Category: Food

11 days of sxm: Johnny Cakes

11/10/2020

Let’s settle the ‘controversy’ before we even begin. It’s Johnny Cakes. Not bakes or whatever else you might call it. You are currently in Saint Martin territory… It’s Johnny Cakes.

It’s Day 10 of 11 Days of SXM and if you haven’t figured it out by now, today’s recipe is Johnny Cakes. Now, this specific recipe is special to my heart as it’s based on my grandmothers, the late Dame Thelma Gumbs, recipe. This what I grew up eating at least 5 times a week. Every Saturday she would make a big batch of dough and send home to her adult children. If you ever had a Johnny Cake from the Muzik Box booth at the carnival village, this is the recipe. Ever had a Johnny Cake from under the tamarind tree on Backstreet, this is the recipe. This is the Johnny cakes I grew up on and something I miss dearly. Enough of me sobbing over Johnny Cakes, let’s get to the recipe.

Wa yuh need:
If you feeding the crowd:

5lbs of flour (Robin Hood of course)
½ can of baking powder
A pinch of salt
A little sugar
1 lb Crisco
Water.

If you feeding yuhself:

3 cups of flour
¼ cup of baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
½ cup Crisco
Water

How to do di ting:

Whisk together all the dry ingredients. Rub in Crisco into flour mixture until breadcrumb-like consistency.
Slowly add water and knead until it forms a ball. Allow the dough to rest for about 15 minutes, then divide into sections and roll into small balls.
Rest the dough for at least 10 minutes. Flatten and shape into discs.
Either fry in hot oil or bake at 350 degrees until golden. Then nyam (I recommend with gouda cheese).

Tomorrow is the last day of 11 days of sxm and of course Saint Martin’s Day. Hopefully, you have what you need for some Johnny Cakes tomorrow, and if not, hurry run to the store quick quick. I want to give a shoutout to my parents for helping with this recipe. The pictures are courtesy of the fresh batch of Johnny Cakes my father made and measurements by my mother!

See you tomorrow!

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11 days of sxm: scallop potato

11/3/2020

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Welcome to day 3 of 11 DAYS OF SXM. I am so excited that you’ve made it this far. Today we are going to step into the kitchen and discuss one of the best side dishes that are very popular on the island. Scallop Potato. Now, I know the proper way is “scalloped potato”, but have you ever heard a Saint Martiner said that? No, exactly.

This recipe is really special to me because it was the first thing I’ve mastered as I started to venture into the kitchen. It has become my trademark to the point I’ve made it every holiday and I get special requests to make a batch for people.

So here’s the scallop potato.

Wa yuh need:

Potatoes
Heavy cream
Fresh thyme
Shredded Cheese (a lot of cheese)
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Paprika
Cayenne pepper

How to di ting:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash and peel potatoes. Slice potatoes as thin as possible (or use the thin blade on a mandolin) and soak in salted water to prevent browning.
Add potatoes to a pot with salted water and bring to a boil until potatoes are slightly cooked, In a bowl, mix in the heavy cream, thyme, seasonings and cheese. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter.
Spoon enough cream to cover the bottom of the pan. Layer potatoes, cream and cheese until the pan is full. Sprinkle a thick layer of cheese and sprinkle paprika on top.
Bake for 30 mins covered and 30 mins uncovered. Let it rest, then cut and nyam.

I hope you enjoy the recipe. Feel free to make this dish and tag us on both twitter and instagram @islandgalting. Can't wait to see you for Day 4!

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11 days of sxm: Johnny Cakes

11 days of sxm: scallop potato

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