Festival of Foods - St Mary

The first of a series of regional Festival of Foods, organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), kicked off at St Mary's Sport Club in Annotto Bay last Friday.

Hundreds of students and amateur chefs competed across a wide cross section of culinary categories including main dishes, desserts and batters and dough.

Other stagings are planned for the Kirkvine Sports Club in Manchester on May 14, Sean Lavery Faith Hall in Westmoreland on May 20, and the Chinese Benevolent Association in St Andrew on May 28. All events start at 10 a.m. and admission is free.

Here are a few of the winning entries from St Mary.

Vege-ackee Pudding

4 cups ackee

4 cups sweet potato

1 cup yam

1 cup mixed vegetables

2¹/⁴ cups brown sugar

¹/⁴ cup margarine

3 tbs flour

2-3 cups coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

³/⁴ tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking powder

Method

1 Peel, wash and grate potatoes and yam.

2 Combine grated potatoes and yam with ackee and add mixed vegetables, flour, baking powder and salt.

3 Add sugar, vanilla and nutmeg to coconut milk.

4 Combine all ingredients together.

5 Pour into greased pan and bake at 180C (350F) for about two hours or until done.

Jamaican National Dish Pie (Claudia Bunting, Gold).

Sweet potato carrot bread

2 cups sweet potato (finely shredded).

1 cup carrot (shredded)

¹/² lb margarine

¹/² lb sugar

3 cups baking flour

3 eggs

¹/² cup raisins

³/⁴-1 cup orange juice

¹/² tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp mixed spice

2 tsp cinnamon powder

Method

1 Cream sugar and margarine.

2 Add eggs one at a time.

3 Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda.

4 Add spices.

5 Fold in orange juice and flour alternatively.

6 Fold in shredded sweet potato, carrot and raisins.

7 Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 180C (350F) until finished.