Foods on the island of Dominica

I have not been blogging because internet access in Dominica is intermittent, at best.

Dominica is a beautiful Caribbean island, virtually untouched by American developers, therefore, it has maintained its natural resources and beauty. It is often said that if Christopher Columbus came back to the Caribbean today, this is the only island he would recognize. Full or waterfalls, rivers, mineral deposits, sulphur springs and fruit and vegetable trees everywhere.

The first place I was staying at, a guest house near the Trafalgar Waterfalls, had a breadfruit tree and a coconut tree in the yard. I visited a relative yesterday who lived way up in the mountains and on her land, she had dasheen bush, avocado tree, christophene tree (chayote to Spanish and Americans, cho-cho to Jamaicans), Scotch Bonnet pepper plants, huge thyme bushes, fresh parsley, lettuce, cabbage, and pineapple tree. Wouldn’t it be amazing to wake up in the morning and have nothing in the refrigerator to eat. No need to go to the store, just go in your backyard and have your pick!! What a life!!

Roseau is the capital and you walk the whole thing in a few hours. Most of the variety stores are owned by the Chinese and there are 3 Chinese restaurants. The rest are rum shops with fast food and some snackettes and restaurants. Most restaurants close around 6 or 7pm, if you are lucky. Better eat early here, otherwise your only alternatives are fast food – KFC, Chinese and pizza or the expensive hotel restaurants. But when you are able to get food at the restaurants it is delicious. I tried a wonderful wildlife animal called agouti. It was stewed in creole sauce with tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic. It was delicious and it has its own taste. I also had Crab Calaloo which I think is the best thing I have had here so far – It is calaloo soup completely pureed with crab and dumplings that were so light and airy.

But the most common foods here are saltfish and ground provision. You pretty much get this everywhere you go. Saltfish (aka codfish) usually sautéed with onions, peppers and tomatoes after the salt has been boiled out of the fish. Ground provisions are boiled root vegetables that will include fig (green bananas), white yam, sweet potatoes, plantain, eddoe and dasheen.

I am learning some great recipes here that I will be able to pass on to my clients in the US, so get ready for some food with a Dominican (not Dominican Republic) influence.


Chef Mireille
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Dominica - I will see you on Wednesday

Many of you are aware that I will be going to Dominica on Wednesday for both business and personal reasons.

Although my family is from the Caribbean, it has been 10 years since I have visited and I cannot wait to smell the air, taste the fresh fruits and vegetables (which tastes totally different than the ones purchased here). It must be the soil.

In the small islands, you don't exit the planes through a vacuum that connects directly into the airport. Instead a stairwell is placed against the airplane and you descend right onto the landing strip and walk to the airport. It is wonderful as you smell the Caribbean air and feel the breeze and heat of the sun. It is a feeling I can't explain and welcome you all to come and visit so you can experience what I cannot put into words.

I will be blogging from there giving you ideas to create some delicious Caribbean meals here at home in NY while I am there in Dominica.

All client inquiries should reach me via email, as I will not be in phone contact.

Thank you.


Chef Mireille
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Where's the Beef? - Not on Barbados

We in America are huge beef eaters, although our consumption has decreased in recent years for health reasons.

The Caribbean however, is different. Chicken, Goat, local fish and seafood are the main protein sources for this region. Any of you who have visited the Caribbean will know that the food is flavored with many spices like allspice, thyme, parsley, cinnamon, coconut. These are very common in Caribbean cuisine, as well as the fiery Scotch Bonnet pepper, if you can can handle it. Most Americans love Caribbean food - Here in NY any place that serves Jerk Chicken is bound to have a diverse clientele.

However, the same cannot be said for Caribbeans. They usually find American food very bland. This is especially true to the island of Barbados, home of flying fish and pepperpot. McDonalds had opened a location in Barbados but the Bajan people were not impressed and they sent McDonald's packing. I think this is probably one of the only places in the world that McDonald's had to jump ship!

If you haven't been to the Caribbean yet, I suggest taking a trip if even only for the food.

Have fun!!


Chef Mireille
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Organic Shopping at Union Sq.

I stopped by the Unions Sq. Farmer's Market today, the largest Farmer's Market in the NYC Metro area. I had not been there in a long time and everytime I am blown away by how diverse nature is.

Purple Bell Peppers, Brown Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Red Scallions (look purple)! I can't wait to eat these and get all those vitamins into me. The darker the vegetable, the better it is for you. The darker colored vegetables are extrmely rich in anti oxidants. That is why orange sweet potatoes are better than white ones. That is true for all foods - brown sugar is better than white sugar, whole wheat flour is better than white flour.

And one of the reasons I would not go to the Farmer's Market very often is because of the prices. I know how much better it is for me to eat organic without hormones and pesticides, but unfortunately my wallet cannot always afford it. I am glad to see that is changing. With demand for organics so much higher, prices are not what they once were.
Organic lamb for 10/lb.
The largest heads of cauliflower I have seen in my life for 3.50 a head.
This huge bunch of fresh chiles was $6.00 for the whole bunch.

The Union Sq. market is open Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 8a-6p. Saturday is the best day to go, however, because all of the merchants are there. They don't all come on the other days.

Especially those of you who have children, it is very important to feed them organics especially dairy. Since young children drink so much milk, ingesting all those hormones on a regular basis is so bad. That is why we have 6 year old girls starting to menstruate and developing breasts. The hormones are making their bodies develop too quickly and that is so bad with all these pedophiles around. Young children that age don't realize what some men's motives are and are unequipped to interpret the signals.

I am going to start eating organic a lot more often and buying organics for my clients - with these prices, I and them can afford to do it!

On the same topic, I saw an interesting documentary the other day called How To Save the World - I am not sure where it is available - perhaps Netflix?? I saw it as part of the South Asian International Film Festival and it was about the switch many farmers in India are doing, switching to organic. When farming is your livelihood as it is for many Indians, a failed crop means your family does not eat that year. Many crops were failing when they started using chemically engineered hybrid seeds. The amount of farmers committing suicide was rising year after year. Now that many farmers have switched back to the way they were raising their crops for centuries before huge corporations convinced them to switch, their crops are succeeding again and farmer suicides are starting to decrease.

Catch this movie if you can.

As long as you can afford it, I am pushing organic on you all!!!


Chef Mireille
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Kari Patta

The curry leaf is a unique ingredient, used in Indian cuisine, spicifically in South Indian cuisine. It is not to be confused with curry powder. In fact, curry leaves are not usually included in curry powder's, either from India and Southeast Asia or the Caribbean.

It is a unique herb found in the gardens of most South Indian homes. Visit anyone in Kerala and I can almost guarantee they will have a kari plant in their garden. It is a primary ingredients used in the sambhar, chutney, dahl and curries of South India. It has such a unique taste, that it is difficult to describe. It has kind of an anise, licorice like taste, similar to Thai Basil, but more potent. Only a few leaves are added at the end of cooking an entire pot of curry. It is left for a few minutes to flavor the curry and then it is unlike any other curry you have ever had. The flavor is indescribable unless you have experienced it yourself.

As with much of the ingredients used in Indian cooking, the curry leaf also has medicinal uses. The Ayurvedic tradition uses kari patta. On their own, they are an excellent digestive and improve stomach functions. Mixed with other ingredients, they serve a variety of uses. One common Ayurvedic cure for diarrhea is mixing these leaves wiht mint and coriander and mixing it with fresh juice. It also has been used in helping to control and sometimes eliminate non insulin dependent diabetes. Results have been proven after drinking kari patta tea for a period of 3 months.

In addition to turmeric, this is another wonderful Indian herb that provides great taste and great health benefits. I have used this in two of the new products available at Global Tastes & Travels. The South Indian Paradise tea includes these wonderful curry leaves, in addition to other typical South Indian ingredients like coconut and lemongrass. Curry leaves are also one of the primary ingredients in the Indian spice blend, in addition to coriander, ginger, mustard, aamchur (dried mango) powder and a myriad of other spices that characterizes the Indian diaspora.

If you want to purchase the fresh leaves in New York, you can find them at Kalustyan's on Lexington between 28th and 29th and they are also available in Queen's at Patel Brothers on 74th Street in Jackson Heights, between 37th Avenue and 37th Road. They can be found in the fresh produce section and costs about $1 for a 1 ounce bag.

Try some curry leaves and add it to your stews and soups also for a distinctive flavor.!!

Galangal and More

Galangal, aka as Laos is a common ingredient used in Thai cooking, as
well as in other Southeast Asian cuisines like Indonesian and Malaysian.
It is very similar to ginger in appearance, but it is softer and can be
chopped and used in curries and stews, without peeling. It also has the
floral pungency of ginger, but to a lesser degree. This along with a
myriad of other flavors is what makes Thai cuisine so unique. Many
subtle flavors added together create this WOW in your mouth, that many
of us find so irresistible.
It is very difficult to find fresh galangal. There is only 2 places I
know of in New York City, the international food capital of the world,
that carries fresh galangal. They are both in Chinatown - Asia Market
Corporation at 71 1/2 Mulberry Street and Bangkok Center Grocery at 104
Mosco Street.
My Thai Spice Blend that I have developed is a wonderful mixture of all
the flavors that make Thai cuisine unique - Kaffir Lime Leaves,
Galangal, Lemongrass, Chiles, Peanuts and Coriander. Due to the
uniqueness of these products, this is the most costly one to produce and
therefore, it is the most expensive blend of the Global Tastes &
Travels' spice blends. So now is the time to order it at the discount
rate!! Time is running out.
Thanks!!


Chef Mireille
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Currency Converter

Good Afternoon Everyone:
It is sometimes difficult to follow recipes when they come from
International sources which uses the metric system. Here is a great
tool to help you convert those recipes to the American standard
measurements and vice versa .
It is a great help to me when I am writing recipes for my clients. I
hope it is helpful for all you cooks out there as well:
http://www.ez-calculators.com/measurement-conversion-calculator.htm
It is especially helpful in converting very small quantities. Many of
the currency converters out there will only convert grams to pounds and
it can bedifficult to determine what 0.02187 of a pound is. This
converter will convert from gram to ounce which makes things much easier.
Good Luck on all of your International cooking!!!!


Chef Mireille
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Caribbean Spice

The Caribbean Spice Blend is a mix of the cultures and cuisines of the Caribbean. It has the earthiness of its African roots with thyme, parsley and allspice. The Indian influence is present with the addition of cardamom and the heat of cayenne. These are just a few of the influences in the complexities present in this spice blend. It is wonderful on grilled meats and works as a great seasoning base for cooking JERK.
It also tastes great on grilled vegetables!!!! And works as a great spice rub for roasted meats.


Please try and enjoy!!!

Rose Paradise

Hi Everyone:
Hope you all are enjoying the beautiful Saturday afternoon we are having.
To highlight another one of Global Tastes and Travels' teas, Rose
Paradise is a nice cup to enjoy on a beautiful day like today. It is a
blended green tea made with 100% Green Darjeeling tea leaves.
Darjeeling is the most reknowned tea in the world and I have mixed the
wonderful natural flavor of these tea leaves with rose blossoms, dried
pomegranate and honeysuckle. The tart of the pomegranate with the sweet
of the honeysuckle creates a perfect harmony on your taste buds.
I hope you enjoy your trip to this Rose Paradise.
Time is running out for the preview sale, so don't forget to place your
advance orders!!!


Chef Mireille
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Chiles, Turmeric and Shrimp

Good Morning All:
Global Tastes & Travels Inc. Indonesian Spice Blend is the next one I am
going to give you some info about.
Among other herbs and spices, three of the main ingredients in it at
Chiles, Turmeric and Shrimp. It is made with dried Birds Eye's chiles,
the most common chile used in Asian cooking. Shrimp is a main
ingredient in much Indonesian cooking. Even when vegetables and rice
are cooked, dried shrimp is also added to impart flavor. Turmeric is a
wonderful flavor and color additive. Fresh turmeric looks similar to
ginger, but has a much milder taste. Turmeric is a natural food
coloring used in many food products.
In addition to the wonderful marriage of flavors these products bring to
your table in the Indonesian Spice Blend, there are also great medicinal
values as well. In India, the art of Ayurvedic medicine is usually
handed down from generation to generation and there are studies done
where Ayurvedic medicine has shown to get rid of many life threatening
diseases such as cancer, using all natural products that the earth has
given us.
Turmeric is one of the most commonly used medicinal herbs in India.
There it is called haldi. Haldi is used as a preventitive course as
well as a curing agent in the following ailments: flatulence, jaundice,
bloody urine, menstrual pain, hemorrhage, toothaches, bruises, chest
pain, colic, childhood leukemia, cystic fribrosis, motion sickness,
nausea, colon cancer, Alzheimer's disease. In some cases, parents have
exhausted all their $ going to traditional doctors who offered no help
and through the use of Ayurvedic medicine, cancers and other illnesses
have been cured in their children.
Chiles are rich in Vitamin C and also help to destroy bacteria and boost
metabolism.
So using this spice blend will not only add flavor to your grilled
meats, soups and stews, but it will also be doing your body some good as
well!!!
Remember, time is running out - the preview sale prices only last until
October 11th!!!!


Chef Mireille
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Curry and Dragon Stout

I was never a big beer drinker. Once in a while, I would drink a Corona
or Grolsch (whenever I am in Holland, where my Mom's family is from).
When I was in college I used to drink Amstel Light, but I outgrew that
affinity years ago. I am more a mixed drink kind of person - the
typical , fruity drinks that women like - Green Apple Martinis and
Malibu with Pineapple are two of my faves.
It was only when I started living with someone who was a big beer
drinker that I started drinking beer on a regular basis. He got me to
try a lot of different beers so I can find ones that I really liked.
Some I hated - they were either too bitter or just had no taste at all
(especially light beers). Years ago, a friend of mine had gotten me to
try Guinness and I practically threw up right there in the bar. so I
have pretty much stayed far, far away from stout. So it took a long
time, but I finally bit the bullet and agreed to try Dragon Stout and
the beginning I said it was good. But the more I drink it, the more I
love it. It is now my favorite beer. Most beers I usually nurse and it
will take me at least an hour to finish one. This is the only beer that
I can drink like soda or juice. It is sweet, smooth and pleasant, with
the spicy flavors of the Caribbean. Usually, I just drink it when I am
hanging out.
However, the other night I ate it with dinner. I had made some Indian
food - Dahl and Basmati rice with a lamb curry and okra (bhindi) - a
medium spicy curry - not the blazing heat of Vindaloo, but more heat
than is found in Korma and oh Lord, it was Heaven on Earth.
The sweetness of the Dragon Stout was a perfect marriage with the heat
of the curry. Maybe that is why it is brewed in Jamaica, where people
can enjoy their Dragon Stout with their chicken and goat curry.
In NY, you can find it it any Caribbean neighborhood and some specialty
liquor stores. If you like curry, I suggest you getting some ice cold
Dragon Stout to go with it!

Floral Spice

Good Evening Everyone or should I say Good Morning (it is after
midnight, after all)
The next Global Tastes product I am highlighting is one of my blended
teas. The teas that I am selling are all loose teas.
Floral Spice is a 100% herbal tisane made with hibiscus, rose,
nasurtium, jasmine, honeysuckle, citrus and other spices. It is a
soothing tea with a pleasant, floral aroma and a naturally, sweet taste
that does not even need sugar.
This is my favorite tea, out of the entire selection!
By the way, I discovered a 1623 dictionary of culinary terms - great for
Trivia- I will be sharing with you some of the terms.
delibate - to sip
So you can try Floral Spice and delibate to your heart's content.


Chef Mireille
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