Jerk Paste

Serves:

Ingredients:

1 Onion; finely chopped
1/4 ts Ground nutmeg
1/2 c Finely chopped scallions
1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
2 ts Fresh thyme leaves
6 Habanero chiles
2 ts Salt
1 ts Black pepper
1 ts Allspice

Method:

Recipe by: romero@minerva.
cis.
yale.
edu (C.
Antonio Romero) From: rec.
food.
cooking.
Since there were numerous requests in my mailbox today for the jerk recipe, I thought I'd just go ahead and post it.
I started with recipes from "Jerk: Barbecue from Jamaica" by Helen Willinsky-- which seems to be a reasonable cookbook, though I haven't tried many of their recipes beyond the jerk marinades and jerk chicken.
I've made some modifications of my own which I'll note as I go.
Jerk seasoning can be made two ways: one is a marinade, one is a paste (more authentic, sez Willinsky) Mix all ingredients to form a paste (use a food processor).
The recipe as I have been doing it lately uses dried habaneros (all I could find around here) and instead of the onion, a cup to a cup and a half of scallions including the bottom part (I think I used two bunches of six not-very-large scallions each; trim the little roots and the scraggly bit at the top of the stalk).
Looks and smells just like the Jamaican Country Style jerk in the bottle.
I also add a little soy sauce for color, and a generous shot of cream sherry-- seems to go well in the paste; I think the sweetness works well with the allspice.
Jalapenos cannot be substituted-- the result will be MILD, I kid you not (I learned this the hard way the first time I tried to make jerk chicken for guests and couldn't get habaneros).
Submitted to alt.
creative-cook by Reggie Dwork.
Shared on Delphi by Judi M.
Phelps (Juphelps)