Leslie Enstone A heartfelt new cookbook, Full stomach, It has everything you could want in a cookbook. First of all, I can’t wait to make all the dishes in this book…
…pumpkin fritters, vegetables braised in coconut, sweet plantain omelette, meat stew in a rich green sauce: these are bright, beautiful recipes that tell a story.
Enstone grew up in Toronto with a Trinidadian mother and Canadian father, and as she grew older she found herself drawn to the people of the Caribbean islands of Puerto Rico, Dominica, Jamaica, Barbados and Haiti. Though the language and spices may differ, she says, “I felt an affinity with the unique vibe, food and music of the people who grew up surrounded by the Caribbean sun.”
Her 100+ recipes are organized around 11 key ingredients of Caribbean cuisine: beans, calabaza, cassava, chayote, coconut, cornmeal, okra, plantains, rice, salted cod and Scotch bonnet peppers.
And Enstone makes the story personal: Folourie (fried pea fritters) was “one of the main reasons for visiting Trinidad,” and he employs a Haitian-American chef for Soupe Jommou, Haitian “freedom soup.” Sybil St. Ord Tateexpresses awe at how long their families have been making pelau, and what I love most about it is that many of the recipes, like this pelau below, are woven into fond memories of family home cooking.
“‘I’ve got a full belly’ is a phrase heard throughout the English-speaking Caribbean,” Enstone writes in the introduction. “The meaning of the phrase is clear: a full and satisfied belly, but it can also mean a full and satisfied heart and soul.”
Perau (Chicken and rice)
from Full stomach Leslie Enstone
Serves 6-8
Leslie says: While arroz con pollo may be the most well-known version of chicken and rice outside of the Caribbean, it’s pelau that I’m most familiar with. It was always served at family gatherings at my aunt’s house nearby. As someone who didn’t have ketchup in the house until I had small children, I have to admit that it really is the secret sauce. If you must, you can substitute tomato paste, which I did, but the magic is lost. I’ve had a lot of pelaus in my time, but this Dominican pelau may be my favorite.
3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skinless and cut into bite-sized pieces
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons green seasoning, store-bought or homemade (see below)
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coconut oil or other neutral oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 yellow onion, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, diced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 15-ounce can of kidney beans (drained)
¼ cup ketchup
3 cups water
2 cups basmati or jasmine rice
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, 1/4 cup green seasoning, 2/3 of the garlic, salt, paprika, and pepper and mix with your hands to ensure the seasonings are evenly mixed. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. About 30 minutes before cooking the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
Heat the coconut oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and when it shimmers, add the brown sugar. Cook, watching constantly and stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to make sure it’s cooking evenly, for 5 to 8 minutes until the sugar is bubbling throughout, dark brown, and just starting to smoke (this will vary depending on your stove. If it’s not smoking after 8 minutes, just hang in there; that moment will come soon). Immediately add the chicken and listen to it sizzle. Cook the chicken uncovered for 5 minutes and when the juices have released, add the onion, remaining 2 tablespoons green seasoning, remaining garlic, scallions, carrots, and thyme.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add beans and ketchup and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until ketchup darkens. Add water and increase heat to boiling. Add rice, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Stir everything well to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes until all the water has evaporated.
Pelau is delicious eaten immediately or warmed up for a few days and should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Green Seasoning
In a food processor, puree the following ingredients: 1 bunch cucumber (about 8 leaves – use coriander if you can’t find any), 1/2 cup fresh coriander, 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, 1 peeled garlic clove, 1 medium yellow onion (coarsely chopped), 1 shallot, 5 green onions (coarsely chopped), 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves, 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped, 1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped, 1 fragrant pepper, seeds removed and coarsely chopped (optional), and 1/4 cup fresh lime juice. Store in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
PS Five-ingredient dinners and a Caribbean-inspired Brooklyn brownstone.
(Photo by Marc Batiste.)
Source: Cup of Jo – cupofjo.com
