BARBADOS: Macaroni Pie and Avocado-Papaya Chicken Salad

In Barbados this macaroni pie is typically served alongside fried fish or a meat stew, in other words as a side dish. But partnered with a Barbadian salad, it held its own as the main event. Due to the pie's baking time, this took slightly longer than 45 minutes to get on the table, but it was relatively simple and can be made ahead of time and heated just before serving. My daughter raved about the salad, which is fruity and bright.

Macaroni Pie

½ pound bucatini, broken into thirds, ziti, or penne

1 cup evaporated milk

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon Dijon or yellow mustard

2 tablespoon grated white or yellow onion (~½ small onion)

½ teaspoon white or black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the dish

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, ideally New Zealand, shredded

2 tablespoon bread crumbs or panko

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Butter a 2-quart baking dish or casserole pan.

2. Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water until just barely al dente (it will cook more in the oven).

3. While the pasta is cooking, whisk together the evaporated milk, ketchup, mustards, grated onion, salt, pepper, and egg.

4. Drain the el dente macaroni and place in back in the hot pan. Mix in 1 tablespoon of the butter. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the grated cheddar for the topping, then add the remainder of the cheese to the hot pasta, a little bit at a time, stirring between additions. Pour the milk and egg mixture into the pot, then pout the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

5. Mix together the breadcrumbs and the 2 tablespoons of reserved grated cheese. Sprinkle on top of the pasta, then top with dabs of butter. Bake 30-45 minutes until golden.  

Avocado-Papaya Chicken Salad

½ cup plain yogurt

¼ cup mango chutney OR apricot jam + 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne + ¼ teaspoon cider vinegar

1 lemon

¼ teaspoon salt

dash cayenne pepper

12 ounces chicken, cooked and shredded*

1 small papaya

2 small avocados

1 small head butter or Boston lettuce

*I used a bag of Trader Joe's grilled chicken breast, but you can use meat from a rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken you have

1. Purée the yogurt, chutney, juice from the lemon, salt, and cayenne if using, in a small food processor or blender.

2. Peel, seed, and chop the papaya and avocado. In a medium bowl, mix the chicken, papaya, and ½ of the dressing, stirring to coat thoroughly. Add in the avocado and a dash more dressing and toss gently. Taste for seasoning, adding more dressing, salt, and/or pepper to taste.

3. Rinse and chop the head of lettuce. Layer ¼ of the lettuce on each plate and top with a ¼ of the chicken mixture.

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FUN FACTS:

• Barbados is the birthplace of rum.

• The Crane Resort in Barbados was founded in 1887 and is the oldest continuously operating resort in the Caribbean.

• Barbados has the third oldest Parliament in the world. It was founded in the 1600s.