‘From My Grandmother’s Kitchen’: Yanikie Tucker pens first cookbook

A mouth-watering collection that pays homage to Jamaican cuisine, offering a glimpse into flavours and traditions lovingly passed down from one generation to another. Yanikie Tucker presents her first-ever cookbook, From My Grandmother’s Kitchen, dedicated to the island’s culture.

“The recipes, many of which are cherished family heirlooms, reflect the vibrant and diverse landscape that defines Jamaican cooking. The cookbook is a celebration of the island’s culinary heritage, complete with vivid storytelling and heartfelt anecdotes. It also serves as a tangible means of preserving my grandmother’s culinary legacy for my two boys,” the chef told Food.

The main characters of this tell-all gastronomic guide include braised oxtail, jerked pork, escovitch pickle for any escovitch dish, pressed green plantains and coco bread, just to name a few. Due to her insane sweet tooth, Tucker lists the toto recipe as one of her all-time favourites; it’s perfectly balanced in her book.

“The oven jerk recipes are also a must-try as well. Being able to prepare jerk dishes in the house during the cold months is unmatched. And since it’s officially the season for cooking, the ham recipe and the pot-roasted pork recipes are great for the Christmas dinner table,” the Jamdown Foodie blogger shared.

Based on the positive feedback from fans and followers, she refined and organised her recipes. But transitioning from blog to book was no easy task. It was, however, a mission worth accomplishing.

This flavour agent was already a fan of stitching stories into the fabric of her videos. Transferring these narratives to paper was thrilling, especially since she was honouring the matriarch of her family.

“Cooking in Barbara’s kitchen was serious business. As her eldest granddaughter, I was required to watch her prepare meals at a young age and learned many amazing lessons in that tiny, hot kitchen. She insisted on tasting and adjusting as you cook, keeping the kitchen spotless, embracing hot oil splashes, and infusing joy into cooking. Tears were forbidden, and cuts and scrapes were badges of learning. Despite the challenges, love filled that kitchen,” she explained.

The most important lesson her grandmother taught her was that cooking was a way to express your love. “She did that for us religiously six days a week, because there was no cooking on Fridays. And her cooking wasn’t just for family; anyone in need of a meal would be fed by her. She was selfless, and her kitchen was her little sanctuary where love and nourishment were inseparable. This shaped my understanding of cooking as an act of love and generosity.”

The stunning imagery between the lines was produced by local photographer Peter ‘Bwoy Pedro’ Thomas, which, she says, allows the readers to connect with the vibrant spirit of Jamaica. “Our food tells a story of beauty coming out of tough times. Our flavours and ingredients are top-notch. Our recipes might be a bit complicated, but they’re also bold. Our ancestors nailed it with balancing flavours, and we have one of the most delicious cuisines globally. We should be proud of that and we should celebrate it,” she shared.

The cookbook will be available on Amazon and at Kingston Bookshop in January of 2024. Until then, join in on the celebration this festive season by trying your hand at Tucker’s Christmas ham. Here’s to receiving the gift of succulence and divine decadence, from her grandmother’s kitchen to yours. See recipe for more details:

Yanikie Tucker’s Pineapple Orange Glazed Christmas Ham

INGREDIENTS

Juice from 1 20 oz can pineapple slices

1 8oz can pineapple juice

½ cup orange juice

2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, minced

2 tablespoons syrup from 10oz jar maraschino cherries

2 cups dark brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Dress the ham

20 oz can pineapple slices

20 maraschino cherries

¼ cup whole cloves

Toothpicks

DIRECTIONS

Remove ham from packaging and outer netting, if any. Place ham in a large stock pot, cut side down.

Cover the ham almost completely with cold water. Add allspice berries and whole cloves and bring ham to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow the ham to boil for one hour.

While the ham is boiling, make the glaze. Drain the pineapple juice from the pineapple slices and set the pineapple slices aside.

In a medium saucepan, add the pineapple juice and all of the other glaze ingredients and whisk to dissolve the sugar and mustard. Simmer the glaze over medium-low heat until reduced, thick and syrupy. Reduce the heat to low to keep warm.

Once the ham is boiled, drain and discard the hot water and whole spices. Place the ham on a baking tray or in a roasting pan, cut side down.

Score the ham diagonally in one direction. Score diagonally again across the first scores creating a diamond pattern.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

To dress the ham, place a whole clove in the corner of each scored diamond. Cut the pineapple slices in halves and secure them onto the ham with two toothpicks at each end. Place one maraschino cherry in the centre of each pineapple slice and secure with a toothpick. Repeat until all of the slices and cherries cover the ham. Use a pair of kitchen shears or scissors to snip the ends of each toothpick.

Use a medium spoon to drizzle half of the glaze over the ham. Use a silicone brush to make sure the glaze evenly coats the ham. You may use the glaze that runs into the pan to help with this.

Bake the ham for 20 minutes.

Remove the ham from the oven and baste with the second half of the glaze.

Bake ham again for another 20 minutes.

Remove ham from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Use glaze from the roasting pan to coat ham and ham slices before serving.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com