Jerk Lamb with Caribbean rice and sautéed baby broccoli

Jerk Lamb with Caribbean rice and sautéed baby broccoli, a dish with plenty of aroma to entice your family to the table. Beautifully grilled lamb chops on a bed of perfectly cooked rice and beans, along with sautéed baby broccoli. Absolutely mouthwatering!

Song of the day: "Time of Your Song" by Matisyahu.

Inspired by the aromas and sights of Jamaica

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, 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. 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 ghetto culinary.

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.

Ingredients for our Jerk Lamb with Caribbean rice and sautéed baby broccoli

At first glance you may think wow that is one list of ingredients, however, to build this kind of flavor takes a great combination of spices. It is all worth it because the end result is just fabulous, and it is perfect for a family meal. Moreover, you could mix up more of the spice rub and place it in a jar to use later for chicken, fish, pork, or even tofu. Here is the list of ingredients for our Jerk Lamb with a side of Caribbean rice and baby broccoli:

Meat:

• Lamb chops
• Olive oil
• Fresh lime

Jerk spice:

• Onion powder
• Purple onion
• Ground thyme
• Dried parsley
• Ground allspice
• Nutmeg
• Onion powder
• Ground cumin
• Turmeric powder
• Garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Fresh lime

Rice:

• Short grain rice
• Olive oil
• Water
• Onion
• Green onion stalks
• Canned red kidney beans
• Salt and pepper

Broccolini:

• Baby broccolini
• Garlic
• White vinegar
• Olive oil
• Pinch of red chili flakes
• Salt and pepper

Time for a little spice rubbing

I love this part as it is the stage where we develop incredible aroma, flavor, and love, in the lamb chops. Here is how it is done:

• First place all of your ingredients for the jerk spice into a bowl or shallow plate. Give it a good whisk.
• Cut the lime in half, take your lamb chops and rub them all over with the lime. Do the same with the evo oil. Then, sprinkle both sides and edges with the jerk spice and rub it in, making sure that they are well coated with the rub. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.

Grilling the Jerk Lamb

Are you one of those that gets so hungry by the aroma of meat grilling? I know I am, it just makes my mouth water, especially with the spiced up lamb chops. This is where some super caramelization happens, alongside wonderful color on the chops. You can do this either in a grilling pan, or better yet, straight off the grill. Today I wanted to try the cast grill, here is how I did it:

• Place your cast grill on the stove and turn heat to high. Once grill is nice and hot, place your jerk spiced lamb chops into the pan. Let that sear for about 8 minutes.

• Then, turn over and do the same for the other side. You want your lamb medium which means the internal temperature is between 135°F to 145°F.
• Turn off heat, take chops out of the pan, and place on a dish to rest.

Baby broccoli, or broccolini, a wonderful side to jerk lamb

Sautéed greens are a perfect accompaniment to any grilled meat, and these baby broccoli, or otherwise known as broccolini, fit the bill well. This is how we do our greens:

• Get a large pot of water to boil. Place broccolini into the water and cook for about 8-10 minutes. Scoop out with a spider or sieve and place onto a dish.

• In a medium sauté pan, drizzle in olive oil, press and toss in garlic cloves. Lastly, add a pinch of dried red chili flakes and swirl the pan around to get the oil all flavored up.
• Turn heat to a medium to high setting and once the garlic starts to sizzle, throw in the baby broccoli, season with salt, pepper, and a splash of white vinegar. Let that sauté for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

Nothing like Caribbean rice

According to my friends who are from Jamaica, this is called rice and peas. Call it what you may, however, I call it absolutely delicious. Time to get our rice cooking.

• Firstly, in a medium cast pot, drizzle in some olive oil. Mince up some onion and throw that in. Turn heat to a medium setting, and let that onion cook until softened.
• Secondly, add your rice and get it all coated with the onion and oil. Season with salt, then pour in the water. Cover and let that cook on medium for about 20 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally to make sure it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• In the last couple of minutes of cooking, add the kidney beans and chopped up green onion. Stir to incorporate the ingredients well. Turn off heat, cover, and set aside.

Jerk Lamb with Caribbean rice and sautéed baby broccoli, a Jamaican trilogy

Nice work everyone, we now have the three parts of our dish cooked and ready for plating. It looks beautiful in my opinion, so colorful. Time to plate it up!

Pick one of your favorite family style serving plates, and then scoop the rice onto it. Next, layer the broccolini on top!

Finally, take those wonderfully grill lamb chops and put those onto the broccolini, and there you have it, Jerk Lamb with Caribbean rice and sautéed baby broccoli. That is one aromatic and scrumptious dish of spice, flavor, and comfort.

Time for a taste

I don't know where to start. I think I will try the rice first. Yum, so good. The rice has a slight bite to it and those kidney beans are like butter, so tasty and comforting in texture. I like how the green onion adds sweetness and also freshness to the mix. Just delicious.

Now let's try some broccolini. This is so juicy and has an earthy sweetness to it. I love that there is still a bit of crispness in the stem and those florets just melt in your mouth.

Saving the best for last, the jerk lamb. It is so tender and plump. The spices are coming through and the cinnamon and clove pair so well with the gamy back notes of the lamb. There is just enough kick in the spice to keep those taste buds in craving mode. This is such a wonderful dish, and one that could spice up your weekday or weekend meal.

Thank you so much for cooking with us. We so appreciate it, and brings a smile to our faces to cook with all of you!

Enjoy!

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