Jamaican Italian Part Two

Tom Tallet. Friend, foodie, mixologist and home cook. In the previous post, we learned about Tom's love of spiedies, the American-Italian marinated kebabs popular (very popular) in the Binghamton, New York area. A beloved food tradition since the 1920s and 30s when Italian immigrants began serving them in restaurants.

Lisa's steamed cabbage, island-style.

It's officially summertime now, and while Tom and wife, Lisa, love their spiedies on the grill, they also enjoy grilled Jerk chicken. Tom made his own Jerk paste for years, but more recently, he's relied on Walkerswood Traditional Jerk Seasoning or Grace Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, both easily sourced on Amazon.com. He's very happy with the authentic flavors, and it saves him a good bit of time. Sometimes it really is best to open a jar.

Jerk-style chicken begins with bone-in chicken thighs. Make sure to buy them with the skin on for a nice char and crispy skin. Rub well with the seasoning and refrigerate overnight. Bring the chicken out of the refrigerator about one hour before grilling. Grill over medium-high heat, turning often until the internal temperature is around 165 degrees and the skin has a nice char.

The sides. Lisa says, "We like to serve the chicken with steamed cabbage and coconut rice or red peas and rice."  Lisa's method for coconut rice is super easy. Just cook Jasmine rice according to directions, but substitute most of the water in the recipe with coconut milk.

For steamed cabbage island-style: In a large pan, add a tablespoon or two of coconut oil. When it melts, stir in the onion and give it a couple of minutes. Next, add the cabbage, shredded carrots and bell peppers. Stir well to combine and cover. Steam for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the cabbage is tender, stir in a few sliced green onions, and serve.

• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 white onion, sliced thinly
• 1 small head of cabbage, sliced thinly
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 cup each of chopped red and yellow peppers
• 2-4 green onions, sliced

Tom and Lisa Tallet on "Island Time"

What drinks to serve with this island feast? Lisa says to try Red Stripe beer or a rum punch. And to top things off, Tom and Lisa usually serve key lime pie. They almost always use the recipe in the now-famous Dinosaur Barbeque cookbook. I've tasted it. It's incredibly easy, but one of the best I've ever had.

If you'd like to connect with Tom, you can find him on LinkedIn. Maybe you can talk him into opening another spiedie restaurant in South Carolina! Maybe the Binghamton Bar & Grill?