BARBADOS

This flag was adopted on the island’s 1st Independence Day in 1966. The black trident head does importantly NOT have a staff. This is important as it symbolises Barbados’ break from the British Empire, as the former colonial flag depicted the hand of Britannia holding the trident.

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