Haiti (9.21.16)
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Recipes contributed by Djamina Esperance.
Below, you'll learn how to make some dishes that Djamina's family enjoys on Sundays or special occasions. Legume ak diri, or vegetables with rice, is delicious and filling. Feel free to tweak the recipe according to your taste, what vegetables are available, and how spicy you like it. Pain patate (sweet potato bread), is a pudding-like dessert that is quite nutritious, as it uses sweet potato for its primary ingredient. Orange sweet potatoes work fine, but Haitian sweet potatoes have purplish skin and cream-colored flesh; look for similar varieties at farmers markets or stores like Naturally Yours in Peoria. Click here to download these recipes. Want to try more Haitian recipes? Click here for the archive from our program in 2017. Click here for the archive from our program in 2019. |
Legume
2 small eggplants
3 small zucchinis
1 large onion
3 large carrots
2 bell peppers (green and/or red)
2 cloves of garlic
2 or 3 tomatoes
Cayenne pepper seasoning (optional)
½ Tbsp butter
½ bouillon cube or 1 tsp of bouillon paste
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Chop all vegetables to small cubes (this helps them cook quicker). Add all vegetables except tomatoes to a large pot with ½ a cup of water (you may need more depending on amount of vegetables you have). Do not add too much water, because the vegetables will give off their own juices. Cook on medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes near the end of the cooking process. Add butter and bouillon cube or paste. Add oregano, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until the spices are integrated.
3 small zucchinis
1 large onion
3 large carrots
2 bell peppers (green and/or red)
2 cloves of garlic
2 or 3 tomatoes
Cayenne pepper seasoning (optional)
½ Tbsp butter
½ bouillon cube or 1 tsp of bouillon paste
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Chop all vegetables to small cubes (this helps them cook quicker). Add all vegetables except tomatoes to a large pot with ½ a cup of water (you may need more depending on amount of vegetables you have). Do not add too much water, because the vegetables will give off their own juices. Cook on medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes near the end of the cooking process. Add butter and bouillon cube or paste. Add oregano, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until the spices are integrated.
Diri (white rice)
1 green onion top (a piece about 3” long)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
2 cups jasmine white rice
Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil into a pan. Sauté green onions in the olive oil and add salt. Once the green onions are sautéed, add 2 ½ cups water to the pan (you may need to add more later). Bring water to a boil and taste salt content. Add more salt if needed. While the water is boiling, rinse rice briefly (try putting it in a sieve and running it under the faucet a few times). Add rinsed rice to boiling water and stir. Make sure that the water level is about 1 inch above the rice. Let the rice cook until there is very little water in the pot. Once most of the water has evaporated, lower heat as low as possible and cover the pot with a lid to help steam the rice. Keep stirring the rice so that it does not stick to the pot. (But if some rice does stick and burn, don’t worry! Just call it “gratin,” and it’s a tasty treat. Everyone will be fighting to scrape the bottom of the pot!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
2 cups jasmine white rice
Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil into a pan. Sauté green onions in the olive oil and add salt. Once the green onions are sautéed, add 2 ½ cups water to the pan (you may need to add more later). Bring water to a boil and taste salt content. Add more salt if needed. While the water is boiling, rinse rice briefly (try putting it in a sieve and running it under the faucet a few times). Add rinsed rice to boiling water and stir. Make sure that the water level is about 1 inch above the rice. Let the rice cook until there is very little water in the pot. Once most of the water has evaporated, lower heat as low as possible and cover the pot with a lid to help steam the rice. Keep stirring the rice so that it does not stick to the pot. (But if some rice does stick and burn, don’t worry! Just call it “gratin,” and it’s a tasty treat. Everyone will be fighting to scrape the bottom of the pot!)
Pain Patate
2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 large banana, peeled and cut in one-inch pieces
1/2 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 cup seedless raisin
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
rind of one lemon, grated
1 1⁄2 cups coconut milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grate sweet potatoes into mixing bowl (or use a food processor) and mash the banana into the sweet potatoes.
Mix in all ingredients, one at a time, until each ingredient is fully blended into the mix.
Spread evenly into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Bake for 90 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
At 60 minutes take pan out and decorate top with thin slices of bananas.
Bake for 30 more minutes.
1 large banana, peeled and cut in one-inch pieces
1/2 cup brown sugar
1⁄2 cup seedless raisin
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
rind of one lemon, grated
1 1⁄2 cups coconut milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grate sweet potatoes into mixing bowl (or use a food processor) and mash the banana into the sweet potatoes.
Mix in all ingredients, one at a time, until each ingredient is fully blended into the mix.
Spread evenly into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Bake for 90 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
At 60 minutes take pan out and decorate top with thin slices of bananas.
Bake for 30 more minutes.