The Jamaican Side Dish

As rich and delicious as French food is, I can't help but miss the things I can get back home that I just can't find here. A big one for me is Caribbean food. Unfortunately, the fact that France has several Caribbean departments doesn't contribute to the availability of said food. As if by divine intervention, just when I thought I couldn't bear it any longer, a bottle of jerk sauce and a recipe for rice and peas miraculously appeared at my door... or maybe it was the girl coming back from a trip to Toronto. Either way, I now had the means to satisfy my craving.

Here's what you need for some real rice and peas:

- 1 1/2 cups dried kidney beans (soak them for at least 4 hours)
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1/2 cup of coconut milk
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, whole
- 3 sprigs of green onion
- 1 large teaspoon of thyme
- 1 1/2 cups of white rice

* Drop the beans into a pan with the crushed garlic, and add enough water to cover them by a centimeter or so
* Simmer until they're cooked - they're done when they break easily between your fingers (1 hour)
* Once the beans are cooked, add the coconut milk, green onions, whole pepper, rice, thyme, and bring to a boil with the pot covered
* Once most of the liquid is absorbed, the rice should be nicely cooked (if you're having trouble getting the liquid amount right, you can always drain off some of the excess, or add water)
* Remove the pepper, sprigs of onion, and serve

The only thing more difficult to find in Paris than Caribbean food is a barbecue, but the marinated chicken still turned out pretty well in the oven.

GG