Jerk recipe
This way of cooking has invaded restaurants and cafés worldwide, adding a hint of Jamaica to cocktail parties and backyard cookouts. Just about any meat can be “jerked,” but the real secret is in the marinade, a truly Jamaican blend of spices and seasonings.
1 dash of ground nutmeg
1 dash of mace
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of black pepper
2 tsps. ground Jamaican pimento
2 cups of chopped green onions
2 onions
2 hot Scotch Bonnet peppers
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Finely chop onions, peppers, and green onions. Blend all ingredients (preferably in a blender or food processor), pour mixture on chicken, pork, fish or beef and let marinate overnight (or at least for two hours). Grill meat slowly over hot coals until cooked. Yields 12 servings.
Jamaican Meat Patties
Ingredients
Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup cold butter or shortening
3/4 cup iced water
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 egg yolks
Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1/4 cup water)
Filling:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 sprigs scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon Scotch Bonnet pepper, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
Water
1 cup bread crumbs
Fresh ground pepper
Directions
Dough:
Combine flour, salt, and curry powder in work bowl of food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter or shortening and process until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. In a bowl combine water, vinegar, and egg yolks. Add wet mixture to work bowl and pulse until a ball forms. Cover dough in plastic wrap and let rest in refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
Filling:
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat, add onions, scallions, thyme, and Scotch bonnet peppers. When onion begins to soften, add ground beef, salt, and enough water to barely cover meat, simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Add bread crumbs and adjust with salt and pepper, allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough into 6-inch circles. Place 2 tablespoons of the meat filling onto half of each dough round. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half moon shape and press to seal. Place the patties on a parchment lined cookie sheet and place in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes. ***If making the cocktail size, cut the dough into 3-inch circles.
Jamaican Rice and Peas
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Place beans and garlic in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. When the beans are tender, stir in the coconut milk, green onions, Scotch bonnet, and thyme, and increase the heat to a boil. Stir in the rice, add some salt and pepper, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. Transfer to a large serving bowl, taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed, and garnish with sliced green onions.
CURRY GOAT
• 3 lb. Goat Meat (cut up in bite size pieces)
• 1 Large Onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves Garlic (chopped)
• 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper (chopped and seeded)
• 4 oz. Jamaican Curry Powder
• 1 oz. Cooking Oil
• 1 oz. Ground Black Pepper
• 2 tbsp. Salt
• 4 sprig. Thyme
• 1/2 oz. Vinegar
• 6 Pimento Seeds (Allspice)
Method:
1. Wash goat meat with vinegar and water. Rub in all the season with goat meat and let it sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and then remove the seasoning from the goat meat.
3. In a saucepan, heat the oil on high until it smells. Add 1 oz. curry powder to the hot oil. Stir curry powder in oil until the color starts to change.
4. Put the goat meat in the saucepan now. Stir the meat in the hot oil for two minutes; be careful not to burn the meat.
5. Add 1 oz. water to the pot, keep stirring until the meat looks like the muscles are tightening up.
6. Now turn down the heat to medium and add 2 cups of water to the meat in the saucepan.
7. Cover the pot and let this stew cook for about 1 hour. Check on the meat in the pot, stir again and add water to cover the meat.
8. Simmer for another 20 minutes, and then check to see if the meat is medium soft.
If it is so, add the seasoning you removed earlier to the pot. Let the stew simmer for another 10 minutes on a slightly lower heat (between medium and low).
Optional) You can add potatoes to the pot the same time you add the seasoning. You can also add bread crumbs to thicken.