Christmas Dinner in Jamaica

Some may be surprised to discover that over 80 percent of Jamaicans are Christian. They share prayer before and after eating. Experience Christmas in Jamaica; a tropical feel with Reggae Christmas music playing in the background. Enjoying the big Christmas dinner feast, family and friends far outweigh table manners.

Below are recipes for Jamaican Christmas dinner: curried chicken with rice and gungo peas and Jamaican Black Cake. Sorrel (a meadow plant) is their traditional Christmas drink (recipe also provided below).

Easy Curry Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
1 - 3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
Dash each of onion powder, thyme, garlic powder, pepper, and salt

Directions:
1. Cut chicken into small pieces and soak in lemon juice at least 1 hour.
2. Remove chicken from lemon juice and season with spices and seasonings. Let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Heat cooking oil in frying pan, medium high heat.
4. Add chicken and cook about 7 to 10 minutes per side, or until thoroughly cooked.

Rice and Gungo Peas Recipe
Ingredients:
1 can gungo peas (aka "pigeon peas", "cow peas", and "Congo peas")
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups long grain rice
3 green onions, chopped (reserve some green tops for garnish)
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Scotch bonnet pepper pricked with a fork (or substitute habenero)
water
Small cube of salt pork (optional)

Directions:
1. If your beans are dried, wash them, soak over night, then boil for 2 hours until soft.
2. When the beans are tender, stir in remaining ingredients. Add your salt pork (optional) for added flavor.
3. Add water until it is ½ inch over top of rice. Cook over medium heat stirring a few times until rice is well cooked.
4. Garnish with chopped green onion tops and sliced lime.

Jamaican Black Cake (prepare at least four weeks in advance)

Preparing Fruits for Baking:
Wash 4 cups mixed dried fruits (raisins, currants, prunes, citron, cherries, dates) and soak in 2 cups port wine and 2 cups white rum for at least 4 weeks before baking.

Remaining Ingredients:
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb granulated sugar
6 eggs
12 oz all-purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp browning (add 1/2 Tablespoon water to brown sugar and heat over medium to high heat until the sugar is burnt. Let cool.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup port wine (more for later if baking in advance of Christmas holiday)
1 cup white rum

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a 10-inch baking sheet with butter or margarine and line the sheet with wax paper.
3. Mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue beating until mixture is smooth.
5. Add flour and baking powder.
6. Continue to mix.
7. Blend in browning, vanilla, almond, nutmeg, allspice, and lemon juice.
8. In a blender, grind fruits
9. Add to mixture.
10. Add 1 cup rum and 1 cup wine and mix well.
11. Check cake after an hour. Cake is baked when a knife or toothpick is inserted into center of cake and comes out clean. This will make approximately 4 lbs. of cake. If you're baking it weeks or months in advance, continue basting it periodically with wine.

Sorrel Drink Recipe
Ingredients:1 pound sorrel
2-4 oz. ginger
8-12 pimento grains
2 quarts water
sugar
wine (optional)
rum

Directions:
Wash sorrel thoroughly, using the fingers to lift it form the water.
Put sorrel into stainless steel container.
Scrape and wash ginger, grate and add to sorrel.
Add pimento grains.
Boil water and pour over sorrel.
Allow to stand 4-6 hours.
Strain.
Sweeten to taste.
Add rum to taste.
Add optional wine.
Serve over ice.