The secret to running fast

The secret to running fast is..Jamaican cooking.  We've all heard the Jamaican folklore about the source of Usain Bolt's speed:  Roast Yam!  It's true!  At least it is for my running friend Dan Cumming.  He has a 'many generations ago' connection to Jamaica and a more recent one when he visited Jamaica 40ish years ago and 'ate local'.  He's a pretty good distance runner and that's an understatement!  It must be the Jamaican cooking!

In a cooking frenzy recently, Dan prepared the following mouth-watering Jamaican dishes. Since he lives in White Rock, British Columbia, finding all the ingredients was a bit of a challenge he noted. Two days of preparation and cooking followed...and the results:

Roast Jerk Yam.  I love roast yam.  I remember it from road trips around Jamaica as a kid.  Country vendors roasted who yams over open charcoal fires and served them fresh.  Doing it up jerk-style is a nice twist.

Pumpkin Soup.  I love a nice, thick vegetable soup, especially this time of year in Canada when it can be cold and dreary outside.  This will warm you up for sure.

Jerk Chicken and Jerk Pork.  My two favourite words when it comes to Jamaican cooking.  Jerk Pork in particular brings back memories of road-side Jerk Pits in and around Port Antonio.

Beef Patties.  I've never tried to make beef patties at home.  Truthfully we have a couple of Jamaican patty places in Toronto who make really good patties.  Nice going Dan!

Stamp and Go.  Dan, Al and I had some Stamp and Go last December in Negril.  Delicious then...sure these were tasty too.

Curry Goat.  While I'm not a super fan of goat, seeing Dan's creation in the photo above pushed my taste buds into high gear.

So...the secret to running fast is to regularly eat all the above.  Dan, all we need now are the recipees..

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

Ossies Jerk Chicken at Reggae Marathon

No trip to Negril, Jamaica would be complete without a trip and delicious feast of Jerk Pork and Jerk Chicken at Ossies in Negril.

It's not glamorous.  In fact it is easy to miss while driving or even running along Norman Washington Blvd in Negril.  It sits back from the road just west of Couples Swept Away and basically is a small shack with a covered front porch.

The lady who runs Ossies has been there since we first started coming to Negril in 2008.  It was closed in 2009 but has been open and running every year since.  We usually hit Ossies a couple of time for the best Jerk Chicken and Jerk Pork served with Rice and Peas (Yes, I know it's made with Kidney Beans but the name I learned as a kid sticks).

The menu is dead simple:  Jerk Pork, Jerk Chicken, Stem Roast Fish (when available).  And the prices are just great:

A pound of Jerk Pork, half a pound of Jerk Chicken, 2 orders of Rice plus 2 ice cold Red Stripe Beers. Ahhh...now that's the way to celebrate a successful visit to Negril for Reggae Marathon.

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

Steamed Fish: a meal fit for a runner!

On Fort Clarence Beach just outside of Kingston, Jamaica a couple of years ago Sally and I enjoyed a fantastic lunch:  Steamed Fish prepared fresh on the beach!  Perfect for a runner!  And yes, Sally enjoyed it as well.




We sat in our wet bathing suits at a picnic table under an Almond Tree and devoured our steamed fish along with escovitch fish, bammie and lobster.  All washed down of course with cold Red Stripe.  Truly a day to remember with a meal fit for a...runner! 

Guess my first meal when I arrive in Negril this December for Reggae Marathon 2011? Mmmmmm.....

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

Jamaican Recipes: JAMAICAN ESCOVEITCH FISH RECIPE

Sitting on the back deck on a hot, humid Saturday afternoon. Had a craving for something "Jamaican" to eat. Decided on an impulse to cook up some escoveitch fish. Here is the recipe: Jamaican Recipes: JAMAICAN ESCOVEITCH FISH RECIPE

All we need now is a Red Stripe...

Ackee and saltfish to celebrate the NFL's New Orleans Saints beating the Vikings on Sunday

When the New Orleans Saints roll over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL game this Sunday, I'll celebrate with Red Stripe and Ackee and Saltfish.  Here is the recipe if you want to celebrate the Saints win with me:  This delicious and vibrant meal is Jamaica's national dish and is often referred to as Jamaica's version of North America's omelette.  And yes, Jamaican's love the NFL! 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of ackee
• 6 slices of bacon diced
• 1 onion diced
• 2 green onion diced
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper chopped 
• 2 branches of fresh thyme 
• 2 cups saltfish (boiled down) 
• 2 tbsp oil for frying
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Put oil in a non stick pan or pot and add onion, pepper and green onion and saute over medium heat.
• Slice bacon into 1/2" pieces. Fry separately, drain on paper towel.
• Add ackee and bacon and mix around.
• Then, add thyme, cover, reduce heat to low-medium and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Then, add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Can be served with sliced avocado and Festival.

Credit for this recipe goes to my son, Court who originally posted this last year.  Thanks Court.

Enjoy the New Orleans Saints over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL game this Sunday.  I will.

And in the NFL's AFC game, the New York Jets will sink the Indianapolis Colts. 

New Orleans Saints vs the New York Jets in the Superbowl.  What shall I prepare for that football match up?

Until next time...

Making Jerk Pork this week to beat the winter blues...and enjoy the NFL playoffs

Court started it!  Here is our latest adaptation being prepared just in time for the NFL playoffs this weekend.  Go Dallas!

At the family Christmas dinner a couple of weeks ago (how time flies) one of our dishes was a favourite, Jamaican Jerk Pork.  Delicious.  You can never have enough...especially when its snowed here every day since then.

We dug up the recipe posted by Court some time ago. Then went shopping at Costco for a suitable 'hunk of pork:  found a 10+ lb pork shoulder, bone in.  On the way home, we picked up a couple of bottles of Presidents Choice Jerk Sauce from Loblaws.  Couldn't find our favourite brand, Walkers Wood so that had to do.

We 'enhanced' the recipe by dicing up some regular and green onions and adding to the Jerk Sauce.  We let that sit for about 1/2 hour.

Then we attacked the pork shoulder.  With a really sharp heavy duty knife, we cut off approximately 5 'hunks' of pork around 2 lbs each and put them in large, sealable plastic freezer bags.  Then we added the liquid marinade.  Mmmmmm...the smell was delicious!

We sealed the bags and have them marinating.  We plan to leave them for 3 days before cooking.  For that, we plan to follow Court's method:  400 degree oven, meat on rack inside a large baking pan, water below, for 45 minutes until done. 

Results just in time for the Saturday night playoff game this weekend.  Go Dallas!

Until next time...

Labour Day BBQ Turkey...and Corn and Sweet Potato

We had a fabulous Labour Day weekend in Wasaga Beach! Sunny skies, warm daytime temperature with no humidity. Cool overnight. We had to celebrate our good fortune. So we decided to BBQ. Ended up preparing our entire meal on the BBQ: turkey, corn-on-the cob and sweet potato. Here goes with the recipes: (Note the generous use of olive oil and spices)

Turkey

• We started with a 5 kg bird.
• Thoroughly seasoned it with a little olive oil, paprika, basil, oregano and paprika.
• Covered it tightly with cling wrap and left it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• To cook, I placed a shallow pan filled with water under the grill and brought the temperature in the BBQ up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit before putting the turkey directly on the grill. Kept it at 400 F for the first 45 minutes, then turned it down to 350 F for the next 60 minutes.
• Checked the internal temperature at this time and it was done! Took it off the grill and covered it with aluminum foil to rest for about 25 minutes.

Sweet Potato

• Took 5 medium-sized sweet potatoes and removed the skin.
• Chopped into approx 3 inch sections then sliced length-wise to make wedges.
• Seasoned with some olive oil, paprika, garlic salt, oregano and basil.
• Placed in microwave for approximately 13 minutes to soften them.
• Arranged wedges on a shallow, flat metal pan directly on the BBQ grill.
• Covered and left for approximately 20 minutes till slightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.

Corn-on-the Cob

• Removed the husk.
• Drizzled Olive oil on all the cobs.
• Dusted lightly with paprika, garlic salt, oregano and basil.
• Placed directly on the BBQ grill for about 20 minutes. Rotated to get slightly brown all over.

Dinner was fantastic! We have left-overs. Won't last long today. :)

Until next time...

Gluten-free and No Dairy

We finally made the decision a couple of weeks to completely cut out all products that contain gluten and dairy. And I love my pasta and bread! When I was competing in the Subaru Triathlon series a number of years ago, 'carbo-loading' was necessary. And fun. And now that we have made the decision to be free of both gluten and dairy, my training for the Reggae Marathon in Negril December 5 will be a challenge http://www.reggaemarathon.com/.

But all is not lost: we have met some new people who have given us some great advice, we now eat better at home, and we have found a great restaurant in Thornton. And I still get to carbo-load!

So how did we get so extreme so quickly? It helped that Sally and I both have extreme tendencies. We tend to adopt quickly and push to the limits. Sally finally had enough with digestion problems and decided to do something radical about it.

Our first step was a visit to Georgian Health Foods in Wasaga Beach. It is owned and operated by Ausra Dalinda. You can find her co-ordinates here: http://wasagawomensbusiness.ca/index.php?action=display&cat=19 . She spent some time with us discussing our problem then made a number of suggestions on how we could eliminate gluten and dairy from our diet. We tried them and saw work positive results almost immediately. We also liked that she carried gluten and diary-free products.

Then we modified our cooking at home. Gone are the pasta's and wheat-based products. We replaced them with rice and rice-based dishes. We added fresh vegetables and various lentils to every meal.

Sally is a great cook and has really embraced spicy, flavourful Mediterranean, South Asian and Eastern style cooking. Yummy! And since I grew up in Jamaica and enjoyed many of these flavours, I didn't need convincing.

We also grow vegetables in our backyard garden. We tip-toed in last year with tomatoes and herbs and plan to expand upon that this summer.

And we have found a new 'favourite' restaurant. Sirenis in Thornton http://foodpages.ca/sirenis. We actually found them on Good Friday when we went there for their excellent gluten-free fish and chips. We have been there since and despite our best efforts we have not gotten them to spill the beans on their unique menu for their gluten-free batter. We will keep going back of course and will not give up.

I need your help. Do you have stories to share? Do you have recipes? If so, I would love you to share them. You can post them as comments below this article.

As a 'newbie convert', we are now passionate about sharing the benefits of our gluten and dairy-free diet.

Until next time...

How to cook Rice and Peas...who knew there were so many versions

The original post has generated a number of comments from readers who have been kind enough to share their recipes. Who knew that there were so many versions of Rice and Peas.

This link will take you directly to the original post with the comments:

The Morales View: Races to Finish: Rice and Peas

The challenge will now be to try them all. Great carbo loading for the Reggae Marathon this December 5 in Negril. You can check their blog out directly by following this link: http://reggaemarathon.com/blog/

And for those of you interested, you can join my facebook group to show your support for the Reggae Marathon http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=42928009310.

Enjoy the Rice and Peas. Jerk Pork and Chicken for sure after the Reggae Marathon :)

Tips for Cooking Jamaican Style

Here are some cooking tips that I have picked up along the way. Hopefully they can be helpful to you too.

• Jamaican nutmeg can be used to spice up various meat dishes, from red meat to poultry


• Lemon or lime juice can be used to marinate poultry and fish and enhance the flavour


• Putting water beneath your meat when barbequing or cooking in the oven will keep your meat moist and tender


• Allspice is a great flavour enhancer for all stews and gravies


• Your meat should be room temperature before putting on the bbq


• Marinating your steak in a dark ale or lager makes a tasty steak


• Boiling ribs with a little salt and a bunch of carrots, before putting them on the bbq, makes them extra tender and greatly reduces bbq cooking time


• Pouring flour over a greased pan, will ensure your cake or muffin comes out smooth, with no greasy edges
  

Rice and Peas

This is the dish that can be served with every meal, especially ones with gravy. Sometimes I eat just a plate of rice and peas smothered in oxtail gravy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white rice


• 1 medium can red kidney beans


• 1 can coconut milk


• 6 pieces of cooked bacon (optional)


• 2 green onions, chopped


• 1 clove garlic, chopped


• 1 branch of fresh thyme


• 1 tbsp oil


• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (whole, do not chop up)


• water
  

Method:

• Drain the liquid from the can of beans into a measuring cup and add the can of coconut milk and enough water to make four cups of liquid


• Add liquid to a pot with beans, onions, garlic, thyme and oil, bring to a boil


• Add rice and stir for a minute. Reduce heat to Medium-Low


• Add bacon and scotch bonnet pepper on top of liquid and cover tightly for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked


• Remove scotch bonnet pepper before and thyme branch before serving

Blog merger news: Real Jamaican Recipes merging with Mykals Report

Thank you very much for following Court and I on our Real Jamaican Cooking blog http://realjamaicancooking.blogspot.com/. We have enjoyed the past few months of posting recipes, getting suggestions and hearing comments.

However, it is time for a change. Managing 3 blogs has become too time consuming so we are merging 'Real Jamaican Cooking' into 'Mykals Report'. Don't worry, all the recipes and posts have been imported and are now posted under the heading, 'Real Jamaican Cooking' (you will find them under the heading at the top right side of the blog home page called, 'Morales Topics').

We hope our followers will 'follow' us here.

And look out for the Rice & Peas recipe coming soon.

A true Jamaican favourite: Oxtail

Oxtail...a very flavourful favourite that goes well with

Rice and Peas

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lbs. oxtails, already cut up
• 1 14 oz. can of broad beans or Lima beans
• 3 green onions chopped up
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 cube of beef broth
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• water
  

Method:

• Season oxtail with salt, pepper and paprika
• Heat oil over medium heat, in a large, non stick pot and brown oxtails
• Add garlic, onion, and thyme and sauté for another 2 minutes
• Lower heat, add enough water to slightly cover the food and let simmer on medium heat for about 30 minutes
• Add all other ingredients, mix well, cover, reduce heat to low allow to cook for another 30 min
• Serve over rice and peas with lots of gravy and enjoy.
  
  
  
  
  

How to make Blue Drawers

This recipe was sent in recently from 'EH' who prefers to remain anonymous. Thank you. It is for a recipe that I must confess I have never heard of but it sounds delicious. I can't wait to try it. Before I post the recipe though, here is her cover note with some interesting background:

Blue Drawers, Duckunoo, or Tie Leaf are the names that are given to this
boiled pudding of West African origin. Jamaicans are very fond of this starchy,
green banana-based boiled pudding, which is enjoyed as a snack or dessert.

Many people from different parts of the island use these names
interchangeably when entertaining their guests or family members with this fare,
whenever possible. Since I am from the eastern side of Jamaica, these names are
the only ones that I can remember being used to name this delicious treat. And
although these names were common, we were reluctant to use "blue drawers" in
front of adults, fearing we would be admonished to have manners and respect...
because using the word ‘drawers’ is slang for underwear. How this word became
synonymous with a boiled pudding is still a mystery to me. I could speculate
that ‘drawers’ are the banana leaf ties that are used to tie the prepared batter
before it’s added to the boiling water, but that is just my guessing – honestly
I don’t know why the name ‘blue drawers’ came about and I’ve never checked.

With all that said, the taste is what we’re interested in…not history.
Irie? Cool.

Another very important thing about blue drawers is that it is traditionally
made with the banana leaves as the exclusive binder. However if you live in a
place where banana leaves are not available, what do you do? Or even if you live
somewhere where there is an ample supply of banana leaves but you’re not able to
get any immediately…use aluminum foil.
And that’s how we will make this
‘blue drawers’…yah mon!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Green Banana (grated; remove skins before grating)
• 1 cup Sweet Potatoes (grated; remove skins before grating)
• 1 cup Coconut Milk
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Flavoring
• 4 tbsp. Raisins
• 2 tbsp. Cooking Oil
• 4” x 6” Aluminum Foil Sheets
• Twine or Cord.

Method:

• Use a large mixing bowl and add the grated bananas, sweet potatoes, flour, baking powder, salt, and cooking oil. Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients
• Warm the coconut milk on low heat. Add the brown sugar and vanilla to the coconut milk
• Add the sweetened coconut milk to the rest of the ingredients and mix everything together until the batter is formed
• In the meantime bring water to boil in a saucepot
• Use the wooden spoon to add four to five spoonfuls of the batter to an aluminum sheet
• Bring the two long sides of the sheet together to hold the batter in place
• Fold them together to retain the batter inside
• Fold the two ends of the sheet and tie the blue drawers with the twine, cut the excess twine. (Note: this takes a little practice, so if you don’t get it at first keep trying
• Repeat this process for the rest of the batter and then add all the blue drawers to the pot of boiling water
• Let the pudding cook for about 45 minutes
• When the blue drawers are ready remove them from the boiling water and let them cool to room temperature
• Remove them from the aluminum sheets and serve as is or with ice cream. You can also eat them with a little honey and ground cinnamon.
  

YAH MON!

How to make Sweet Potato Pudding

This Jamaican favourite is more of a cake than a pudding.

It's not-too-sweet taste will have everyone asking for seconds

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds sweet potato
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups dried fruits
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon margarine

Method:

• Wash and pare off the skin of the potatoes
• Wash again then grate
• Also grate coconut, add water and squeeze juice through a strainer
• Blend flour, mixed spice (raisins etc) ,salt, and nutmeg
• Combine this mixture with the grated potatoes and mix well
• Add sugar, fruits and coconut milk. Mix well.
• Grease pan, pour in batter, bake at 350 degrees F for 40-60 minutes or until done
• Allow to cool and enjoy.
  
  

Ice Box Cake

This is a simple, but delicious desert that will please anyone. The recipe below is unique to my grandmother and have yet to find it prepared this way anywhere else

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of yellow Pound cake
• 1 lb icing sugar
• 1/2 lb butter
• 1egg
• 1 large can of fruit cocktail
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tins of Nestle carnation cream
• Cherries for garnish

Method:

• Cream butter, sugar and egg
• Drain the can of fruit and add it to the mixture
• Add vanilla and lime
• Slice the pound cake in to 1/2 inch slices and line the bottom and sides of a 8 x 12 inch dish
• Pour a layer of mixture on top of the cake, then cover with another layer of cake
• Repeat again, and end with the cake layer on top (so, three layers of cake and two layers of mixture in total)
• Whip the carnation cream and spread it on top of the cake. Decorate with a few cherries on top and enjoy
  

How to make delicious Festival from scratch

We posted this recipee back in December but upon the request of 'Anonymous', here it is again.

Yes, you can buy a pre-mixed package from a West Indian store such as Nicey's http://www.niceysfoodmart.com/ but this is much more fun.

This golden treat can be enjoyed with any meal, but is especially delicious with breakfast. It has the texture of a donut, but is not as sweet and is delicous when dipped in gravy.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. margarine
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil for frying

Method:

• In one large bowl, sift flour and baking powder
• Add cornmeal, sugar, nutmeg, salt, margarine, lime juice and enough water to bind mixture to a manageable dough
• Leave to stand for two minutes
• Heat Oil in a pan, shape festival into fingers and fry
• Drain on absorbent paper.

How to cook Hot Pepper Shrimp to die for!

This is a unique snack to Jamaica that is made using prawns from Black River and sold on Bamboo Walk.

You can leave the heads on (which is my favourite part) or you can take them off.

This is my favourite Jamaican snack, but beware, because they are very, very HOT!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb shrimp or prawns
• 2 green onions chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 or 2 scotch bonnet peppers (depending on how hot you want it)
• 1/3 cup oil for frying
  

Method:

• In a large pan, heat oil to medium and then add green onions, garlic and peppers. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes
• Add shrimp, making sure each shrimp is thoroughly covered in the mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, or until each shrimp is bright red
• Let them cool and drain on some paper towel

Now get a cold Red Stripe (not that we encourage the consumption of alcoholic beverages) and dig in!

Curry Chicken

There are a lot of curry chicken recipes from different countries, but this recipe is Jamaican style. Perfect with Rice and Peas.



Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lbs. chicken, cubed
• 3 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup of curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion salt
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. tomato paste
• 2 branches of fresh thyme
• 1 or 2 scotch bonnet peppers, whole
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup oil for browning water

Method:

• Heat oil in a large, non-stick pot on medium heat and add onions and garlic.
• Add a little bit of the curry and let cook for a about 1 minute.
• Then add the chicken with some more of the curry and brown the meat on all sides.
• Add potatos and enough water to cover.
• Then add the rest of the curry and the rest of the ingredients and mix well.IIncrease heat to medium-high and allow to boil.
• Reduce heat to low medium, cover and allow to cook for at least 30 min.
• Remove from heat and take out thyme branches and scotch bonnet peppers. Then serve on top of Rice and Peas
  

Enjoy!

Jerk Pork & Chicken a la Court

This is perhaps Jamaica's most famous dish and certainly my favourite. It's moist and loaded with Jamaican flavour and spice.

Have a cold drink handy in case the spice is too great.

Making your own marinade from scratch can be tedious and time consuming, so a cheater's way, is to buy Walkerswood Jerk seasoning http://www.walkerswood.com/ (as pictured) and just add to it.







Ingredients:

• 1 jar of Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning
• 2 green onions chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 tbs. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 2 tbsp. fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp. Pickapeppa sauce or a mild bbq sauce

Method:

• First, prepare the meat the night before cooking by making slits into the meat that can filled with the marinade.
• Then, in a large bowl, mix together the entire jar of Walkerswood seasoning with all the other ingredients.
• Rub into the meat well and make sure seasoning stays in the slits you have made. If seasoning a pork, it helps to tie it tight with string, so the pork stays together with the seasoning.
• Let the meat marinade over night and take out half an hour before cooking.

BBQ Cooking Method

• Heat the BBQ to 375 degrees Celsius
• Reduce heat to low - medium heat
• Place an aluminum pan under the grill and fill with boiling water, this will keep the meat moist and prevent it from burning.
• Place chicken on grill and let it cook for 45 min. to an hour
• Check to make sure meat is cooked to correct internal temperature for either pork or chicken

Oven Cooking Method

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and place meat in a deep pan or dish with and wire rack, so the meat is not touching the bottom of the pan.
• Fill the bottom of the pan with boiling water and cook for about 45 min. to an hour
• Check to make sure meat is cooked to correct internal temperature for either pork or chicken
• Let meat stand for about 10 min. before serving to enhance the flavours further

Serve with rice and peas and enjoy!