Caribbean inspired Venison with Stewed Cabbage and Jasmine Rice

Recipe: James Justi

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It's not common to find good Caribbean food in Western Pennsylvania. I had a few sources of inspiration when it came to coming up with this recipe. During my time in Philadelphia, my best friend Jordan was of Jamaican descent. Every once in a while I got the opportunity to eat food his mother would make. Whether it was jerk turkey for thanksgiving, a to go plate of oxtail, or some fried plantains. I never had a bad bite of food. I definitely toned down the spice a smidge compared to that food but hopefully I kept its spirit alive. I took a lot of inspiration from various oxtail preparations when coming up with this recipe. I didn't want to insult an entire region with a garbage recipe, so I did more research than usual. Hopefully you will enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Good luck and contact me if you have any questions about the recipe at james@punktopalate.com

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Grocery List

• Venison (any cut)

• Jerk Seasoning

• 1 Shallot

• 1 Bell Pepper (yellow or orange)

• Fresh Chile Pepper (something spicy)

• 1 Carrot

• 3 Stalks Celery

• 5 Cloves Garlic

• 3 Tomato

• 1 Mango

• 1 Bottle Red Wine

• Jasmine Rice

• 1 Cabbage

• Salt

• Pepper

• 4 Bay Leaves

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Mise en place: get out all vegetable ingredients and get them ready to be cut up. Get out small containers to place cut up vegetables in once prepared for cooking. This step really makes a big difference and makes it much easier to focus on the preparation of the dish.

Preparation

1. Dice Shallot and garlic

2. Chop Celery, Carrot, Hot Pepper, Sweet Bell Pepper, Tomato (small cubes)

3. Add olive oil to Dutch oven and heat on medium heat until the pan is hot.

4. Add Garlic and Shallot

5. Cook until the shallot and garlic becomes fragrant usually 5-10 minutes. (Make sure to keep an eye on it as garlic easily burns if left unnattended at high heat.)

1. Add Tomato, Celery, and Carrot and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes

2. Add 1 Cup Water and allow this to cook down for 20 minutes.

Meat Preparation

1. Cube Venison into medium size chunks

2. Salt and season meat (Quick Tip: allow meat to reach room temperature to allow salt and seasoning to soak in, this also will allow the meat to cook evenly)

3. Sear Venison in cast iron pan (Quick Tip: hot and fast)

Braising Steps

1. Add Sweet Bell Pepper and Hot Peppers

2. Add 4 Bay Leaves

3. Add 1 mango cubed

4. Add 1 1/2 Cup Red Wine

5. Add Seared meat

6. Allow to braise on low for 3-4 hours on low or until fork tender.

Cabbage Preparation

1. Julienne Cabbage

2. Add olive oil and 2 tbsp braising liquid from the cast iron to a skillet with a lid.

3. Add Cabbage to skillet and cover

4. Stir occasionally

5. Remove from heat when cabbage still has the slightest crunch left (Quick Tip: overcooked cabbage can tend to be a little soft if cooked too long)

Now it is finally time to put everything together, it's been a long day of cooking with a lot of steps. Prepare Jasmine Rice according to directions supplied on the packaging. Allow the rice a few minutes to rest once finished. Fluff rice and now it's time to put the dish together. Plate and serve your guests and enjoy a beautiful meal.