Finally, the last of the Jamaican appetizer recipes! I saved the best for last, this was my favorite. Caramelized onions are such an amazing thing – the transformation of the pungent and sharp flavor of a raw onion into something similar to candy – wow! The leek jam is just another form of caramelized onion, with a twist. The Jamaican sauce called Pickapeppa, was found along with other condiments near the Tabasco sauce at my neighborhood Safeway grocery store.  It was the first time I purchased or used it, yummy! The rest of the ingredients, from the ciabatta to the Parmesan, hummus, and rock shrimp were all found at Trader Joe’s.

Caribbean Flatbread

Caramelized Onions
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, cut into medium dice
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Leek Jam
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 leeks, white and light green parts only, diced then rinsed very well
2 tablespoons Jamaican Pickapeppa Sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Assembly
Three 8-ounce Ciabatta loaves, sliced in half horizontally
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup purchased hummus
1 lemon, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced
1 pound small, sweet rock shrimp peeled and cooked
6 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Caramelized Onions: Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in sugar and cook until onions are golden, stirring frequently, about 45 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Leek Jam: Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leeks; sauté about 4 minutes or until onions are softened. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in Pickapeppa sauce and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place ciabatta halves on a baking sheet. Brush each half of the ciabatta with olive oil and spread with hummus. Scatter onions, then leeks over the hummus. Top with lemon slices and shrimp. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then with salt and lemon juice.

Bake in preheated oven until toppings are warmed through and cheese has melted, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbreads to large cutting board and using very sharp knife, cut each into 6 slices. Place on a platter and serve.

Makes 36 slices

What is it about shrimp on an appetizer buffet that draws people like flies? First of all, it is the quintessential party food. Shrimp are the world’s most popular shellfish. Low in calories and saturated fat; high in protein, vitamins D and B12, iron, and omega 3. Plus they have anti-inflammatory qualities. But something tells me that none of that matters to the guy who is also known as “the shrimp hoarder”. He will block your path to the bowl of shrimp because he is worried that if you get even a couple of the tasty morsels, he won’t “get his”. Or how about the woman, who in April 2009, called 911 to report that she didn’t get as much shrimp as she wanted in her fried rice at a Texas restaurant? Now that’s harsh!

As Pvt Benjamin Buford ‘Bubba’ Blue said. “Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it.” – 1994 Forrest Gump.

These Jamaican shrimp fit into Bubba’s description – they are boiled…

Beautiful Amy and Whitney looking so much prettier than at the White Trash Progressive!

Warm Jamaican Shrimp

4 cups water
2 Scotch bonnet chiles or habanero chiles, halved
4 green onions, coarsely chopped
3 large fresh thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 teaspoon whole black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons whole allspice
2 pounds large shrimp with tail on (31 to 40 per pound)

Combine water, chiles, green onions, thyme, garlic, salt, bay leaf, and allspice in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors.

Add shrimp and bring to boil. Remove pan from heat; let stand until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Drain, discarding liquid.

Transfer shrimp to bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves about 20 to 25 as part of a large appetizer buffet

Jamaican buffet, it was a little picked over before I was able to snap the picture, but that's a good thing, right?

Sliders are irresistible as part of an appetizer buffet. Small and easy to eat while standing, they are the perfect casual party food. If you want to prepare the sliders ahead, place patties on the grill or grill pan and just “mark” each side. Transfer to a baking sheet, allow to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Toast the buns ahead of time, place on another baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature. About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, preheat oven to 400 degrees, finish cooking the patties for 12 minutes. While the patties are in the oven, prepare the buns by spreading on mayonnaise and stacking on the onion, tomato, and lettuce. When the sliders are completely cooked, just assemble, put in decorative picks, cut in half, place on a platter and you’re ready to entertain!

In the picture above, you might notice the carrot-pepper “palm trees” – cute, aren’t they? Easy to make too, just peel the carrots, then place in ice water to crisp them up.  Cut the peppers as pictured below, then use toothpicks to hold the palms together in a cabbage half.

Jamaican Jerk Sliders

Chipotle Mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
2 whole canned chipotle chilies

Jerk Sauce
1 bunch green onions, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 medium jalapeño chilies, seeded
2 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 pounds ground beef
16 sesame-seed slider buns or Kings Hawaiian sweet bread rolls, toasted
1/2 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
Lettuce leaves

Chipotle Mayonnaise: Place mayonnaise and chipotle in a food processor and blend until smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Jerk Sauce: Place green onion, thyme, jalapeño, and garlic in a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Add brown sugar, oil, soy sauce and allspice and process until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Set aside 3/4 cup jerk sauce. Shape ground beef into 16 small patties; place in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour 1/2 cup of the jerk sauce over patties and turn to coat; let stand 20 minutes at room temperature.

Prepare barbecue or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Grill to desired doneness, brushing occasionally with jerk sauce left in glass baking dish, about 4 minutes per side for medium.

notice that the sliders are not cooked all the way through - they are finished in a hot oven for easy "do-ahead"

Spread mayonnaise over toasted sides of buns. Place burgers on bottom halves of buns. Top with onion, tomato, lettuce, and bun tops. Cut in half, placing a decorative pick in each half to hold together. Serve, passing reserved 3/4 cup jerk sauce separately.

Makes 16

The question – What is jerk… not in life (we all know at least one of those!) but in cooking?  The answer – Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica. Jerk seasoning mostly depends on the inclusion of two items: allspice and Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers. Other ingredients may include cloves, cinnamon, green onions, thyme, and garlic. When serving a crowd, I often substitute jalapeño for the habanero, since you never know what people’s tolerance is for overly spicy foods.

The shredded beef that I used was the leftover pot roast from a post from a couple days ago. If you don’t have such a thing hanging about, most grocery stores sell prepared pot roast in their meat department or deli.

When assembling the dumplings, lay about about one dozen of the wrappers on the counter at a time, place the filling in the center of each, but only brush and seal 3 or 4 at a time. The dumplings may be made up to one day ahead. To do so; lightly sprinkle a baking sheet with cornstarch and place the filled and sealed dumplings on the sheet, lightly sprinkle the dumpling tops with more cornstarch and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with another layer or two, sprinkling each with the cornstarch to keep them from sticking. Refrigerate until ready to fry.

Jamaican Beef Dumplings with Jerk Sauce

Sauce
3/4 cup coarsely chopped green onions
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 jalapeño or habanero pepper, seeded
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Dumplings
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped green onion (white and green parts)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pound cooked shredded beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce
12-ounce package wonton wrappers (about 48)
3 to 4 cups vegetable oil

Sauce: Place green onion, thyme, jalapeño, and garlic in a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Add brown sugar, oil, soy sauce and allspice and process until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Dumplings: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and then green onion, onion, curry powder, thyme, and allspice; cook stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef and cook until meat is just warmed, about 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Cool to room temperature.

Put a small mound of filling in center of each wrapper. Lightly brush edges of each wrapper with water, then fold in half diagonally and press to seal completely. (see do-ahead instructions above)

Heat 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees in a large deep skillet. Fry dumplings in batches, turning once, until golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch.

Pour the jerk sauce in a bowl, place on a serving platter and surround with the dumplings.

Makes  48

Today is completely devoted to shopping, prepping, cooking and setting up for tomorrow night’s neighborhood Progressive Dinner. I’ve got at least a portion of the five different appetizers that I am making, done. And parts of the soup and side I’m providing to one of our dinner hosts, so that feels good. The tiki torches are set up in the yard, now it just needs to stop sprinkling out there so that I can wipe down all the outdoor furniture. Come on “Valley of the Sun”, work with me!

The Caribbean Crab Salad is finished – that shall be today’s post. This salad is easy and quick to pull together, especially if you already have the pasteurized crabmeat on hand. It can be found at Costco and some grocery stores. Since the crabmeat is pasteurized, it can be purchased now and stored in the refrigerator for about 9 months (there is an expiration date on the bottom of the container.)

The porcelain spoons are inexpensive and can be found at Asian markets. The metal spoon pictured was purchased in a set of 12 at Crate and Barrel. There will be more Jamaican party recipes to follow for the next several days…

Caribbean Crab Salad in Endive Spears or Asian Spoons

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
14 pimiento-stuffed olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and oregano; sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Add tomato sauce and wine and boil until evaporated.

cooling the onion-pepper mixture by the open window

Spoon the mixture out of the skillet and into a large metal bowl, spreading out in the bowl to cool quickly.  Once cool, stir in the  crabmeat, olives, cilantro, and Tabasco. (May be made to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day).

Immediately before serving, stir in the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into endive leaves, appetizer spoons, or porcelain Asian soup spoons.

Makes about 50