Steph was a Jamaican chef Helen worked with many years ago in Melbourne. A lot of time has passed since the recipe for Steph’s roasted jerk-spiced meats was handed on – passed around the kitchen, scribbled down on a scrap of paper – but it’s been with Helen ever since. Recipes, like postcards, flying around the world with the scent of a place on one side, scribbled greetings on the other.
We served the chicken with a simple slaw made with half a small cabbage and a quarter of a pineapple, both thinly sliced, some freshly flaked coconut, sliced jalapeño, spring onion, coriander and mint. It’s dressed with olive oil, lime juice and maple syrup. Serves 4, with rice and salad Ingredients: 1 tsp whole allspice berries (aka pimento) 2 bay leaves, roughly torn 11⁄2 tsp hot chilli powder 11⁄2 tsp paprika 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon 1⁄2 tsp mixed spice (the sweet one, like pumpkin spice) 25g light soft brown sugar 11⁄2 tbsp runny honey 1–2 green jalapeño chillies, finely chopped 1–2 red Scotch bonnet (habanero) chillies, finely chopped 1 small red onion, cut into 1cm dice (100g) 2 spring onions, finely chopped (30g) 50ml olive oil 1kg chicken thighs, bone in, skin on 2 tbsp white wine vinegar Salt Method:.