Jamaican Sorrel for #SundaySupper

Dec 16, 2012 by

There is always something new going on in my kitchen.  This beverage is a big deal…to the husband. Sorrel is a drink he loves and until now, he had to depend on someone giving it to us as a gift or going to Jamaica to have the real authentic drink. Sorrel is a popular beverage to have during the Christmas season. I’ll confess ~ I never really liked sorrel. Give me some other tropical drink. Give me soursop juice, carrot juice or fruit punch. Just not sorrel. Well, it seems that my taste is changing. I don’t know what I was thinking. Sorrel is amazing! Around this time of year in Jamaica, most households, family gatherings or formal gatherings will have Sorrel in their selection of beverages.

Today’s #SundaySupper theme is Holiday Drinks and Appetizers and our host is Connie from The Foodie Army Wife. A big shout out to my Bestie for giving me “The Real Taste Of Jamaica” by Enid Donaldson! It’s getting good use! I was happy to have it so I could share this recipe today. Please be sure to check out the other beverages and appetizers brought to you by the #SundaySupper family. You’ll need ideas if you are hosting or attending a holiday gathering.

Everyone that I’ve asked makes sorrel a little differently. Some people add a little wine to it. Some add a “little” White Rum, which is true in most cases. I didn’t do too much adapting but I plan to tweak it a bit more on the next round. I’ll add more ginger and just a little less sugar. This was a bit sweet for me but easily rectified by diluting it and adding ice. Sorrel is best served ice-cold. For my household, I omitted the rum because I wanted to be able to drink it at any time during the day, and also I wanted my children to be able to taste it. My children drank it several times, and that truly made me happy.

 

Jamaican Sorrel-9

Jamaican Sorrel

 

 

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Jamaican Sorrel

A traditional Jamaican Beverage for the Christmas Holiday Season

Ingredients

  • 3 Cups Dried Sorrel
  • 1 inch Root Ginger, shredded
  • 12 Whole Cloves
  • 5 Pimento Leaves
  • 6 Cinnamon Leaves
  • 12 Cups Boiling Water
  • 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Freshly squeezed Lime Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Rice

Instructions

  1. Rinse the Sorrel sepals in a strainer under cold water for just a few minutes
  2. In a very large pot, add sorrel, ginger, rice grains, cloves pimento leaves and cinnamon leaves
  3. Pour boiling water over the contents of the pot and cover for 24 hours
  4. Strain the liquid into another large pot and add sugar and lime juice
  5. Stir to combine
  6. Transfer into bottles and chill
  7. Serve ice cold

Notes

This yields just over 2 litres of sorrel (optional) 1/4 Cups White Rum can be added to the pot after the sorrel has been strained and sweetened

https://lovelypantry.com/2012/12/jamaican-sorrel-for-sundaysupper/

 
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So some of you may be wondering…”What is Sorrel?”. Jamaican Sorrel is a type of Hibiscus plant (Hibiscus Sabdariffa). The sepals are used either fresh or dried to make a refreshing cold beverage or a hot tea. Sorrel can also be used to make Jams and Jellies. Sorrel is seasonal and is ready around December-January, making it the perfect holiday beverage.

 

Jamaican Sorrel Collage

 

This is a very important step. Steeping the Sorrel for at least 24 hours allows for a very rich, full-bodied liquid. I allowed mine to steep a little longer. I love all the natural ingredients that make up this drink. If unsweetened Sorrel wasn’t so extremely sour, I’d omit/reduce the sugar. But the sugar is a very necessary component. Substitutions will ruin this drink.

 

Jamaican Sorrel-7

Sorrel

 

Once strained, sweetened and chilled – Sorrel is ready to be enjoyed!

 

Jamaican Sorrel-21

Jamaican Sorrel

 

 

The perfect glass of Sorrel …

 

Jamaican Sorrel-11

Jamaican Sorrel

 

 

Sorrel is an excellent gift. It can be made with or without alcohol – either way, it is extremely enjoyable. It can also be kept in the fridge for a long period of time! Especially with the addition of rum as a preservative.

 

 

Jamaican Sorrel-16

Jamaican Sorrel – Gift

 

 

Holiday Cocktails

 

Holiday Appetizers or Hors d’oeuvres

 

 

Do you have a favorite dish or beverage to take to a party?  Please join on us on Twitter throughout the day during#SundaySupper on December 16th.  

We’d also love to feature your recipe for holiday parties on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board to share them with all of our followers, too.

** Due to the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut, we will not be having a live chat this Sunday December 16, 2012. Our hearts and prayers go out to the souls lost and the affected families. **

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Ackee & Saltfish

Apr 10, 2012 by

Ackee, oh Ackee. Ackee is Jamaica’s national fruit. Ackee paired with Saltfish (Salted Codfish) is Jamaica’s National Dish. This is a dish that is near and dear to my heart, as my Mother always prepared it for my family on the weekend. She makes it so very well. I remember having to “flake” the saltfish (not often, a few times perhaps) to remove the bones and to reduce them into smaller pieces the night before for easy preparation in the morning. I hated having to pick out the bones, but boy did I enjoy eating it! I was in the mood for traditional Jamaican fare so I gathered my ingredients to make Ackee and Saltfish served with fried Bammy and fried Plantains.

 

Ackee and Saltfish with Bammy and Plantain

 

5.0 from 3 reviews
Ackee & Saltfish
 
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Jamaica's National Dish, Suitable for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. It can be served with Fried Dumplings, Boiled Dumplings, Fried Bammy, Boiled Banana, Fried Plantains, Boiled Yam, Roast Yam or White Rice
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 Dozen Ackees (or 2 Tins of Ackee)
  • ½lb Salted Codfish
  • ¼ Cup Coconut Oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1 Medium Tomato, chopped
  • 1 Red Sweet Pepper, chopped
  • 1 Green Sweet Pepper, chopped
  • 1 Onion chopped, or thinly sliced
  • Salt and Pepper
  • A few Pimento seeds (optional)
  • 1 Tsp All Purpose Seasoning (optional)
  • A pack of Bammy (8 small round Bammies)
  • 1 Ripe Plantain
  • 1 Cup Milk
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • Oil for frying the plantain
Instructions
  1. Soak the saltfish overnight in a covered pot. In the morning, pour off the water. Add fresh water and bring to a boil. Taste the fish to ensure that most of the salt has been boiled off. If it is very salty, pour off the water, add fresh water and boil again. This should be enough. The saltfish should not be bland. Pour off water and allow to cool. Using your fingers, break the fish into small pieces while removing any present bones. Be careful, the bones can be very small. You should end up with a heaping cup full of flaked saltfish.
  2. If using canned ackees, drain liquid from the ackees and add to a pot of boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  3. If using fresh ackees, boil in salted water for about 15 minutes, or until ackees can be pierced with no resistance with a fork. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside
  4. In a large skillet or dutch oven, warm the oil over medium heat
  5. Add onion, tomatoes and sweet peppers. Sauté until softened about 5 minutes
  6. Add saltfish and stir to combine
  7. Add ackee to the pot
  8. Add salt and pepper
  9. Give a gentle stir so that you don't break up the ackee
  10. Cover and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes
  11. Gently stir to fully combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste
  12. For the bammies:Dissolve sugar in a cup of milk. Pour into a shallow dish. Place bammies into the milk and leave for about 5 minutes. Flip onto the other side. The bammy will absorb the milk.
  13. In a medium-hot skillet with oil, fry the soaked bammy in oil and butter until golden brown, about 8 minutes on each side
  14. Place on a paper towel to soak up oil from the bammy. Set aside
  15. Thinly slice the plantain on the diagonal. Fry each piece in hot oil until brown on both sides. Place on paper towel to absorb oil
  16. Serve and enjoy
Notes
Be careful not to overcook the ackee as it will get extremely soft and turn into mush If you do not have saltfish available, crispy bacon is a great substitute. Just fry and break into bits. A whole Scotch Bonnet pepper is an optional ingredient and would be added along with the ackee and allowed to simmer. Remove before serving, taking care not to pierce the pepper

 

 

Charlene, a friend and a Jamaican photographer, has allowed me to use her photograph of Ackee in the pods so I can share with you all. This is not something that you can see in North America. I grew up with an Ackee tree on my family property so I saw this often. Here in Canada (and in the United States), you buy Ackee from the tin. I’ve had it an it is not at all bad. It’s a great way to still have Ackee.

To see more of Charlene’s beautiful photography, please click on the photograph.
Fresh - Ackee

 

Soak the saltfish overnight, or at least for a few hours. I soaked mine overnight then started the boiling process in the morning to reduce the salt. The fish should still have a certain amount of salty taste to it, otherwise it won’t taste great and then you’ll have to add salt back to the dish. In this photograph, I have about a pound of saltfish but I only used half. I reserved the other half for another special recipe.

 

Boiled Saltfish (Salt Cod)

 

Lovely fresh ingredients (I didn’t end up using the scallion)

 

Sweet Peppers, Onion, Tomato, Scallion

 

 

The main ingredients:

 

 

Bammy is a thick version of a flatbread made from cassava. Bammies can be soaked in either milk or coconut milk. Then it can be baked or fried until browned and cooked through. It has a very light and delicate taste and can be enjoyed with a variety of meals. It’s great for soaking up gravy!

 

Bammies soaked in milk

 

Such an amazing aroma.

 

Vegetables in the pot

 

Ackee and Saltfish are cooked though, and ready to be served

 

Ackee and Saltfish

 

Ackee and Saltfish is likely to be served with fried dumplings. My Mom is an expert at making fried dumplings. I have yet to try my hand at that so Bammies are where it’s at until I  try the dumplings. This is generally a breakfast dish, but I have had it for dinner too, as I did here.

 

Ackee, Saltfish, Bammy, Plantains

 

 

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. I really like making traditional Jamaican dishes and sharing with everyone. I don’t generally prepare traditional meals but I’m willing to try every now and again.

Have a super week!

~Lyn

 

 

 

 

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Lyn’s Oxtails

Feb 3, 2012 by

 

Lyn’s Oxtails with carrots and white kidney beans

 

Oxtail is one of my most favourite and beloved dishes – ever. It’s a popular Jamaican meal which has a deep, rich flavour that I love so much. It’s a heavy meat so I choose not to eat it too often. I think its safe to say I have it about 3-4 times per year, at most. I’ve had it at a few restaurants here in Canada as well as in Jamaica but I’ve always been concerned with the taste and how it is prepared. Oxtails taste differently every where I go. Some places are better at preparing it than others, and that’s expected.

Traditionally, the Oxtails are seasoned (often overnight) then browned in oil before being cooked down in water over a few hours, and may include dumplings or as we call them in certain dishes – “spinners” (elongated shaped dumplings). This is how my maternal grandmother used to cook it for me and it took her hours! I have fond memories of her at the stove making it, because we both loved it so much. Alas, this is when I was young and slender and nothing could change my figure (LOL). So now that I’m older and more conscious of what I consume, I try to have my favourite things in moderation. I also find ways to prepare them that I find acceptable. For me, this means no frying in oil. This may not be acceptable to some traditionalists, and that is okay 🙂

I bake my Oxtails in the oven. I’ve been doing this for years and I’m thinking it tastes better than some of what I’ve had at restaurants… hmmm…

Here’s how I do it.

 

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Lyn’s Oxtails

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 3lbs Oxtails
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 3 Tsp All Purpose Seasoning
  • 2 Tsp Dried Thyme
  • 1 Tsp Oregano
  • 1 Tbsp Pimento Seeds
  • 3 Cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 Large Carrot, sliced about 1/4 inch
  • 2 Tbsp low sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 Cup Hoisin Sauce
  • 1 Can White Kidney Beans (Or Lima), rinsed and drained

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F
  2. In a deep bowl, mix oxtail and ingredients together
  3. Once combined, pour into a large oven-proof baking dish with a cover
  4. Set timer for 4 hours
  5. check every hour and add water (1/4 cup or so to keep the base moist) to ensure it doesn't dry out (or burn)
  6. After 1 hour, I usually have to add more all-purpose seasoning and water. Stir to combine. Then add white kidney beans and carrots at the 3rd hour. Cover and cook for an hour
  7. Within the last hour, check to see that the meat is soft, tender and falling off the bone
  8. Depending on the size of the meat, it may need an additional 30 minutes or so to cook
  9. Serve with white rice or Jamaican style rice and peas

Notes

It is a good idea to season the oxtails and allow them to rest in the refrigerator overnight for the best flavour.

When purchasing, pick up Oxtails or request that it be cut into small pieces (2-3 inches in diameter) as they cook in about 3 hours. Larger pieces take a lot longer.

https://lovelypantry.com/2012/02/lyns-oxtails/

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I should mention that there is usually a certain amount of “heat” in most Jamaican fare. And by “heat”, I’m referring to Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper. If you wanted to add heat, I would probably add the pepper at the beginning and remove it half way through so that it does not burst. I personally cannot eat too much pepper because it gives me some major heartburn! Plus, my little ones palates are so darn sensitive. A little is fine though, it gives it a little extra kick.

There are so many variations of Oxtails that I would love to try. One of my Aunts introduced me to this method (as in, using the oven). Another Aunt of mine prepares her Ox with BEER. I think I’ll be giving her a call soon for that recipe 🙂

 

A special shout out to my cousin Shelley – Happy Birthday sweetie! This recipe is for you ~ now at least you’ll have it in writing 🙂

Take care, guys! Have an awesome weekend! ~ Lyn

 

 

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