Jamaican Night

I was very excited to have a chance to represent my Jamaican roots a bit on this one. When the die landed on Jamaican, I knew exactly which dish to make, as I do it once a week anyway and love to show it off. What I didn't expect was for Rachael and Rob to hit it out of the park with the Patties. They were legit, folks!

Next week: Chinese!

On the menu:

Beef Patties 
A classic Jamaican beef patty (ok they were jumbo-sized but we all agreed this was an improvement). Flaky crust, well-seasoned ground beef, best eaten fresh out of the oven.

Brown Stew Chicken w/ Rice & Peas
A whole Chicken broken down and seared, then stewed in a pot with a blend of seasonings. The liqued produces a mouth-watering gravy when reduced. Served with pinto beans soaked in coconut milk and thyme, and cooked along with the rice.

Banana Pineapple Cake
Soft and dense, this is like a banana bread, but sweeter and a little more cakey.

Indian Night (First!)

I'm feeling very nostalgic posting this: our very first dinner. This was before we started our Gamma World Campaign, but the D20 still showed up at the end of the evening to let us know we'd be making Jamaican next week.

One the menu was:

Curry Potato Samosas
White potatoes curried with onion and poblano, wrapped in pockets of a light dough and fried to golden brown. Garnished with Kosher salt. (http://www.food.com/recipe/indian-samosa-15348)

Butter Chicken Simmer & Naan w/ Curry Potato
Chicken cooked slowly in garam masala, tomato, coriander, cardamom, yogurt, and of course, butter. Garlic naan on the side along with some of the curried potatoes.

Gulab Jamun in honey and Coriander syrup
Spongy milk powder-based dough balls, fried until fluffy, and soaked in a simmering honey and coriander syrup. (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gulab-jamun/)