The fact that Ziggy Marley grew up surrounded by music is relatively obvious, considering he is the son of legendary reggae musician Bob Marley. But what many fans might not realize is that food was also an integral part of his childhood, with Marley being raised on both traditional Jamaican food as well as “ital” fare. “Ital food is a Rastafarian term that means more natural ingredients, less salt, no artificial flavors and a more natural way of cooking (i.e., steam instead of fry). Jamaican food is flavorful food; they both inspire me because I love healthy flavorful food!” says Marley. In 2012, his culinary passion inspired him to create Ziggy Marley Organics, a line of GMO-free coconut oil and hempseed snacks. This month, he releases his first cookbook, Ziggy Marley and Family Cookbook, to “share some recipes and also show that food is a way to open our minds just like music is.” So what kind of music does he tune into when in the kitchen? “I listen to reggae music.” Of course. Here’s a sneak peek at one of the recipes created by Ziggy’s sister Karen.
Roasted Yam Tart
Serves 2 to 4
(Vegetarian)
1 puff pastry sheet
½ pound yams, sliced
½ cup onion, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Ziggy Marley’s
Coco’Mon Coconut Oil, or coconut
oil of your choosing
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup feta, crumbled
Hempseeds, as desired
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Parbake the puff pastry sheet on a sheet pan to 80 percent of
package cooking time.
2. At the same time, combine the yams, onions, thyme, ½ tablespoon coconut oil, salt, pepper and 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil on a sheet pan and roast alongside puff pastry.
3. When pastry sheet is parbaked, remove from oven and brush with ½ tablespoon of each oil.
4. Remove vegetable filling from oven, making sure the yams are soft, and spread evenly over pastry.
5. Top with feta cheese and hempseeds, and bake until the cheese somewhat melts and puff pastry cooking time is complete (i.e., the final 20 percent of the package cooking time).
6. Garnish with fresh thyme.
