We heard almost more than we could bear about the horrors of Hurricane Katrina when it struck the Gulf Coast in 2005 but comparatively little about the 2004 devastation of the tiny nation-state of Grenada pounded by the hurricane dubbed “Ivan the Terrible.”
Actor/rancher/sailor/restaurateur Morgan Freeman was among those who noticed. Grenada, a volcanic island located in the southeastern Caribbean, is one of his favorite places. So when the island’s major cash crops – nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, coffee, cocoa – were decimated, Freeman asked friends to help.
Among those he turned to was author and freelance writer Wendy Wilkinsonof Manitou Springs.
The result was “Morgan Freeman & Friends,” (Rodale, $35) a collection of recipes gathered to promote Caribbean cooking for a cause: rebuilding Grenada.
Freeman knew Wilkinson from her previous work on a book, “People We Know, Horses They Love,” an unusual and moving look at the human-horse relationship, from celebrities to programs for the disabled. A portion of that book’s proceeds went to the Connecticut- based Pegasus Therapeutic Riding program.
It was a cause Wilkinson embraced, just as she did the Grenada Relief Fund.
“About two years ago I got a call from (Morgan) Freeman’s office saying he loved the horse book so much, he wanted to know if I had ever written a cookbook,” she says. “I said ‘no, but I love to eat.’ ”
Freeman wanted to do a cookbook based on recipes from celebrities who loved the Caribbean as much as he did. His call came just as Wilkinson’s family was about to start looking for a house in the Bahamas.
“I spent every moment we weren’t looking at property going from restaurant to restaurant, eating and learning about different spices,” she says. “We got back, and Morgan said the cookbook was a go.”
She researched who liked which island. As a result, the book is generously laced with vignettes about various personalities. For instance, who knew Michael Douglas is the grandson of an attorney general of Bermuda, or that Douglas is, in fact, a Bermudian.
Or that composer/singer Alicia Keys likes to kick back in Jamaica and chow down on pepper shrimp; that Ben Affleck is partial to the chocolate hazelnut cake served at Lotus, a restaurant at the Parrot Cay Resort on Turks and Caicos islands.
Wilkinson researched where the likes of those celebs and Kevin Bacon, Orlando Bloom, Alfre Woodard and Tom Hanks had love affairs with which islands.
“Katie Couric and Morgan are very good friends, and she really opened up to me,” Wilkinson says. “She told me about a video a friend had taken on the last trip they all took together. Couric had forgotten about the video until after he died and she was cleaning out the house and found it. Now her daughters watch it frequently.”
Country music darling Kenny Chesney discusses – and shares – his recipe for Key lime pie, and how life on the island of St. John influences his music.
The common thread throughout the cookbook is how the sun- drenched beauty of the Carribbean moved contributors to help.
“We’re so landlocked here in Colorado that when you hear that 80 percent of an island was destroyed, it hits everyone who has feelings for the area,” Wilkinson says. “Schools and churches were devastated. Almost all of the nutmeg trees, which have very shallow roots, are gone. It takes eight years for them to grow back to bearing fruit.
“Anything related to rebuilding is a huge undertaking. There is no industrial complex to send supplies easily. When you have that much devastation, there’s no way to rebuild infrastructure, especially without the technology to rebuild quickly. ”
Wilkinson, who has a Rolodex filled with Very Important Names, says she prefers to work on books that have a social component. She was especially moved by Grenadian resilience.
“When I got a cab to take me into town, the radio was blasting Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’,” she says. “I realized no one had left Grenada. Unlike Katrina’s victims, there were no neighboring states to flee to. When you’re 100 miles from the tip of South America, where are you going to go? ”
Staff writer Ellen Sweets can be reached at 303-954-1284 or esweets@denverpost.com.
Jerk Lamb Chops with Plantains, Red Beans and Coconut Rice
This recipe from Conny Andersson, executive chef of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, appears in “Morgan Freeman & Friends: Caribbean Cooking for a Cause” and makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
8 double-rib lamb chops
1/2 cup Jerk Marinade (recipe follows)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 ripe plantain, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 unripe plantain, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
Salt
1/4 cup Tamarind Glaze (recipe follows)
4 cups Red Beans and Coconut Rice (recipe follows)
Directions
In a large bowl, toss lamb chops in Jerk Marinade and refrigerate 2 hours.
Smash garlic with flat side of a chef’s knife. Place into a small bowl with olive oil and set aside to steep. Meanwhile, heat at least 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat to 360 degrees. Working in batches, gently slip plantains into oil and fry until golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature. Flatten with a spatula or the flat side of a chef’s knife, then add to fryer in batches and fry until crisp. Drizzle lightly with a small quantity of garlic oil and sprinkle with salt to taste.
Preheat grill. Remove chops from marinade and grill 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 145 degrees F for medium rare.
To assemble dish, streak each plate with Tamarind Glaze, arrange 2 chops on top of glaze, and surround with plantains and Red Beans and Coconut Rice.
Jerk Marinade: In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup minced green onions, 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme, 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon ground allspice, 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 2 Scotch Bonnet chile peppers, coarsely chopped, and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Makes 2 cups.
Tamarind Glaze: In a small bowl, add water to 1 1/2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate and stir until a thin, smooth paste forms. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 shallots, finely diced, and cook until soft. Remove pan from heat and add 1/4 cup dark rum (do not pour straight from bottle).
If desired, use a long match to carefully light rum (stand away from pan, as flames may shoot upward) and shake pan until flame goes out. Scrape any loose bits from bottom of pan. Add another 1/4 cup dark rum and repeat process. If you choose not to flambé, follow the same precaution, but add all rum at once and cook 2 to 3 minutes before adding tamarind mixture, 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar. Simmer 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup ketchup and simmer about 15 minutes. Strain glaze before using it. Makes 1 cup.
Red Beans and Coconut Rice: In a large saucepan over low heat, stir together 3 cups cooked rice, 1 cup cooked red beans, rinsed and drained, and 1/2 cup coconut milk. Cook 8-10 minutes, until warmed through. Makes 4 cups.
