As the days get colder and wetter, our minds turn to dinner options that are hearty, warm and easy to make after a long day at work. The days of eating fresh and light salads on hazy summer evenings are swapped out for dark evenings making soups and stews that are warming and cheer us up.

Releasing his third cookbook, Riaz Phillips is back with East Winds: Recipes, History And Tales From The Hidden Caribbean, where he shares recipes ranging from vegan to meat-based options all the while ensuring that the recipes are rooted in their origin stories. His previous cookbook, West Winds, was met with critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Fortnum & Mason best cookbook award this year.

In East Winds, you can expect to find recipes for several island favourites, a whole host of Caribbean curries and much more. One such recipe is for oil down, the national dish of Grenada: “Oil Down is a real vestige of the West African ancestors of the Caribbean who fashioned new meals with what was available. The end result may not be the most photogenic, but these are truly the most beautiful dishes to me,” Phillips writes.

And so, here are three one-pot Caribbean recipes to get stuck into for some good old comfort food this season.

Aloo curry

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp curry powder and 1 tbsp ground cumin (or 1½ tbsp madras curry powder)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp green seasoning (see recipe below)
• ½–1 Scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 6 tbsp cooking oil of choice
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 spring onion (scallion/green onion), finely chopped
• 500ml hot water

For the chickpeas and potatoes

• 400g (15oz) can chickpeas, drained
• 800g (1¾lb) white potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks

Method

In a small bowl, add the curry powder, cumin, garam masala and green seasoning. In a pestle and mortar, mash the Scotch bonnet pepper and garlic and add to the bowl.

Add 60ml (4 tablespoons) cold water and stir until the mixture resembles a paste.

In a Dutch pot or heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil over a medium–high heat. When hot, add the onion and spring onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Then add the spice paste and stir for 5 minutes. The paste may begin to stick to the base of your pan; if this happens, add 1 tablespoon of water and stir. 

Next, add the chickpeas and/or potatoes and stir to combine for 3–5 minutes. If the paste begins to stick to the base of the pan, either add another tablespoon of water or reduce the heat a notch.

Add the hot water and stir. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring intermittently every 7 minutes or so to ensure nothing is sticking to the pan. Reduce the heat to low, then remove the lid.

The dish is now ready to serve, however, you can leave it to simmer until the gravy is at your desired consistency.

For the green seasoning

Makes 800ml (3½ cups)

Ingredients

• 5 spring onions (scallions/green onions), roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and chopped (optional)
• 3 ribs of celery (leaves included), chopped
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 8–10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bunch of parsley (100g/3½oz)
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro) (80g/3oz)
• 1 bunch of thyme (15g/½oz), leaves picked
• ½ tsp sea salt or all-purpose seasoning
• juice of ½ lime or lemon (optional)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce (optional)

Method

Wash all the vegetables and herbs, then add to a food processor with 3 tablespoons water and seasoning and blend until smooth. Stir in the citrus juice, vinegar and/or soy sauce, if using. If you don’t have a blender, then finely chop or grate all the ingredients and mash together with a pestle and mortar. Pulse until the sauce reaches your desired consistency and then decant into an airtight jar and store in the fridge. 

Use within two weeks. If you add citric juice and/or vinegar, the mixture should last for up to a month.

If you’re not planning to use the seasoning for a while, you can store it in the freezer and then defrost half a day before use.

Brown stew chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1.5kg (3lb 3oz) chicken, cut to desired size, or pieces of choice
• 5 tbsp cooking oil of choice
• 3 tbsp brown sugar of choice
• 200ml hot water

For the marinade

• 3 tbsp green seasoning (see above recipe)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 spring onion (scallion/green onion), finely chopped
• ½ Scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
• 2 sprigs of thyme (optional)

For the vegetables (optional)

• ½ red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• ½ tomato, diced
• ½ carrot, peeled and sliced into rounds

Method

In a large bowl, add the chicken and marinade ingredients and stir to combine. Marinate for a few hours or overnight, although you can also use straight away.

In a large frying pan, Dutch pot or heavy-based saucepan, heat the oil over a medium–high heat. When hot, add the sugar to the centre and cook for 2–3 minutes until it starts to bubble and the edges start to turn dark brown. 

Turn the heat down a notch to medium and add the contents of the chicken seasoning bowl and begin to stir and mix to coat and combine with the sugar.

Continue to cook, stirring intermittently, for 10 minutes, at which point you should see some of the fat from the chicken. Add the hot water and optional vegetables, cover and cook for 10 minutes, then remove the lid, turn the heat down to medium–low and cook for a final 10 minutes, or until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.

Remove the thyme sprigs, if used.

Serve with white rice, bhaji rice, nasi or rice & peas.

When stirring the chicken, avoid touching or scraping the sugar with your utensil at the start or it may stick and be hard to shake off.

Oil down

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 5–6 tbsp cooking oil of choice
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
• 2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger, grated, or 1 tsp ground ginger
• 4 chives, chopped
• 2 tsp of dried thyme or 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro)
• 400g (¾lb) breadfruit, cored and sliced or chopped (optional)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 red or green bell peppers deseeded and chopped
• 250g (½ lb) callaloo (dasheen bush leaves) or flat-leaf spinach, stems removed
• 400ml (13.5fl oz) can coconut milk
• 200ml hot water
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 125g (¼ lb) mackerel or fish fillet of choice (optional)
• 1 tsp sea salt or all-purpose seasoning
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, whole
• 3 green bananas, peeled and halved and cut into bite-sized chunks if you like

Method

In a large heavy-based saucepan or Dutch pot, heat the oil over a medium heat until it crackles. Sauté the onion and garlic for 2–3 minutes until they begin to brown. Then add the chilli flakes, ginger, chives, thyme, fresh coriander and continue sautéing and stirring for 2 minutes. If it dries out, add a splash of water to loosen it up.

Now add the breadfruit, carrots, bell peppers and callaloo and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Then add the coconut milk, hot water and nutmeg and stir before adding the turmeric, which should change the colour of the dish. If you want to add fish, then add it now.

During cooking, use some force with your utensil to make sure nothing is sticking to the base of your pot. Add the salt, pepper and Scotch bonnet pepper and cook over a medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the green banana, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook over a low heat for another 20–30 minutes. 

There is no exact timing for oil down. After simmering you’ll notice the amount of liquid continuing to reduce until you reach your desired consistency. As long as the starchy vegetables are cooked through, you’re good to go.

Remove from heat and serve in a large bowl.

East Winds: Recipes, History And Tales From The Hidden Caribbean by Riaz Phillips. (£25, DK) is out now.

Images: Caitlin Isola and Riaz Phillips; Bookshop.org