Naturally I recommend a delicious, sweet, spicy and tangy Carribean/Latin American table adorned with Sugar Reef Chicken, Costa Rican Rice, Sautéed Glazed Vegetables and a Sun-Dried Cranberry Apple Pie. If you don’t like rice, you can serve this chicken with your favorite salsa and tortillas.
Although it’s not the usual Thanksgiving fare, this is made with what’s on hand at the grocer’s, is tender and flavorful and is a meal for company or for a special occasion. Most of these recipes are interpreted from the vintage cookbook, The Turtle Bay Cookbook: A Feast of Flavors from Latin America and the Caribbean, by Marie Perucca-Ramirez and Julio J. Ramirez.
Sugar Reef Chicken
Ingredients for Marinade
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon Jamaican jerk spices
- 1 ½ teaspoons chopped, fresh ginger root
- 1 ½ teaspoon chopped
- ½ cup unsweetened pineapple juice
- ½ cup peanut oil
- 8 chicken thighs (about 2 lbs.)
Ingredients for the Glaze
- 3 ½ tablespoons mango chutney
- 3 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 3 ½ tablespoons cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons molasses
- Hot sauce to taste
Make the Marinade
- In a small saucepan combine water with the jerk spice, ginger and garlic.
- Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add pineapple juice and peanut oil to the cooled marinade and mix well.
- Transfer cooled marinade to a large, sealable plastic bag or a non-reactive container. Add the chicken. Cover or seal and refrigerate for 4 hours, turning occasionally.
Make the Glaze
Place the chutney, sugar, cider vinegar, molasses and hot sauce for the glaze in a blender and purée until smooth. (Extra/leftover glaze can be refrigerated and kept for several weeks.)
To Bake
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Pour chicken in marinade over a strainer in the sink and discard the marinade. Place chicken in a medium-sized, shallow baking dish.
- Bake the chicken until the juices run clear and a meat thermometer placed in the center of the thickest pieces, not touching the bone, registers 180℉, 30 to 40 minutes. Brush on the glaze twice during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve immediately.
To Grill
- Barbecue the chicken, turning once only, for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the piece. Generously brush on the glaze after the chicken has begun to brown. Serve immediately.
It’s grilling not baking for us. Remember: don’t put on any glaze until the chicken is browned.
TURKEY PRE-SEASON PRACTICE SESSION BEFORE THANKSGIVING – HOW TO ROAST A TURKEY, MAKE SAGE STUFFING AND GRAVY
Sautéed Glazed Vegetables
Ingredients
- 4 medium-sized peeled carrots, tops and bottoms removed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Pinch salt
- Water to cover carrots
- 1, 14-oz. can green beans
- 1, 14 oz. can corn
Directions
- Cut carrots diagonally about ¼ inch thick and place in a 9-inch saute pan. Add butter, sugar and a pinch of salt and cover carrots with water.
- Cook uncovered until the water evaporates and the carrots are becoming glazed, about 10 minutes.
- Mix in the green beans and corn and heat through. Adjust seasonings if necessary, with salt and pepper.
Costa Rican Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- ⅓ cup diced red or green bell pepper
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 cups long grain rice, well rinsed
- 1 ⅓ cups water
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Directions
- Heat the peanut oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the bell pepper and the onion and cook over medium heat until onion begins to brown, stirring often.
- Add the rice, water, tomato paste, black pepper, salt and lime juice and mix well.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then add olive oil, and immediately put a lid on the saucepan and turn the heat to low. Set a timer for 20 mins. Serve hot.
Sundried Cranberry Apple Pie
This is a simply delicious pie that you should try.
Ingredients
- 1 pie shell (recipe below)
- ¼ cup sun-dried cranberries
- 5 apples, I used two Granny Smith, two Gala and a small McIntosh, peeled, cored and cut into 8ths
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Crumbly topping (recipe below)
To Assemble and Bake Pie
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare pie shell as directed below.
- Place apples in medium-sized saucepan filled with simmering water and parboil for 3 minutes, then pour through strainer. Place hot apples in medium-sized mixing bowl. Add cranberries, sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
- Place filling into the prepared 9-inch pie shell. Sprinkle the crumbly topping over it evenly. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients for Pie Crust
A worthy pie crust that is flaky, delicious and browns on the bottom, without pre-baking and in a ceramic or glass dish. A keeper recipe.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 6 tablespoons cold water
To Make Pie Shell
- Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly, in pea-sized pieces. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough leaves the side of the bowl.
- Shape pastry into a ball and press onto a small plate and cover with a damp towel. Rest dough by refrigerating for a half hour. Roll the pastry into a round on a lightly floured board. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan
Ingredients for Crumbly Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
To Make Crumbly Topping
- Combine flour and butter using your fingertips, breaking the butter into smaller, pea-sized pieces.
- Mix in the brown sugar.
Other great Thanksgiving sides from FFA:
CAULIFLOWER AND CUMIN FRITTERS WITH LIME YOGURT – BROADEN YOUR TURKEY DAY PALATE
TOMATO AND POMEGRANATE SALAD – EXCITING THANKSGIVING SIDES
FANCY CRANBERRY COMPOTE – FRUITFUL SAUCE OF OUR FATHERS
PEERS’ BAKED CHICKEN DINNER – SIMPLE HOLIDAY MEALS
Leave a Reply