What's Cookin'?

Jamaicans love a good meal with ingredients including fish, chicken, vegetables, fruits and pepper-based spices. Jerk, the most popular dish seasoning in Jamaica, is used on pork, chicken and fish.
Other favorites include brown-stewed fish or beef, rice and peas and for dessert, Gizzada.

Jamaican Rice and Peas

1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight
2 cups long-grain white rice
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. thyme
Salt, black and hot pepper to taste
Boil the beans, garlic and salt until the beans are tender. Save three cups of the liquid.
Place the beans and the three cups liquid in the pot along with the remaining ingredients.
When it comes to a boil, add in the rice. Let it boil for 20 minutes and simmer until all the water has been absorbed. Stir with wooden spoon. Serves 8.

Brown Stew Fish

3 pounds fish fillets
2 sliced onions
3 chopped scallions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
3 tomatoes, chopped
Fresh thyme
2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
Soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lime/lemon juice
Clean and rinse fish well with hot water and lime juice. Pat dry and marinate with desired spices (ex. salt and pepper).
Set aside and marinate for 3-4 hours. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the fish to the skillet and brown on both sides. Remove the fish and carefully pour off the excess oil. Return the skillet to the stove top, reduce the heat to medium.
Cook onions, garlic, tomatoes and thyme. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the fish. Pour sauce over fish and cook until sauce is thickened. Serves 8.

Jamaican Jerk Rub

4 Tbsp. ground allspice
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Mix all ingredients. Rub on chicken, beef or pork. Bake or barbecue.

Gizzada

1 cup flour
6 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix to form dough.
Roll out dough on floured surface with a rolling pin into a thin sheet.
Cut into rounds (with knife or cookie cutter) and fit them into greased muffin tins.
Filling
1 cup grated coconut, fresh or packaged
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. water
1⁄2 tsp. lime juice
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Fill the pastry bases half full, and pinch the dough together at the top.
Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serves 8 to 12.
What’s Cookin’? will run every Wednesday in 2008. A different country’s foods will be featured each week. Next week: Korea.