I lived in Jamaica for 10 years, where I also was owner and head chef of a vegan daily changing menu restaurant – Marianna’s Kitchen. In Jamaica, I learned about this wonderful ingredient called Ackee. Originally from West Africa, it is a poisonous fruit (but cooked in savoury dishes) if harvested incorrectly. But don’t let that intimidate you- because you would be missing out on a truly delicious tropical ingredient! Here I cook it with nutrient dense nutty Moringa leaves and several aromatics. Give it a try if you have access to both Ackee and Moringa!

INGREDIENTS:

Ackee

Fresh Moringa leaves- a generous amount!

Garlic, finely chopped

Scallion, finely chopped

Tomatoes, chopped

Thyme

French Thyme, finely chopped

Culantro/Chadon Beni (if available), finely chopped

Salt and Pepper to season

Scotch Bonnet (optional)- poked

Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Start by prepping your ackee: deseed them and clean them out carefully. Boil a large pot of water. Once the water boils, you want to parboil your ackee for at least 3 minutes. I personally don’t like mushy ackee, so I try not to overparboil them. Strain the ackee and set aside.

Now in a large wide pan, add some olive oil and on medium heat, cook the garlic, both thymes and culantro/chadon beni until just fragrant. Then add the tomatoes, a touch of salt, give it a stir and cook until the tomatoes are soft and start to smell sweet and delicious!

Now add your ackee with the moringa leaves, the scotch bonnet, salt and pepper to taste, give everything a gentle stir and keep cooking for about 5 minutes.

Moringa leaves cook quickly and will wilt and shrink – very much just like spinach!

Serve on a plate and enjoy!

A special thank you to Belcour Preserves for allowing me to cook and share this recipe in their kitchen!