Jerk Marinated Pork

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I feel the need to hike.  It’s been too long, and I probably won’t get the chance to hike this weekend either.  I think S has to work Saturday.  I guess I COULD hike by myself, but that’s just not fun.  I used to walk by myself, but that was just to clear my head and sort of grieve the loss of my previous relationship.  This is why I kept telling everyone that I DID NOT need time by myself after I left my now ex.  I’d always spent enough time by myself.  Um…but that’s a WHOLE other story.

On the drive home, we are both tired.  Him physically and me mentally.  Conversation is usually small and light hearted.  At some point, S usually asks what’s for dinner.

Me:  Jerk pork.
S:  Pork?  Not chicken?
Me:  Nope, pork.
S:  Then why does the menu say chicken?
Me:  Well, there’s two recipes that have the ingredients I need to make my marinade.
S:  Oh.

I probably have like 6 jerk recipes from various sources?  I’d have to list two if not three recipes for this to be an adaptation, but it’s not really an adaptation.  More like a compilation.  I liked certain flavors from all the recipes I have.

Chiles.  They all have a different rating.  It used to be the Scoville rating, but I think they call it something else now.  Depending on how hot you like your food, you may use different types of chiles for this marinade.  I usually use jalapeno or habanero.  One chile will usually do the trick.  When I went to the store, they didn’t have jalapeno or habanero.  How is that even possible?  They’re like a staple at all stores now.  Oh well.  So, I used 2 serrano chiles.  I did not seed them.  I coarsely chopped them and tossed them into the processor.

Coarsely chopped about 1/4 of a medium red onion and added it along with the ground cinnamon, ground coriander, and ground allspice.  I pulsed until it was a nice paste.

Pour the marinade into a zip top plastic bag and add the pork, tossing to coat.

I let it marinate while I was at work and then we fried those bad boys up when we got home.

We made sure that the chops had a nice coat of the marinade on it as we were cooking them.  I like the caramelized marinade mixture on the chops.

I set the timer on the rice cooker so that it was cooked by the time we got home.  I added 2 cups of rice and 1 1/2 cups of lite coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water into the cooker.  I like the creaminess of the coconut milk with the rice, but I don’t want so much that you taste the coconut.  S doesn’t like the flavor of coconut.  BUT I love him dearly so I’m willing to overlook that.

When the rice was finished, I tossed in some ICBINB margarine, salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder for some flavor.  I don’t know about you, but I.LOVE,RICE!  I could have just eaten that whole bowl by myself….with a spoon…shoveling it in my face and devouring it all.  I.  LOVE.  RICE.

We had some of those steamable broccoli bags, so that’s the veggie we had with it.  I’m always hard pressed to think of a veggie that would go with jerk anything.  I mean, there’s certain veggies I associate with certain dishes:  eggplant with my masala marinated chicken, zucchini with Italian style chops or chicken.  Things like that…  What do you put with jerk stuff?