chris de la rosa

We’ll not be using the traditional method of making classic Jamaican jerk pork as I know how difficult it is to get pimento wood and during the winter months in temperate countries, your oven or slow cooker tends to be our best friend. We’ll take classic jerk spices and flavor ingredients and marinate the pork shoulder before slowing roasting it in the oven, until fork tender. Then we’ll toss it in your fav jerk BBQ sauce, for what I believe is the best pulled pork.

You’ll Need…

A teaspoon each of:
– ground ginger
– all spice
– cinnamon
– pimenton (hot smoky paprika)
– nutmeg
– salt (adjust to your liking)
– dry mustard
– crushed pepper flakes
– dehydrated onion
2 tablespoon brown sugar (light)

1 cup orange juice
2-4 scallions
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 scotch bonnet pepper
* liquid smoke if you like that stuff

5-8 lbs pork (cheap cut)
1 1/2 – 2 cups jerk bbq sauce

Note: I used a cheap cut of pork, with a bone and skin/fat.

Put all the spices (dry rub) in a bowl and give it a mix with a spoon. Use the back of the spoon to gently crush everything to help release the true flavors. Wash and pat the piece of pork dry, then cover with the dry rub. Massage well, put in your oven proof dish and cover with tin foil. Allow this to marinate overnight in your fridge or at least a couple hours.

As you oven comes up to temperature – 300F, take the pork out of the fridge to come back to room temperature. Pour in the orange juice, chopped scallions, thyme and scotch bonnet pepper. I used a whole pepper, including the seeds as jerk pork is supposed to be a bit spicy. but feel free to adjust to your own heat tolerance. You can add a bit of liquid smoke if you wish as well. Cover back with the tin foil and place it on the middle rack. Allow it to go for 3 hours.

Remove the tin foil, baste it with some of the juices and back in the oven uncovered for another 2 hours. After the 5 hours of the slow cooking in the oven it should be fully cooked (falling apart and easy to shred). Remove the cooked pork from the baking dish and set aside to cool enough so you can easily handle it. Remove the stems of the thyme from the baking dish, add your favorite jerk bbq sauce and whisk together with the pan juices. Please reserve 1/3 of the resulting sauce and set aside for later.

You can use two forks to shred the pork, but I much prefer using my fingers, so I can remove all the pieces of fat and skin (discard).

Your oven should still be on. Mix the shredded jerk pork in the sauce and place back in the oven to heat through for another 10-15 minutes.

The reserved sauce will be used to top your sandwiches! This jerk pulled pork will be packed with wicked island flavors, tender and overall moist from the way we finished it with a good dose of the sauce. I’m sure this will work great in a slow cooker or on your smoker/grill during the summer months (with a bit of tweaking).

Green Fig With Smoked Herring And Cabbage.

May 22, 2016May 22, 2016Leave a Comment

Hopefully you’ve had time to try the Smoked Herring With Cabbage recipe I shared with you last week. A truly classic dish made with subtle differences throughout the Caribbean. This time we’ll do one mom would always make for dad whenever she had leftovers from the cabbage and smoked herrings combo. Since we had a variety of banana trees in our kitchen garden at the back of the house, we always made use of the ‘cooking fig” (green cooking bananas) supply we always seemed to have.

You’ll Need…

5 green cooking bananas (green fig)
salt (optional)
1 tomato
1 tablespoon parsley
1 table spoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 bell pepper (sweet pepper)
2 cups leftover smoked herrings with cabbage

Click for the Cabbage With Smoked Herring recipe : written | video

Important: If doing this recipe gluten free be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

* It may be helpful to watch the recipe video (below) to better understand what I mean.. cut off both ends of the green cooking bananas and discard. Then using a pairing knife, cut a shallow (thickness of the banana’s skin) line the full length of each banana. This will make it easier to peel once they are fully cooked. Place them in a pot, cover with water (slightly salted) and bring to a boil. After about 15-20 minutes on a rolling boil, they will go very dark and start to float. Take off the fire, drain and allow to cool. The cut we made will open up and you can now peel the skin off.

As the bananas boil you can prep the other ingredients(chop the parsley, garlic, tomato and sweet pepper).

Once cooled and the skin is removed, cut each banana into 1 inch sized pieces and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wide sauce pan on a medium flame, then add the chopped pepper, parsley and garlic and lower the heat to LOW and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Now go in with the pieces of cooked banana and mix well, finally it’s time to add the leftover smoked herring with cabbage and heat though. Mix well and cook for about 4-5 minutes.’

Finish with the chopped tomato to brighten up the dish a bit. Serve warm..wicked one-pot dish.

Instead of green cooking bananas you can also use Sweet Potatoes, Yam, Dasheen (or Taro), Eddoes and my great aunt’s favorite.. boiled cassava. This recipe is one of those I reach for when I’m homesick for the Caribbean, as it takes me back to a happier time on the islands. I can still remember the steam spiraling off our plates, that distinct scent of smoke herrings and the freshly picked scotch bonnet pepper (half-ripe) dad would have on the side. Ever so often between bites he would crunch down on the “Caribbean Sunshine” and you’d hear that crisp sound. Followed by him sucking back air between his teeth and the familiar “this pepper hot boi”.

Seafood

Cabbage With Smoked Herrings

July 5, 2016May 8, 2016Leave a Comment

Here’s another one of those dishes I hated as a kid growing up on the islands. Both the smoked herrings and the cabbage were etched into my don’t eat list, but as an adult they’re two ingredients I not only use on the regular, but crave. The scent of dad roasting the smoked herrings (back then the choice were whole fish) on an open flame to give it extra flavor and to help remove the skin and bones, wasn’t pleasant. That said.. even when using the fillets as I’m about to do, know that it will impart a distinct scent throughout your kitchen/home.

You’ll Need…

8 smoked herring fillets
2 scallions
3-4 cups cabbage (about 1/3 of a medium cabbage)
2 cloves garlic
2 birds eye pepper (any spicy pepper you like)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
1 large tomato (or 8 grape)

Important: If you’re doing this recipe gluten free, do go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

The first thing we’ve got to do is shred the smoked herring fillets. To make this step easy, place the fillets in a bowl and cover with hot/boiling water. Allow them to soak (until they are cool enough to handle) then pour the water out, squeeze dry and shred. The fillets can be a bit oily and have a very strong ‘smoke’ scent, so you may want to wear gloves or the scent will remain on your fingers for some time. You will see tiny bones which are harmless for the most part.. if you come across any tough bones or bits, do remove and discard.

As the fillets soak, you can prep the other ingredients. Finely chop the garlic, bird’s eye pepper (you can use scotch bonnet or any pepper you like), chop the scallions and tomato. Remove the outer layer and core of the cabbage and shred. Remember that by including the seeds of the pepper I’m asking for HEAT.. remove the seeds it you want to tone things down a bit.

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan on a low flame, then add the shredded smoked herring, toss then add everything except the cabbage and tomato. Stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes.

It’s now time to add the shredded cabbage, toss and top with the tomato. Please don’t use a lid or the cabbage will have the tendency to spring a bit of liquid. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for 4-5 minutes. You can personalize the dish by cooking longer (I like the cabbage to have a bit of a crunch) and add salt. I didn’t need salt as I find that the cured/smoked herrings are already salty.

While using the prepared herring fillets is not ‘traditional’, it’s very convenient and you won’t be able to tell the difference in the final dish. Well, my dad does as he doesn’t get that ‘roasted’ flavor he appreciates. If using the whole fish (dry smoked) you may have to boil them instead of just topping with hot water as I did, before you remove the skin and bones.

Meat & Poultry

Curry Chicken Pelau.

May 27, 2025April 21, 201612 Comments

We were into hour 5 of the long drive to Connecticut from Toronto to watch the Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors take on the US men’s national team in a world Cup qualifying game. My friend who was the designated driver for the trip, asked if I had ever done a curry chicken pelau. The next hour or so we found ourselves engrossed in the possibility of such a recipe and why we thought it was a delicious idea. Though neither of us had tried it before, in our minds it was doable.This curry chicken pelau is a tribute to that trip and the way we dissected the (possible) recipe.

You’ll Need…

2 boneless/skinless chicken breast (1.5-2 lbs)
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green seasoning
2 scallions (chopped)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 med tomato (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
1/4 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
1 teaspoon tomato ketchup
2 tablespoon curry powder (divided)
2 tablespoon veg oil
1 can coconut milk (abt 1.5 cups)
2 cups water
2 cups parboiled brown rice (washed)
1 can pigeon peas (drained/rinsed)
1 carrot
4 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

* adjust liquid as necessary – since different brands of rice tend to differ in cooking time.

Cube the chicken into 3/4 inch pieces and season with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, black pepper, salt, scallions, Garam Masala, 1/4 of the curry powder, ketchup, scotch bonnet pepper and tomato. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers. Stir well and allow to marinate for a couple hours in the fridge.

Heat the veg oil on a medium flame, then go in with the chopped garlic and onion, turn the heat down to LOW and gently cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the remaining curry powder (heat still on low) and cook for another 4 mins. This will allow us to bring out the flavors of all the spices which make up the curry powder.

Turn the heat up to high now and add the seasoned chicken and stir well… try to pick up all the curry-goodness at the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat to med, cover and let it cook for about 4-5 minutes. It will spring it’s own juices.

Remove the lid and crank up the heat to burn off all that liquid and infuse the chicken pieces with the curry base. Now add the diced carrot and pigeon peas. Stir well.

In the same bowl you marinated the chicken swish around the water to pick up any remaining marinade.. pour into the pot now. Along with the coconut milk. Wash the rice (to remove grit and extra starch), drain and ad it to the pot. To wash the rice you have two options as we’ve discussed before. 1. Place in a bowl, add water and using your hands massage. the water will turn white… drain. repeat until the water runs relatively clear. Option 2. Place in a strainer and run water over the rice.. Massage with your fingers. When the water runs clear, the rice is washed.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, have the lid slightly ajar and cook until tender and all the liquid is gone. About 25 minutes. Here is where you personalize things a bit near the end. I like my pelau a bit grainy so that liquid was enough for the way I wanted it. Add more water if you want it more ‘soggy” (wet pelau) and be sure to taste for salt and adjust accordingly. As I turn the heat off I topped it with the chopped cilantro.

Tip: To avoid having dry pieces of chicken I would recommend using chicken thighs. This is NOT traditional pelau.. had to make that clear as I know this post/recipe will only encourage the ‘hate’ comments. This is a fusion of curry chicken and rice using a technique similar to make chicken pelau… except we didn’t ‘stew’ the chicken as would normally be done. Serve warm!

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Quick Ham Pineapple Fried Rice.

May 27, 2025April 11, 2016Leave a Comment

If you follow me on Instagram you would have seen me (just after the holidays) post the pic of me surrounded by a ton of plastic containers. When you visit mom and dad it’s always a time to eat like a KING and have enough food to return home with. Basically I went prepared for the leftover train. This recipe is a byproduct of that visit and the volume of irie food which accompanied us home. By now you should have guessed that I luv fried rice (there are several recipes posted here) and this one certainly delivers.

* This recipe will be enough for two people.

You’ll Need…

1/2 cup cubed ham
1/2 cup pineapple
tablespoon veg oil
1 clove garlic (diced fine)
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 cup bell pepper (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cooked rice (chilled)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 scallion (chopped)

Important. If doing this recipe gluten free please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the soya and oyster sauces.

Prep all the ingredients as this will be a very quick recipe. Heat the oil on a medium flame then go in with the garlic and cook for 20 seconds or so (don’t burn), now go in with the ham, bell pepper and grated ginger and cook another minute or so.

It’s now time to add the rice and other ingredients and stir well. I would recommend having the rice chilled as it will give you a lovely grainy texture when the dish is done. I used pre-cooked brown parboiled rice, but you can use white rice (any rice you have/like).

So simple and quick, you’ll be eating in less than 10 minutes.

You can certainly personalize this by adding any of your fav vegetables and do remember to taste at the end for salt and adjust accordingly. My rice was cooked with salt and the soy sauce I used was enough to properly season this for me. If you’d like to give it a little ‘kick’ you can go in with some diced hot pepper (your choice). I’m NOT a fan of eggs in my fried rice, but you o your thing.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Coconut Curry Venison (deer).

May 28, 2025April 6, 2016Leave a Comment

Any sort of game, including deer (venison) is what we call “wild meat” in the Caribbean and for the most part it’s a sort of cherished delicacy, especially around Christmas and Carnival time. I have very fond childhood memories of going hunting with my brother and dad and into my early teens we would venture out with my friends. Though I went to school in San Fernando (city), most of my spare time was spent in the country side of Guaracara, so you’d find that I’m an outdoors person at heart.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs Venison
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Curry Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 slices ginger
1 tomato
1/2 small onion
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
2 scallion (chopped)
3 sprigs thyme
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 allspice berries
Cilantro or Shado Beni garnish

IMPORTANT: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients (especially the curry powder which could have flour as a filler) to ensure everything meets with your gluten free dietary needs.

Have your butcher cut the venison into 1 inch pieces and if there’s bones, please include it as it adds wonderful flavors to the finished curry. Wash with lemon or lime juice (not mentioned in the ingredient list) and water and drain. Then season with the tomato, salt, black pepper, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, Caribbean Green Seasoning, scallion and scotch bonnet pepper. You can leave out the seeds of the pepper to help control the heat level and remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling. Please allow this to marinate for a couple hours or overnight in the fridge.

Heat the vegetable oil on a medium heat in a heavy pot, then add the diced onion and garlic and cook on LOW for about 3-4 minutes. Then add the curry powder and continue cooking on LOW for another 3-5 minutes. This will toast the spices which makes up the curry blend and also cook off any raw flavors of the curry you could potentially get when the dish is finished cooking.

Now turn up the heat to high and start adding the seasoned/marinated pieces of venison. Yes, it’s ok if the marinade going into the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil.. it will spring it’s own juices and add the ginger and thyme. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and let it go for about 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and crank up the heat to high to burn off all that liquid. This step will help to infuse the meat with that rich curry goodness. In the same bowl you marinated the pieces of deer, swish around the 1/2 cup of water to pick up any remaining marinade.

After all the liquid is burnt off it’s time to pour in that water, the coconut milk and all spice berries and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot and allow it to cook until tender. It can take between 2.5 and 3 hrs to get fall-off-the-bone tender. After 2.5 hrs it’s time personalize things a bit… cook longer if you want it more tender, adjust the salt and crank up the heat to get the gravy to the consistency you like. If you find that while cooking you’re out of liquid, you can always add a bit more water.

Turn off the stove and top with the chopped shado beni (culantro) or cilantro. You now have a brilliant rich curry using “wild meat”! The funny thing about hunting as a kid on the islands is that for the most part we were hardly ever successful, but that adventure was so much fun.

Jerk Pulled Pork Recipe.

Green Fig With Smoked Herring And Cabbage.

Cabbage With Smoked Herrings

Curry Chicken Pelau.

Quick Ham Pineapple Fried Rice.

Coconut Curry Venison (deer).

Hi, I'm Chris.

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