Jerk Lamb with Caribbean rice and sauteed baby broccoli
There is nothing like the smell of alleyway barbeques in the streets of Jamaica. My daughter gave us the most blessed experience of witnessing her wedding on a beautiful beach in Montego Bay. In this experience was a tour to the market place where local artists sell their arts and crafts and if you take a beautiful breath in there is this fragrance of cinnamon, paprika, lime, onions and various other spices such as nutmeg and cayenne lingering over the smell of wood burning and at a glance succulent pieces of chicken roasting on a hot wood fire and locals chatting up a storm, as your mouth waters to taste that raw form of cuisine I call the culinary ghetto.
This recipe I am sharing with you today was inspired by this experience and also by some friends who are from Jamaica whom I shared dinner with several times. I present to you Jerk Lamb with a side of Caribbean rice and baby broccoli. I did not make it suicide hot but it does have a nice kick to it.
Enjoy!
Be creative in your presentation: remember what looks good usually tastes good.
Jerk Lamb with Caribbean rice and sautéed baby broccoli
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 8 lamb chops (organic)
- 1 cup of basmati rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 lime
For Jerk spice rub:
- 1 tablespoon onion flakes
- 1 tablespoon ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves crumbled and ground
For the broccolini:
- ½ jalapeno, minced
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- bunch of broccolini
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp ginger, minced
- olive oil
Instructions
- Take lamb chops, lime, and extra virgin olive oil. Cut the lime in half and rub both sides of the chops. Do the same with the olive oil.
- In a mortar and pestle grind all whole spices into a powder and combine all spices in a bowl blending well.
- Place lamb chops in a Tupperware and sprinkle with jerk spice mix. Do the same with the other side. Place lid on Tupperware and refrigerate overnight.
For the Caribbean Rice:
- In a medium saucepan put rice, water, a dash of salt, and a few drops of olive oil. Bring to a boil on high heat, then turn down to a low simmer till all the water dissipates. Take off heat, cover and let stand.
- Heat up some olive oil in a sauté pan add onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, some Jamaican yellow curry, and jalapeno. Cook till a bit softened then add rice and toss till well mixed.
- Take lamb chops out of the fridge and bring to room temperature.
- Preheat barbeque to a high heat then place chops on the grill.
- Cook for 2 minutes then turn to 90°, turn over and repeat the same process then take off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
For the broccolini:
- In a pot bring to a boil 4 cups of water and a dash of salt, add broccolini and boil till tender.
- In a medium sauté pan heat up olive oil and minced clove of garlic, add broccolini, stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
- Plate rice, broccolini, and lamb chops and serve.
- Category: Main, Meat
- Method: Grilling
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 portions
I decided on doing a jerk chicken burger with my homemade sauce and chicken patties. In the summer I might grill these outdoors but I opted for the grill pan on the stove top.
★★★★★
What a great way to change things up with the jerk spice. Those burgers sound amazing and grilling them outdoors will surely have the neighbors peaking over the fence to see what's cooking!