Sorrel Drink(for Christmas Jamaican Style)

Sorrel is taken from the sorrel flower. Look for it in supermarkets with a large section of ethnic foods. Begin preparations one day ahead.

2 fingers ginger, sliced

1 C dried sorrel petals

1 T cloves

1 C water

1 lb brown sugar

dark rum

Boil ginger in water. When the water is boiling add the sorrel leaves and cloves.

Allow mixture to boil for 30 minutes.

Cover and let steep overnight.

In a separate saucepan, boil 1 C water and the brown sugar to make a syrup.

Strain the sorrel mixture. Add syrup to taste.

Rum can be added if desired.

Serve chilled.

Banana Bread

• 
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar, add well beaten egg and vanilla. Mash ripe bananas.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg, adding alternately with mashed bananas.
3. Add raisins. Mixture should drop easily off a spoon.
4. Add a little milk if too stiff. Scrape into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F until golden brown and skewer inserted comes out clean.

Banana Bread

• 
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar, add well beaten egg and vanilla. Mash ripe bananas.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg, adding alternately with mashed bananas.
3. Add raisins. Mixture should drop easily off a spoon.
4. Add a little milk if too stiff. Scrape into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F until golden brown and skewer inserted comes out clean.

Blue Drawes

2 cups cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup grated coconut
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla

banana leaves/aluminium foil
banana bark/string

Mix all dry ingredients and grated coconut together. Add coconut milk and vanilla, and mix well.Place about 1/2 cup of mixture unto the banana leaf or foil. Fold up the sides to make a secure parcel.Tie with banana bark or string.

Drop into boiling water. There should be enough water to cover the parcels. Simmer for about an hour.

Remove banana leaves (and foil, of course) before eating.

Roast Turkey (Jamaican Style)

Ingredients:
I think a 4.5kg turkey is definitely the way to go this Christmas season, even if you're cooking for four or six, because you'll have nice leftovers. If you want a bigger bird, then add 15-20 minutes extra cooking time for every extra 500g, or check the packaging for timings.

For the stuffing:
2 onions, finely chopped
2 rashers streaky bacon, chopped
1 tablespoons (15ml) Olive oil
25g butter
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
15g pack fresh sage, chopped
150g can of chestnuts, drained
500g sausage meat
1 large egg, beaten
200g fresh breadcrumbs
salt and black pepper to taste

For the turkey...
4.5kg fresh turkey
8 jerk sausages
parboiled potatoes for roasting
8 rashers of streaky smoked bacon

 Method 

Let's start with the stuffing. Fry the onions in the olive oil and butter for 4 minutes. Now add the fennel seeds. Bash first in a tea towel with a rolling pin to crack them. Add the sage, crumble in the chestnuts, add a little seasoning and cook for a further 3 minutes, on medium heat, until the ingredients have all flavoured each other. Season to taste. Pour it out onto a tray to cool guickly. Once it's at room temperature, pop it into the fridge until chilled. Put the stuffing mixture back in a bowl, add the sausage meat and egg, and mix together. Add the breadcrumbs to lighten and bind. The mix should hold together but not be sloppy. Place the stuffing in an oven-proof dish and cook for about 45 minutes or until cooked thoroughly, to serve with the turkey.

Preheat your oven to 190°C, 375°F. Now remove any giblets from the turkey. Rub the inside and outside of the turkey with salt, tucking the skin under to make it look nice. Cover the turkey loosely in aluminium foil and place in the oven for 3 hours. Feel free to baste whenever you like after the first 30 minutes. For the final 50 minutes of cooking, remove the foil so the skin can crisp up nicely. At the same time, scatter your sausages, parboiled potatoes and bacon into another roasting tray and use some of the turkey fat to coat well. Once the turkey's done, take it out of the oven, put onto a plate and, most importantly, let it rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. During resting, you have time to do your vegetables and make the gravy. Skim off most of the fat, put the roasting tray onto the hob at a low heat to simmer, and stir in a good tablespoon (15ml) of flour. Keep stirring until thickened. After about 1 minute, add a pint of chicken or turkey stock, a little to start with, until it's all mixed together. Bring to the boil and simmer until it coats the back of a spoon.