Jerk Sausage Pepper Stew

Braised jerk sausage in a sauce of scotch bonnet, bell peppers, tomato, and allspice. The stewing tones the raw heat of the scotch bonnet into something longer and more complex, and the allspice in the sausage deepens the whole pot. Eat it over rice or with thick slices of hard dough bread to mop up the sauce.

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

35 min

Servings

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

4 jerk sausage links, cut into 3cm pieces
1 large onion, sliced
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow), sliced
1-2 scotch bonnet peppers, sliced (seeds in for full heat, seeds out for moderate)
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 1 can 400g chopped tomatoes)
250ml chicken stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp allspice berries, lightly crushed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 spring onions, cut into 3cm lengths
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and black pepper

Steps

Heat oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage pieces and brown for 3-4 minutes on all sides. Remove and set aside.

In the same pot, add the onion and bell peppers. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat until softened. Add the garlic and scotch bonnet and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the tomatoes, stock, soy sauce, allspice, and thyme. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Return the sausage pieces to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken slightly.

Scatter the spring onions over the top and serve over white rice or with bread.

Tips

Do not rush the browning of the sausage in step one. That crust on the outside of each piece holds together during the braise and adds depth to the sauce. If the stew looks too thick before the lid comes off, add a splash more stock.