CHUTNEY FOR MY YELLOW FIN TUNA

CHUTNEY FOR MY YELLOW FIN TUNA

About 10 years ago my brother Gerry, took me to dinner at the Legal Seafood restaurant in Washington DC. He recommended the yellow fin tuna, which was prepared rare and seasoned with peppercorns. Heavenly is the adjective, which comes to mind. I have been a lover of this recipe ever since.

 

For my lunch today I decided to make yellow fin tuna with a tossed salad.

 

In addition to preparing lunch, my list of “things to do” included trimming the mango tree and picking the last of this season’s crop. To my great surprise, there were only two mangoes left on the tree. On reflection however, my surprise is in many ways a dishonest emotion because every year the praedial larcenists (read that to mean the dope addicted thieves0 take up to 90% of my crop. So I was fortunate to get even two.

 

The thieves in my neighborhood don’t just take the fruit, they really boldfaced in the manner in which they do so.

 

Unknown to one of them I was at home one day when he came over the fence to raid the tree. He even brought his own rod. Quietly I stared unseen as he carefully walked around the tree visually examining which fruit would be most mature and which would therefore fetch the best price. Having made his decision he began to pick.

 

I allowed him to accumulate about a dozen before revealing myself via a loudly shouted question, “Hey, yuh ent leaving any for the owner?” His response was to select 4, which he placed on my porch before making his escape over the wall with the balance secured in the small bag, which he had brought with him.

 

If you were thinking that after this incident that the thief would not show up again for a long long time, you would be very wrong. The very next day he was at my door bearing gifts of 6 limes (neither he nor his family owns a lime tree), and asking if I had any food to share because he had not eaten for the day. I had not yet completed cooking for that day but he was grateful to accept a can of tuna, 6 slices of bread and a sweet drink.

 

The greener of the two mangoes, which I was fortunate to get today, was used to make the chutney to accompany my yellow fin tuna meal.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 slice of mango finely chopped
• 2 table spoons of finely chopped white onion
• 2 table spoons of finely chopped bell pepper
• Half a teaspoon of very finely chopped hot pepper
• 1 table spoon of very finely chopped cilantro (substitute chandon beni if cilantro not available)
• 2 cloves of garlic very finely chopped
• 1 table spoon of white sugar
• Teaspoon each of salt and black pepper
• The juice of half a lime

PREPERATION

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Set-aside until ready to use.

SERVING

Ladle unto the cooked fish.

 

 

 

 

Orange Mango Chutney for Fried Fish

WHAT DID YOU COOK TODAY?

Monday, June 29, 2015

Today I cooked:

• Fried fish over orange mango chutney
• Corn on d cob
• Cole slaw
• Roasted tomatoes

The Story

Last night I decide what my menu for today would be. Last night it was

• Fried fish
• Cole slaw
• Home fries
• Roasted tomatoes

This morning I remembered my fasting pledge and decided to replace the fries with corn on d cob. Why am I fasting? And why am I fasting at this time of the year?

Through- out my adult life I have engaged in some very unhealthy practices. I smoked and I drank…a lot. When combined with other markers such as family history, ethnicity and age the result has been a high blood pressure requiring a daily tablet to keep it under control.

I no longer smoke. While most people struggle to give up this habit/addiction, it was easy for me because every year for the 40 preceding 2009 I gave up the habit during lent.

Growing up a catholic and in the most catholic of households made it mandatory to observe lent every year. Observing lent meant fasting and abstaining. As an adult I kept up the practice, not so much as a religious observance but more so as a means of self control and to manage my health. Then about 15 years ago I decide to adopt the fasting practice associated with the Holy Month of Ramadan. So some years I have two fasting periods. This year 2015 is one for double fasting. During these 30 days I abstain from eating meat and drinking alcohol and I live survive on water between the hours of 6am and 6pm and have just one main meal at 6pm. That meal is often a vegetarian one supplemented at times with a side of seafood. And most days I exercise twice for the day.

The decision to change today’s menu came while I was watering my plants.

Watering plants is a mindless occupation. You stand there directing the water hose at a group of plants for a minute or so before moving on to the next group. Your mind wonders. It takes about 30 minutes to water my plants so I wonder a lot. When you fast you often find yourself preoccupied with thoughts about food. That’s what was happening to me this morning. But it was not just food in general which invaded my thoughts. I was wondering about the public’s reception of my Trinbago Salsa blog piece. And just like that an idea zapped me.” What if orange and mango chow was combined? “ I asked myself.

That thought evolved and matured into a new idea. Thus was born today’s feature, Orange Mango Chutney.

If you haven’t yet done so you need to read the story, which goes with the Trinbago Salsa post. And read as well the Facebook post about that recipe by my sisters Val and Celia.

ORANGE MANGO CHUTNEY

Ingredients

1. Juice of 1 large orange
2. One green Julie mango
   
3. 6 leaves of shadow beni
4. Half a hot pepper
5. 1 teaspoon of salt
6. 1 red pimento pepper

Making the chutney

• Peel the mango and cut the fruit off the seed
• Chop the mango and all other ingredients to fit into an electric chopper
• Empty into a mixing bowl
• Add orange juice and salt and mix well
• Refrigerate until ready to serve