Its Jamaica’s Independence month!!!
And in proper Jamaican fashion I will dedicate this month to all foods and drinks indigenous to my home country. But don’t expect the traditional methods; I’m still the Greedy Girl after all. So expect Jamaican dishes with a twist.
Jamaica’s national fruit is the Ackee, and the national dish is ackee and salt fish. Ackee is a yellow fruit that grows almost everywhere in Jamaica; it bloom’s from an orange husk and contains a large black seed. It can actually be quite dangerous if prepared incorrectly. The ackee pod must be allowed to open on its own to release the gas and in addition, the yellow arils contain red and pink “things” they are poisonous and can cause sickness.
And in proper Jamaican fashion I will dedicate this month to all foods and drinks indigenous to my home country. But don’t expect the traditional methods; I’m still the Greedy Girl after all. So expect Jamaican dishes with a twist.
Jamaica’s national fruit is the Ackee, and the national dish is ackee and salt fish. Ackee is a yellow fruit that grows almost everywhere in Jamaica; it bloom’s from an orange husk and contains a large black seed. It can actually be quite dangerous if prepared incorrectly. The ackee pod must be allowed to open on its own to release the gas and in addition, the yellow arils contain red and pink “things” they are poisonous and can cause sickness.
Today I will be showing you how to make ackee and bacon. I would have used Salt fish, But we were fresh out. Every household in Jamaica has
this item stocked all the time. For our family it’s the go to quick and easy
dinner. So imagine my shock and awe when I open the fridge and the salt fish
spot is empty! Thank god ackee is versatile; you can sauté it with corn pork,
veggies, bacon even chicken.
What does Ackee taste like? No one can ever truly answer this question. It has its own flavor and really there is nothing else that taste
like it. You have to taste it to determine if you like it or not. What I can say is that is has a briny taste;
especially with the addition of the salted meats.
This is a great appetizer dish when stuffed into a flaky buttery pastry. Three to four bites of yumminess. These would
be great for an independence party. Make sure to try them out
Makes 16 golden pots with 4-5 serving of saute ackee
remaining
Ingredients (Printable Recipe)
Ackee and Bacon:
4 cups cooked Ackee (about two cans)
1lb bacon
1 medium onion
½ sweet pepper
½ scotch bonnet pepper
2 tomatoes
2 sprigs thyme leaves
1 Tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. no salt seasoning
1 tsp. Lawry seasoning salt
4 table spoon canola oil
Dough:
Chef Johns Butter crust pastry dough minus the sugar
Garlic Chives
Flour for dusting
Egg wash:
Two eggs, two cloves garlic,
Black pepper, salt
Greedy Tips:
- Precooked Ackee is sold in cans worldwide. Just blanch in hot water before sauteing
- You can use scallions or garlic chives to tie the little dough pouches
- Seasoning salt and black pepper are the only mandatory seasonings, smoked paprika and the no salt seasonings are optional.
Xoxo GreedyGirl