# Caribbean for large group



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Off site Company Picnic, drop off (no staff) low budget, high guest count.
Significant number of vegetarians.
Got any good ideas?
TIA!


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Rice and Peas
Baked Plantains
Curried Goat
Jerk flavored Roast Veges
Grilled island fish with tropical fruits(KIWI, MANGO , PINEAPPLE)
Black Beans and onion casserole
Marinated Jerk Chicken
Sweet potato or yams 
sweet rolls, Johnny cakes
Conch Fritter
Conch Salad

They love and eat a lot of crab in all the islands, So anything with crab, any kind of crab, dip etc. Their cuisine inspired by Indian, Spanish etc. very little beef, mostly fish, chicken, goat.:chef:


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Thanks Ed.
since it's a large generic group, company picnic in the midwest.....I'm going to have a more "watered down" menu. ie...no conch, goat, jerk heat....

Just sent off menu.
mojo chicken
roasted whole pig, pineapple rum sauce
coconut rice
black bean salad
sweet potato salad
large rolls
green salad with mango dressing
banana bars/ginger cookies

Some heat but fairly mild......


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

How about a Carribbean soup for the vegetarians. (my carnivores love it too)

Basically its a sweet potato soup, with the addition of coconut milk, turmeric, corn syrup and chilli. Fried onions and lots of black pepper are added just before serving


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

NICE ITEMS

Try cornbread with peppers it is cheaper then rolls


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

rolls make better sandwiches....I make the yeast rolls.


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

Instead of rolls for sandwiches how about roti?


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

room temp roti? midwest.....hmmmmm.......


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

scallion and ginger sweet potato salad
cuban black beans and rice - with red pepper & onion coulis = great side dish
I make a sauce with balsamic, quickly seared/blackened red peppers & ditto for onion, pulse together and slather on rice and beans,. of course cook beans with onions, garlic, oregano, bay leaf, and what ever else you want.


what about bbq jerk chicken - marinade in dry jerk seasoning with lemon or lime juice, & ginger beer then bake and slather with bbq sauce - kind of mitigates the jerk but still very tender and tasty. We use McCormicks dry jerk seasoning - the first ingredient is NOT salt. and it's more about spices not spicy.

also perhaps a carribean salsa with roasted pineapple pineapple served with tortilla chips - kind of fusion but might be popular due to the natural sweetness/spicy contrast,


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

When you do off premise catering, the last thing you want to handle is soup. Bowls, spoons . underliners etc pain in neck,


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

yep....

Volunteer staff. This is a drop off event.....essentially a company picnic for a non-profit that has a full time catering business.

Mojo....oj, garlic, cilantro, cumin, oregano, olive oil.....works, some herbage but essentially middle of the road on flavor profile

Black Bean Salad means that it does not need a chafer or ovens or alot of tending. Room temp/cold, no special serviceware.

Got pineapple/rum with the pig.

Molasses, ginger, bananas covered in dessert......


Thanks guys.


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## marmalady (Apr 19, 2001)

Are you going to send the pig over whole? 

How bout sweet potato biscuits instead of rolls?


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Why not let the pig walk over, that would really freak them out!:bounce:


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Funny guys. 
Why not sweet potato biscuits instead of rolls? 
1) Biscuits crumble, rolls don't 550 guests, that would be a whole lotta biscuits. 

2) Rolls can be made a day or two before, biscuits not really.

3) Sweet Potato Salad and Rolls, vs sweet potato biscuits....gives the celiacs one more dish.


4) There's a lot of vegetarians in the group, if I can provide enough variety so that they are statisfied without an expensive meat substitute, then I'm ahead.

5) Well and I didn't think about them, 20+ years of living in the deep south and I forgot about sweet potato biscuits.:blush:


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## curlinator (Jun 12, 2009)

Not sure how labor intensive this would be but Vegetable Patties might be nice. Also, cabbage as a side dish. A lot of the local jamaican spots serve that quite a bit with carrots, onions and mixed vegetables in it.

Macaroni pie is also very popular on certain islands and is considered vegetarian.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

I would do Kalua pig using pork butts or Pork shoulder. I can't see volunteers carving and serving a whole pig


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## olivia123 (Sep 18, 2009)

The suggestions look really yummy! 
Do you guys know any catering services that are good in NYC for caribbean food? You guys just gave me an idea!


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Take a walk along Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn, it is all Caribe style places.


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

My buddy and fellow Caterer Jacqui Smith is great - you can reach her via her website Jacque's Catering. She's near Kennedy airport but goes all over the city.

she is Caribbean although that certainly is not her full repetoire - she's a full service caterer and produces delicious food and memorable events.

There are a ton of caribbean restaurants not only in Brooklyn but also in South Queens in the various Jamaican neighborhoods like Laurelton, Rosedale, plus there's the East Indian sections around Liberty Avenue -

I live in Queens and let me tell you - it's billed as the most diverse boro - and it's true - an international treasure trove of food


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

re:

>Take a walk along Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn, it is all Caribe style places.<

and

>in the various Jamaican neighborhoods like Laurelton, Rosedale, plus there's the East Indian sections around Liberty Avenue -<

Wow! Turn your back for a lousy 30 years and the whole world changes


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## chalkdust (Feb 18, 2009)

make a meatless cassava oil down

make a pot of dal

make roti to go with everything (pratha roti is called buss up shut in trinidad)

this coverss soem stuff from trinidad

for jamaica i would make ackee and saltfish or jerk chicken

i would make arroz and gandules from puerto rico

u could defintiely roast a whole pig, maybe jerk stlye or with the bitter orange and achiote puerto rican style, kaluah pig souds interesting too

theres a lot u can do.

check out Jamaica Travel and Culture .com

www.trinigourmet.com

(those are not all trinidad recipes)

Guyana Outpost: Wayne's Guyana Page

Simply Trini Cooking

El Boricua, Recipes, Carmen Santos Curran, The Rican Chef

i ca get u way mroe ideas, this is sometihng of a passion of mine

im thiking english puddigs made with rum soaked fruits or with christophene squash, the ancient mayan and nowe caribbean staple

vegetarian ideas

doubles
phulourie
meatless oil down
bakes
roti
curry aloo
fry aloo with sada roti
arroz con gandules
bean empanadas
ackee patties
rice and peas
plantains sweet fried
plantain tarts
coconut buns (barbados english style coconut turnovers, or east indian style salara rolls)
black pudding, chayote pudding, black cake, sopa borracha, flan di pina
haitian food like griot pork, turkey, sauce pois (black bean sauce) djon djon rice, ti malice sauce
GOAT CURRY
ginger beer
soursop punch (guanabana)
banana bread
sweet coconut bread
currant rolls
calaloo
MACARONI PIE

dig this vegetarian meal I am making today: calaloo (puree of spincah and okra with coconut milk and seasonings), macaroi pie (macaroni baked with evaporated milk, onuion, cheese and scotch bonnet pepper and soem paprika)
a special indian dal with mustard seeds, vumin seeds and tumeric and some pieces of punpkin in it as well
dosas (east indian crepe like pancakes)

this is a complete trini style vegetarian meal with a mix of african (calaloo), indian (dal and dosas) and english (macaroni pie) recipes

lots of fried things

saltfish puffs or accra

a choix pastery that is fired and drizzled in lemon syrup or rum syrup from spanish islands. bunuelitos, i think that is the name

aloo pie with cucumber chutney and tamarind sauce will be a huge hit
much more

bake and shark sandwhiches


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Shroom,

Your part of the Caribbean seems mostly Cuba and some of the other Spanish speaking islands. Not commenting on it, just sayin' is all. Anyway, the below is limited to that cuisine.

Keeping along that theme, rolls are a better choice than any other bread alternative. But unless you bake in the style of the area, which is a crusty, airy, French bread without much tang, I'd consider sourcing them. If you can't find a good Cuban bakery, Mexican "teleras" and "bolillos" are pretty much indistinguishable. If you're doing your own baking, the most common bread is similar to basic Italian/French: flour, water, yeast salt -- no milk, no sugar, no fats. You're rising, resting, kneading should be calculated to get a very open structure. Bake hot for the crust.

What's missing on your menu is yucca, plantains or both. You pretty much have to have one or t'other. Yucca holds up well and fairly easy for large groups. Plantains, not so much -- but everyone likes them better. Tostones might be the easiest form of plantains to handle.

Personally, I like the beans and rice mixed together and cooked a little to form a dish called "moros y cristianos." Not a good choice for your event, but the next time you're dining out or cooking the style -- give it a try. 

Good luck with the gig,
BDL


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## chalkdust (Feb 18, 2009)

ahh, i did not see that. excellent boar d laze!!!!


yuca is delicious!

look forward to hearing about your menu!

i would have both sweet plantains and also yuca


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## lacjumju (Sep 23, 2009)

I have read your topic. What's useful innformation for me.
I do agree with you. Those are the most effective way
have a blessed day


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

bid on it, didn't get it.....but this is a great thread....let's keep it going.


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## nichole (Sep 16, 2009)

How about some caramel flan, and Cappuccino Rum Shake.. ^_^ just wondering if this is great.  I think so.


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## cateringitaly (Nov 5, 2009)

Rice and Peas
Baked Plantains
Curried Goat
Black Beans and onion casserole
Marinated Jerk Chicken
sweet rolls, Johnny cakes
Conch Fritter
Conch Salad


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