Belcour Preserves Ltd

Making cheong is a simple and tasty way of preserving fruit using sugar. With no heat involved in the process, the fruit keeps its fresh flavours and nutrients. It’s super easy to do too - just layer fruit and sugar in a jar and leave it for a few days to a week in the fridge.

Our favourite concoction was the cheong vodka cocktail. Got to be careful though, it’s so tasty you’ll lose track of all the vodka you’re drinking 🍸🥴

One of our favourite pasta salads for the hot summer, Honey Jerk Chicken Pasta 🔅 Filling and creamy without being heavy.

INGREDIENTS

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
½ bottle of Belcour Honey Jerk Sauce
1 t. Belcour Honey Mustard Pepper Sauce
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup onion, diced and divided in half
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 red sweet bell pepper, diced, seeds and stems removed
1 yellow bell pepper, diced, seeds and stems removed
½ cup fresh basil chopped (extra leaves for garnish)
¼ cup dry white wine
1 T. Balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

4 oz. of goat cheese
½-1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup pitted black olives, pitted and quartered
½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes, chopped
½ cup pine nuts, dry toasted in the oven or in a pan

1 lb. of penne pasta cooked al dente (reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water)

Full recipe in the Belcour Cookbook, or in the Recipes section of our website (link in profile description) 👩🏼‍🍳

Did you know that bissy, or kola nut, was also the kola in the original kola champagne?

Most Jamaicans now know bissy in the form of bissy tea, which is drunk for its detox benefits and as a cure for stomach ailments. Similar to coffee, the nut has a stimulating effect, and was traditionally chewed and eaten as a stimulant.

To prepare bissy, remove the seeds from the bissy pod and scrape the white ‘skin’ off the seed. Then dry the seeds for one day before grating and drying again for another 1-2 days. The bissy has a mild and pleasant taste, and can be sweetened with a sweetener of your choice.

PS: Somebody tell Argentina fi drink dem bissy for the next World Cup 😂

Spring arrived late this year and we’ve had so much blooming around Belcour that I had to go out and make a couple of vases. My philosophy is that you can tell how good the food is going to be by there being fresh flowers on the table. It took a lot of hustle and muscle to get these flowers, and at times getting stuck in vines, but very much worth it. 💐

Love recreating vegetarian versions of my favourite foods. What should I try next?

BATTER INGREDIENTS

1 cup chickpea flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon of garam masala (optional)
1 cup warm water

Ingredients taken from NYT Cooking recipe Chickpea Batter-Fried Vegetables

If you’d like to learn how to harvest your own bamboo shoots, please refer to our earlier video 🎍

INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6 persons)
6 cups bamboo shoots
6 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 a medium-sized onion, chopped
1 and 1/2 cups celery, chopped
1 cup scallion, chopped
1lb pork belly, thinly sliced, can be substituted with bacon or chicken, or no meat at all for a vegetarian version
1 T. oyster sauce
2 T. sugar
2 T. soya sauce
2 cups of boiling or hot water
2-3 T. Belcour Honey Mustard Pepper Sauce

COOKING TIPS
Note that the pork belly is easier to slice when it’s half frozen. Be careful of oil splatters when cooking the meat in the oil, I advise you to wear an apron for this part, and to sprinkle a dash of salt if it’s splattering too much.

Bamboo grows all over Jamaica, and is one of our most versatile and fast-growing renewable resources. It has uses in the construction, textile and energy sectors, but did you know that the shoots can also be eaten as food? 🎍

Bamboo shoots are considered a ‘superfood’ for being high in protein, fibre and minerals, while being low in fat and calories. They also help to manage cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

The shoots spring up after heavy rains, so the rainy season is a good time to go shoot hunting 🌧️ Ideal shoots are approximately 1m in height; taller shoots can still be harvested - just chop off the portion that exceeds 1m from the tip. Remember to leave a bit of the shoot in the ground (don’t pull it out like a w**d), so that new shoots will grow the next year.

⚠️WARNING⚠️: Please wear gloves when handling shoots, as their brown hairs can be quite itchy on the skin.

Had the pleasure of cooking with Dahmarley Amor, chef and fan of the Belcour Cookbook, and was able to show him one of my favourite easy recipes from the cookbook - Coffee Rub Pork Tenderloin.

This recipe also works with chicken, and believe it or not, with ackee too! (Just leave out the salt fish for the ackee version)

INGREDIENTS

2 lb pork tenderloin (or chicken or ackee)
2 T. ground coffee
4 t. brown sugar
1 t. chili powder
1 t. Belcour Honey Mustard Pepper Sauce
1 t. Belcour Honey Jerk Pepper Sauce
1 t. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 t. sea salt
4 T. vegetable oil (2 T. for the rub, 2 T. for searing)