Antigua and Barbuda: Caribbean Pepperpot Stew

Here in Canada, it’s a little chilly right now. I’m kind of at that point in winter where I regret singing “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow’ back in December. I am very ready for warn weather and all that that entails; shorts, tank tops, open windows, sun! 

Yesterday I was very excited to be making food from Antigua and Barbuda; islands in the Caribbean. I was hoping for some tropical dish that would, at least for a moment, make me forget about the blustering, cold weather.

While looking up typical cuisine of Antigua and Barbuda, Wikipedia (my best friend) kindly told me that the national dishes there are fungie and pepperpot. Pepperpot caught my attention (because it sounded like something that might warm me up). After a bit more research and digging I came across what is currently my favourite recipe; Caribbean Pepperpot Stew.

I was intrigued by the ingredient list at first. How would sweet potato, jerk seasoning, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce (man that’s a hard word to spell)… as well as other ingredients, taste together? Well, let me tell you… stinkin’ AMAZING! This was the best stew that I’ve ever had. It was both sweet and spicy. Such a mix of flavours and colours. I don’t know about you, but the appearance of food is a big thing to me. Colourful things just look more appetizing, and this was very colourful; red, green, orange, brown. If you’re going to listen to me at all while following along on this journey… do it now. MAKE THIS STEW! You will definitely thank me later. (You’re welcome). Also, a bonus to the dish, is that it is SO incredibly easy to make. Preparation is like 10 minutes. All you have to do is brown the meat, cut up a few vegetables, measure out a few things, then dump it all in a casserole dish and throw it in the oven for an hour and a half. Bonus also, it makes your house smell amazing. Jamie had to leave for a little while while the stew was cooking, but when he got home, the first thing he commented on was how good our place smelled.

Jamie and I are going to be keeping a record of what dish was our favourite overall by the end of the year. We both agreed that this was the best dish yet.

Sigh, just looking at this picture again makes my mouth water. Unfortunately though, I just finished up the leftovers a few hours ago. 😦

Caribbean Pepperpot Stew

Low calorie cooking spray
400g stewing beef, all visible fat removed, cut into bite-size pieces
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
200g green beans, trimmed and halved
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp jerk seasoning
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ tsp sweetener
200g passata with onions and garlic
200ml beef stock
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/Gas 3. Place a medium, flameproof casserole dish sprayed with low calorie cooking spray over a high heat I just cooked the meat in a frying pan then added it to the casserole dish with the other ingredients). Add the beef and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

Add the peppers, sweet potato, beans, garlic, jerk seasoning, wine vinegar, sweetener, passata, stock and Worcestershire sauce. Season and stir well. Cover and cook for 1½ hours, or until the beef is meltingly tender.

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.slimmingworld.com/recipes/caribbean-pepperpot-stew.aspx

See, doesn’t that sound like a super easy recipe to make? Well, it is… so go make it. Seriously, anyone who has not tried this is missing out. Warning though for those, who like myself, are really wimpy when it comes to spicy foods, this is a spicy dish. My mouth was on fire while eating, but I couldn’t stop because it was just so dang good.

Alright, I really should be going to bed soon (it’s 12:54am, yes, I am a night owl for sure!). Because of only making dishes from two countries last week, my schedule got messed up. So this week I am trying to do five countries. Well, it’s Wednesday night (well technically Thursday morning now), and I have got 1/5 countries done. I’d say I’m doing pretty well 😛 These are going to be a busy next few days. Wish me good luck as I once again venture out to try new dishes. Next stop, Armenia.

In case you missed my last post on Argentina, in which I made a delicious, cheese-filled, onion topped pizza, check it out here. 7 countries down, 188 more to go!