Jamaican Chicken Back Soup

Ingredients

8 cups water
4-5 chicken backs
1 pack grace cock noodle
1 Sweet Pepper (Orange or Yellow)
4-6 small Irish potatoes 
1 piece of yam 
And additional ground provision as desired (sweet potato etc.)
2 stalks escallion
2 sprigs thyme
1 large carrot
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 clove garlic
pimento seeds
Wheelers/ Dumplings
salt to taste

Method

1. Put water in large soup pot
2. Chop and add garlic, pepper, thyme, escallion, pimento and bring to rapid boil.
3. Add chopped chicken back and let cook for hour until almost cooked
4. Blend sweet pepper add to pot and bring to boil 
5. Then add chopped carrots, potato and yam etc.
6. Make and add wheelers/ dumplings 
7. Stir thoroughly and add cock noodle soup for final 20 minutes or until all ingredients are cooked.
8. Taste and season accordingly.

Jamaican Christmas Ham Recipe

Ingredients
1 7lb smoked pre cooked ham
Whole cloves

Glaze:
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2tbsps guava juice
2 tbsps honey
3 tbsps brown sugar
1tbsp lime juice
Pimento

Decoration: 
Maraschino Cherries
Pineapple Slices or Chunks
Toothpicks

Method

• Heat oven to 350 F
• Clean up ham removing extra skin and fat
• Use a sharp knife to make criss cross design in ham
• Please cloves in the sections where the lines intersect 
• Place ham in a roasting pan lined with foil with fattier side facing up
• Combine the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl and pour over the ham
• Bake ham at 350 F for 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes.
• Cool ham for 15 minutes before slicing 

Serves: 10 people

Photo Credit and Ham Design Inspiration: Grace foods...until I put up my own pic. :D

Jamaican Coconut Ginger Bun

We're in Lent inching towards Easter which means alot of bun and cheese as Jamaicans reflect on the life and death of Christ. If you're tired of the same ole traditional buns here's a DIY coconut inspired recipe to try. If you do, leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out!

Ingredients
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup Grace coconut milk
3 tbsps grated ginger
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
3 tsps. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsps. cinnamon powder
2 cups grated coconut
1 cup soaked raisins
3 whole green cherries
3 whole red cherries

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C and grease a loaf/bun pan.

2. Beat egg and vanilla then add Grace Coconut Milk, melted margarine, grated ginger and sugar. Mix well until all the sugar granules are dissolved.

3. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, shredded coconut and soaked raisins.

4. Add half the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture and mix then add the other half of the dry ingredients and mix well.

5. Scrape the batter in bun tin then decorate with green and red cherries.

6. Put to bake for about 1 hour.

*Recipe adapted from original Grace foods recipe book published in the Jamaica Observer.

Jamaican Spiced Mocha

My grandparents were coffee farmers and would grow coffee for sale to coffee processing plants; so it's no surprise that coffee would become a family favorite. Here's a Jamaican recipe to warm up the cold Fall/Winter mornings.

Serves 4

Ingredients 

 2 cups freshly brewed strong Blue Mountain Coffee (or any Jamaican coffee brew of your choice)
1 square Unsweetened Baking Chocolate, chopped
4-5 tbsp condensed milk
1-2 tbsp sugar (sweeten to taste)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 cup whip cream pinch of nutmeg
 *pinch of salt
* drop of peppermint essence or pumpkin spice
   for that holiday sensation

Method

1. Mix coffee and chocolate in heavy saucepan; cook on very low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly with wire whisk. 
2. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt. Bring to boil on medium heat; cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk and vanilla, stirring until well blended. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. 
3. Pour into 4 large cups or mugs. Top with whipped cream. Garnish with a light sprinkling of additional cinnamon, nutmeg or chocolate, if desired.

Happy Nyaamings! Leave a comment if you tried this recipe.

Christmas Ham Breakfast Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

8 Large eggs
4 slices white or whole wheat bread
2 tbsp. butter for buttering bread
6 slices wafer thin ham cut in small pieces
4 oz. cheddar cheese (grated)
1 finely chopped sweet pepper
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped tomato
1 small can pineapple chunks (optional)
salt and black pepper

Method

1. Butter the bread and cut the slices into quarters. 
2. Arrange the bread in a glass baking dish with cover.
3. Tuck the ham slices between the bread
4. Crack the eggs into a jug, add the milk and seasoning
5. Beat together with a wire whisk, then pour over the bread, pressing down so it can absorb milk
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and turn.
7. Add cheese and return to oven baking for 10 minutes
8. Let cool and serve with tomato and lettuce.

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Stuffed Christmas Roaster

Ingredients

1 Roaster Chicken
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
5 gloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped
Roaster gizzard & liver from the giblet pack

Stuffing

2 tbsp. honey
3 rashers bacon, cut into small pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 cup stale bread, cubed
1/3 cup raisins
1 cup pumpkin peeled and cubed
1 cup irish potato peeled and cubed
1 sprig thyme
1/4 cup chopped escallion or parsley

Method

1. In a pan covered with water, boil gizzard and liver until tender (about 1 hour)
2. Place bacon in a cold pan, turn heat on medium and sear the fat for 5 minutes
3. Turn heat to medium high, add onions, chopped gizzard and liver. Cook for 4 minutes
4. Remove from stove, add bread, raisins, thyme and pumpkin. Allow to cool slightly.
5. Mix salt, black pepper, chopped garlic, onion, soy sauce, scotch bonnet pepper and honey
6. Season inside and outside of roaster with seasoning mixture
7. Lightly pack the stuffing into the cavity of the bird
8. Place in preheated oven (375 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 2 hours until juices run clear.
9. Garnish and display on platter

Jamaican Country Style Ham

Ingredients  

Start with cooked Ham at refrigerator temperature.

9 lb picnic ham 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

2 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. mustard 

2 dozen whole Pimento cloves 

6 Maraschino cherries for garnishing 

6 pineapple slices in heavy syrup for garnishing 

1/2 tsp. ginger powder 

1 tsp. garlic powder

Method 

The lower the heat the softer the ham will be. 

1. Cook at 325°F for approximately 3 hours 

2. Trim of skin and glaze by mixing sugar, honey, mustard, ginger and garlic powder together 

3. Brush mixture over ham 

4. Score the surface in 1 inch squares or diamonds

5. Stick whole cloves in the middle of squares, spoon glaze mixture over the ham while cooking for 20 minutes longer.

 6. Dress with pineapple slices and cherries and bake for 10 minutes longer. 

Tip: using a meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of knowing if the ham is thoroughly cooked. (When mercury rises to tender ham 160 F). Remove from the oven when fully cooked.