Jamaican Chef Ajeen Beckford Crab Cakes Food

JAMAICAN CHEF AJEEN BECKFORD CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Keep the crab meat lumps as large as possible.
• Place the cram in a pot and reduce by ½. Chill well.
• Sauté the peppers in a little clarified butte. Add the scallion and sweat briefly.
• Combine all of the above with the balance of the ingredients. NOTE: only about 3oz of the breadcrumbs will be used at this stage.
• Using a mold form the cakes.
• Place the cakes in the rest of the breadcrumbs. Press lightly. Reshape if necessary.
• Fry the cakes in clarified butter until golden brown. Turn only once. Drain on paper towel.

JAMAICAN CHEF AJEEN BECKFORD BLACK BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Combine the beans and stock and bring to a simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
• Remove half of the beans from the pot. Puree and then return to the pot.
• Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, covered for 1 hour.
• Serve with cilantro sour cream.

AJEEN BECKFORD FALAFEL

Steps:

• Coarsely chop the chickpeas in a food processor.
• Add the garlic, parsley, chives, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper and process for a few seconds more.
• Add the eggs, salt and flour and process briefly. Remove from the machine and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Combine the yoghurt and lemon juice and mix well. Set aside.
• Portion the falafel into approximately 60 balls (meatball size) and deep-fat fry until crisp at 375°F Drain well and keep warm.
• To assemble: cut a pita in half or open it to form a pocket and stuff with several balls of falafel and 1oz of the shredded lettuce and diced tomato and dress with the yoghurt sauce.

CHEF JOHN'S CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Mix saltine crackers, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, seafood seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.
• Stir in crabmeat until mixture is combined but still chunky. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs on a plate.
• Shape chilled crab mixture into 4 small thick patties; coat completely with bread crumbs.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-heat; cook crab cakes until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

AJEEN BECKFORD PORK KEBABS WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Place the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended but still with some texture (not pureed).
• 2. Cut the pork into ¾" cubes and coat with 1/2 of the sauce. Place in refrigerator and marinate for 4 to 6 hours. Reserve remaining sauce for service.
• 3. Skewer pork and grill. Serve with reserved sauce.

AJEEN BECKFORD CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook the syrup to the caramel stage. Toward the end of cooking, turn the heat to very low to avoid burning the sugar or letting it get too dark. It should have a golden colour. Occasionally wash down the sides with a brush to dissolve any sugar granules.
• Remove from the heat and let cool five minutes.
• Bring the heavy cream to a boil. Add a few ounces of it to the caramel.
• Stir and continue to add the cream slowly. Return to the heat until all the caramel is dissolved.
• Let cool completely.
• Stir in the milk into the cooled caramel sauce.

AJEEN BECKFORD LAHMA BI AJEEN

Steps:

• Mix all dough ingredients well. Knead for a few moments. Set aside to rest while preparing filling. Mix all the filling ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400°F
• Since you will be preparing a large number of these, it makes sense to work on a large, clean surface. The kitchen table is perfect. Roll half the dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a clean table. Use a glass, 2-2.5 inches in diameter to cut circles of dough. Place these circles on a well oiled baking sheet. Work the remaining dough into a ball, and roll it out to cut more circles. Keep combining the circle cutouts until you have used all the dough. Place 1.5 teaspoons filling on each circle. With a fork, carefully smooth filling to the edge of the circle. It's fine for the lahma bi ajeen to touch each other in the pan, but they cannot overlap.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, or until dough is just firm but not crisp.
• Serve with tehina and soup or salad for a first course.