September 18, 2009

Jamaican Supper Mahn

I was trying to come up with something different from my usual bag of tricks to make from the chicken breast I was thawing for supper tonight, while still utilizing what I have here at the house. Not a huge problem as I generally have an extensive selection of herbs and sauces and what-nots. The final decision after tooling through recipes on the net was Jerk Chicken. I hadn’t made Jerk Chicken/Beef/Pork in quite a while and this just sounded really good to me. I added in Basmati rice, cooked red lentils, corn, yogurt with cucumber and lemon, and na’an bread. And I made enough for tomorrow so its a win-win.

It was a hit! We all made quite the lil piggies out of ourselves. lol

Oh and umm… if you cook this inside, be sure there is ventilation. It took opening 3 doors and 3 windows, plus a fan to vent the house. lol The marinade tends to smoke a smidge when cooking.

OK well more than a smidge. But its well worth it.

I would have taken pics but I was on my feet for quite a while as I made this and I was D O N E by the time the food was. Bad photog I am . I will take pics next time round….

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Red Lentils

I simply rinsed them well and made sure there were no stems or odd pieces in there. Common occurance with lentils! I cooked them with vegetable consume’, onion and garlic. Powdered is fine. Cook until tender.

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Cooling Yogurt

Plain yogurt….slice a nice firm cucumber into it (bite sized pieces), and squeeze a half of a lemon. Stil well. Perfect foil for the slightly spicy chicken.

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Na’an Bread (Indian Flat Bread)

Ingredients:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons milk, plain yogurt or buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons salt

4 1/2 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)

1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2.	Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3.	During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4.	At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared. *

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

From the cookbook, “The Sugar Reef Carribean Cookbook,” by Devra Dedeaux.
This is great made with boneless chicken breast, pork and even fish. Thicker chunks of a firm fish is best.
Serve this with flat bread (naan or chapatis), rice, yogurt with fresh lemon juice and cucumber slices, corn on the cob….oh MAN…goooood stuff!

* 1 tablespoon Ground allspice
* 1 tablespoon Dried thyme
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground sage
* 3/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
* 3/4 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
* 2 tablespoons Garlic powder or fresh
* 1 tablespoon Sugar
* 1/4 cup Olive oil
* 1/4 cup Soy sauce
* 3/4 cup White Vinegar
* 1/2 cup Orange juice
* 1 Lime juice
* 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (habanero) (in a pinch I use habanero sauce from a jar)
* 3 Green onions — finely chopped
* 1 cup Onion — finely chopped
* 4 to 6 chicken breasts

“JERK: This method of cooking pork and chicken dates back to the Carib-Arawak Indians who inhabited Jamaica. After capturing an animal and thoroughly cleaning and gutting it, the Indians placed it in a deep pit lined with stones and covered with green wood, which, when burned, would smoke heavily and add to the flavor. But first, the carcass was “jerked” with a sharp object to make holes, which were stuffed with a variety of spices. The holes also allowed heat to escape without loss of moisture.
The results were superb. The meat was not only wonderfully spiced, but moist and tender.” (Note: Sugar Reef is a restaurant in Manhattan) Seed and finely chop Scotch Bonnet pepper. Trim chicken of fat. In a large bowl, combine the allspice, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, garlic powder and sugar. With a wire whisk, slowly add the olive oil, say sauce, vinegar, orange juice, and lime juice.
Add the Scotch Bonnet pepper, onion, and mix well. Add the chicken breasts, cover and marinate for at least 1 hour, longer if possible.
Preheat an outdoor grill.
Remove the breasts from the marinade and grill for 6 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. While grilling, baste with the marinade. Bring the leftover marinade to a boil and serve on the side for dipping.

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