Floribbean Pepperpot, Baked Risotto!, Salmon Wellington, Victoria Sponge

Floribbean Pepperpot
Here's my vegetarian take on a classic Bajan slow-cooked beef and veg dish.  On the island of Barbados they use a tough cut of beef and cook it into submission by braising it low and slow.  

6 large Carrots, peeled and cut into 4" lengths
1 cuo Butternut Squash Cubes
1 Red and 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 White Onion, sliced
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 large fresh Tomato, diced

Broth:
2 cups Water
1 Tbsp Vegetable Bouillion Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Allspice
1 tsp fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes -- to taste

Saute in a large covered skillet saute the onion, bell peppers, and garlic until the onions are turning translucent.  Add the tomato and cook a few minutes more.

Push the saute to the side, add the carrot and squash, then arrange the other veg back around them.  Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to 225-250F and simmer, covered, for 1+ hours until the carrots are fork tender.  Check the liquid level at the half-hour mark and add a bit of water if needed.

Serve with rice, or as I did, with a mix of half rice/half quinoa "Spanish" style -- seasoned with achiote, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, etc. Achiote (annatto seed powder) gives the dish it's signature orange/red color.  I use the Badia brand Sazon Tropicaltm blend rather than making my own mixture of spices.  

Baked Risotto
One of my UK cookery friends turned me on to this BBC Good Food technique for making risotto without all the whisking and stirring.  Instead of the haddock and leek in the original recipe, I used crimini mushrooms and shrimp.  As written this serves four as a main course.

1 Tbsp Butter or Oliviotm
1 Leek or Sweet White Onion, sliced
1-1/2 cups Risotto Rice -- I prefer Arborio
3 cups Stock or Broth -- I used water with vegetable powder and mushroom powder
1 cup Whole Milk
6 oz Shrimp -- I used pre-cooked locally sourced
4 oz sliced Crimini Mushrooms
4 oz Baby Spinach
3 Tbsp Skyr or Sour Cream or  Crème Fraîche
Fresh cracked Black Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400F.

In a large skillet on the stovetop, saute the onion in butter until just turning soft.  Add the rice, stir to combine, and cook a couple more minutes.  Add the liquids, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.  Fold in the shrimp and mushrooms.

Transfer to an ovenproof baking dish, cover with a lid or foil, and bake for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.  Turn the heat off.

Fold in the skyr/cream and spinach, crack on some pepper, cover and return the dish to the oven for 3-5 minutes to wilt the spinach.

Winner, winner, Risotto Dinner!!  This is a keeper folks! 

If you love risotto but hate standing at the stove stirring, this is the dish for you!   


Salmon Wellington
Sally loves her salmon, and this was her requested birthday dinner, along with some stir fried broccoli...

12-14 oz Salmon filets.  I used two pieces, 6-7 oz, skin-on
1 sheet Puff Pastry
6-8 oz sliced Crimini Mushrooms
6-8 oz Baby Spinach
1 Egg, beaten

Par cook the salmon until almost done (I used my air-fryer).  Remove the skin and save it for your cat or dog.  Reserve

Par cook the spinach -- heat a 1/4 cup of water in a large skillet, add the spinach and cover.  Turn the heat off and let it wilt for 4-5 minutes.  Then drain and cool.  Reserve

Saute the mushrooms in a pat of butter, hot and fast so they don't shrink much.  Reserve.

Beat an egg.

Thaw the puff pastry and rolls it out a couple inches larger all around.   Lay down the mushrooms to form a bed of the salmon filets.  Layer the spinach on top of the filets.  Egg wash the pastry around the salmon and fold it over to seal.  Poke a few holes with a fork, lay the Wellington on a parchment covered baking sheet.  Egg wash the outside of the pastry.  Bake for 30 minutes at 400F.

Rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Victoria Sponge Cake
Sally's traditional birthday cake for me to make.  I used the recipe from English food-diva Mary Berry.  Yes I weighed the ingredients.   Simple actually:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Spray or grease two 8"  baking tins and line the bottoms with parchment.

4 Eggs
8 oz Sugar
8 oz Self-rising Flour
8 oz Butter at room temperature, sliced into pats
2 tsp Baking Powder 
Strawberry Jam or other fruit jam
Fresh Strawberries or other fruit
Whipped Cream -- real beaten cream is best, but spray cream or Cool Whiptm are OK.

Mix together (hand or stand mixer) everything until they just all come together without lumps.   

Divide the batter (again I weighed them) between the two baking tins and smooth the tops.  Bake for 20-30 minutes until the tops are golden and the cake is pulling away from the edge of the tin a bit.  Cool 10 minutes before unmolding and letting the cakes cool entirely.

Put one the cakes upside down on your cake plate.  Schmear a nice thick layer of jam on the first cake.  You can also add sliced fruit here if you want.

Carefully set the second cake right-side up on top of the jam. 

Cover the top of the cake with whipped cream and sliced fruit. Look at those giant strawberry slices!

You could also dust with candy sprinkles, cocoa powder, even flavored gelatin powder (Jell-O) for an added kick.  Let the cake chill for a couple hours before slicing and serving.