Island Flavor

Back in June I was lucky enough to take a relaxing vacation with my sister Mary to the island of Jamaica.  We stayed at a wonderful eco-friendly retreat up in the mountains of Jamaica away from the touristy beaches.  Not only is Zimbali Retreats situated on a 7 1/2 acre organic farm but they have two chefs which prepare all the meals fresh with most ingredients straight from the farm.
Needless to say, the two foodie McKee girls took notes on the delicious cuisine thorughout the entirety of our trip.


Months later, back in the states, I was inspired by a Jamaican meal I enjoyed.  Because our chefs were a bit loose with their idea of recipes I followed a recipe found via Pinterest and adapted with my general knowledge of cooking and tips from the Zimbali chefs.

Here is Brown Stew Chicken with Rice and Peas:

Brown Stew Chicken
2-3 LBS Chicken.  I used bone-in thighs. 
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 onion, diced
3 stalks of green onion
1 habanero pepper, chopped very small
1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 inch of ginger, grated
3 tomatoes, diced
2-3 Tbsps oil (vegetable or olive oil)
3 tablespoons of flour, stirred in to 1/2 cup of water
3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 3 teaspoons of dried thyme)
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of browning sauce (Kitchen Bouquet)
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 cups of water

Directions

• Slice and cice all the veggies.   Add all of the diced and chopped and grated veggies to a big bowl - onion, green onion, habanero, green and red pepper, thyme, garlic, tomatoes and ginger.
• Place raw chicken pieces into veggie mixture. Let chicken marinate for 1 hour to 5 hours in this mixture. 
• One you're done marinating, remove chiken from veggies - do NOT discard.  Brush veggies off chicken.  
• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken and fry for about 5 minutes or until the outside is slightly browned and the chicken is sealed.
• Remove the chicken from the pot and drain off the oil. Heat the pot (med-med high) and add the butter. Add in the veggies from the marinating. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the tomatoes break down.
• Add the soy sauce, the browning and the water. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
• Make the roux from the flour and water. Stir to get all clumps out.  
• Add this flour slurry to the pot, stirring briskly. This is going to thicken up the mixture to a rich, deep gravy. 
• Add the chicken back in and stew for at least 30 minutes.
  
  
  Rice and Peas 
  
  In Jamaica, peas are really beans.
  I combined these ingredients into my rice cooker and cooked according to cooker's directions.   I always use long grain white rice and rinse rice under running cold water until water runs clear.
  
  1 can of red kidney beans - rinsed
  3/4 cup canned coconut milk
  3/4 cup water
  2 cups of rice
  2 stalks of green onion
  1 clove garlic, smashed
  2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  1 Tbsp oil (vegetable or olive)
  1 habanero pepper (whole, do not chop up)
  
  

Adapted from: http://acoopedupchick.com/march-2011/jamaican-brown-stew-chicken/

~thanks for looking through my kitchen window~