring to a boil with chicken stock, water, and coconut cream.
  • Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours or until beans are tender and creamy.
  • Add the thyme, allspice, scallion, onion, garlic, scotch bonnet, brown sugar, uncooked rice, salt and pepper.
  • Check the level of liquid over the rice and make sure there is at least one inch of liquid (if not, you may add water or broth to cover).
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until rice is tender.
  • Serve hot as a side dish, with Jamaican hot sauce as a condiment, if desired.
  • For Vegetarian use water not the chicken broth or stock.




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