THE SAVORY FOODS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC by Habeeb Salloum
THE SAVORY FOODS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
by Habeeb Salloum
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From a poolside restaurant at Casa Colonial Beach Resort & Spa, a luxury abode on Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata’s top resort, I gazed over the inviting sands of the beach while we enjoyed our crab dish, cooked in a gourmet Dominican Republic style. I was purring in contentment relishing this fine sample of that country’s traditional cuisine encompassed in an aura of luxury.
Like most of the Spanish-speaking Central American and Caribbean countries the cuisine of the Dominican Republic is a mixture of the European and Middle Eastern foods, as well to some extent that of the Western Hemisphere's Indigenous peoples. In the majority of dishes, the Spanish element predominates, giving the Dominican food its overtone. Since the indigenous population, early in the Spanish occupation, were either killed off or died from European introduced diseases, its contributions have been minimal.
The Spanish introduced into the New World bananas, carrots, coconuts, coriander, figs, garlic, ginger, grapes, lemons, lime, olives, oranges, plantains, pomegranates, pork, rice, sugar, tamarind, and numerous other foods - a good number brought to Spain by the Arabs - and these have become the true basis of the Dominican kitchen.
From the gentle Tanio Indians of Hispaniola, which today includes both the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the country's foods only inherited allspice and cassava. On the other hand, from the other Indians in the Americas, the island's cuisine was enriched by avocados, beans, callaloo, corn, guavas, hot and sweet peppers, papayas, pineapples, squash and pumpkin, tomatoes and various types of potatoes.
Through the years, from all these foods, a tasty and varied Dominican kitchen was developed, overwhelmingly influenced by the Spaniards. The heavy utilization of coriander, garlic and olives has given the island's cooking an Iberian Peninsula flavour. The use of dried fruit with meat in cooking - a Moorish legacy in Spain - is popular throughout the country. Such well-known Spanish foods like cocidos (stews), huevos flamenco and all types of seafood are today as Dominican as the merengue - the lively dance which impregnates every home in the country.
The Dominicans, who call their country ‘the breadbasket of the Caribbean’, because it grows almost all the known fruit and vegetables, love their foods prepared fresh. They are enamoured with starchy foods such as beans, cassava, plantains, rice and sweet potatoes, and these serve as the basis for many of their dishes. In the daily fare, usually served peppery hot, allspice, garlic, hot peppers, oregano and fresh coriander leaves are the most used herbs and spices.
If visitors are brave they can try the Dominican popular street food: boiled green bananas, fried blood sausages, fried beef, fried lungs and fried yucca offered by street vendors. They are tasty and very reasonably priced.
The mid day meal is the big event in the lives of the Dominicans. While diners feast on their savoury dishes, cervaza (beer) and rum flow freely. In the background, the passionate merengue is always to be heard. The Dominicans love to dance and sing and, hence, enjoy music with their food. This does not even stop when dessert - often made from bananas and coconuts - is being relished. As the black coffee, to end the meal, is being sipped, the young are often dancing in an empty space - their way to cap a tasty Dominican meal.
Puerto Plata-Street Food
Sample the Dominican kitchen by trying these easy to prepare dishes made from ingredients easily found in North American markets.
Coctel de Camarones - Shrimp Cocktail
Serves from 6 to 8
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 large tomato, finely chopped
2 medium onions, grated
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped green olives
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon. pepper
1/8 teaspoon. allspice
1/8 teaspoon. cayenne
908 g (2 pounds) cooked shrimps
Thoroughly combine all ingredients, except shrimps. Stir in shrimps then chill before serving.
Cauliflower Appetizer
Serves 8 to 10
1 medium cauliflower, cut into pieces and fried
1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
2 cloves, crushed
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Place cauliflower on a serving platter then set aside.
Thoroughly
combine all remaining ingredients, except parsley. Spread evenly
over cauliflower. Decorate with parsley and serve.
Sancocho - Top Dominican Stew
Serves 8 to 10
The national dish of the Dominican Republic, this dish is wholesome and tasty and favoured by all classes in society.
4 Tablespoons cooking oil
454 g (1 pound) chicken, cut into large pieces
227 g (1/2 pound) beef, cut into small pieces
114 g (1/4 pound) ham, cut into small pieces
114 g (1/4 pound) hot sausage, cut into small pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 hot pepper, finely chopped
454 g (1 pound) squash, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
2 medium carrots, scrapped and diced into 1 inch cubes
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup chopped green olives
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
Heat oil in a frying pan, then sauté chicken for 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a large saucepan. Repeat the same process for the beef, ham and sausage, adding more oil if necessary. Sauté onions, garlic and hot pepper in same oil for 10 minutes.
Transfer
frying pan contents to the saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients,
except olives and coriander then cover with water to 1 inch above the
meats and vegetables. Bring to boil, then cover and cook over
medium heat for 1hour or until all meat is well cooked, adding more
water if necessary. Stir in olives and coriander, then serve hot.
Picadillo - Ground Meat Stew
Serves 8 to 10
This dish is much favoured by the majority of the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic.
4 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 hot pepper, finely chopped
908 g (2 pounds) ground beef
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped green olives
4 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
Heat
oil in a frying pan, then sauté onion, garlic and hot pepper over medium
heat for 5 minutes. Add meat and stir-fry for a further 10 minutes.
Stir in remaining ingredients, then cover and simmer over low heat for
40 minutes stirring a number of times and adding more water if necessary.
Serve with cooked rice.
Carne Fiambre - Dominican Meat Loaf
Serves 8 to 10
681 g (1/2 pound) ground beef
454 g (1 pound) shelled raw shrimp
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small hot pepper, chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon allspice
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
Place all ingredients, except peas, in a food processor and process into paste.
Combine
with peas and transfer to two small greased bread pans. Cover
with aluminium foil then bake in a 180° C (350° F) preheated oven
for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for a further 30 minutes.
Take out of oven then allow to cool. Slice and serve.
Banana Pudding
Serves 8 to 10
10 ripe medium size bananas
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
whipped cream
shredded coconuts
Thoroughly combine all ingredients, except cream and coconuts. Place in a casserole, then cover and bake in a 180° C (350° F) preheated oven for 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cover evenly with whipped cream, then sprinkle with coconuts and immediately serve.
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DUECE!
Posted by: Jeanette | March 04, 2008 at 11:02 AM