Now is the best time for this simple, tasty Italian appetizer. Tomatoes and basil are in abundance, and at their peak, and best of all this dish won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Here is what you will need:
For the crostini
1 Baguette cut on a bias into ½ inch thick pieces
¼ cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
1 tbs fresh chopped oregano, parsley and thyme
1 tsp minced garlic
Fine sea salt and freshly milled pepper to taste

Mix all these ingredients in a bowl and brush onto one side of the bread. For added flavour let this mixture sit (the longer the better) before you brush it onto the bread.

Place the bread on a baking sheet, set your oven to broil and toast the bread in the oven until it is crispy. You will need to flip it once. Bread should be firm on the outside but still a bit of softness in the middle.

For the Bruschetta

1.5 cups of fresh diced tomatoes (you can remove the seeds if you wish)
1.5 tbs of basil sliced chiffonade
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1 tbs extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
Fine sea salt and freshly milled pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let it seep for at least an hour. Strain it before you place it on the crostini. If you wish you can add fresh slices of parmesan or melt mozzarella cheese on top.

Yield 16 pieces

Photographer Ngardy Conteh

Peace Fam!

Big up and thank you to everyone that came out to watch us rock the Redpath stage at the Hot & Spicy Food festival at Harbourfront Centre Toronto. It rained heavily during one of my food demos, but that didn’t stop the vibes.  Wave your umbrellas from side to side!!!!  Nuff respect to Grace and Susie’s Hot Sauce for supplying over 200 products to give away to the crowd.

For recipes, product giveaways and interactions with me, join my facebook page.

One Love,
TRC

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COMMUNITY APPEARANCES

on Monday Aug 23rd I was cooking up a storm at the Second Base Youth Shelter in Scarborough.  They are always looking for volunteer chefs, especially on Monday’s when most industry chefs have the day off.  Help spread the word to a any chefs out there within your reach.

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PHOTOS

Hot & Spicy Food Festival @ Harbourfront Centre Toronto

Check out the full photo gallery here, courtesy of photographer Johnny Vong,

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LATEST PRESS

SCOTIABANK CARIBANA TV

GERMANY SHOWS LOVE

Germany is the latest country to discover The Rhyming Chef.  Check out these blog post from the land of Beer and Sausage.  Please send some of your Brew Masters this way!!!  Warsteiner!!

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DREAMTEAM CLOTHING

A streetwear brand, online platform, magazine and community for all people interested in street culture in Germany and around the globe.  Click on their logo bellow to view their blog post of The Rhyming Chef

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A webstation based in Germany that was founded to break barriers and make visual arts a natural part of everyday life. It fills the gap between the established art world and the global public. Click on their logo below to check out their blog post of The Rhyming Chef

A blog based in Germany focused on art and activism. Click on their logo below to check out their blog post of The Rhyming Chef.  If anyone speaks German, please post a translation to my Facebook page.

WHAD UP FAM!

Got lots of new stuff on the go. Check out my latest live food demo on Toronto’s CP24 morning show, where Beatboxer Scratch Cat and I held it down to promote my upcoming show dates.  Just click on the link above, and then click on video’s and scroll down until you find the thumbnail titled “The Rapping Chef”.

Hand made, air brushed, Rhyming Chef T-Shirts are complete and they are looking sweet yo. Plus The Rhyming Chef Barbuda DVD will be on hand at every live performance, featuring some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. I’m really excited about these upcoming shows and I’m practicing hard to make sure y’all leave satisfied from ear to belly.

See you soon!
TRC

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Scotiabank Caribana Presents: Grace Tropical Rhythms Caribbean Food Festival

Grace Food’s presents the 1st annual “Tropical Rhythms” Caribbean Food Festival (TRFF) as part of the 2010 Scotiabank Caribana Festival (SBCF). This exciting new event is scheduled for August 1, 2010 at the Island Lime inside Ontario Place.
www.caribanafestival.com

Date: August 1st | 12:00pm - 8:00pm
The Rhyming Chef live performance times TBA

Cost: Adults $19.10 - Child/Senior $12.64

Place: Ontario Place
Location: 955 Lake Shore Blvd. West
Toronto, ON. M6K 3B9
www.ontarioplace.com

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Hot & Spicy Food Festival

All foods hot, spicy, sultry and sweet are explored in this weekend-long food fest!
www.harbourfrontcentre.com

The Rhyming Chef performing live!

Shows:
Friday, August 13, 2010
7:00PM - 8:00PM
Redpath Stage
Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, ON

Sunday, August 15, 2010
4:30PM - 5:30PM
Redpath Stage
Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay West
Toronto, ON

Free! Free!! Free!!!

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LATEST PRESS

SCOTIABANK CARIBANA FESTVIAL MAGAZINE
Here’s a great article in the official guide for 2010 Scotiabank Caribana, featuring The Rhyming Chef, Barbuda and a TRC recipe.
Download the magazine here and check out pages 38-39.

URBANOLOGY MAGAZINE
“Most Hip-Hop experts don’t sport a Chef’s hat, but Philman George a.k.a. The Rhyming Chef is king of the kitchen and the sound waves.” Recently The Rhyming Chef was featured in Urbanology Magazine. Grab your copy on the newstands across Canada and the USA. Check out pages 19-20.

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA FOOD & DRINK GUIDE
The Rhyming Chef was profiled in the 2010 Food & Drink Guide, A Taste of 7th Heaven. The guide is available in various locations across Antigua & Barbuda and in Antigua & Barbuda’s tourism offices around the world. Click on the image below to read the virtual copy of the magazine, check out pages 92-93.

CARIBBEAN HOMES AND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
‘Swapping Snow for Sand’, The Rhyming Chef talks about living in Toronto and Barbuda. Click on the image below to read the virtual copy of the magazine and check out pages 128-129 for the feature.

This recipe is will not fail to impress! I’ve prepared this for a room full of hungry Caribbean women(all old enough to be my mother) and received nothing but hugs after they yammed it. The key is not to be cheap with the salt fish. These are salt cod cakes, not potato cakes!

Here is what you will need:
1.5lb of bonless salted codfish
1.5lb of potatoes
1 green onion
2 cloves garlic
6 seasoning peppers
1 red pepper
2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

• Soak the salted cod in water overnight. Remove the water, break it into even pieces and place salt cod in a pot of fresh cold water. Bring it to just about the point where it is about to boil and then drain the water and set it aside. *Note - The cod fish should still have a good firm texture, but not taste overly salty.
• Peel and cut the potato into small cubes and bring to a boil in salted water until soft.  Drain and add to the fish
• In a food processor pulse onions, garlic, and peppers to achieve a rough fine dice and add this to the potato and fish mixture.
• Once the mixture is cool, add in the breadcrumbs.  Start with 2 cups and use more if needed.
• Form mixture into 2oz cakes and deep fry or pan-fry until golden brown

Pineapple & Avocado salsa

1 pineapple peeled, cored and diced
1/2 small red onion diced fine
1 red pepper diced fine
2 avocados diced
1 lime juiced
2 seasoning peppers diced
1oz extra virgin olive oil
chopped fresh coriander to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and gently toss. Serve with salt cod cakes watch this dish to transport you to the paradise islands of the Antigua & Barbuda!  Recipe yields about 20 bite sized cod cakes.

Check out the series teaser below:

FDTV - K45 TV Channel Trailer, Series 1 from Food&Drink Caribbean on Vimeo.

This series is a broadcast exclusive to the islands of Antigua & Barbuda and can be viewed on the following channels and times.

Karib Cable - K45: Mon@7pm, Thurs@7pm, Sat@7pm
CTV - CHBN: Mon@7pm, Thurs@7pm, Sa@t7pm

You will see yours truly hosting a few episodes and making cameo appearances, along side some of Antigua & Barbuda’s finest chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs.  Some well deserved spot light will also be given to the local farmers and street cook ups.

Congrats to Janie and Gulliver, the backbone behind this magazine for the last 7 years.  This leap into the world of television looks like its gonna be one for the history books.

Show Love!

The inspiration for this recipe came from the opportunity to participate at the Food & Drink Industry Party in Antigua back in December. Each Chef had to prepare a canapé that could be eaten in a few bites and did not require any cutlery. We also had to utilize local ingredients, so when I got off the plane I was on the hunt for infamous Antigua Black Pineapple (the sweetest on the planet) and local Avocados. I was also asked if I could entertain the crowd and do a Rhyming Chef style food demo to showcase the canapé.

The event was a huge success and after my food demo, everyone yammed up the salad rolls. The best part about the whole thing was I was able to team up with the young upcoming Chefs on the island and show them something different. Most of them had never worked with rice paper and teriyaki glaze, so it was a real learning experience.

Here is what you will need:

1 cup steamed chow mein egg noodles

4oz cooked jerk chicken thighs cut into strips

¼ red pepper julienne

¼ small avocado sliced

sliced green onions

4oz of grilled pineapple

1 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs rice wine vinegar

2 tbs teriyaki glaze

4 rice paper sheets

2 tbs vegetable oil

Method:

Refresh the chow mein by placing it in boiling water for 1min. Remove and allow it to cool on a flat surface with a few sprinkles of sesame oil to keep it from sticking. In a frying pan combine sesame and vegetable oil and bring to med high heat. Add your chow mein and stir fry until slightly crispy. Incorporate rice wine vinegar and teriyaki glaze and allow to cool. To roll the ingredients place the rice paper in warm water for about 10 seconds or until it becomes limp. Place the rice paper flat on a damp cloth and add in the chow mein, jerk chicken and all the remaining ingredients. Roll tight, slice into rounds and serve. Yields 12 pieces

Big up to young up coming Chefs Roshanna and Zinzi for helping me roll out all these salad rolls. It’s not an easy task and usually you will screw up the first 3 before you get the technique down pat. If you check out the video page in the archive section there is a demo that will help you perfect things.  This recipe can also be found in the Antigua & Barbuda Food & Drink Guide 7th Heaven Edition.   

There are many different ways to graft a tree, the method I witnessed was the “V-graft.” First you need a piece of the mother stem, in this case a Tommy Atkins stem which is a variety of mango commonly imported to places like the UK and USA.  The mother stem is then peeled to reveal the inside of the stem.

The next step is to split the stem of the root plant and insert the Tommy Atkins stem

Then the grafting is completed by binding the two stems together with a special piece of plastic and in a few weeks the Tommy Atkins stem will grow.  Knowledge yo!

Later on that day we payed a visit to Alvin Christian’s farm.  He had tons of stuff growing like, eggplant, cassava, 3 different types of coconut, okra, cashews, ackee, and some rare exotic stuff like wax apple and this cousin of the grapefruit called the shaddock.  The guy peeling the shaddock is the chef at Hermitage Bay resort, and their restaurant has been voted one of the top restaurants in the Caribbean to have a romantic dinner.  I envy him because he has such a close relationship with Alvin and gets first dibs on all the farms produce to use in his kitchen.

For the first time in my life I tasted freshly picked ackee,okra and shaddock.  The ackee had such a creamy texture and tasted like a roasted cashew nut.  The okra was very crisp and didn’t resemble the slimy texture that is often associated with okra.  The shaddock was a real treat, very similar to a grapefruit but a lot firmer and surprisingly not a lot of seeds for such a big fruit.

I was so busy stuffing my face and taking pictures of the produce that I forgot to take a picture of Alvin.  No worries as I’ll be making my way back in the next few weeks to shoot a recipe on the farm, so yall will get a chance to meet him via video.  Also if you’re ever in Antigua and want a tour of his farm he would be more than happy to hook you up.  His direct line is 1 268 723 0264.

Keep it fresh yo!

This recipe is simple, utilizing ingredients that are common in every household. Fellas you gotta make these for your lady at breakfast or dessert/snack time. Pure fireworks after she yams that, trust me!

For the batter:
¾ cup of all purpose flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs raw sugar
tsp of salt
1 ¼ cup of milk
2 eggs
1 ½ tbs melted butter
3 tbs grated coconut

Method:
Beat the eggs, milk and butter and mix with the rest of the dry ingredients (minus the coconut). Batter should be smooth, free of lumps, and needs to be refrigerated for about 30 minutes to give the ingredients time to bind. Grated coconut can be added to it just before it goes into the fridge.

Cooking Tips:
Preheat a lightly buttered non-stick/cast iron pan, pour in the batter and tilt the pan until a thin layer of the batter coats the entire pan. Keep the heat low and wait until the edges are brown before you flip it. You should be able to manage two pans at the same time. The cooked crepes can be kept warm in the oven until your ready to complete the dish.

For the filling:
Quality ripe mangoes cut into cubes is all you need. A lot of crepe recipes try to add all types of stuff to the fruit filling, but honestly these mangoes were so sweet and tasty that they didn’t need any enhancement. Place a few cubes in the center of the crepe and fold over twice to create a triangle.

For the sauce:

4tbs mango pulp (ripe mango flesh chopped fine with your chef knife)
1 ½ tbs raw sugar
150ml water
1 tbs butter
¾ oz dark rum

Simply add the mango pulp, sugar and water to a sauce pan and bring to a light boil for about 2 minutes. Add in the rum, remove from heat and swirl in the butter. Pour over the crepes and you’re good to go! Toasted coconut on top adds a nice texture to it as well. The batter will yield about a dozen 8 inch crepes and the sauce will be enough for two servings.

Creamed coconut will change the way you add coconut flavor/flavour to your cuisine. It never ceases to amaze me how little people know about this product. Most only know about the coconut milk which you can find in a can, or the coconut powder (which is shit).

What is it?
Creamed coconut is basically the grounded flesh of the mature coconut fruit. There is no sugar added and the only thing removed is the water content. It can be eaten right out of the package, or added directly to your food to give it that coconut taste. Creamed coconut is also called coconut concentrate.

Where is it?
When I’m in major cities I have no problem finding creamed coconut in supermarkets and in smaller specialty markets i.e. East & West Indian grocers. In the summer months most stores put the creamed coconut in the fridge, especially if the store does not have air conditioning. Just ask and you will find!

Advantages!
Creamed coconut can be used to make coconut milk and coconut cream. When exposed to temperatures above 23C, the creamed coconut will liquefy allowing it to mix perfectly with water.
1 part creamed coconut + 5 parts water = coconut milk
1 part creamed coconut + 2.5 parts water = coconut cream

Creamed coconut is also a better value, and has a longer shelf life than coconut cream or coconut milk. Once it’s opened you simply put it in the fridge and it will last for months, unlike coconut milk, which will only last a few days once opened. When I’m traveling I always carry a few packs, as it is not heavy or bulky. If the creamed coconut melts, it can always be solidified again by placing it in the fridge, and this will do no harm to the product. For cooking purposes it adds coconut flavor/flavour to a sauce or soup without diluting the consistency, which makes it a welcomed addition to the finishing stages of my curry dishes. It can also be used to make exotic drinks and desserts as well.

Creamed coconut has many nutritional benefits:
Free of preservatives and additives
Gluten free
Cholesterol free
High in fiber
High in potassium

So the next time a recipe calls for coconut milk, you know whats up!

Conch is almost like Guinness, you either love it or you hate it. For a lot of people in the Caribbean, Conch is the jewel of the ocean, and is noted for its aphrodisiac qualities. So ladies if your man in flopping in the bed, you might wanna cook him some conch before its time to romp!

I had to clean these Conch myself, and it was not an enjoyable experience. They are slimy and have a vein that needs to be removed before cooking, which takes a bit of effort. Most fish markets will do this for you, but here in Barbuda we don’t have a fish market, so the fishermen sell you the Conch fresh out of the shell. Then you have to pound the hell out of it to break down the tissues, otherwise you will be eating rubber.

Now there are many ways to prepare Conch, the most famous being the conch fritter. The recipe I’m sharing with you is my personal preference, and is damn tasty! Here is what you will need:

13oz of Conch cleaned, pounded and seasoned
2 cups of butternut squash/pumpkin diced
1 cup of diced onion
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tomato diced
1 1/2 tbs curry powder
1 tsp cumin
5 seasoning peppers minced
1tbs of creamed coconut (not as hard to find as you might think, but you could use 1/2 cup of coconut milk instead)
3 1/2 cups hot water

In a saute pan on low heat, sweat the onions, garlic, and peppers.

Add in the curry powder and cumin and allow this to cook on low heat, being careful not to burn it.

This is an important stage, and the heat needs to be monitored carefully, so if you burn it start over. Deglaze the curry by adding in the tomatoes. The natural juices from the tomatoes will help you lift the sediments from off the pan, giving you a great base of flavour.

Now add in your Conch and incorporate a little bit of water to finish the deglazing, and to help the Conch simmer.

Cover it and monitor the water level, adding more water in stages. When the conch are starting to get soft (about an 1.5 hours) add in the creamed coconut and the butternut squash.

Continue to cook until the Conch are soft and tender, and the butternut squash is cooked.

Serve on a bed of rice in a half coconut. This recipe will feed 3-4 adults.