Cooking St. Kitts Caribbean, part 4

Mount Olivees and part of the botanical garden at Fairview Great House, St. Kitts.

Caribbean cuisine, thy name means jerk - spices, that is - for rubbing on any edible critters that go on a dinner plate. Every cook, neighborhood, village, city and island has a distinct version ranging from tingly to scalding.

Chef Cheviour Lake, instructor of Caribbean Cooks classes at Fairview Great House and Botanical Garden on St. Kitts, shared hers for pork and chicken. We had the chicken and it was delicious.

Jerk Pork Loin or Chicken Breasts

Six servings

2 lbs. pork loin or comparable amount large, boneless chicken breasts

Jerk rub for seasoning

1/4 cup ground allspice
1/2 cup brown sugar
8 cloves garlic
4 hot peppers (jalapeno or scotch bonnet peppers will work)*
2 bunches island herbs, garlic chives aka green onions
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
Grated nutmeg to taste
Lime juice

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender.

*To make a mild rub, use de-seeded jalapenos; for spicier, leave the seeds in. Scalding? Scotch bonnets. Not sure? Go mild and serve with a bottle of hot sauce.

Apply rub to meat.

Heat a non-stick pot/skillet on medium for 15 minutes. Place meat into pan and sear for 2 minutes per pound on each side.

Let meat sit for juices to settle then slice.

Cooking St. Kitts Caribbean

Fairview Great House, St. Kitts.

The view and the cooking lessons at Fairview Great House in St. Kitts are grand. Built in 1702, Fairview has sheltered French, Irish, Scottish, English, Portuguese, Spanish, American and West Indian owners in its long history.

The view is exceedingly fair.

Recently it welcomed American, Canadian, French and English visitors eager to learn more about Caribbean cuisine and how to prepare it.

After touring the home we took seats in the adjacent facility, a spacious, open, colorful room with raked seating and overhead mirrors so all could watch what the chef was doing at the stove top and prep area. Menu and recipe sheets were at each place making it easier to ask questions as the meal progressed.

Chef Cheviour Lake welcomed us and began to prepare the day's menu:

Jerk Chicken
West Indian Steamed Fish
Red Beans and Rice
Vegetable Escovitch
Coconut Butter Bread Pudding.

I will start where she did, the Vegetable Escovitch now, and feature each dish's recipe in the coming weeks.

Vegetable Escovitch

2 cups - cooked vegetables, your choice. Suggestions: carrots, butternut squash, green banana, pumpkin, chayote.
1 oz. olive oil or vegetable oil
1 onion diced
1/2 each green and red pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic
zest and juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cucumber peeled, seeded, diced or sliced
salt, pepper, thyme, pepper flakes to taste

Saute onions, peppers, garlic and thyme until lightly brown.
Add lime juice, cucumbers, wine and pepper flakes. Season to taste.
Add the vegetables and mix together.
Can be served hot or cold.

Serves six.

Azalea Inn's Chicken Broccoli Quiche

Teresa Scott Jacobson and Joey

The "Gardens" of Azalea Inn and Gardens in Savannah includes vegetables and fruit as well as flowers and owner/innkeeper Teresa Scott Jacobson makes sure her guests share in the bounty.

The first night I met her she had turned a breakfast favorite, Chicken Broccoli Quiche, into an hors d'oeuvre by using tartlet-sized shells. You can, too.

Azalea Inn and Gardens Chicken Broccoli Quiche

Serves 8

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
1/2 cup (4 ounces) diced raw chicken breast (cut when frozen)
3 TBS. slivered almonds
2/3 cup chopped broccoli
1/3 cup grated carrot
1 1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
3 TBS. grated Parmesan cheese

Chop chicken, almonds, broccoli and carrot. Mix, cover and refrigerate.

In the bottom of the pie shell, place the chicken, almonds, broccoli and carrot. Sprinkle with the Gruyere cheese.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture carefully over the cheese. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake in a 375-degree F oven for 45-55 minutes on top of a cookie sheet. Allow to stand 10 minutes and "set up" before slicing.