FLOWER POT KITCHEN: JAMAICAN JERK STICKY CHICKEN AND BACON CIABATTA SANDWICH

5 Feb 2013

JAMAICAN JERK STICKY CHICKEN AND BACON CIABATTA SANDWICH

SUMPTUOUS JUICY, SWEET & SPICY SANDWICH WITH HOMEMADE MAYO

INGREDIENTS

(makes 2)

1 8oz chicken breast

2 slices of cheese (dairy lea slices)

4 rashes sweetcure bacon

Iceberg lettuce fine sliced

2 tbsp honey

homemade mayo (optional recipe below)

1 tbsp Jerk spice (optional recipe below)

1 ciabatta loaf

FOR THE JERK SPICE

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cinnamon sticks

2 tbsp fresh coriander

1 tsp coriander seeds crushed

2 tbsp black pepper corns crushed

1 tsp grated nutmeg

3 tsp allspice

6 cloves garlic peeled

4 scotch bonnets

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

2 limes juiced & 1 zest

140ml ooil

Place all the ingredients into a blender and pulse to a fine paste.

METHOD

Slice the chicken in half and place each half in a large food bag, with a rolling pin bash the chicken until equal in thickness all over and approx the size of a 4oz burger. The top half of the chicken will need more bashing. Now add some off your jerk paste to marinate the chicken. Depending on what strength of flavour will depend on how long you marinate, If I am organised I do this the night before and have a really deep flavour with a great kick of heat and other times I marinated for 15 minutes and this still has a strong flavour but a little less developed.

In a non stick pan heat a tiny splash of rapeseed oil and pan fry the chicken burgers on a medium heat turning twice, when three quarters cooked I like to steam the chicken by adding 100ml water to the pan and placing a lid on to finish cooking, add your cheese and let it melt for a few minutes. Meanwhile grill the sweetcure bacon until crispy. Now you are ready to assemble. Toast the ciabatta slices, spread on a generous amount of mayo on each slice, place your chicken breast on the bottom slice and drizzle over 1 tbsp of honey and then top with the bacon, some more mayo and then the iceberg lettuce and finish of with the top slice of ciabatta bread and enjoy.

HOMEMADE MAYO

2 egg yolks

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice

1 pinch salt and pepper

300ml vegetable oil

Place the all the ingredients except the oil in a blender and whisk until pale and fluffy, then drizzle in the oil very slowly to emulsify and thicken the mixture, taste and adjust your seasoning if required. This is a great base for making any flavoured mayo like, garlic or chilli or roasted peppers etc...

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.