In preparation my favorite spice girl called out the ingredients: "deboned chicken" and I said "nope", "allspice" and again "nope" then "coconut milk" and again "nope", "lime" and again "nope." She finally said, "what kind of cooking is this?" We laughed. How do you make Caribbean chicken and rice without de-boned chicken, allspice, coconut milk, lime, cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, dark brown sugar, dark rum?
The answer: white wine vinegar, molasses, brandy, lemon, paprika, chilies on the side. Double up spices you like if the paste is not thick enough, in our case ginger and cinnamon. Using turkey breast sliced less than 2 cm thin cut cooking time in half. Use what you have on hand keeping in mind the overall flavor, something spicy, something sweet and unrefined, a sugary liquor, something citrusy, something with piquancy but not too hot. Today I found out why allspice isn't readily available in Italy because it is just a combination of spices which are. It is nutmeg, cinnamon and clove.
Nigella's jerk chicken was a welcome celebration at our home Sunday for the returning amateur golf competitor who loves the Caribbean. We corked an Alsatian red pinot and its fruitiness went right together with her recipe. Exit poll ratings for the dish garnered a 9/10 stars. Given the very picky palates of the Italians I live with who work in the hospitality industry and visit Michelin restaurants as a habit, I accept the completely 'unbiased' opinion as a sign to move on to the next recipe.
Day Two - Recipe Two
