Christmas in the kitchen with Nestle Jamaica

It's the most wonderful time of the year when family and friends join to celebrate the Yuletide season. The scent of island spices and the signature ham and accompanying glaze wafts from many kitchens as Jamaican households make their best Christmas dishes.

For those who need a light snack before dinner, breadfruit cups filled with ackee and salt fish is the perfect starter, and this year-round protein will be sure to delight your guests once they have a taste of this oven-roasted, sweet potato stuffed Orchard Apple Juice Chicken recipe.

Forgo the traditional gungo rice and peas for a Latin twist by trying the Maggi Spanish Rice and Carnation Potato Salad to accompany an easily prepared Copperwood Pork ham that's ready in 20 minutes, while sorrel lovers won't even notice when you instead serve a healthy Pumpkin Nog.

Dinner doesn't have to be a hassle; especially when you can use these simple, easy and delicious recipes from Nestle Jamaica and Copperwood Pork.

Maggi Spanish Rice Ingredients

- 2 cups rice

- 4 cups water

- 1 tsp. oil

- 1 tbsp. butter

- 1 tsp. garlic, minced

- 1 sm. onion, finely chopped

- 1/4 tsp Scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped

- 12 gr Maggi Rice it Up Spanish Rice Seasoning

- 1 cup cooked vegetables of choice

- 1 tbsp. Parsley, finely chopped

Method

- Boil rice in unsalted water until tender but grainy; strain and set aside

- In a medium pot, heat oil and butter

- Add garlic, onion, peppers and Maggi(r) Rice it Up Spanish Rice Seasoning

- Saute for 3 minutes.

- Add cooked rice and stir to combine thoroughly

- Stir in mixed vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes

- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve

Pumpkin Nog Ingredients

 1 lb pumpkin

- 3/4 cup Carnation Evaporated Milk

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 1/4 tsp mixed spice for baking

- 1/4 tsp almond essence

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 nutmeg

- 2 tbsp vanilla

- A pinch of salt

Method

Peel and boil pumpkin in 3 cups of water until tender; let cool.

In a blender, add pumpkin and 1 cup of the water that the pumpkin was boiled in, and blend until smooth.

Add remaining ingredients and continue blending until sugar is dissolved.

Chill and serve as desired.

Potato Salad Ingredients

- 1/2 lb Irish potato

- 1 cup penne pasta

- 1 cup mixed vegetables (canned or frozen)

- 1/2 cup mayonnaise

- 1/4 cup Carnation Evaporated Milk

- 1/2 tsp sugar

- A pinch of black pepper

Method

- Boil 3 cups water in a medium saucepan.

- Peel potatoes and cut in half. Cook in salted water until tender.

- Remove potatoes from heat and run under cold water until cool. Dice and set aside.

- In a separate pot, boil pasta in salted water (follow directions on the package).

- Remove from heat and run under running water in colander until cool.

- In a deep bowl add potatoes, pasta and remanding ingredients. Gently combine until everything is coated with mayonnaise and Carnation Evaporated Milk.

- Chill and serve as desired.

NATURISIMO Oven Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potato Stuffing

- 4 lb CB whole chicken (clean inside and out using lime juice)

- 4 tsp NATURISIMO

- 3 cloves garlic

- 1 stalk scallion

- 1 small onion

- 1 spring thyme

- 1 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 tbsp white vinegar

- 1/2 lb sweet potato

- 1 Maggi Seasoning Cube

- 1 tbsp margarine

- 1 tbsp raisins

- 1 tbsp dried cranberries

- 1 cup orchard Apple Juice

- 1 tsp Cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbsp water)

- 2 tbs sugar

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, dissolve Maggi Seasoning Cube into 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Add sweet potatoes and cook until tender. Remove potato from water and mash. Add margarine, raisins and cranberries. Combine and set aside. Scoop cooled potato in a piping bag or zip lock bag and cut one corner about 1 inch.

Combine all the fresh seasonings, vegetables oil and vinegar in a blender and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Pat CB chicken inside and out with paper towel to get rid of excess water. Season chicken inside and out with Maggi Naturisimo and blended seasoning until chicken is coated. Place CB chicken in a roasting pan breast side up and pipe sweet potato into the cavity of the chicken, tuck wings under chicken and tie drumsticks together, cover with aluminium foil and place chicken in a preheated oven at 350?F oven. Bake for 2 hours.

Heat Orchard Apple Juice in a small saucepan and add sugar. Whisk in cornstarch and cinnamon, continue whisking until sauce thickens and use sauce to baste chicken. Remove foil and return chicken to the oven. Roast until chicken gets brown. Remove chicken from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with remaining glaze.

Orchard Pineapple Glazed Ham Ingredients

- 5lbs CB ham (fully cooked)

- 2 cups Orchard Pineapple Juice

- 1 tsp cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbsp of water)

- 2 tbsp guava pineapple jam

- 2 tbsp honey

- 1 can sliced pineapple

- 1/4 cup cherries

- cloves

Method

Rinse CB ham and place in a roasting pan. Cover loosely with aluminium foil, creating a dome over the ham. Bake 17 to 20 minutes per kg at 350?F. Remove and score ham, stud with whole cloves, and dress by placing pineapple slices on ham. Place a cherry on the hole in the middle of the pineapple (secure with toothpick).

Glaze: Boil pineapple juice for 20 minutes or until juice reduces to half the amount, add guava jam, honey and whisk cornstarch mixture into glaze until it thickens. Baste ham with glaze using a basting brush and place ham back into the oven for 10-15 minutes to caramelise the glaze. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Ackee and Breadfruit Cups

Ingredients

- 1 medium breadfruit

- 2 Maggi Vegetable Cubes

- 1 cup vegetable oil

- 1/2 lbs salt fish (boiled and flaked)

- 2 cans ackee (drained)

- 1 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 small tomato

- 1 tbsp onion (diced)

- 1 tsp garlic (finely diced)

- 1/4 sweet peppers (diced)

- 1 tbsp flour

- A pinch of black pepper

Method

Boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan, add dissolved Maggi Vegetable Season Cubes. Peel and core breadfruit, add to boiling water and cook until tender. Drain and set aside. Crush breadfruit and shape into cups using a muffin tin lined with plastic wrap. Dust hands with flour to help with easy handling (the breadfruit will be sticky), place your cups in the freezer for an hour or overnight so cups can set.

In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil and saute onion, garlic, tomatoes, sweet pepper and salt fish for 3 minutes. Fold in ackee, add black pepper, cover pot and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove one cup from the tin and heat in a small deep skillet or a small Dutch pot. Add breadfruit cups and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil and rest on paper towel. Spoon prepared ackee into cups and serve warm.