Eating Around the World (From Home....And Gluten Free...): Jamacia

Welcome to Jamaica! I'm torn on this country: it is one I think would be beautiful to see, but with all the tourism and heat and humidity, I'm not sure I actually want to go. I hear there are a ton of mosquitos too, which I do not love (but they love me!). Handsome Husband went down on a mission trip years ago, and said that just digging a 8-foot hole in the ground was exhausting due to the heat and humidity. Maybe someday we'll go...According to Google, the population of Jamaica is 2.8 million people and the capital is Kingston. Their national dish is...

Saltfish and Ackee!

I had no idea what ackee was. It's a fruit with a seed, similar to the lychee. Apparently, ackee was banned in the US until 2000 because it contains a toxin that can make you sick (or kill you, if you eat enough of it). Luckily, Amazon came through for me again, and I was able to get a can of it for this meal. When it came out of the jar, it was not what I expected! It was almost like a mush with a few chunks in it. When I tasted it, it really didn't taste like anything. I figured this was going to be an interesting meal! Along with the saltfish and ackee with fried dumplings, we made Jamaican Callalloo (a spinach dish) and Bulla cakes (almost like a molasses bread). Apparently Bulla cakes are a common snack, and eaten with avocado and/or cheese. Here's what we did:

SALTFISH AND ACKEE

Saltfish and Ackee

1 lb. saltfish
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 habanero pepper, chopped

1 tsp black pepper
6 sprigs thyme
3 green onions, chopped
4 tsp avocado oil
1 12 oz. can of ackee, drained (mine did not drain - it was mush, which worked well)

Fried Dumpling
2 cups gluten free flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp.sugar
Pinch salt
1 tbsp butter
3/4 cup water

Oil, for frying

Rinse the saltfish in cold water.
Soak the saltfish overnight in a bowl of water.
Drain the water from the fish and flake with a fork.
Heat oil in pan, then add onions and peppers (bell and habanero).
Sauté for about 2-3 minutes on a medium heat, until the onions are soft.
Add tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to break down.
Add flaked saltfish and cook for an additional 10 mins.
Add ackee and stir, breaking into smaller pieces.
Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until ackee is warmed and tender, remove from heat.
Sprinkle with scallion and serve warm.

For the fried dumplings

Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
Add butter and rub into flour until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
Add water to form a soft dough.
Divide dough into 9 even pieces, and form into flattened circles, about 1/2 inch in thickness.
Set aside and allow to sit for 15 mins.
In a pan, add vegetable oil to about 1/2 inch deep.
On medium heat, heat oil.
Add dumplings, and cook for approximately 6 minutes per side until golden brown.
Remove from oil and set on a plate covered with paper towel.
Repeat until all the dumplings have been fried.
Serve warm.

(Source: Saltfish and Ackee)

JAMAICAN CALLALLOO

4 cups callalloo, chopped and tightly packed (I used spinach because I couldn't find callalloo)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
2 sprigs thyme
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 habanero, whole
2 tablespoons water

Place oil in a large pot, add onion, garlic, spring onion, thyme, tomato, and habanero on medium heat, and saute until onion is translucent.
Add spinach and water, and allow to simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes or until tender.
Serve and enjoy!

(Source: Jamaican Callalloo)

BULLA CAKES

10 oz brown sugar
3 oz of water
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
3 cups gluten free flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp allspice
2 tbsp melted butter

Grease and cover a baking tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, make a thick, dark syrup of water, sugar, molasses, vanilla and grated fresh ginger.
Sift together dry ingredients in a separate bowl. (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice).
Combine dry ingredients with a whisk and make a well in the center with a flat spatula.
Pour the syrup and melted butter into the center and mix together until a sticky dough is formed.
Turn out the mixture onto a well floured board and bring the dough together by kneading gently for a few minutes.
Once the dough comes together and is smooth you will roll it out. If the dough keeps sticking to the board, sprinkle the board with more flour to help the dough to come together.
Roll out the dough to about a 1-1.5 inch thickness. It may look a bit flat but they will get a little rise in the oven.
Cut circles out with a biscuit cutter (or glass).
Place bullas on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Once baked, pull from the oven and brush with melted butter.
Cool and serve with cheese or avocado

(Source: Bulla Cakes)

The verdict? This was an interesting one. The saltfish and ackee was fine, not super, but not terrible. The texture was just odd, so we broke up our fried dumplings and put them in the saltfish and ackee to add texture. It was OK. The Jamaican Callalloo was just another take on a spinach dish. I was nervous about putting a whole habanero in there, but it didn't give it any heat at all; instead, it gave it more of a fruity flavor. It needed a lot of salt. The bulla cakes were super interesting. They smelled amazing as they were cooking! When we ate them, it was like all the moisture got sucked out of your mouth. We did try it with the cheese and avocado, and it was surprisingly tasty! The avocado and cheese also helped with the dryness of the cake as well. This was a really easy meal to put together, but not a super one to eat.