Jerk

Despite the digital folders stuffed full of links to recipes both tried and untried, I occasionally find myself saying, "I don't know what to have for supper." Such was the case late Friday night, as the husband and I were wrapping up our day and looking ahead to the next. Yes, Gentle Reader, at 9:30 or so every night, my thoughts turn to what to make for supper the next day. It's just easier to make the decision then so I can thaw chicken or fish, make sure I have any other ingredients I need or plan out my schedule so I can have the meal finished at a time that will prevent the boy from being a ravenous, out of control monster. But woe to me if I glance in the pantry and am not struck by inspiration. More woe to me if, in my lack of inspiration, I seek guidance from the husband and get none.

Realizing I was in the mood for something spicy and tangy but not wanting to repeat any of the spicier, tangier recipes I'd made lately, my thoughts turned to the little baggie of jerk seasoning that's lingered in the spice cabinet for...years. For a year or so not long after we moved into our house, the husband and I would fairly frequently have chicken breasts rubbed down with that jerk seasoning and then cooked on the Foreman grill. Then our tastes changed, but the remaining rub remained, waiting for a time when it could come out and be polished off.

Finally that time had come! Of course, after so many years, I figured the rub had lost much of its flavor, so I wound up going to HEB to pick up more from the bulk bin.

However, I wasn't ready to revisit the Foreman-grilled jerk-rubbed chicken breasts. I wanted something different. So I searched for recipes on MyRecipes.com and found a few possibilities for some basic Jamaican jerk chicken. And I thought I'd decided on one, which I freely admit wasn't that huge a departure from the Foreman-grilled breasts of yore. Perhaps that's why it appealed to me.

But what to serve with the breasts? I wasn't prepared to make the mango salsa for fear the boys would reject it. I didn't want to make another pot of rice, which I knew would go over well enough. I didn't want to throw some broccoli into some boiling water for a few minutes either. What a crisis of indecision I faced!

Luckily, MyRecipes.com came to my rescue, for just a few more pages into the search results for jerk chicken recipes, I found a magnificent feast.

Spicy Chicken Couscous1 lb. chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch" cubes
1 T Jamaican jerk seasoning
1 t vegetable oil
1 15.75-oz. can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
10 ounces plain, uncooked couscous
1/3 C golden raisins
1/3 C dried sweet cherries
1/4 C orange juice
1/4 C red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1/8 t ground nutmeg
1/2 C sliced green onions
1/4 C minced fresh cilantro
2 T sliced almonds

1. Combine the chicken and jerk seasoning in a zip-top plastic bag, then seal and shake well.
   
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
   
3. Add the chicken to the skillet, then cook 3 min.
   
4. Add the broth to the skillet, then bring to a boil.
   
5. Add the couscous, raisins and cherries, stirring well.
   
6. Remove heat, cover the skillet and let stand 5 min.
   
7. Fluff the couscous pilaf with a fork.
   
8. Combine the orange juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a bowl, then stir with a whisk.
   
9. Pour the OJ sauce over the pilaf.
   
10. Top the pilaf with onions, cilantro and almonds.

Yield: 6 (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Info
Calories: 386
Fat: 7.6 g
Sat fat: 1.1 g
Cholesterol: 44 mg
Protein: 25.4 g
Carbs: 52 g
Fiber: 3.8 g
Sodium: 570 mg

The Faudie's Futzings
Through a combination of a not-entirely-prepared pantry, the wisdom I've gathered through my various culinary misadventures and, I admit, my own sloth, I made a few changes to the recipe, which appeared in Health not long after the husband and I moved into Chez Boeckman-Walker. The final dish also got me thinking about a few changes, but I'll get to those momentarily.

• I was too lazy to slice up the green onions and cilantro, even though I have 'em.
  
• I could have bought sliced almonds at Whole Paycheck when the boys and I were there stocking up on kefir and couscous. I also could have sliced some of the almonds I keep stocked in the cabinet for midday snacks pour moi. But I did neither. I'm just not one for garnish--and I'm lazy.
  
• Speaking of couscous, I use whole wheat couscous. It's slightly higher in fiber and protein than regular couscous. After all, whole grains are great for health!
  
• Because the boy wouldn't touch couscous even if his life depended on it, I cooked him a chicken breast in my nonstick dutchie (not Chive the Dutchie) using olive oil before I started cooking the chicken. Therefore, I did not use the veggie (well, it would have been canola if I'd used what I have in the pantry) oil listed in the ingredients. And I didn't add more olive oil after I finished the boy's chicken because I knew the pot had enough slick to prevent any sticking (which I know I shouldn't have to worry about anyway since the pot is nonstick, but we all know that nonstick doesn't really mean much).
  
• If you're paying attention, Gentle Reader, you'll have noticed by now that I did not use a skillet as stated in the recipe. I know how much couscous expands in those 5 minutes it needs to absorb liquid, and I knew that none of my skillets would have ample enough room to allow me to fluff and stir in the OJ sauce afterwards. Plus my largest skillet doesn't have a tightly fitting lid, which is essential for getting couscous to come out right.
  
• Speaking of that OJ sauce, I only used a tablespoon of olive oil when making it. I don't like adding a lot of oil to my couscous. Never have, never will. And while the recipe doesn't direct you to stir in the sauce after pouring it over the pilaf, ya really need to do that to properly distribute it.
  
• I substituted dried cranberries for the dried cherries I wasn't able to get at Whole Paycheck. I figured the cranberries would work well since I assumed the cherries were meant to be a tart counterpoint to the sweetness of the golden raisins.

The husband and I ate the whole big Dutchie full of the finished pilaf. Yes, we're pigs--but in our defense, we really didn't have lunch. We ate breakfast, quickly kickboxed, walked down to our neighborhood comics shop to celebrate Free Comic Book Day (and I spent about an hour combing through 18 or 20 long boxes full of old-ass, dusty comics priced at a quarter a piece--and also had to dash down to our favorite HEB, or at least the BofA beside it, to get cash to pay for the 4 bucks worth of oddities I did find) then walked down and across the street to the donut shop that opened a few months back that the husband has tried--and enjoyed--but the boy and I haven't. Now I'd vowed I'd maybe have a bite or two of the donuts the boys selected...but I didn't fulfill that vow. But the donuts were delicious and served as brunch.

The husband and I also remarked how the flavors are somewhat similar to the Moroccan and Middle Eastern/Persian food we've had and loved. I chalk that up to the cinnamon in the jerk rub, but the heat in it--that always-winning combination of cinnamon sweetness and chile heat--also reinforce such a connection. That said, I think perhaps once I might try this recipe without the jerk: I'd just use cinnamon to coat the cubed chicken and probably replace the nutmeg in the OJ sauce with cinnamon as well. I'd probably miss the heat, but the meal might be something my Mum could eat, what with her GERD-y gut and all.

I'm also tempted to try two things with that OJ sauce: (1) Use balsamic vinegar in lieu of red wine vinegar and (2) Further reduce--perhaps even omit completely--the olive oil. The husband and I have discovered we really enjoy balsamic vinegar, and I've found its flavor to be somewhat similar to red wine vinegar. As for reducing or even omitting the olive oil, that should be an obvious future futzing since I don't like adding a lot of it to couscous, as I've previously noted.