Stuff Shells for the Caribbean
Families often pass down favorite recipes from generation to generation or from friend to friend. I took a moment to talk with my wife, Antalaya Israel who of which has a West Indian background (Trinidad). We spoke about her family favorite dish or at least her favorite, and to bring in that recipe to share. Surprisingly for Caribbean women, stuff shells were and still are this Trinidadian favorite dish of all times. Now I get it because being from Bermuda, I tend to lean more to Italian dishes as well but my wife is the oldest of three girls and lived with a mother from my observations, that cooked nothing but soul/Caribbean cuisines. At the end of this interview, I will encourage the reader(s) to try my wife’s recipe for stuff shells.
I use my wife as a reliable source for this project because of her family’s background---Trinidadian. There’s no secret that Caribbean women love to cook, and not just love but can actually put great things together in the kitchen. Her mother and I often argue about who is the better cook but to be honest, her mother is a very good cook. From the spices she uses to presentation. As a matter of fact, she has a catering company---she being the mother.
Trinidad cuisine is known for a number of dishes that has contributed to the culinary world. I believe it’s the spices that create these dishes to come to life like no other culture; roti, doubles, curries and more---Trinidad's best foods are loaded with flavor. “Food is diverse breakfasts, cultural and traditional in many cases,” my wife informs me. Trinidad cuisine is influenced by many different styles, such as East Indian,

Spanish, African, Chinese and more. Over time it has been adapted and changed to what is known as Trinidadian food today.
As I sat down with my wife, I threw a series of questions at her. I was a bit surprise with her responses but she tends to surprise even me at times.
Me: Describe your family and the place you grew up.
Antalaya: My family is very close. I’m the oldest out of my parent’s children (3) of which is all girls. We try to bond as much as possible, very loving towards to each other.
Me: What was your family’s cultural heritage?
Antalaya: Most of my family is Caribbean (Virgin Islands) and that’s what I grew up knowing.
Me: Tell us about your favorite food when you were a child.
Antalaya: Pasta was always my favorite food as a child, stuff shells in particular. Surprisingly my mother made that a lot.
Me: What did your family typically eat for breakfast? For lunch? For dinner?
Antalaya: For breakfast we ate eggs, waffles and sausages. For lunch we would probably have a stew or sandwich, hot dog or burger. We would eat chicken, rice and beans; curry chicken, macaroni and cheese, things like that for dinner.
Me: Where and how were meals served and eaten?
Antalaya: We mostly ate in our rooms. On occasions we would eat as a family. We ate I guess like a normal family, with utensils and plates and silver ware.

Me: How often did your family eat at a restaurant or fast food outlet?
Antalaya: We ate at restaurants, only on holidays/occasions.
Me: Tell us about a favorite memory from your childhood involving food
Antalaya: Being in the kitchen helping my mother out preparing for thanksgiving meals.
Me: Who prepared your family’s meals? How did you help?
Antalaya: My mother prepared my families meals. I helped out by handing her ingredients or checking the oven to make sure nothing was burning.
Me: Tell us about how your family’s kitchen was different from your kitchen now.
Antalaya: My mother had a lot of homemade ingredients and had antique frying pans handed down from her mother. What’s also different is the fact that my household has a table.
Me: Describe where your family got groceries like flour, rice, sugar, milk, or butter.
Antalaya: We would go to the grocery store (Pathmark or Western beef) or my mother will make things like seasoning and sauces homemade.
Me: Describe something you ate when you were a child that might surprise us.
Antalaya: I ate a bugger before but what child hasn’t. I ate duck. I’m a very picky eater, so I don’t think I can surprise you.
Me: If you could go back in time and have one food from your childhood that you can’t get now, what would it be?
Antalaya: I love Susies Q’s by hostess. I know it’s not really considering food but I simply love those cakes.

Me: Describe the changes in people’s diets you have observed in your lifetime.
I noticed that people are trying to eat healthier, calorie free sweeteners, less salt intake.
Me: Which changes do you think have been good? Which have been bad?
Antalaya: The change that is good do people know about the healthier choice. What’s bad about it is the price of the healthier choice and the locations to get products that are healthy. I live in the Bronx and healthy choices in my point of view are limited.
I truly enjoyed talking with my wife because I was able to learn why she ate stuff shells 3 times a month. I had to do my homework on the dish, to see if it was just her craving or something bigger then even her taste buds. I learned that Italian cuisines such as ‘stuff shells,’ are noted for its “regional diversity.” It’s very simple to prepare this dish.
The following ingredients was taken from ‘Allrecipes.com.’
1 (16 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
4 cups large curd cottage cheese
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pinch garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

I had to think about what did I learn from interviewing my wife. Well I guess I learned more about her love for stuff shells. Despite all of the ingredients that is associated with pasta dishes, she still makes room for nasty delights (I say this with a big smile on my face). I need to tell her to wash her mouth before I give her kisses, only because of the bugger eating. FYI Ms. Israel, every child didn’t eat buggers (big smile on my face again). I guess it’s interesting, her love for stuff shells that is. I assumed from her being of West Indian descent, that she would’ve said something like ‘roti.’ My wife and I have things in common. My family is of an island descent as well (Bermuda) and I one point in my life, stuff shells was a common thing on our table. However it’s not my desire Italian dish.