Chef Tee's Caribbean Kitchen (eBook)

A fruit stall on the roads of the Dominican Republic.

A tropical blue wall with bright pink window on a typical West Indian shack.

Chef Tee’s Simple Jerk Marinade

For those who don’t know, jerk is a wet or dry marinade used to season dishes. Traditionally, it has been used for the flavouring and preserving of meats such as chicken and pork, as well as fish. However, it has now evolved with the new-age Caribbean cuisine movement and allowed for an array of plant-based jerk delicacies to be included, too. Jerk is synonymous with the Caribbean islands, but the real secret that makes jerk so distinctively unique is the use of pimento wood, or the now more commonly used, pimento berries. This is what gives jerk its special taste. Here is my take on this recipe for you to make your own.

1 lime, cut into quarters

15 g/½ oz. fresh thyme

100 g/3½ oz. Scotch bonnet pepper

150 g/5 oz. onion, topped and tailed

125 g/4½ oz. spring onions/scallions, topped and tailed

40 g/1½ oz. garlic cloves, peeled, topped and tailed

30 g/1 oz. pimento berries

15 g/½ oz. black peppercorns

2 tablespoons table salt

60 g/2 oz. granulated sugar

10 g/⅓ oz. ground cinnamon

5 g/1 teaspoon cloves

10 ml/2 teaspoons soy sauce

10 ml/2 teaspoons brown malt vinegar

MAKES ABOUT 500 G/1 LB. 2 OZ.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse together to a smooth consistency.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

note If the blade sticks while you are blending, try adding water, a tablespoon at a time, and pulse until mixed.

chef tee’s jerk marinade party mix

Now you have mastered the classic jerk marinade (see opposite), I am sure you will want to host your own Caribbean barbecue (grill) party, so try this upscaled version instead. The method is slightly different but important to master for any chef wanting to turn their hand to cooking for a larger crowd.

90 g/3 oz. fresh thyme

80 g/3 oz. pimento berries

40 g/1½ oz. cloves

40 g/1½ oz. black peppercorns

450–600 g/16–21 oz. Scotch bonnet peppers, to taste

3.6 kg/8 lb. red and white onions, topped, tailed and quartered

100 g/3½ oz. spring onions/scallions, topped and tailed

350 g/12½ oz. garlic cloves (this is roughly 7–8 bulbs of garlic), peeled

5 large lemons, quartered

80 g/3 oz. table salt

600 g/3 cups granulated sugar

80 ml/⅓ cup soy sauce

80 ml/⅓ cup brown malt vinegar

60 g/2 oz. ground cinnamon

A clean bucket or very large container with a lid

MAKES ABOUT 5 LITRES/1.3 GALLONS

Chop the thyme sprigs in half, then pulse in a food processor or blender until finely blended. The processor will get hot when doing this from the moisture and friction, so make sure you hold onto it carefully. Transfer to a clean bucket or very large container when done.

Blend the pimento berries and cloves in the food processor or blender until semi-crushed, then add to the bucket.

Blitz the peppercorns in the food processor or blender until semi-crushed, then add to the bucket.

Add the Scotch bonnet peppers to the food processor and blitz until semi-crushed, then add to the bucket.

Blitz the onions and spring onions in the food processor until mashed, then add to the bucket when done.

Blitz the garlic cloves in the food processor until mashed, then add to the bucket.

Blitz the lemons in the food processor until mashed, then add to he other ingredients in the bucket.

Finally, add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and cinnamon to the bucket. Mix everything together until blended into one delicious marinade.

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

notes

 Check for any unblended lumps of ingredients as you transfer each one to the bucket and re-blend in smaller batches if necessary.

 This recipe creates enough marinade for large parties or barbecues – it would roughly marinade enough meat for around 50 people, so save it for when you are entertaining a crowd!

Simple Oxtail or Lamb Rub

Before I start, it is important to acknowledge that a large proportion of the Caribbean’s ‘documented’ history was interrupted by the transatlantic slave trade. The impact of this means that the cooking we now know as distinctly Caribbean is actually a blend of many other cultures. Our famous dishes and ingredients are really bits of Portuguese, African and Indian heritage to say the least. But they all commonly include the theme of working with cheaper cuts of meat, which often need long braising. This explains why some of our delicious delicacies are often snubbed and why I didn’t actually eat them until I was in my late teens! It's no secret that oxtail falls under this remit, but when it is done right, it’s simply sensational.

As it is often a fatty cut of meat, I would suggest following the instructions on page 113 if you want to use this rub with oxtail. However, the rub also works wonders on any more commonly used red meat, so feel free to pair it with your favourite lamb or beef recipe accordingly.

1 bulb of garlic, cloves separated and peeled

1 large onion, chopped

5 g/¼ oz. fresh thyme

thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger

1 Scotch bonnet pepper

1 teaspoon pimento berries

3 tablespoons good-quality vegetable bouillon or stock powder (I use Marigold vegetable stock powder)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

60 ml/¼ cup dark soy sauce

MAKES ENOUGH TO MARINADE

1 KG/2¼ LB. OXTAIL

Put the garlic cloves and onion into a food processor and pulse until fully blended. Add the thyme, ginger and Scotch bonnet pepper and pulse again until fully blended. Add the pimento berries, bouillon and black pepper and pulse again. Finally, pour in the soy sauce and pulse once more until fully combined.

Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week, unless using right away.

To use with oxtail, follow the instructions on page 113.

Simple All-purpose Plant-based Marinade

Although jerk is a great marinade, slightly different seasonings are required when cooking more delicate dishes. This simple all-purpose marinade keeps the essence of Caribbean flavours. With less heat it is great for plant-based dishes, but in our busy working world it’s also a quick way to add flavour to any dish. Rather than using salt and pepper to season, simply try seasoning with a couple of teaspoons of this instead before frying or roasting your chosen dish. Add it to rice, pasta, sauces or even dips… the possibilities are endless.

30 g/1 oz. fresh thyme

10 g/⅓ oz. pimento berries

10 g/⅓ oz. crushed black peppercorns

150 g/3½ oz. white onion, topped, tailed and quartered

100 g/3½ oz. red onion, topped, tailed and quartered

1 bulb of garlic, cloves separated and peeled

3 lemons, quartered

2 limes, quartered

35 g/1¼ oz. table salt

150–200 g/¾–1 cup granulated sugar

30 ml/2 tablespoons soy sauce

30 ml/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

MAKES ABOUT 500 G/1 LB. 2 OZ.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse together to a smooth consistency. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 14 days, unless using right away.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/420°F/gas 7. Roughly chop up a selection of your favourite vegetables – red (bell) peppers, mushrooms, courgettes/zucchini and red onions work well. Add to a large roasting tin with 2 tablespoons water, rub in 3 tablespoons of the marinade and drizzle with a little oil of your choice. Cover the tray with foil and roast in the preheated oven for about 20–30 minutes until the vegetables have steamed. Remove the foil, then continue for another 20 minutes until the vegetables have caramelized.

For another serving suggestion, see Martinique-style Veg on page 79.

Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce

I was one of many growing up Black in London in the 1990s, but no matter the house, there were just some unspoken Caribbean rules that had to be followed. A rainbow fish in every front room (that you were never allowed to go into as it was only for visitors), silly doilies everywhere that really served no purpose, wooden carvings and Jamaican poems on the wall… I mean the list goes on really. But I learned at a young age that the ultimate unspoken rule, which my mum taught me, was undoubtedly that there must always be hot pepper sauce in the house!

Now, my mum, being a second-generation Black British woman, would buy her pepper sauce from the world food section in our local supermarket. But both my nans – one Jamaican and one St Lucian – would always make theirs from scratch. To this day, I can still vividly recall the recycled jars with pickled peppers, perching ever so inquisitively upon their kitchen fridges. This lickle recipe is a nod to both their recipes.

100 g/3½ oz. Scotch bonnet peppers

1 bulb of garlic, cloves separated and peeled

5 g/1 teaspoon cloves

5 g/1 teaspoon pimento...