Jamaican Cookery News

Cow skin  eaten in Jamaica, mostly by men. Cow's skin is high in gelatine, a protein from collagen,which is high in non-essential amino acids (those which the body can make) and very low in essential amino acids (those which must be provided by the diet). Gelatine from cow's skin and bones is widely used in the commercial food industry and in other industries such as the pharmaceutical industry, to make, for example, the outer shells for capsules.

It is best to buy cow's skin from certified butchers because Ensuring that this food is free from parasites, properly cleaned and approved by public health inspections. There is also the fear of chemical contamination caused from substances used on the cow's skin for veterinary purposes.

Ingredients
2 lbs. cow's skin
1 canned broad bean
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 1/2 tsp. Oregano
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. paprika
1 small pepper (chopped)
1 small onion (chopped)
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tablespoon food browning
1 tsp. salt
1 stalk scallion (chopped)
piece of thyme or 1 tsp. thyme leaves
Water
1 tbsp. cooking oil

Developing condiments to make a great flavour (developing flavours is my gift)

Paprika has a mild strength. Therefore, I used 2 tsp. so that the flavours from the other condiments will not over shadow the paprika flavour. Oregano and basil leaves have a medium strength, therefore I used 1 1/2 tsp. so that they will not over shadow the paprika flavour. Black pepper, chili powder, scallion, onion,hot pepper, and garlic, all these condiments have very strong flavours, so to keep them at bay, I use 1 tsp. each. (1 stalk scallion is equal to 1 tsp.) Thyme has medium to strong flavour .

If you noticed I used a lot of different condiments to seasoned the cow's skin, This should not be all the time because these condiments have no nutritive value; they are used to lively-up foods. Jamaican's cuisine is known for its spiciness. However, we do not need to cook highly seasoned food all the time because By constantly using highly seasoned food, a person may lose his appreciation of the more wholesome food, moreover, they stimulate the appetite causing you to eat more

Method
step1

To clean the cow's skin

Put a pot with 4 cups water over high heat and bring to a boil. Put the cow's skin into a medium or large bowl and pour the boiling water on it, let it remain in the boiling water until the water becomes cooled. This method is called 'scalding' (To scald the cow's skin)

step2

When the water becomes bearable for your hands use a sharp knife to remove anything that is on the inside of the cow's skin, also use the knife to scrape the back of the cow's skin

Step3

After cleaning the cow's skin, discard the water. Wash the cow's skin in vinegar and water solution (1 tbsp. vinegar mixed with 4 cups water), put to drain

Step4

Cut the cow's skin into medium or small pieces. Season the cow's skin with all the condiments except, onion, scallion, hot pepper, and thyme. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes (seasoned overnight is best)

The cooking time is  consuming somewhat. Use a pressure cooker if you prefer. The total cooking time depends on the texture of the cow's skin.

Step5

The steps remain the same if using a pressure cooker. Put a big pot over high heat, add the oil, and allow to hot. Add the seasoned cow's skin, stir and cover the pot. Do not add any water,  the steam from the heat will generate water into the pot. The cow's skin will steam.When the cow's skin begins to fry add enough water to fill the pot half-way up. (if using a pressure cooker, turn out the cow's skin into the pressure cooker and add the water). Cook the cow's skin over high heat until the water reduces. Fill the pot half-way up again and continue cooking the cow's skin.

Step6

When the water reduces for the third time, check to see if the cow's skin is almost cooked. Insert a fork in a piece of the cow's skin, if it goes through easily, then it is cooked, if forcible, add the amount of water according to how freely the fork went through. In my case, I use six cups because the cow's skin is partially cooked.

step7

Add the onion, hot pepper and scallion to the pot, stir and lower the flames to medium. Stir the cow's skin while stirring every 5 minutes. It will get sticky gluey from this point on.

Step8

When the liquid reduces to less than half, adjust the taste by adding more salt if needed. Add the broad beans and  1 tbsp. ketchup (optional), stir and continue simmering until the liquid is reduced to stew or gravy. Remove from heat. It is best to serve warm because of the gelatin when it becomes cold, it is sticky, gluey and stiff. Serve with cooked rice or your choice of staple foods.

Some women boiled the cow's skin, then drink the water and discard the cow's skin. They either drink the water or mixed the water with one bottle of Guinness, then sweetened with condensed milk; they said it is good for the nerves. Some men also drink this aphrodisiac punch.

Men in particular, eat cooked cow's skin because of the gelatin, it is believed that the gelatine from the cow's skin will help with stability, especially during sex.

Speaking of sex, women, when was the last time you exercise your vagina muscle? You should do it every day to maintain or to get a tight grip vagina.

Note:

In some cases, if some pieces of the cow's skin cook before some pieces, this means the skins are from different cows