world food cafe 2 by chris & carolyn caldicott

marinated butternut squash & sweet peppers with hot tomato sauce- world food cafe 2 recipe

well, i have been doing more garden-sitting and recently harvested butternut squash, bell peppers and tomatoes… with a few snips from the thyme shrub. i’ve been trying to use my cookbooks more and i found this great caribbean recipe from -world food cafe 2- by chris and carolyn caldicott. i also have their first cookbook, -world food cafe- and love it. the caldicotts are husband and wife globetrotters with voracious appetites! their cookbooks are filled with interesting vegetarian/vegan recipes from their excursions, with stellar photography by chris. their recipes span from cambodia, thailand, malaysia, north africa, sub-saharan africa, pakistan, india, maldives, sri lanka, french polynesia, central america, italy, and the caribbean! they also own the london eatery, -world food cafe-. because i had everything fresh from the garden i thought i would try out the recipe: marinated butternut squash and sweet peppers with hot tomato sauce. i’ve never made a caribbean dish, so i was curious to try something new. this is a fantastic summer meal! i strayed from the recipe and didn’t use the okra in the sauce because i didn’t have any on hand, and i also added 1 package of tempeh to the butternut squash and peppers. the lime and thyme really shine through and make this so refreshing on a hot day. i used a broiler to cook the vegetables and tempeh, but you can also cook it on the barbecue. here is the recipe:

Marinated Butternut Squash and Sweet Peppers with Hot Tomato Sauce from -World Food Cafe 2-

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (3 1/2–4 cups)
2 large red onions, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
3 red peppers, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch squares

For the marinade:
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon soy sauce (i used wheat-free tamari)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey (i used maple syrup)

For the tomato sauce:
2 tablespoons sunflower oil (i used olive oil)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2–1 Scotch bonnet chile, seeded and finely chopped (if unavailable, use another small hot chile)
4 ounces okra pods (about 16–18 okra), chopped in 1/2-inch rings
14 ounces ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks (2–2 1/2 cups)
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt and black pepper, to taste

Parboil the squash in a saucepan of boiling water until it is just starting to soften but is still firm. Drain and place in a large bowl with the onions, peppers, and marinade ingredients. Stir well to coat all the vegetables with the marinade and set to one side for 1 hour.

Meanwhile make the tomato sauce. Heat the sunflower oil in a saucepan. When hot, add the onion, garlic, chile, and okra, and gently fry until soft. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and lime juice, and bring to a boil; cover the pan and simmer until the sauce has reduced and oil returns. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Skewer the onions, peppers, and butternut squash and cook either on the barbecue or under a hot broiler until brown on all sides. Any remaining marinade can be added to the tomato sauce and heated through. Serve the skewers topped with the sauce, with rice on the side.

Enjoy!

-world food cafe 2- cookbook