Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago, 3rd edition. Ramin Ganeshram

small onion, finely chopped

      1 teaspoon ground turmeric

      1 scallion, chopped

      2 tablespoons flour

      2 teaspoons coarse salt

      Freshly ground black pepper to taste

      1 cup canola oil

      ¼ cup Phoulourie batter (page 53)

      Kitchen twine

      1 Wash the leaves with the lime juice being careful not to tear them and set aside.

      2 Cook the split peas in 6 cups of water for about 45 minutes, or until soft. Drain and grind in a food processor to a coarse meal about the consistency of couscous.

      3 Pulse in the garlic, onion, turmeric, scallion, flour, salt, and black pepper. Slowly add enough water to make an easily spreadable paste.

      4 Spread 4 tablespoons of the paste over each leaf, then sandwich 2 leaves together, paste sides facing. Roll the leaves into a long cylinder and tie firmly at both ends with kitchen twine, taking care not to tear the leaves.

      5 Place a steamer basket or colander in a large pot, and add water to the base. (The water should not touch the bottom of the steamer basket.) Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Place the sahina in the steamer basket or colander and cover the pot. Steam for 15 minutes. Remove the rolls and cool. Once cool, slice the sahina into 1-inch rounds.

      6 Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan. Dip the sahina rounds in the phoulourie batter and drop into the hot oil in batches. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels or a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Serve hot.

       SHRIMP PATTIES

      MAKES 12

      Shrimp Patties are very popular in Trinidad since much of the population doesn’t eat beef—the traditional filling for this type of turnover (page 56). You can also make the patties half the size suggested below for an interesting cocktail party appetizer.

      3 tablespoons canola oil

      ½ small onion, finely chopped

      2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

      ½ cup finely chopped green cabbage

      1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

      3 scallions, finely chopped

      2 tablespoons green seasoning (page 254)

      ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

      Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

      ½ cup dry breadcrumbs

      1 recipe patty dough (page 56)

      1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

      1 Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the cabbage. Cover the pan and allow the cabbage to wilt. Once the cabbage wilts, remove the lid, and stir well. Continue to cook until all the liquid evaporates and the cabbage is tender.

      2 Mince the shrimp into a paste or grind in a food processor using the steel blade. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in another skillet and add the scallions. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the shrimp. When the shrimp begins to turn pink, add the green seasoning, hot pepper sauce, and some salt and black pepper. Mix well and continue to cook until the shrimp is totally pink. Add the breadcrumbs and mix very well. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

      3 Remove the patty dough from the refrigerator. Dust a clean work surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the pastry ⅛-inch thick, using additional flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Use a pastry brush to dust away any excess flour. Cut circles from the dough using a 5-inch round pastry cutter.

      4 Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture in the center of each round. Brush the edges of pastry with the beaten egg and fold in half over the filling. Use a fork to crimp the edges of each patty closed. Brush top of each patty with more beaten egg, then, using the fork, poke a few air vents in the top of each patty.

      5 Place the patties on an ungreased baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Bake the patties until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.