Category: Ramblings

How to Make Johnny Cakes, Fried Heaven on a Plate

by Crucian Contessa

Back, by popular demand – here is my world famous (OK, only in my house famous) Johnny Cake recipe! Johnny Cakes are fried heaven on a plate, or a napkin, or just balanced hot on your fingertips, because you couldn’t wait to find either a plate or a napkin before you tore into it. It is one of our MOST traditional island favorites.

There are some foods that are strictly breakfast, lunch, or dinner foods. Johnny Cakes are that rare breed of food that defies those rigid boxes. You can enjoy them any time of day! Quick and easy, they fry up fast and are gone just as quickly! Tooooooo good!

This recipe requires you to bring something a little extra to the kitchen in addition to the ingredients. You will have to walk with an extra little bit of patience and intuition. You’re going to have to let the dough tell you what it needs. Sounds weird but that is what the kitchen does…it gives you opportunities to test your skills through the best teacher of all–trial and error. It took me some time to perfect my Johnny Cake skills, and I only got better with each new try. That’s my wish for us all in the kitchen and in life–TRY!! As they say, you never fail from trying, either you win or you learn!

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Hurricane Maria

by Crucian Contessa

I wrote this soon after the devastating Hurricane Maria ravaged our home and posted it on FB. I had little to no access to the internet at that time, so I wanted to share it with you now. We are still in the rebuilding phase of our island life. And much help is still needed to bring us back to where we need to be. Thank you for hanging in there with me. This has been a difficult year for me personally as well as for my island. But I have hope. Always. Always. Hope. 

Love. 

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Lime in De Coconut Seafood Soup

by Crucian Contessa

“I won’t make this soup again!” was what I declared after making this soup. It was a labor of love built from imagination, love, and time. It is based on a thai recipe for Tom Kha Ghai, which is made with chicken. But I wanted to keep the base but add only local seafood. Today is Good Friday so most folks on our Rock are eating only seafood. This would have made a fine addition to any holiday lunch table. I’m sharing a few pics from this decadent concoction. This is just a “Kitchen Rambling.” I wish there were a recipe to share, except I won’t be making it soon enough to reproduce one! I did say it was a LOT of work right?!? But, man, was it FULL of uncompromising flavor!  Read More

The Honest Woman

by Crucian Contessa

 

“The Honest Woman!” he called out as I stood near his fruit stand. His name is Willo! And he is one of the local farmers who sells his products in Frederiksted. “The Honest Woman” was a name born from the day I was on my way back from the Frederiksted Community Garden. I saw some of the FRESHEST, fattest, seasoning peppers, along with some dried coconuts that were heavy with water just begging me to make coconut milk, perched on his stall! I had forgotten my wallet so I didn’t have any money with me. When he saw the sheer joy on my face for his harvest, he said, “Go ahead and take them. Pay me when you see me.”

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St. Johnian Sea Salt

by Crucian Contessa

 

 

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We Crucians have a saying, “There is more to the mortar than the pestle.” It usually means there is something else going on. Well, there is much in my mortar and it is just beautiful! It must be something incredibly special to send me flying to my keyboard to share a foodie thought. The picture above is what I consider the Holy Grail of salt. It is rare and you can’t buy it. It can only be “friended”–given from the heart. Read More

Caribbean Life-HGTV

by Crucian Contessa

 

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There are a thousand benefits to befriending the folks who make your food. The gift of foodie insight, great food, and being on HGTV? Well, the latter was beyond unexpected, but a memory I won’t soon forget. Thankful to my farmer friends at Artfarm, Christina Gasperi, for suggesting to the folks at “Caribbean Life” that they visit our home as an example of the kind of food sharing and community that exists on our little Rock! Read More

Delicious Living Magazine!!!

by Crucian Contessa

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Happiness. It feels like someone stuck a handful of sunshine way down into your spirit and let  the warmth of it build and spread up to find a place on your face called your lips that curl and bend into a deep unchanging smile for hours! That’s just a little bit of how I felt when I saw the FIVE page spread that Delicious Living Magazine gave to Crucian Contessa! Read More

Hubby Honey Collections

by Crucian Contessa

One of the many reasons I adore my husband is his love of all things nature. He is a wild man. If I’m looking for him around the house and can’t find him, I  give a shout to the four trade winds and he answers with his hands in the dirt planting, pruning, or growing something! Lately, he has taken on a love of bees. He’s a true novice, but he learns so quickly! This week, he took off  to help a friend who called him to clear a wild hive. The reward was this beautiful sample of raw Crucian honey! Oh…Dear…Lord. Yes, each word needed to be said separately. An ethereal lightness matched by a sunshine citrus brightness. I have no idea what these bees were gnoshing on, but the honey sample he brought back was supple and DEHLICIOUS!!

Fresh Honey
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