Am planning a Caribbean meal that could be prepared at home by students and parents and sampled in geography class. Some of the dishes I'm investigating . . .
- Jerk chicken: Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice, says Wikipedia.
Jerk seasoning is traditionally applied to pork and chicken. It principally relies upon two items: allspice (called "pimento" in Jamaica) and Scotch bonnet peppers (among the hottest peppers on the Scoville scale). Other ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic, and salt.
Black beans, yellow rice:
What makes Caribbean black beans so good? They're flavored with an enticing combination of refreshing ginger, sweet pineapple and orange juice, aromatic allspice, and savory thyme. Spooning Caribbean black beans atop a bowl of white or brown rice makes a happy, humble vegetarian dish that you'll find yourself returning to again and again.
Tostones, or fried plantains:
Fried plantain is an dish cooked wherever plantains grow, from West Africa through Central Africa to East Africa,and in many parts of Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, where fried snacks are popular, says Wikipedia.
Fried plantain may be served as a snack, a starter or as a side dish to a main course, such as Jollof rice, spicy barbecued meat, tomato stew or beans. It is made in different ways: salted or non salted, cut into "ears" "fingers" or diced.
Fried plantain is also eaten in some countries in South America or Caribbean where African influence is present.. For example, in the Dominican Republic, it is common to cut plantains in slices, then smash them and, finally, fry them.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Students may have an adventure in the classic Caribbean dishes
