LATEST NEWS:
Food
Heroes' Weekend Sunday Lunch
Juicy CHEF
Thursday, October 15, 2009
This weekend we honour our national heroes who ensured we are a proud independent island nation today: Nanny of the Maroons, Marcus Garvey, Norman Manley, Alexander Bustamante, George William Gordon, Sam Sharpe and Paul Bogle.
I am taking a pause this week from my healthy eating series to answer some reader's requests to provide a menu for a quick and simple lunch for entertaining. The holiday weekend is approaching and many of us are taking the opportunity to dine with loved ones.
 |
| André's Jamaican-style Roast Chicken with Mushroom Gravy, served with sweet potato and pumpkin mash, and glazed snow peas. (Photos: Bryan Cummings) |
Each of us has the potential to make a difference in someone's life and I think that National Heroes' Day should not only be about our national heroes, but everyday heroes in our midst whom we take for granted. Those persons who give unselfishly to the poor, those who save a life without thinking of their own, and those who just generally do good deeds without thinking twice about it; we have plenty of these individuals even though the majority of them remain nameless in the public domain.
Have a peaceful holiday weekend and let us pray for the heroes in our lives!
Easy Heroes' Day Lunch Menu
This Heroes' Day Lunch menu is extra special to me as it was co-created by André Fowles who occasionally assists me on my cooking projects. André and I looked at all the stuff I had in my kitchen and created this menu on the spot as I was pressed for time, about to begin my food travels around the island. André is a very bright chef student who is pursuing his studies at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) course at Runaway Bay HEART.
 |
| The humble cauliflower makes a light creamy starter for entertaining. |
André is from Kingston's tough inner-city and possesses a heart of gold, brilliant attitude and cooks like a dream. I am very proud of him and believe that each of us, who are able, should share our time (and mentor an individual or two). There are many young people like André who do not have much but who try very hard, and we must support them to achieve their goals in any little way we can. André was recently featured on the Maggi Follow the Menu Trail show hosted by Susan Simes where he created an ackee and saltfish stuffed chicken leg and thigh served with a roasted garlic cream sauce.
Menu
. Cream of Cauliflower Soup
. André's Jamaican Style Roast Chicken
with Mushroom Gravy
. Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Mash
. Glazed Snow peas
Cream of Cauliflower Soup
The humble cauliflower makes a light creamy starter for entertaining. For those of you like myself who cannot consume dairy for dietary or other reasons, substitute the cream for soy, rice or almond milk for a lighter version.
Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower, washed and broken into florets
1 onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped
2 cups of water, chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup of cooking cream
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Bay leaf and fresh thyme (tie together to easily remove)
Method:
Sauté onion and celery in butter, add 1 tbsp of flour, and cook for a minute.
Add cauliflower, then water or stock and the herbs, bring to a boil and simmer until the cauliflower is tender.
Remove herbs, purée the soup in a blender, then pour back into the saucepan.
Add cream and salt and pepper to taste and reheat through.
André's Roast Chicken, Jamaican Style with Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients:
1 large chicken
Wet seasoning
Escallion
Scotch bonnet
Pimentos
Garlic
Vegetable oil
Method:
Blend all the above together, I haven't given measurements as it depends on the size of your chicken, so you can judge how much you need.
Dry Ingredients:
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
Bay leaf
Carrots, roughly chopped
Celery, roughly chopped
Onion, roughly chopped
1pack local mushrooms, grit removed
Method:
Cover chicken completely with the blended seasonings. Ensure that the seasoning gets under the skin and into the cavities.
Stuff the bay leaf and thyme inside the cavity of the chicken.
Season with salt and pepper.
Place carrots, celery and onion
around the chicken and roast in the oven at 350F for 1 1/2 hours or until golden brown and cooked through.
Mushroom Gravy
Pour chicken juices into a pan.
Add about 2 tbsps of flour and cook for about a minute.
Add 1/2 glass of white wine and then a cup of water.
Reduce.
Cut mushrooms in half and sauté quickly
Add to the sauce.
Serve on the side of your roast chicken.
Pumpkin Sweet Potato Mash
Sweet potatoes and pumpkin are everyday staples that can be turned into lovely side dishes. Boil both together until soft and mash with some butter, margarine or olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Try this as an alternative to regular mash or rice.
Glazed Local Snow Peas
We typically associate snow peas with Asian dishes. They are delicate in flavour and make a very delicious green side offering for special occasions.
Method:
In a pan add snow peas, 2 ice cubes and a tablespoon of brown sugar with a pinch of salt and pepper over a medium heat and slowly reduce until snow peas are glazed.
Contact me at info@juicychef.com
Happy Heroes' Day and Bon Appétit!
Jacqui Sinclair is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef/food stylist & hotelier. She has worked in the world of food photography and film in Europe. A bon vivant, she is passionate about sharing her food secrets with enthusiastic home cooks.
RSS Feeds