Antigua & Barbuda

There are several fun facts that everyone should know about Antigua and Barbuda, not least of which is that in Spanish 'Antigua and Barbuda' translates to 'Ancient and Bearded'. Of course after learning this, I had to ask Mum and Dad to help out with this dish.

The second fact, which I found interesting is that the capital of Antigua & Barbuda is St John's. This happens to be the name of the residential college which I attended for three years at the University of Queensland. Does this mean that I have the hirsute pensioners of Antigua and Barbuda to thank for the great traditions of St Johns College: F monkey punch, lake patrol, nude keg throws, etc?

I guess that may be a stretch, but they do baste their meat with beer so you never know. I definitely have to thank them for introducing me to the epic combination of banana and bacon though. Not since Officer Reeses discovery at a late night car crash site, have two foods gone together so well. As it turns out my grandparents loved banana and bacon sandwiches so perhaps I was genetically predisposed to love the following recipe as well. There are no real surprises with this one as the name gives it away. I wonder though whether this meal actually has anything to do with Antiguan cuisine or whether some Parrothead decided it would go well with an English Harbour Rum or ten. Either way I loved it.

Pork Chops With Bacon & Banana

Ingredients

4 Pork chops
3/4 tbsp Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp Softened butter
2 Bananas
6 Bacon strips
Beer

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the butter, salt, pepper and cumin. Rub this mixture in both sides of each pork chop.

Fry the Bacon in a pan until the fat has rendered. Remove and drain fat.

Cut the bananas into chunks and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Cut the bacon into rectangles just long enough to wrap around the banana slices. Place the banana on skewers, threading through where the bacon slices overlap.

Place the pork chops on a hot grill for 15 minutes, turning once.

Turn grill down to medium, add the skewers with the bananas and grill for a further 10 minutes. For extra flavor, baste with beer while the meat cooks.

We served this up with a mango salad and sweet potato - it seemed Caribbean-ish.