Jamaican jerk chicken and spiced slaw

Today is such a gorgeous day where I am, and that just makes me want to eat delicious foods! Try this Jamaican jerk chicken dish! It is delicious, fresh and very impressive while requiring little work.

And if you happen to have an outdoor grill, even better :)




INGREDIENTS (4 people):
- jerk sauce (click here for recipe)
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 cup cashew nuts
- fresh cilantro
- roasted coconut flakes
- 1 fresh mango
- 1 head of cabbage
- 1 large shallot
- a few spring onions
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1 small red pepper
- 1 small yellow pepper
- 2 lbs chicken drumsticks


RECIPE:
- coat the raw cashews with a few tablespoons of jerk sauce (click here for the recipe), spread into a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden

Note: make sure to stir often to ensure even baking and that it doesn't burn
- put the chicken drumsticks in a ziploc bag and add about 1 1/2 cups of jerk sauce, coat well and marinate for about 1 hour in the fridge

- after an hour, put the chicken and marinade in a baking dish and cook in a 350F oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked all the way through

Note: you can turn the chicken a few times during the cooking so that it gets caramelized on all sides
Note 2: if you are lucky enough to have an outdoor grill, these drumsticks would be absolutely delicious grilled!!!
- while the chicken is cooking, you can prepare the slaw: shred the cabbage, slice the mango, shallot, green onions and peppers finely and mix in a bowl

- serve the cooked chicken on a bed of slaw, sprinkle with the roasted cashews, a few toasted coconut flakes, fresh cilantro and dress with a few tablespoons of jerk sauce loosened with a splash of sesame oil and white vinegar

- enjoy!

Jamaican jerk sauce

Hi everyone!

A couple of months ago, in the midst of the longest winter ever, I purchased a Jamaican cookbook to escape the cold. At least in my mind.

Virtually all the recipes in this amazing cookbook had me craving caribbean food and I decided to try my hand at jerk chicken (recipe to follow soon). But first, I needed jerk sauce, which I decided to make from scratch using bits and pieces from different recipes I found online.

Here's how I made mine.



INGREDIENTS:
- 4 large scallions
- 2 jalapeno peppers, or more if you prefer it hotter
Note: authentic recipes call for scotch bonnet peppers, but I cannot take that kind of heat, so I stick with one jalapeno. plenty hot for me.
- 1 inch fresh ginger
- 6-7 sprigs of thyme
- 3 chubby garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tsp ground allspice, not pictured but VERY important! :)
- 1/4 cup chili-flavored dried mango
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 2 tbsp orange vinegar
Note: most recipes call for molasses, freshly squeezed orange and lime juice, but since I had neither on hand, I used a mixture of dried mango, dried tomatoes and orange vinegar to mimic the sweet and tang of molasses and citrus.
- a splash of white distilled vinegar to adjust acidity, to taste
- salt, to taste


RECIPE:
- start with rehydrating the mango and tomatoes in the boiling water and reserve the liquid

- then mix the sesame oil, orange vinegar, soy sauce and ground allspice

- chop the scallions, ginger, onion and garlic coarsely and put everything in a blender

- blitz away!

Note: You can adjust the seasoning at this stage. I had to add one more jalapeno, a splash of white distilled vinegar and a healthy pinch of salt to make it to my taste
- this sauce will keep for at least two weeks in the fridge
- enjoy!

Jamaican crab curry (A recipe from Climbing Grier Mountain)

Lauren from Climbing Grier Mountain posted this recipe online yesterday. It took me 27 hours to make it happen.

Also, if you haven't done so already after seeing this picture of amazeballissimo deliciousness, go check her blog out!

PS: I am slowly getting back into my kitchen after taken 3 weeks vacation. I am editing a recipe at the moment, and will shoot another one or two tomorrow. Can't wait to start posting again!