Jerk Chicken Pasta

This recipe is inspired by Cuddyz's  Record Breaking Jerked Chicken Pasta, a pasta to die for! It combines the rich flavours of traditional pasta with the fiery kick of spicy jerked chicken. You can't go wrong with this one, especially if your tastebuds can handle some heat!
Cuddyz is a restaurant in New Kingston, Jamaica, that was founded by the famed Jamaican West Indian cricketer, Courtney Walsh. Huh??? What in the world is cricket? Hahahaha, I don't blame you!

Cuddyz Sports Bar & Grill, New Kingston, Jamaica

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds chicken breasts, diced
• 2 tablespoons of jerk paste plus one tablespoon of jerk paste
• 1 pound dried penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 Scotch bonnet (habanero) pepper, sliced and unseeded*
• 5 grains of pimento (allspice), crushed
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup half and half**
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 2 teaspoons of lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon of cilantro

*Please be careful when handling Scotch bonnet/habanero peppers. These peppers are really hot, especially the seeds. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling them. Otherwise,  please wear gloves before slicing them up. Omit this ingredient if you need to reduce the heat!

**In order to reduce the calorific value and fat content, use fat free or skimmed milk.  However, this will render the sauce more watery.

Method:

Mix the chicken and the jerk paste together. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 2 hours. You have the option of using a commercial jerk paste, or you can make your own.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat olive or coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in diced  the onions. Cook 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Then, add the peppers and garlic. To this, add the thyme and allspice. Cook for about 3 more minutes. 

DIY Jerk Seasoning

Instead of making jerk marinade from scratch every time when making jerked chicken, pork or fish, this very spicy seasoning is a great shortcut. This is especially useful for making jerked chicken pasta or other jerk derived dishes.

The below ingredients will make a finger-licking jerk seasoning that is virtually the same as the better commercial brands. The final result is a thick, jerk paste. Thanks to Keeks Y. for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS :

• 1/2 cup pimentos (allspice berries)

• 1/2+ cup packed brown sugar

• 6-8 garlic cloves

• 4-6 Scotch bonnet peppers

• 1 tablespoon ground thyme or 2 tablespoons of thyme leaves

• 1-2 bunches escallions (green onions)

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• salt and pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to moisten the mixture

METHOD:

1.Process the contents in a food processor or otherwise blend and liquefy.

2. Pour sauce into an empty container and keep refrigerated.

3. The sauce will keep indefinitely if kept refrigerated.

4. To increase spiciness of the sauce blend peppers and pimentos together and add this mixture to the  to sauce at anytime.

I stored mine in an old Adams peanut butter jar. 

DIY Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is a popular ingredient in many dishes, particularly in Caribbean and Asian cuisine.

This is a step by step guide in making your own coconut milk, as opposed to going to the store to purchase the canned or the powdered variety, which contains many additives.

Ingredients

• 1 dried coconut
• 6-8 cups of water

Method:

First, crack the dried coconut and remove the "meat" from the hard outer shell. This task is made easier by using a dinner knife to pry the inner husk away from the dry outer shell. On cracking the coconut itself, to be quite frank, the easiest way to do this is to crack the shell on a sturdy piece of concrete. Don't crack it too hard at first, because you'll want to collect the coconut water inside the shell for a refreshing drink, instead of paying $4.00 or so for the same thing at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

After this, use the front of the grater to grate the coconut. Use the side of the greater that is the least rough. Take care not to grate your knuckles!

Then, add the flakes to the blender. Add approximately four cups of water. If your blender is small, you may have to divide this into two batches.

Blend on high for about 8-10 minutes. Pour the mixture from the blender through a fine-meshed strainer into a separate container. Squeeze the mixture to extract the milk. Put the squeezed grated coconut into a separate container. Do not discard yet. After the first round of squeezing and extraction, put the squeezed coconut flakes back into the blender. Add 2 - 4 cups of water to this. Blend on high again for 6-8 minutes. Repeat the process. This yields about 6 cups of coconut milk. This can be frozen to preserve the integrity and taste of the milk. 

This is how my mom makes her own coconut milk. Before the age of blenders, my grandmother would have to use the rough side of the blender, squeeze the mixture with her hands through a  strainer, using warm water.  This process would be repeated at least once more. 

Note: A very smart friend of mine suggested that a juicer could also work. I do not own a juicer, so I made my own coconut milk using the method described above. For those of you who own a juicer, try that and see if it works. I'm sure it would save a load of time :) .

Indian Curried Vegetables in Coconut Milk

This quick, simple, healthy dish is very rich in flavour… and is guaranteed to change the way you look at at vegetables.
Cooking Time: Approximately 30 minutes

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 green chilli, seeded
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp curry
• 2 tablespoons of sweet mango chutney
• 1/2 cauliflower, chopped
• 1 potato, cubed
• 1 broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup of whole mushrooms
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

In a large skillet, sautee the onion. Then, add the spices to the skillet. Allow to cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently.
Add the potatoes, coconut milk and two tablespoons of sweet mango chutney. Stir well. Season generously with 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste.
Cover and allow to cook for at least 20 minutes. After this, add the vegetables and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes, longer if you prefer your vegetables less crunchy.



Serve over rice if desired. I served this over basmati rice.

Chicken in Garlic Sauce

This delicious, Asian inspired recipe is an all time favourite. It is also pretty easy to prepare.

Prep : 35 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (you may substitute this with olive or vegetable oil)
• approx 2 cups of vegetables, chopped (examples include broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, corn)
• 1/4 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 1 pound of chicken, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne or black pepper
• 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 cup water

Preparation:

Cut chicken into small strips
Mix the chicken, ginger, cumin, garlic, green onions, pepper, cornstarch, soy sauce and the honey together in a bowl. Add one cup of oil to this marinade. Set aside for 30 minutes.
In a large skillet, sautee onions and mushrooms in coconut oil. After this, remove the chicken from the marinade and add this to the frying pan. Continue to cook for another 6 minutes.



Then, add the marinade to the chicken and the vegetables. Cook until sauce thickens, then remove from heat.



Serve over rice or quinoa.  Enjoy