In honour of one of Toronto most vibrant festivals of the year, Scotiabank Caribana Festival, this week is dedicated to the flavours and spirit of the part of the world I love best, the Caribbean.
I couldn’t do a week of Caribbean themed recipes without including the definitive Jerk seasoning recipe. Given this is a holistic health blog and not a “100 ways to BBQ animals” type deal, I am focusing on the spices themselves. It is up to you what you want to put this spice on.
But let’s talk traditional jerk first. Your best bet for authentic smoked out jerk pork, chicken or fish will certainly not be what is served at the all inclusive buffet. For the good stuff, you will most certainly be leaving the gates of any hotel compound to hit up a road side stop. Just follow the smoke signals and you will find it.
Should the wind ever blow you in the direction of the Caribbean and you want to sample the real deal- this is how it should look.
On to the history of this collection of spices. According to FoodReference.com, the origina of Jerk date back to the native Arawak Indians traditional method of using Jamaican pimento (also known as allspice) to season and smoke meat for preservation purposes. Combine this tradition with a little spice in the form of hot chilies, pirates (yes, pirates!) bringing in a variety of new spices from both the old and new worlds; toss in some salt and escaped slaves with mad skills in slow roasting. Mix up this blend and we have ourselves Jerk.
Legend has it that the escaped slaves perfected this method of preserving and cooking meat during the time they spent fighting the British troops while living in the Blue Mountains.
And the things we learn with a little google research.
The basic recipe for jerk seasoning includes these three main components:
- Scotch Bonnet Chile Pepper: ranges in color from green to yellow to red. It’s purpose o was not only to spice spice things up, but also to preserve foods when refrigeration was not easy to come by and to aid in digestion. Jalapeños will work too. As with all chiles, use rubber gloves when handling and cutting, avoid inhaling the fumes, and thoroughly wash your hands after handling.
- Allspice: The allspice berry, also known as Jamaica or Myrtle pepper is a must in jerk seasoning. I am not talking about the ground combination spice powder that is often used in pumpkin pies and such, but the berry of the evergreen pimento. The dark brown, dried berries look similar to peppercorns, and can be purchased whole or ground.
- Thyme: Also widely used in Jamaican foods, and is sold in dried bunches in the markets. Thyme is a wonderful digestive aid.
Jerk It Out Jerk Seasoning
1 tablespoon Ground allspice
1 tablespoon Dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Freshly ground black pepper (I leave this out due to my allergy)
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground sage
3/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon organic sugar or 2 Tbs honey
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup tamari
3/4 cup cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup Orange juice, fresh or half of one orange, pureed
1 Lime, juiced
1 Scotch bonnet pepper (habanero)- leave this out if you are not so into the spicyness
3 Green onions, finely chopped
1 cup Onion, finely chopped
Rub this goodness all over your preferred choice of meat, fish or veggie protein and you can enjoy this grilled, sauteed in a pan or baked. Depending on your use, you may also wish to add a little water to make it more of a marinade.
How do I enjoy this?
I throw it all in a little pot with some cubed tempeh, sweet potato, carrots, cauliflower and sautee/simmer until veggies are tender and serve with a side of Rice and Peas. Not quite the same as eating a piece of meat hot and smoked right off the grill while sitting on a rickety stool by a shack at the side of the road looking out over the ocean; but hey, if I squint my eyes and play the right music, the brick building that is my view could be whatever I want it to be.
Here’s a good song that does that trick.
Pork Pit Pictures courtesy of eyesonjamaica.com
Real jerk chicken is wonderful! With all those ingredients I’ve never attempted to make it myself. We’ve stopped at a roadside place in Jamaica before where it was made in the more traditional style served with bread to scoop up all that wonderful flavor. One of the best meals I’ve had. The resorts we stay at there try, but they can’t make it the real way due to environmental restrictions and keeping their ‘green’ certificates. The idea of a veggie stew with the seasoning sounds great!
and my very very favorite caribbean song!! i love jimmy cliff… hey.. i know its really schmaltzy, but you have to include some Jimmy Buffet!
The seasoning recipe looks great! I’m thinking this could be totally delicious on some marinated portobellos that are then grilled.
Oh Meghan, you’re so subtle…
Hey, if you’re looking for veggie jerk stuff in T.O., check out this place… just opened up:
http://www.eyeweekly.com/blog/caribana/article/67822–one-love-vegetarian
I’m actually going to SEE that play – Harder They Come tonight!
yum what you do with the jerk seasoning sounds amazing!! I think I might be whipping some of that up very soon.
off to make some millet mash…
after i posted, memories returned of seein the original movie, with Jimmy Cliff a zillion years ago, in a small ‘art’ movie house in Prince George, BC…hard to believe an ‘art’ theatre would be there.. it didn’t last long…
This recipe looks great! I can’t handle a lot of spice so I would probably tone down the cayenne but it looks really yummy. I don’t think I’ve ever had traditional jerk chicken but maybe when we make it to the Carribean, we’ll be able to try it first hand.
Thanks so much,
Sarah
[...] we turn our attention to those other Caribbean inspired meals- the curries, roti, rice and peas, jerk pork and Red Stripe [...]
Jes- that is an awesome idea!
Elain- Jimmy Buffet is so cruise though. I am going authentic
Alex- You are the only person who has ever referred to me as subtle… no matter how sarcastic that was intended.
I know of a great way to get down to the Caribbean… join my retreat!