Stush is a word we are well familiar with. We’ve been called stush, we’ve aspired to be stush and at times we’ve even tried to avoid being stush. Nevertheless, stush is a word we love. No other word can best describe the subtle but unique combination of pride, arrogance, style and aspiration that Jamaicans exude. Let’s face it – we Jamaicans are well stush, high-chest, proud of who we are and where we come from, and we make no excuses for it. This can often be misconstrued as arrogance but the reason we like stush things, stush places and stush people is that they make us feel special, and that’s the sum of it all.

Well, special is exactly how we felt after a day relaxing, cooking and laughing with Lisa and Chris Binns of Zionites Farm in their cosy and sophisticated New York City loft-style tree-house deep in the bush of the hills of St Ann. Spend some time with this humble and loving couple you’ll see that stush doesn’t have anything to do with having lots of things or being arrogant. Instead, stush is a way of looking at life. It’s demanding and enjoying excellence for and of oneself. It’s living out your aspirations.

Stush, in this way, is about grandeur, not grandiosity, which is oft confused and misapplied in the muddle of the materialistic and frivolous world of today. At Stush in the Bush we went back to the basics and in the process we recognised that true luxury resides in simplicity, in connection, in purity, in authenticity. It’s the beauty of a hummingbird, the scent of freshly cut herbs, the caress of a breeze coming off the Caribbean Sea, the smell of rain lingering in the air, the first taste of coffee, a shared laugh over a delicious meal.

At Stush we slowed down, we breathed in and we experienced that which we all seek-that single moment of stillness that connects you to nature, to the universe and to each other. A quiet awareness of the wonder and magic of life that surrounds us every single day was our gift from this magical place, a truth that, in our haste to do, acquire and accomplish, we so often miss. The most important ingredient in every Stush in the Bush product is love and affection; it even says so, on the label. We call this the magic ingredient. Try adding a dash of this magic to everything and see what a difference it makes.

Roasted Tomato Brushchetta with Stush in the Bush Chimichurri Sauce and Blow Fiya Crostini

Ingredients:

6 fresh plummy tomatoes, quartered

1/2 red onion sliced

3 garlic cloves, whole

2 tablespoons escallion, chopped

2 tablespoons Stush in the Bush Chimichurri Sauce

1 teaspoon Stush in the Bush Blow Fiya Sauce

1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint

2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro,

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Blow Fiya Crostini

Ingredients:

1 baguette, sliced thinly

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Stush in the Bush Blow Fiya pepper sauce

Method

To make crostini, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix olive oil with Blow Fiya sauce. Brush baguette slices with the spiced oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake in oven till golden brown and crispy. These can be done ahead and held in an airtight container. Serve with assorted toppings.

To make roasted tomato bruschetta, preheat oven to 425oF degrees. In a medium

bowl, toss tomatoes, onions and garlic with escallion, Chimichurri, Blow Fiya, mint,

cilantro, olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Place the quartered tomatoes and all juices onto a baking sheet, and

roast for 15 – 20 minutes in the oven. Allow to cool and rough chop everything together. Serve with crostini, pita chips, grilled flatbreads, crackers or plantain chips.

Vegan Pesto Flatbread

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced

6 cloves garlic, sliced

Salt

2 store-bought flatbread

4 tablespoons Stush in the Bush Vegan Pesto

4 tablespoons goat cheese (optional)

8 sundried tomatoes, sliced

8 seedless Kalamata olives, halved

2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 – 400 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan on high heat. Add onions and garlic and salt. Allow to brown. Reduce heat and continue to cook till wilted.

Brush both sides of flatbread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread each flatbread with two tablespoons vegan pesto and top with Kalamata olives, caramelised onions and garlic, goat cheese, basil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Broil in oven till cheese is melted and slightly brown.

Note: You can experiment by adding the roasted tomatoes from the recipe above, sundried tomatoes or roasted bell peppers to the flatbread. We also enjoy making this completely vegan by broiling without goat cheese or Parmesan and topping with avocado and arugula a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil when it comes out of the oven.

Editor’s note: Michelle Rousseau and her sister Suzanne are epicurean adventurists and self-avowed Caribbean-ophiles. Their show, Two Sisters and a Meal, airs Sundays at 5:30 on TVJ with repeats on Tuesday at 9:30 pm. Their first book Caribbean Potluck will be published in May by Kyle Books, UK and their web series Island Potluck can be viewed at twosistersandameal.com

Captions:

Green plantain chips and a vegan pesto dip made with Chimichurri sauce from Stush in the Bush — a must try with its lemony burst of flavour

Lisa and Chris Binns co-owners of Zionites Farm

Brunch is served with a delicious array of leafy greens from Zionites Farm, fresh rosemary focaccia bread, pumpkin and goat cheese frittata, Trinidadian style saltfish or buljol and green plantain chips with Lisa Binn’s Stush in the Bush Chimichurri Sauce

Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau with Chris Binns

Suzanne and Michelle Rousseau share kitchen space with Lisa Binns

Focaccia bread and vegan chocolate cake

Lisa Binn’s delicious vegan chocolate cake served with Stush in the Bush Lemon Curd and Sorrel Chutney.

Flatbread with Stush in the Bush vegan pesto, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and olives.

Buljol is a Trinidadian salt fish dish commonly consumed for breakfast with “bake”. Onions, garlic, hot pepper and tomatoes are diced and sautéed in hot oil until soft. Cooked seasonings and hot oil are poured over the already prepped salt fish to finish the dish. Cilantro (or shadon beni) and a generous dollop of Stush in the Bush’s Blowfiyah Pepper Sauce complete’s our @ Two Sisters version of this simple but delicious dish.