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Guest chef - Goldies
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE - JULY 2006
Guest chef - Goldies
Adrian King & Chandeline Leonor
If you're looking for traditional Bahamian fare, you'll find plenty at Heritage Village, a place locals call "the fish fry." It's a colourful assortment of native restaurants at the end of the Western Esplanade, just a pleasant seaside stroll from downtown Nassau.
One of the most popular spots there is multicoloured Goldie's where two cooks, Adrian King and Chandeline Leonor, prepare their specialities for visitors and Bahamians alike. King is billed as "the best conch salad maker on the island," while Leonor claims to make "the best conch fritters in the world."
Goldie's restaurant and bar was originally named for a well-known Nassauvian figure, Kirk Evans, aka Goldie because of all the gold jewellery he wears. Today, the eatery's reputation for authentic down-home food rests in the capable hands of businessman Tyrone Saunders and his two experienced cooks.
King's hands are a blur as he chops up conch and vegetables for a salad. Everything he uses is fresh as can be and diced at lightning speed. He's been wielding a giant knife at Goldie's for 13 years.
As a young man, "I used to hang out at Goldie's," King says as he transforms an onion into a pile of dicings in the blink of an eye. "Goldie took me under his wing and taught me everything."
Knowledge is one thing but King credits his love of cooking to the women in his family - his grandmother, mother and sister. Looking back, he remembers that he often got underfoot trying to help them in the kitchen. The women were bossy, he recalls, until he "grew taller."
King studied to become an electrical engineer at a vocational college in the States, but he quickly realized it wasn't for him. "I was born to cook," he says.
Secret ingredients
The secret to his conch salads? King mixes red bird peppers with yellow goat peppers, adding a special zing to his creations. He can make the salad as spicy or mild as the customer likes.
In another tribute to mothers, Leonor says she also learned to cook at her mother's side. There is no doubt in the 22-year-old?s mind that her fritters are "the best in the world. Everyone says so," she says with a shy smile.
Born in Port-de-Paix, Haiti, the young woman came to The Bahamas six years ago, and has cooked on several islands since then. As for cooking school, that's not for Leonor. "I can learn everything I need to from a book," she says.
What Goldie's customers don't see on the menu, she will whip up on request. And she's very proud of a secret ingredient in the traditional peas 'n rice dish - a little molasses.
The conch salad is fresh, crisp and spicy. The warm fritters are mouth-watering - crispy on the outside and just the right texture on the inside. Here are two specialties of the house at Goldie's. (Amounts are approximate as both cooks measure by eye.)
Conch Salad
(serves one)
1/2 bell pepper (red)
1/2 bell pepper (green)
1 medium onion (Spanish or Bermuda)
1 tomato
4 oz conch meat
Pinch of bird pepper(1/2 is lots)
Pinch of goat pepper
1 lime
1 orange
Salt
Dice onion, tomatoes and bell peppers. Rub conch with lime and chop small. Mix well and salt to taste.
Squeeze the lime and orange into the mixture by hand. Serve as shown.
Conch Fritters
(serves four or more)
Batter
4 cups flour
2-1/2 tbsp baking powder
Beat in enough water to make the batter firm
Ingredients
5 tenderized conchs
5 tomatoes
1 onion
1 bell pepper (red)
Hot pepper to taste
Pinch of salt
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of thyme
Oil for frying
Dipping Sauce
Mix together equal parts of mayonnaise and either ketchup or green sweet relish.
Finely chop conchs, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper and hot pepper. Add thyme, garlic and salt. Mix well and fold ingredients into the batter.
Spoon batter into a deep fryer. Cook for at least one minute until golden brown, or longer if darker fritters are desired. Serve in a basket with dipping sauce.
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