Making Love in the Kitchen

In honour of one of Toronto most vibrant festivals of the year, Scotiabank Caribana Festival, this week is dedicated to the flavours and spirit of  the part of the world I love best, the Caribbean.

The other day I was talking with my friend Josh about my plans for my 30th birthday and how I was thinking about heading far far away to Bali. “You really have a thing for the hot places”, he said to me. I do! I believe it began when I was about eleven years old. For Winter holidays back in 1991, my family along with my cousins, headed to Jamaica for a two week vacation. We went back every year after that for nearly fifteen years.

I was hooked. I haven’t been to that many islands in the Caribbean and my issue with boats doesn’t help that. Since that first trip to Jamaica, I seriously yearn all year around for the tropics (hence my retreat!). Along with my cousin Lauren and our friend Selena, who lived there half the year,  we grew up with the boys that hung out at the nearby fisherman’s beach.  We would spend all day hanging out at the beach and at the end of our stay on the island, there were always tears and the countdown would immediately begin for our return.

I was back a couple years ago and saw the boys, now all grown up with families of their own.

That is why I love Caribana so much. This annual festival brings the reggae vibe alive all over Toronto, with people coming from across North America. I love the hot humidity, the ocean breeze, those crazy downpours that disappear as quickly as they came, the salt water, the white sand, the music, the people and, of course, the food.

My first taste of curry was not a pleasant one. My parents told my brother Michael and I we were eating chicken. After a few bites, I knew full well it was not chicken that I was eating. There were these weird little bones and it just wasn’t chicken. With a sudden wave of horror as if I had just been told I was eating my own arm, I knew what it was that had been boiled up in a curry sauce.

It was years before I would even look at curry, no matter what kind it was. I believe it actually wasn’t until I was back in nutrition school and someone shared their curried vegetable soup with me that I realized how delicious it was when something I considered a pet, wasn’t a part of the dish.

Here is my most delicious recipe for a Caribbean Curried Vegetable Soup

Caribbean Curried Vegetable Soup

1 onion chopped
1 large potato, washed/diced
1 small cauliflower, chopped
1/2 sweet potato, diced
2  carrots, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1 Tbs ginger root, grated
1 Tbs Olive or Coconut oil
3 tsp ground turmeric
3 tsp ground coriander seeds
2 tsp ground cumin seeds
2 tsp mustard seeds
4 cups vegetable stalk or water
3 tsp unrefined sea salt
1 1/4 cup natural yogurt (optional)
Black pepper to taste (optional)
Fresh parsley or cilantro to garnish

• Heat oil in large pot, add spices, olive oil and 1/4 cup of water
• Heat until spices become aromatic (but not burning) and add onion, garlic and ginger. Stir for 2-3 minutes (if getting sticking, add a little more water)
• Add remaining vegetables and mix thoroughly with spices. Make sure vegetables are coated. Heat for about 5 minutes.
• Add stalk/water and salt. Stir and ensure water covers all vegetables. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes
• Can puree in a blender or serve chunky.
• Stir in yogurt, garnish with cilantro or parsley.

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As for Caribana, this is what is coming! People get ready.