While in Negril and Montego Bay this August with the Jamaican tourism board, I took a cooking lesson at Prospect Plantation in Ochos Rios with Chef Adra Hillock. Prospect plantation, originally owned by Sir Harold Mitchell, has housed many a famous guests from Winston Churchill to Charlie Chaplin to Drew Barrymore, and according to our Chef, some other worldly guests as well ;). I can now say I know how to clean callaloo and jerk like a pro. Check out pictures and video from the day below as well as the recipes for you to prepare your own Jamaican feast at home – watch carefully for Chef Hillock’s little secret!

Jerked Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon ground pimento (all spice)
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground black peper
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground sage
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 cup white vinegar
• ½ cup orange juice
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 Scotch Bonnet (hot) pepper seeded and finely chopped (optional)
• 3 green onions (scallions) finely chopped
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 whole chicken, cut up (trim off fat)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. With a wire whisk, slowly add the vegetable oil, soy sauce, vinegar, orange juice and lime juice. Add Scotch Bonnet pepper and onions. Add the chicken, cover and marinate for at least 4 hours.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and barbecue ‘til fully cooked. Baste with the marinade while cooking. Chicken can be baked in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour, basting and turning twice on top of the meat during cooking

Steamed Callaloo

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of firmly packed chopped callaloo
• ¼ cup water
• 1 medium-sized onion chopped
• 1 medium tomato chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• dash of salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon margarine

Directions:

1. Clean callaloo, chop and rinse in a large pot of cold water. Discard the water then add additional water to cover the callaloo. Dissolve ½ teaspoon of salt into the water to remove any additional debris from the callaloo.
2. In a large pot, add 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon butter and ¼ cup water. Put the firmly packed chopped callaloo on top. Add the remaining seasoning on top of the callaloo, cover the pot and cook on a medium flame. Steam for approximately six minutes of until pieces of the callaloo stalks are tender. The callaloo must stay green. Any discoloration towards brown means the callaloo is being overcooked.

Shrimp in Sweet Coconut Sauce (to serve with rice)

Ingredients:

• 2 oz margarine
• 1 large onion sliced into rings
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tomato diced
• 3 pints coconut milk
• 1 pound shrimp (21 – 25 count)
• 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper (optional)
• 1 oz Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:

1. Heat saute pan; add margarine and allow to melt.
2. Add chopped onion and tomatoes and saute. mix in the salt and the pepper.
3. Pour in the coconut milk, add the sugar and bring to a boil. Lower hear and allow the sauce to reduce by a half.
4. Fold in the shrimp which was previously peels and deveined. Cook the shrimp for about 3-4 minutes or until they are pink in colour.

Festival

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 3 tablespoons cornmeal
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅔ cups water

Directions:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cornmeal and combine.
2. Add the sugar and stir.
3. Add the vanilla to the water and then add the mixture to the dry ingredients, binding to form a soft dough.
4. Knead lightly.
5. Leave covered for about ½ hour.
6. Divide the dough into eight portions.
7. Flour hands.
8. Knead lightly, then roll and pull each portion to form a festival 6in in length and about 1 ½ in thick.
9. Dip the festival in a mixture of cornmeal and flour then deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.

Ripe Banana Fritters

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup oil
• ½ cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Peel and crush the ripe bananas.
2. Combine, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg.
3. Combine dry mixture with crushed bananas. Mix well.
4. Sift flour and baking powder into the banana mixture. Mix well.
5. Add oil to the frying pan and place on medium high heat. Drop spoonfuls of banana fritter batter into hot oil. Turn when edges begin to get brown and golden.
6. Place cooked fritter on paper towel on platter.
7. Combine cinnamon and sugar to create your cinnamon sugar. This is used to sprinkle on top of the fritters once they are cooked and still hot.
8. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.

For us newbies at creating the perfect jerk blend, Chef Adra recommended Mrs. Dash chicken and barbeque seasoning.

Amazing scent of plumeria, often found in fragrances wafted throught he property.