Tasty Tuesday has arrived along with a savory side dish recipe from Barbados by author Sandra Masters. Take it away, Sandra!
This recipe is mentioned by Thorn Wick, bastard son of the Duke of Althorn, where he and his mother lived on the island of Barbados. THORN, SON OF A DUKE, by SANDRA MASTERS is a 15,000-word prequel to Book Four, THE DUKE’S MAGNIFICENT BASTARD.
Thorn’s mother used to make this dish for him when he arrived home from working on the Scotsman Plantation owned by Sir Donegal. Unfortunately, Thorn’s mother dies under mysterious circumstances and it’s not until he comes back after three years in England, on a mission for his father, that he discovers she was murdered with poison! He is faced with seeking justice for his mother.
Cou cou, served with flying fish is the national dish of Barbados. Somewhat similar to polenta or grits, Cou-cou is made with corn meal and okra.
Cou-Cou
Ingredients
8oz corn meal
3oz okras
1 medium onion (chopped)
3 tbsp butter
water
salt to taste
Directions
In a bowl, combine the cornmeal with sufficient water to cover the meal. Set aside.
Cut the tops and bottoms off the okras and slice into rings. Place the sliced okras in a saucepan with water, chopped onion and salt. Bring to a medium boil for a few minutes until the okras soften.Strain the okras into a bowl, setting aside the liquid.
Add about a quarter of the okra liquid back into the saucepan and add the soaked meal.
You’ll need a whisk or wooden stick to stir the cou cou as it cooks. In Barbados we use a flat wooden spoon known as a ‘cou cou stick’. Stir constantly to avoid lumping.
Add more of the okra liquid gradually. You can tell you’re nearly finished when the cou cou starts to bubble gently at the surface. At this point add in the cooked okra slices and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
At the age of seventeen, Thorn Wick made a promise to his dying mother that sends him sailing from Barbados to England to meet the man who sired him, the aristocratic Duke of Althorn, who never knew of his son’s existence.
Alicia Montgomery, ward of the Duke, develops a deep affection for the Anglo Indian who protects her from advances by other men. She wants him to acknowledge his feelings for her, but he insists on ignoring the chemistry between them.
Despite the intrigue, revelations, and revenge, will their passion and love for each other conquer all?
Fall in love with Romance all over again with author Sandra Masters
From a humble beginning in Newark, New Jersey, a short stay at a convent in Morristown, N.J. at the age of fourteen, Sandra Masters retired from a fantastic career for a play broadcasting company in Carlsbad, California, and settled in the rural foothills of the Sierras of Yosemite National Park with her husband, Ron, and two dogs, Silky and Sophie. She traded in the Board Rooms for the Ballrooms of the Regency Era and never looked back.
She wrote her first book at the age of thirteen and since then she’s always traveled with pen and notebook for her writing experiences. It’s been the journey of ten thousand miles with a few steps left to go. She deemed it a pleasure to leave the corporate world behind decades later.
Nothing she expected, but everything she desired. Her business card lists her occupation as Living The Dream.
Get to know her and her stories at www.authorsandramasters.com
Sounds good to me! Did you find that recipe as tempting as I do? Thanks again, Sandra, for sharing your amazing recipe with us!
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