| COUNTRY | Barbados |
| Dishes | *vegan* Macaroni Pie |
| Time | 1.30 hours |
| Effort | 5/10 |
| Rough cost | £4 |
| COUNTRY | Barbados |
| Capital | Bridgetown |
| Population | 277, 821 (181st largest but 15th largest density) |
| Land mass | 439 km2 (183rd largest) |
| Languages | English (official), Bajan Creole |
| Religions | 75% Christian |
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
We are in week 4 of lockdown and hope that everyone is doing ok. Luckily, we got to escape to the white + sunny beaches of Barbados. The Barbadian cuisine is a right mixture of African, Creole + British styles. The national dish is cou-cou, a cornmeal + okra mix, with flying fish and gravy. Fresh fish and seafood is a staple thanks to the rich waters surrounding the islands. However, we opted for the macaroni pie. This dish is the result of USA influence and is always popular with kids. Traditionally, ketchup and mustard are added to the sauce in order to give it a lovely colour. Mwara vegan-ised the recipe and it was delicious! We sprinkled Vio-life vegan cheddar on the top, and made the ‘cheese sauce’ from blitzed butternut squash, sauces + spices, and soy milk. YUM!
RECIPES
Barbadian Macaroni Pie *vegan-ised
INGREDIENTS (for 8 people)
- 700g macaroni, cooked
- 1 roasted butternut squash, pureed
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 heaped tbsp plain flour
- 500-700 pls of soy milk, depends on desired consistency
- salt + pepper to taste
- vegan cheese to sprinkle on top
METHOD
- To make the bechamel sauce, melt the coconut oil on a medium heat. Then stir in the flour and stir for 3 minutes until the mixture is gently bubbling.
- Remove from the heat and using a whisk, slowly whisk in about 500 mls soy milk until the lumps are gone.
- Return to the heat for a further 5 minutes, stirring to thicken the sauce. If you feel the sauce is too thick, add some more soy milk.
- Take off the heat and add the pureed squash, ketchup + mustard. Stir this well and taste + season, adding some spice if you wish.
- Mix the macaroni into the sauce to coat evenly and spread into a large greased ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle with vegan cheese and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for Celsius for 35 minutes.
- We served this with green beans in a lemony dressing with hot sauce!
*accompany with a Rum cocktail!!!
Thank you, stay safe and see you in Belarus! M + B
