I love my heritage.

I love where I come from.

Even though I wasn’t born in Jamaica I grew up there and feel a very strong connection to my mother’s home land.  My family used to spend Christmases in Jamaica and every morning when we would wake up the kitchen would be smelling so delicious. My cousin and I would race to see who could snag a fried dumpling first.  Now you know yours truly would always find a way to win, hehehe. There would be a big ol’ pot of ackee and saltfish simmering and plantains, bammy, fried breadfruit, and dumplings frying.

Oh gosh so many memories! 🙂

No one could make Ackee and Saltfish like my grandmama….  That’s why I knew it had to be one of the many dishes I had to conquer when I grew up.  I made this Jamaican national dish Christmas morning for my family so we could eat while opening presents, and let me just say, Christmas blessed our house with not only being surrounded by family but also some wonderful goodies as well. 😉  See for yourself…

Grandma I hope this recipe makes you proud! 😉
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Saltfish is just that, salted, dried fish, usually cod fish.  Saltfish is an integral ingredient in Jamaica’s national dish, Ackee and Saltfish.  You can find this salted fish in Caribbean, Italian and Asian markets. Choose pieces with white flesh, rather than yellow, with the skin still attached.

Saltfish should store, wrapped airtight, in a cool, dark place indefinitely.  Before using, soak for 12 to 24 hours, changing the water every 4 to 5 hours. The soaking softens the flesh and each water change reduces the salt. Drain the last batch of soaking water and pour boiling water over the saltfish; cover and allow to soak for about 15 minutes, or until the flesh is soft.

Then enjoy it in ackee or calaloo.
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(Image: Kaiton/Flickr)

“Mommy what’s that?”

“It’s ackee kk…”

“Mommy what’s ackee?”

These were the little questions my 4 1/2 year old daughter, asked me the morning I made Ackee and Saltfish for Christmas Day breakfast.

Ackee is a red pear-shaped tropical fruit that contains poisonous seeds inside.  No joke, the flesh of the ackee can be poisonous if it is unripe or overripe or cooked wrong.  The only edible part of this plant is the ripe, yellow fruit. It is ripe when the pod opens showing its beautiful yellow flesh.

Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica hence it being the country’s national dish, in Ackee and Saltfish.  Even though ackee is regarded as a fruit, Jamaicans often consider it to be a kind of meat that can be served with a staple or carbohydrate.  Due to its popularity, ackee can be found packaged in a can and found in specialty stores.  If you purchase the ackee from a can, make sure you get it from a reliable source. Make sure to always drain the ackee from the can water and rinse. Boil it in fresh water and rinse again. Then you can add it in your dish of choice.  Just beware that canned ackee can be expensive to buy, ranging from $12-$15 a 14 ounce can.

Have you ever tried ackee before?
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By day, Jen Schall works in the IT field as a systems analyst and database developer, however at night she is the fabulous food blogger extraordinaire at My Kitchen Addiction.  Please welcome her to ThatsSoYummy this week.

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If anyone knows me you know that I am NOT a big red meat eater.  Actually I stopped eating red meat or should I say steak years ago due to dancing.  I don’t know why but every time I would eat steak I would just feel very heavy and uncomfortable.  So I decided to just stop eating it.

Funny though because my husband loves a good piece of steak and so do my siblings and parents, well they used to before they got on this whole health kick diet and decided to not eat any meat or poultry for three months… but that is a COMPLETELY different story for a COMPLETELY different time. 🙂

Back to my rib-eyes…

Yep, these puppies were no joke, I decided to make these rib-eyes for Christmas Eve dinner at my house.  For some reason every time my mother, or husband would ask me “So what’s the menu this year for Christmas dinner?” my mind kept falling on rib-eyes. At the same time I started to have this insatiable craving for some red meat.  I know kinda crazy since I can literally tell you I haven’t had a piece of red meat in about 10 years, give or take.

That’s when I knew this was the time I was going to break my “No Eating Red Meat” call… and I was going to make my dad fall off the wagon as well… just saying.

and guess what….

He did! The minute my father walked into my kitchen he looked right at me and said I guess this is the night I cheat and eat a little red meat… I just laughed.  (See how well I know my daddy)

Here it is boys, start smaking your lips because this is a treat you won’t wanna miss! Trust me the bone is the best part.

Enjoy.
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Christmas has come… and Christmas has gone…. already!

Can you believe that…

That the year 2009 is practically over in just a few short days.  (Sigh)  Wow!  That’s pretty amazing if you ask me.  No more purchasing of the gifts, wrapping of the gifts, and last but not least opening of the gifts.  I am not sure sure how you celebrate Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day in your house but in mine we usually have a huge dinner the night before Christmas and then Christmas morning we go to brunch as a family later on in the day.

This year we did something a little different.  This year I cooked Christmas Eve dinner for my family and Christmas Eve breakfast, and let me tell you all being in the kitchen from 10am to 5pm, in one day is no joke. 🙂  Seriously… it was quite a day, but the result was simply AMAZING!

The menu consisted of, wait hold on….

First you have to promise me that you will not attempt to claw at your screen the minute you see the upcoming photos I am about to display for you… it wouldn’t be fair to your poor screen, hehehe. 😀

Here are a few things I made that night:

Rib-Eye Steaks marinated with fennel and rosemary.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese.

Twice-Baked Potatoes.

Mediterranean Salmon Pasta Bowl.

Are you drooling yet?  (Click recipe name below for all individual recipes… Enjoy!)

What did you eat on Christmas Eve? Would love to hear below…
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Parmigiano-Reggiano or otherwise known as parmesan cheese is a hard granular cheese, cooked but not pressed, named after the producing areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna (all in Emilia-Romagna), and Mantova (in Lombardia), Italy.

Did you know that only cheeses produced in theses areas are the only ones allowed to be labeled as Parmigiano-Reggiano… that’s right its an Italian law.

Parmigiano is the Italian adjective for Parma.  Parmesan, the French word and now used in the English language, came about as being used for cheese imitating Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Parmigiano-Reggiano is made from raw cow’s milk.  The process begins when a part-skim milk mixture that is combined with whey and allowed to heat.  Curdling is then produced and placed in a round mold and pressed into a wheel.  Once the cheese is stamped with the Parmigiano-Reggiano name it is then placed in salt water or  brine for a month.  This produces its salty flavor.

The cheese is then aged at least one year, but many versions are aged for longer periods of time.  A chief feature of Parmigiano Reggiano is the presence of small white crystals which are indicative of the lengthy ripening period, an average of 24 months.

Parmigiano-Reggiano’s flavor is one that cannot be forgotten, with the combination of saltiness, mild, and nutty flavor it is the perfect addition to soups, stews, and especially pastas.

Here are just a few recipes that use Parmigiano-Reggiano:

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Kamran Siddiqi is the 17 year old high school student who not only aspires to attend culinary school after graduating from college but is also the talented food driven food blogger of The Sophisticated Gourmet. Kamran recalls cooking from the age of six and has a tremendous love for all things “butter.”

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Caramel.

Chocolate.

Fudge.

Brownies.

Can you think of anything better?!?

That’s all I really have to say when it comes to these ooeeyyy gooeeyy Caramel Chocolate Fudge Brownies.  They are so sticky and melt in your mouth that you have to eat it with a fork in a paper lined cup.

Trust me if not BIG MESS! 😀

I made these tasty treats for my sons school fair the other day.  They were such a big hit gooeeyyy mouths were running around everywhere.

Hope you and your gooey little ones enjoy!

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Congratulations Bart, I am sure this will put a smile on your little Olivia’s face.

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