FIRST ®- A Jamaican Magazine | Peter Dean Rickards » jamaican food

10 things from FIRST you missed but shouldn’t…

FIRST — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:47:17 +0000

That was really the whole point of FIRST, a chance to show what we in Jamaica should already know, that apart from picking coconuts and murdering each other there remains some other stuff worth talking about and some pretty weird stuff.

Once in print and in-between online there’s a few things you may have missed that we think you ought to check out:

Fit birds. We’re superficial and so are you dear readers. Easily the most popular thing to do on this site is admire the beauty of Jamaican women: beginning back in 2008 with Miss Jamaica Yendi Phillips. Click here and scroll to the bottom of this post to view links to links to all our photo shoots (and they’re still young eh!).

Sherman Escoffery AKA @DatNiggaSherman. Definitely the least beautiful thing on the site, Sherman represents the disenfranchised, patriotic Diaspora who get more frustrated each time they return to JA. Still, he’s got a point, or so the Sunday Gleaner thought so after they deemed this, his latest effort, worthy of their ‘Letter of the Day’ last weekend.

Our print archive: printed four issues deep 2004-5 we’re still pretty proud of it (any investor with balls enough, email info@firstmagazine.net and we’d love your $ to do some more). Click here to download the redux versions of the four issues in PDF format.

Thursday Night at the Fights: that insane ‘community boxing’ event that used to be held in Denham Town. We went down there several times, inspiring this photo essay and latterly, the video, some of which also got broadcast via BBC. Any news on whether they managed to start it back?

Not sure if enough of you have seen this recent video of ‘Gad Reds’, one of Kingston’s more characterful studio-hanger-ons, found at Downsound during the filming of DiMaggio: The Last Don. He’s a star and more so when that far gone…

The Trouble with Clovis: love him or hate him, and they do in equal amounts, we rate Clovis Brown as Jamaica’s #1 shit-stirrer next to Mutty. It’d be a far poorer country without either of them. Anyway, Clovis explained to us one day what makes him tick, tick, tick…

We upped some pretty damn delicious food features with our chef friend Julius. We called the feature ‘Food Lust’, and the photos don’t lie, from beef tenderloin to steam fish, the dishes DID taste that good. He’s not your usual caterer

Some of favourite spots that we enjoy across the island, taking in the likes of St Bess, Portland and not forgetting the capital, but most of all its intended for our international readers: get out, see the island and relax…and then buy us a drink in thanks.

Death in Tivoli Gardens, a photo essay. Simply because we can’t forget that killing like this still happens in Jamaica, and often.

Artist Christopher Irons interviewed by Annie Paul: he bites the heads off chickens, say no more…

First recommends: Suzie’s Bakery patties

FIRST — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:08:49 +0000

Patty is the everyman’s food: traditionally exempt from tax and only recently has it reached the previously unimaginable price of $100. And then we tried the Suzie’s Bakery uptown $200 chicken patty. And you know what, it really is that good.

Apart from the price its hardly convenience food. You’ll have to phone ahead to check they haven’t sold out (this is the only patty you can actually reserve) and they only sell it at their 20 Barbican Road store.

The patty itself is short and stubby like a Red Stripe bottle, with a thick and moist pie pastry; different to your usual flaky patty crust. Inside it is crammed with chicken – and not lots of sauce, little chicken like Juici Beef.

You’ll actually want to slice it in half just to look and you can get by on one of these for lunch rather than your usual two-patty purchase… well, given the price you’ll have to, but that’s not the point.

First endorses Suzie’s as our No.1 Jamaican patty. And not just for chicken. We don’t rate the chickpea or vegetable so much but the ackee and sailfish is also excellent but baked more like a pastry.

Special mention to the patties at Devon House. But then those aren’t proper patty-shaped and we’re a little conservative.

Suzie’s Bakery, 20 Barbican Road: 970-4571

New York City forces Jamaican patty store to get healthier

First — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:13:17 +0000

Patties are unhealthy!? Well we knew they’re not exactly a health food, but NYC officials are even less impressed. They ordered one Jamaican bakery to change its shortening ingredient, part of a city wide ban on trans fats…or be fined US$2,000.

Patties have long been popular within the five boroughs, which has a large Jamaican population.

But says Paul Haye, who owns Christie’s Jamaican Patties in Brooklyn, customers seem not to have noticed the difference.

Read more HERE

Photograph: Ozier Muhammad/New York Times

You can smell this?

First — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:31:53 +0000

Twenty teams of the country’s best BBQ cooks will be competing this Sunday at the All Jamaica Invitational Grill Off in Kingston.

Reading today’s Gleaner it was this that caught the eye or nose, or taste buds: Tamarind bar-b-que chicken with cilantro and barbecue rib-eye roll with Stone’s Ginger Wine, oyster sauce and garlic.

With 1,500 patrons expected, best get there early. Each team will be cooking a minimum of 10 whole chickens, 15 lbs of beef and 25 lbs of pork ribs.

Oh, but it’s ‘invite-only’.

Party at Alligator Pond

Julius — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:45:43 +0000

Smoked marlin, ricotta spring rolls, jerk rosemary tenderloin with bearnaise sauce and a 50th birthday party on the idyllic south coast near Alligator Pond, St Elizabeth.

It’s not every day one lives to half a century, but if you do, make sure the food makes you glad that you made the journey.

Photography by Peter Dean Rickards

More Julius cooking…

Escovitch snapper and steam parrot fish
Julius’ satay jerk chicken

Foodlust: Recipe No.2 Rain + Snapper = Happy Girlfriend

Julius — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:58:31 +0000

Today we pick the freshest fish and cook in two unique Jamaica styles, with fresh organic produce.- J

Julius’ Escovitch Fish

Ingredients

- 1 Large Red Snapper
- Salt & Black Pepper
- Oil
- 6 Festival
- Escovitch sauce

- 1 Large Deep Frying Pan

Add sufficient oil to the pan to deep fry the fish. Heat to 375F. Add one large scotch bonnet pepper and three cloves of garlic to heated oil. Rub fish with salt and black pepper. Add fish to pan and cook until golden brown before turning over to the other side. Remove and serve with sauce.

Julius’ Escovitch sauce

Ingredients

- 1 Large onion
- 1 Garlic clove, minced
- ½ Cup of vinegar
- Pimento
- 2 Scotch bonnet peppers
- Half a carrot, julienne
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Heat oil and add all the ingredients except vinegar. Add vinegar when mix is heated. Then turn off and let mix cool.

Julius’ Steam Fish

Ingredients

- 8 parrot fish
- ½lb cleaned pumpkin
- 2oz Thyme
- 8oz Escallion
- 8 Cloves of garlic
- 1lb Carrot
- 10 Pimento
- ½ Teaspoon of salt
- ½ Teaspoon of pepper
- 2 Cups of coconut cream
- 6 Cups of water
- 2 Large onions
- 2 Scotch bonnet peppers
- 12 Mini-bammys
- 1 Large Irish potato
- ¼ Pound yellow yam

- Large Pot

Bring water to a boil in pot. Cut vegetables into healthy-sized chunks and add to pot. Cut one scotch bonnet pepper and add to mix. NOTE: Second scotch bonnet pepper is to be added whole. Vegetables should be ready after 15-20 minutes of boiling. Add fish and coconut cream. Bring to a high boil. After 15 minutes add bammy and turn down heat.

Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

More Julius cooking…

Julius’ satay jerk chicken
Party at Alligator Pond

Foodlust: Recipe No.1 Satay Jerk Chicken with Hoisin

Julius — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:59:02 +0000

A spicy new fusion of Jamaican/Asian cuisine, this recipe is intended for large gatherings and intimate dinner parties when typical Jerk fare is simply not enough. - J

Julius’ Original Satay Jerk Chicken with Hoisin

-24 fat skewers
- 2 lb cut chicken into 1oz pieces

Marinade in jerk sauce and skewer. Grill over hot coals. Brush/baste skewers with Chinese Hoison Sauce and serve with Salsa.

Julius’ Jerk Sauce

Ingredients

- 8oz Chopped scallion
- 1 Large onion
- 1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme
- 2 Teaspoons of dried Pimento (allspice)
- 2 Teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 2 Scotch bonnet peppers
- 1 Teaspoon of salt
- 3/4 Teaspoons of ground nutmeg
- 1/4 Teaspoon of ground ginger
-1 Tablespoon of brown sugar

Blend all the above ingredients well to make sauce.

Julius’ Salsa

Ingredients

- 3 lbs Tomato, skinned and seeded
- 2 Large scotch bonnet peppers
- 5 Small garlic cloves, peeled
-1 1/2 Teaspoons ground cumin
-1 1/2 Bunches of fresh cilantro, stems trimmed
- 3/4 Cup fresh of pineapple
- 1/3 Cup (packed) fresh roasted corn
- 1/3 Cup of limejuice
- 3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons of salt/sugar
- 8ozScallion, chopped

Coarsely chop tomato mixture, onions, ginger, garlic, and cumin and pimento in processor using on/off turns. Next add allthe ingredients. Blend until the herbs are chopped and salsa is chunky. Add limejuice. Heat oil in saucepan over a high heat. Add oil to salsa and stir in salt and sugar.

More Julius cooking…

Escovitch snapper and steam parrot fish
Party at Alligator Pond