Good Friday has come and gone and Easter is breathing down our necks... How quickly time flies! Just the other day we were ringing in the New Year then we were "jumping up" for Carnival. Anyhow, yesterday was a special day for me because it meant that fasting has come to an end and now it's time to get ready for Easter. So besides the l-o-n-g walk for the "stations of the cross" and all the other religious significance of the day, there is a traditional custom when it comes to what we Trinidadians eat on Good Friday.


The meal usually consists of fish ( any kind of fish) and provision (yam, cassava, dasheen, plantain etc.) Now the origin of this custom has been lost in time, at least to me. It's just one of those things you just grow up knowing about and follow. But, when I look at it from a different angle I could understand why we eat this type of meal. So here's my crack at explaining this custom of eating provision and fish on Good Friday....


First of all this meal is simple: after a long walk in the hot sun, you want to come home and be able to cook a meal that's quick to prepare, easy and filling at the same time; provision is easy to cook (you just boil it) and the fish cooks in no time as well.




Secondly this meal is similar to the Seder meal which has great religious significance where the different parts that make up the meal has a deeper meaning. So, within our Trinidadian cultural context there is an approximation to the original Seder meal. So instead of the Charoset/ Haroset we have have the provision, to symbolize the mortar the Jews used. Instead of the bitter herbs we use a green salad or in some cases watercress to symbolize the bitterness of slavery and instead of the lamb bone to symbolize sacrifice we use fish....preferably saltfish (the salt being also symbolic of the sweat and tears of the slaves.....


What an insight!


Well I already did the provision and saltfish recipe a while back but to give the meal a little twist we did it a little different but still just as meaningful and tasty. We decided to do herbed potatoes with sauteed veggies, green salad, baked fish and callaloo as shown in the picture below. I don't have to tell you how satisfying this meal was. I was filled for a few hours well.





Anyway, I wish each and everyone of you a Happy Easter and do enjoy the day; I know I will....

(speaking to myself: maybe I'll go take a nice river bath or go up to the waterfall...or buss ah lime by....)

Until next time! Bye!

Have you ever been lost for words to describe how something tasted? Well! This spinach lasagna did that to me; there was so much going on "taste wise" as I ate. Similarly to how an artist uses pastel colours with hints and tinges, there was a hint of this flavour and a tinge that seasoning, that danced together in my mouth. The meal was absolutely fabulous; I felt satisfied, but not over full and, strange as it may seem, I didn't even miss meat. For those of you who have been reading this blog for some time, you will certainly know that I am a certified "meat mouth" so this is may come as a surprise. But you just have to try it and you'll see, rather taste, what what I'm talking about.


There are many plants that we call spinach or bhaji, as I have explained in a previous post but the one commonly used for this dish is the Amaranth (Amaranthus Spinosus). I believe some people also call it chorai bhaji here in Trinidad. The young leaves of this plant really cooks well so much so that we use it in bhaji, soups or sometimes in callaloo together with dasheen bush. The Amaranth is quite a hardy plant and grows in conditions that other plants may die quickly; like concrete or very dry soil.


Planting it, based on my experience, is also easy. The tiny seeds are shaken in the area where you want it to grow and you don't even have to prepare the soil. In a few weeks thereafter, you will see the healthy seedlings growing at a pace that soon overgrows the area. If you want you could add some organic fertilizer or 13:13:20 to help the plants grow healthier. Then every few weeks or so you just pass by with a knife and cut the young heads and make rice and bhaji or eat it with bake or in a pastry (spinach patty) the list goes on ....or as in toady's post you could also make spinach lasagna. Or if you have a lot you can sell some at $6.00 a bundle (see! I'm showing you how to make some money at the side also! ) LOL!!!


After doing some reading about this plant, there is a lot of info I found that proves how beneficial this plant is nutritionally and medically that you can read about here. In some countries it is even used in making a red dye. But it is sometimes treated as a weed; commonly known as pig weed in the USA. Anyhow I'm sure there may be people that know about the plant and use it in meals, possibly in a similar way. OK! OK! I realise that I'm talking too much; recipe time now. So without further ado here's Spinach Lasagna.


P.S. Do you have an exciting recipe that you use amaranth in? I would like to hear about it.

SPINACH LASAGNA

1 pack of lasagna pasta
1 bundle of spinach (bhagi)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. oil for sauteing the spinach
1 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour, all purpose
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chunky tomato sauce (optional)

Wash and clean the spinach.



Saute the garlic and onion in a deep pot.

Add the spinach (bhagi) to the pot, mix and allow to cook until the leaves are soft.

Make the white sauce. Over a low flame, melt the butter, stir in the flour, and add the milk. Mix, preferably with a fork to ensure that the flour don't lump together. Continue to boil until the milk gets thick. Remove immediately from the flame.


Boil the pasta.



Drain when cooked and set aside to cool.



Grease the dish and line it with the pasta.

Add the white sauce (if you are placing tomato sauce, then add it now),
layer the spinach, then the cheese, and then another layer of pasta.
Continue when done. Note: you will have about three layers when done.

You may still have some spinach, this can be placed on the top as
well before the last layer of cheese. Bake for 40 minutes at 250 degrees F



The finished Spinach Lasagna. Allow to cool before serving.

Well that's it for another enjoyable post. Before I go; I just want to extend an invitation to all who read these blog posts, to join my newly formed group over at facebook. You can click on the icon at the top or just do a search for simply trini cooking in facebook. It's open to everyone and you can post pictures of any of the recipes you have tried etc., discuss anything, chat or meet other foodies just like me.

OK!OK! Ah gone now. Bye!