Antigua & Barbuda - home cooking

Steve cooked: Pork chops with banana and bacon

Unsurprisingly, despite our best efforts, we could not find a restaurant in London that served genuine Antiguan and Barbudan fare. So it was time once again to turn to the internet for a recipe that was both authentic, and appetising. Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to find a meal that we would both be happy to eat. For instance, it would appear one of the delicacies of this group of Caribbean islands are sliced pig snouts. I am fairly adventurous when it comes to food, especially international cuisine, but I most definitely draw the line above noses of animals.

Then I came across a fair simple recipe for Antiguan pork chops with banana and bacon. I was struck by the simplicity of the meal, and the unusual combination of the aforementioned animal and fruit. So this was to be the one.

Ingredients for this are pork chops (one per person), 1/2 tbsp cumin, salt and pepper to taste, juice of half a lemon, 1 tbsp of butter, 1 large banana, 3 strips of bacon and beer (I used a bottle of Wadworth 6X). You will need skewers for this.

Soften the butter in a dish a combine with the salt, pepper and cumin. Coat the pork chops in this mixture and set aside. Gently fry the bacon briefly, until some of the fat has rendered, the remove and drain. Peel the bananas and cut into inch thick slices. Sprinkle the sliced bananas with lemon juice.

Cut the bacon strips into length just enough to wrap around the banana slices. Then, begin to place the bananas on the skewers, threading through where the bacon slice overlaps. (This was the tricky part. I was awful at it.)

Place the pork chops under a hot grill for 15 minutes, turning once. Then turn the grill down to medium, adding the skewers and grill for another 10 minutes, turning everything a few times during cooking. Baste the meat with the beer during this part of the process too.

The meal is served with rice, although the results in a very dry plate. Still, the pork tasted great with the cumin and beer coating. The bacon and banana experience was interesting. It isn't unpleasant by any means. Texture-wise, it goes together surprisingly well. But it is probably something I wouldn't try again. But no doubt much better than pig snouts.