It is that time of year again; and as Jamaican households prepare for the festive celebrations of Christmas, the kitchens invariably harbor a lingering and pleasant scent of sugar and spice and everything nice.

The food part of Christmas is oh so important and getting the flavors just right is an art envied by many, but the final products are always enjoyed by all.

There are Christmas ‘food customs’ that are strictly adhered to as the season springs, and this tradition of fixing plenty food with beverages to match, follows Jamaicans wherever their chosen adventurous roads lead them, throughout the world.

Christmas is not a one day celebration in Jamaica, as the yuletide spirit starts at the top of December and lingers through till the first week of January, with non-stop rolling out of delectable eats. Sharing the tasty dishes with friends and neighbors is a must and some folk look at it as showing off the culinary expertise of each household in a pleasant and joyful way.

There has been an unspoken rule however, when it comes to the Jamaican Christmas cake. Everyone bakes the same kind of cake, but no-one likes to pass the recipe on. All Christmas cake bakers tend to like their own unique flavor, but that buck stops here this year.

SIMPLE RICE AND PEAS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

Serves: 4-5

1 medium sized can red kidney beans
1 can coconut milk
2 cups of rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 table spoon oil
1 scotch bonnet pepper (whole, do not chop up)
water

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. Place liquids in 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. Place scotch bonnet pepper on top of liquid and cover tightly for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked. Remove scotch bonnet pepper before serving.

This recipes can also be made using other peas.

JAMAICAN SHRIMP PATTY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

*This recipe may require some trial and error to get it just right!
INGREDIENTS:
Below is a delicious recipe for Jamaican Shrimp Patties:
PASTRY
2 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup Solid shortening
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine
1/3 cup Cold water
Recipe by ©eatjamaican.com
Sift the flour, curry powder and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and margarine until crumbly. Add the cold water to make a stiff dough. Lightly flour a wooden cutting board and roll out the dough until about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out 8-inch circles. Cover with wax paper or damp cloth until ready to use. You can place the dough in the refrigerator overnight. If you do refrigerate, remove the dough at least 15 minutes before using.

SHRIMP FILLING
Recipe by ©eatjamaican.com
For this recipe to work just right the shrimp should be frozen and chopped up as it begins to thaw (the outside is soft but the inside is still frozen) or the shrimp should be chopped up and semi frozen otherwise the shrimp filling will be over cooked.
Ingredients:
12 raw medium to large shrimp chopped up in 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces
1.5 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoon Kikoman soy or substitute
3/4 teaspoon jerk seasoning, preferably Walkers Wood
Process: mix oil, soy, and jerk seasoning then add shrimp and use as filling.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Uncover the dough circles and place 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling on half of each. Moisten the edges of the dough with water and fold the dough circle over the filling. Pinch the edges closed with a fork. Lightly brush the pastry with a mixture of the egg and water. Bake on a lightly greased baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes or until the pastry are golden brown.
Serves: 10 Patties

It is that time of year again; and as Jamaican households prepare for the festive celebrations of Christmas, the kitchens invariably harbor a lingering and pleasant scent of sugar and spice and everything nice.

The food part of Christmas is oh so important and getting the flavors just right is an art envied by many, but the final products are always enjoyed by all.

There are Christmas ‘food customs’ that are strictly adhered to as the season springs, and this tradition of fixing plenty food with beverages to match, follows Jamaicans wherever their chosen adventurous roads lead them, throughout the world.

Christmas is not a one day celebration in Jamaica, as the yuletide spirit starts at the top of December and lingers through till the first week of January, with non-stop rolling out of delectable eats. Sharing the tasty dishes with friends and neighbors is a must and some folk look at it as showing off the culinary expertise of each household in a pleasant and joyful way.

There has been an unspoken rule however, when it comes to the Jamaican Christmas cake. Everyone bakes the same kind of cake, but no-one likes to pass the recipe on. All Christmas cake bakers tend to like their own unique flavor, but that buck stops here this year.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb gungo peas
3 stalks escallion
3 sprigs thyme
1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
1 cloves garlic, crushed
24 whole pimento berries
1 piece ginger, crushed
1 cup GRACE COCONUT MILK
2 cups rice

METHOD

1. Bring gungo peas to boil with water.
2. Add coconut milk
3. Season with escallion, thyme, whole pepper, crushed garlic, pimento berries and ginger.
4. Add rice to the boiling liquid and stir. Cover and allow to come to a boil again, then lower the flame.
4. Allow to steam for 30-40 minutes. Serve hot.

Variations:
Red Kidneys Beans can be substituted for gungo peas.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lb raisins
2 lbs prunes
1/2 lb cherry
3 cups red wine
1 bottle strawberry jam
3/4 cup white rum
2 Tbsp. vanilla
2 tsps. almond essence
1 lb. (450 grams) Anchor Butter
1/2 lb. (225 grams) brown sugar
8 medium eggs
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 lb. (450 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 lb. (120 grams) breadcrumbs
3 tsps. baking powder
2 Tsps. cinnamon powder
2 tsps. nutmeg powder
2 Tbsps. browing
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup white wine

METHOD

1. Preheat oven at 300°F/160°C. Grease and line two 8"×8"×2 / 20cm×20cm×5cm cake pans.
2. Blend raisins with wine, cook for 10 minutes and allow to cool.
3. Add rum, vanilla, and almond essence.
4. Cream soft margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add eggs one at time, beating well between each addition, add lemon juice.
6. Combine and sift all dry ingredients.
7. To the creamed mixture, add the dry ingredients and wine mixture alternately. Stir in strawberry jam and browning, pour into baking pans.
8. Place baking pan on the bottom of the oven, cover and bake for 2 1/2 hours or until done.

NOTES:

Use a toothpick and stick it into the center of the cake to check if the cake is baked.

Ackee and Saltfish

Preparation Time: 1 hour Cooking/Baking Time: 12 minutes
Serves/Yields: 6

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb. Saltfish (codfish)
1 dozen ackees
1 small onion
1/2 teaspoon of thyme leaves
2 stalks escallion, chopped
1 clove garlic diced finely
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 slices hot scotch bonnet pepper
1 small red sweet pepper
cooking oil

METHOD

Soak Saltfish in warm water to taste. After soaking saltfish, place it in cold water and boil. Clean the ackee. Remove the seeds and all traces of interior red pit from the ackees. Wash ackees five times. Cover and boil until moderately soft. Drain, cover, and put aside. Pick up (flake) the saltfish and remove all bones. Sauté all dry ingredients in a pan (except black pepper). Add saltfish and the ackees, and turn the fire/stove up slightly. Add black pepper. Pour in to serving plate.

Serving Suggestions:

This can be served with roasted breadfruit, fried dumplings, boiled green bananas, boiled yam or hardough bread.

Notes:

Ackee and Saltfish is Jamaica's national dish.

If fresh ackees are used, make sure that they are fully opened before preparation.

Variations:
Frankfurters, Grace Corned Beef or corned pork can be substituted for saltfish.

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