My son turned 12 today! Happy Birthday Miles!!! I feel like after 12 years of January birthday parties it is getting hard to find something unique to do. We have done plenty of sledding, skiing, skating parties… when asked what he would really like to do, he said he’d love to get a group of friends together and hit the paintball course. Well, here in the frozen tundra the only paintball course I know of is closed this time of year. Instead, we are going to head to Splashers for some fun at the waterpark! We have done so many “winter themed” birthday parties for Miles, this year we will make it tropical! We’ll start with his favorite Caribbean themed dinner tonight. Jerk Chicken with Tostones and Mango Chuntey. Yum (he has loved this since he was 7 years old and his school PTA put together a cookbook. The families were asked to submit recipes. Miles picked Jerk Chicken Salad. I think then it was primarily because he thought the name was funny.)
Jerk sauce is actually a seasoning that is rubbed into meat before it is grilled, baked etc.. The exact sauce ingredients vary with each cook, but they generally include chilies, thyme, cinnamon, allspice, sugar, garlic and onions. A thicker jerk sauce will be rubbed into the meat, while the more liquid versions are used as marinades. You can use jerk on any meat and even vegetables. The sauce should be spicy, but if you like yours less so, remove the seeds & ribs from the jalapeno before mincing and use less jalapenos.
Jerk Sauce:
3 tbsp allspice
3 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3 tbsp fresh orange juice
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
12 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
6 large shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
3 large jalapeno peppers, minced
In a small bowl, combine the allspice, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper flakes. In another small bowl, combine the orange juice, vinegar, Worcestersire, and soy sauce. Set both bowls aside.
In a blender or food processor, combine the scallions, shallots, garlic, ginger, and jalapenos and pulse until finely chopped. Add the spice mixture and the orange juice mixture. Pulse until the sauce is well combined. The mixture should be pastelike. This jerk sauce will keep tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
This looks complicated….really, it’s not. However if you prefer, there are many good products out there that you can purchase. Our favorite is Walkers Wood Jerk Sauce. It can be found online at .http://www.amazon.com/Walkerswood-Jamaican-Jerk-Seasoning-10/dp/B0001CVDZI
Try this to “Islandise” your meals….a fun way to beat the cold this time of year in the upper midwest!!! Enjoy!
I love that you can put everything in the blender….so much easier than finely chopping everything! This will be on our family menu this week. Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic Melissa! Another great thing to do with the Jerk Sauce is to make a traditional chicken salad out of rotissere chicken and then add a tbsp (or more to taste) to the mayo mix… you could even dice a few mango’s or pinneapples and add to your salad.. great as a wrap, on bread, on greens etc…
I know you are the expert at simply living and this is a good thing to have on hand to spice up a few traditional recipes.
Ryan’s favorite from our honeymoon – we’ve tried to buy bottles locally and cannot find the same flavor. I’m definitely trying this out this weekend…and I agree with Melissa, anything I can just throw in a blender rocks!