Everybody was Kung Foo fighting...

Today we are traveling to the Caribbean, Jamaica to be exact. Marinated Jerk pork chops are on the menu. Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. Jerk seasoning is traditionally applied to pork and chicken.  Jerk seasoning principally relies upon two items: allspice (called "pimento" in Jamaica) and Scotch bonnet peppers (among the hottest peppers on the Scoville scale). Other ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic and salt. I did not have Scotch bonnet peppers, so I used their closely related cousin, Habaneros. Any hot pepper will suffice in this marinade. The more fresh ingredients you can find for this marinade the better, Jamaican food relies heavily on bold fresh flavors. This is a hot marinade, but may be adjusted for a mild palate. The mango salsa that sat atop my pork chops acted as a sweet cooling agent. This is a delectable summer dinner.

Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops with Mango Salsa

Marinade:

3 large garlic cloves

1 small onion

2 Habanero peppers

juice of 2 limes

3 T soy sauce

5 T olive oil

3 T brown sugar

1 T fresh thyme

1 T whole Jamaican allspice (regular ground will also work)

1 t fresh ground pepper

1 t fresh grated nutmeg (ground will work)

1/2 t cinnamon

Roughly dice garlic, peppers and onions. Place in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and pulse until thick paste is formed.

Place marinade in a zip baggie with the pork chops and marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Grill and enjoy.

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango diced

1 jalapeno diced

1/2 red onion diced

1 medium tomato chopped

3 T fresh cilantro chopped

3 T olive oil

1 T red wine vinegar

1 t agave

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill, allow to marinate at least 1 hour before serving.

Arroz Amarillo Con Achiote (Yellow Rice)

1 t saffron (turmeric may be used as an inexpensive alternative)

4 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

about 1 C bell peppers chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 C long grained rice (like basmati)

2-1/2 C of water/vegetable stock

1 t Caribbean allspice**

salt to taste

few sprigs of cilantro

pimentos

In a saucepan heat oil, add saffron and whole allspice seeds. Allow for color to develop and the allspice to become aromatic. Set aside to cool, then remove seeds. Add oil back to sauce pan, saute peppers, onion and garlic. Cook until tender, then add dry rice. Saute until rice becomes opaque. Add stock/water cook 8-10 min in medium heat until cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro and pimentos.

I took a cup of black beans that I had presoaked overnight and cooked them with 2 garlic cloves, one onion, bay leaf, and 2 lemon leaves for an hour. I liberally seasoned with salt and pepper and stirred then into the yellow rice.

Until tomorrow...Peace.