Allspice Porch

Salt cod soaked until the brine is gone, simmered, then folded into a thyme batter and fried. A sharp lime and scotch bonnet sauce sits beside the fritters. Start the soak the day before.

A butter pastry folded around curried ground beef and potato, baked until the crust is flaky and the filling is still safely hot. A porch snack, not a copy of any shop pie.

Pumpkin simmered with thyme, ginger and a little scotch bonnet, then blended with coconut milk into a smooth bowl. A vegetarian starter, finished with lime and green onion.

Bone-in chicken thighs roasted under a scotch bonnet, allspice and thyme rub, with coconut rice and red kidney beans. The house signature, built for a home oven.

Bone-in goat shoulder browned, then braised with curry spices, thyme and potato until a fork slides in. A long Sunday pot, finished with lime and green onion.

Boneless chicken thighs simmered in a sauce browned with sugar, tomato, thyme, pepper and carrot. The colour comes from the sugar, not from a bottled browning.

Whole red snapper fried until the skin is crisp, then covered with a hot vinegar pickle of onion, carrot, bell pepper and scotch bonnet. The pickle is poured on while the fish is still hot.

Oxtail browned and braised with thyme, ginger and tomato until the meat pulls from the bone, with butter beans added at the end so they stay whole. A long pot for a weekend.

Peeled shrimp simmered briefly in a coconut sauce with turmeric, thyme, tomato and bell pepper, served with rice and a lot of lime. The shrimp go in at the end so they stay tender.

Chickpeas and potatoes in a coconut curry with thyme and lime, with a quick fried flatbread for the sauce. A vegetarian main, made with vegetable stock and no fish sauce.

Chicken, rice and pigeon peas cooked in one pot, the grains coloured with caramelized sugar and scented with coconut and thyme. A Trinidadian-leaning house pelau, not a single island’s recipe.

Pork tenderloin roasted under an allspice and scotch bonnet rub, sliced and served with pineapple browned in a skillet. A quicker porch plate than a shoulder roast.

Sweet potato, pumpkin, cabbage and pepper simmered in coconut milk, with soft flour dumplings cooked in the pot. A vegetarian main, on vegetable stock, with no fish sauce.

Thin sirloin strips seared, then tossed with bell pepper, onion and a peppery pan sauce, served over white rice. A quick plate when the long braises are not on.

Grated sweet potato baked with coconut milk, brown sugar, warm spices and raisins until the centre is set. A dense porch pudding, cut into squares.

Ripe bananas mashed into a small cinnamon batter and fried until the centres are cooked, then tossed with lime zest and sugar. A short dessert after a long pot.