Award-wining chef and winner of “Hell’s Kitchen All Stars”, Chef Ariel Fox’s new cookbook offers healthy twists on Caribbean and Latin recipes.
About five years ago, award-wining chef and winner of “Hell’s Kitchen All Stars”, Chef Ariel Fox made the decision to begin embracing a healthier lifestyle. As a result, the Afro-Latina chef was inspired to combine her passion for fresh, seasonal ingredients with the nostalgic recipes of her childhood to create her new cookbook, Spice Kitchen: Healthy Latin & Caribbean Cuisine .
Now the Vice President of Culinary for Landry’s, Chef Fox is celebrated for her healthy culinary philosophy and passion for fresh, seasonal ingredients with a focus on heritage cooking. She wants to provide others with a healthier approach to heritage cooking, especially young women who may struggle to see how the recipes of their cultures fit into our fitness-obsessed world. With a foreword by Gordon Ramsay, Spice Kitchen: Healthy Latin & Caribbean Cuisine offers new healthy twists on classic Latin and Caribbean recipes as well as creative new recipes that are easy to follow.
Throughout the cookbook, Chef Fox shares her decades of knowledge and experience with the reader, providing helpful suggestions on how the dishes can be adapted to any diet. In addition to the 110 appetizing recipes, the cookbook also offers advice on how to optimize your pantry and recommends ingredients to keep on hand when making Latin and Caribbean cuisine a staple of your kitchen.
Today, she shares one of the delicious, innovative recipes from the cookbook, which is available to purchase on August 23rd, with EBONY readers.
Fire-Grilled Jerk Wings, Jerk Seasoning, and Passionfruit Chile Sauce
Jerk Seasoning
Ingredients (Makes ½ cup)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons smoked or sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon red chile flakes
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Store in an airtight spice jar in the pantry. Use within 3 months.
Passionfruit Chile Sauce
Ingredients
4 aji amarillo chile peppers, stemmed
1 Scotch bonnet chile pepper, stemmed and seeded
½ cup fresh passionfruit pulp (about 2 passionfruit)
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange), plus zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 tablespoon coconut sugar or agave nectar
¼ cup Valentina hot sauce
¼ cup avocado oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
Heat a pot of salted water over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Blanch the peppers for about 10 minutes.
Remove the peppers and shock them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and retain their bright colors.
Place the cooked peppers in a blender and add the remaining ingredients except the avocado oil, salt, and black pepper. Blend until completely smooth.
Turn the blender to low and slowly drizzle in the avocado oil.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Jerk Wings
Ingredients (Makes 18 pieces)
3 quarts water
¼ cup pink Himalayan salt
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
9 organic whole chicken wings, broken down to flats and drumettes (or you can buy already prepped party wings)
4 tablespoons avocado oil
2 tablespoons Jerk Seasoning
1 recipe Passionfruit Chile Sauce
2 red Fresno chile peppers, seeded and sliced.
½ bunch fresh cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped through.
Instructions
Combine the water, salt, coconut sugar, garlic, coriander, and bay leaf in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to cool.
Place the wings in a large bowl and pour the brine over.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Build the fire in a fire pit or grill.
Drain the wings and pat them dry to remove the excess brine.
Toss the wings with the avocado oil and Jerk Seasoning until they are thoroughly coated.
Place the wings in a single layer in a wide grill basket. Close the basket and grill directly over the hot coals, turning frequently, for about 20 minutes until cooked. The wings will be charred in spots and crispy but not burned.
To Finish
Serve wings with Passionfruit Chile Sauce, sliced red Fresno chiles, and chopped cilantro.
