Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Breakfast

You are restored by a great night of rest and a good Haitian breakfast will refresh your pallet as much as it will invigorate you for the day. 

Haitians wakes up every morning to their cup of coffee do not forget it is one of the coffee land. coffee is always offered with bread and butter or peanut butter. Some people can content themselves with just coffee and a simple toast. Depending on the region where you may be in Haiti it could be coffee with a hot cassava bread right off the grill.

 For others it could be hot chocolate with a toast, an omelet, oatmeal or Akassan for the hardy a more complex traditional breakfast which can be cornmeal/polenta with herring or spinach; pasta which is serve only for breakfast in Haiti or plantain and other roots with sauteed liver or salted fish, smoke herring or kidneys with a side of watercress. Such a meal is always accompanied by a fresh squeeze juice.

There are a variety of bread to choose from, the meaty Caribbean style bread called cabiche, sweet rolls, cassava, bobori, the french baguette, croissant, regular sliced loaf of bread and for the health conscious wheat which is called "Pain complet".
Whatever you choose, you can be sure that your day will start with a bit of sunshine. Here are a few recipes to start your day on a good note

Start the morning with nice cup of hot Haitian coffee from our Coffee and Chocolate recipes page.  Haitians normally wake up to a cup of coffee and bread before breakfast.

Jams, Jellies & Peanut Butter

Haitian cuisines offers some of the most delicious Jams and Jellies for your breakfast.  Guava Jelly, Grapefruit, Papaya, Apricot (don't ever confuse the caribbean Apricot to those found outside of that region), Korosol/Soursop, Pineapple jams, the sky is the limit. 


Aside from the Jams Haitians absolutely love peanut butter.  Peanut butter can be found at the local supermarket, there you should be able to find imported and local peanut butter.  You should try the locally made products because they 100% natural and organic.  They have the simple and the hot version to which has been added hot peppers.  These can be served with fresh fruit juice in the morning.  Normally, peanut butter are made at home or a neighbord also would make fresh peanut butter that they sell to the entire neighborhood.  You can't get it any fresher than that!

Haitian Omelette style

6 eggs, beaten2 scallions, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Instructions
Whisk the eggs in a bowl along with salt and pepper; set aside.

In a skillet, add oil and sautee the scallions, onions, and minced garlic over medium-high heat.

Pour the beaten eggs onto the sauteed mix. Add cheese to melt over the eggs.
Fold over and fry evenly until slightly browned.

Serve with boiled green plantains

Variation
To make it truly Haitian style, add 1 tablespoon of minced smoked herring.

There are of course just like any other country several ways to prepare your eggs: fried, boiled, scramble it is to your choice.  When serving eggs to Haitians it is best to ask how they like their eggs to be cooked, because the great majority prefers it well done and not runny.

Porridges

Haitian Oatmeal


















For other type of porridges Click here

Cereals
Any cereal can be served in the morning but this type of breakfast is mostly found in the middle class to upper elite and is commonly served to children.  At the supermarket you will find some locally made granola.  They are 100% natural and delicious.

Akasan/AK-100


It is a long process to make fresh Akasan.  In Haiti most people buy Akasan already precooked off the street and add the necessary ingredient such as milk, vanilla and sugar at home.  At local supermarket the uncooked liquid can also be purchased but no one really makes fresh Akasan from home.  Haitian living overseas buys the flour version and cook it it is fresh corn off the cob that you boil until really soft in cinnamon flavored water, very slightly salted, then you can use a from which takes less than 10 minutes to do.  I encourage you to find the flour to make it easier since make it from scratch is a very long and tedious process.

Akasan is serve either with mollases or brown sugar in the rural area or the general way of serving is with milk, sugar and vanilla essence.  This is how it is done.  Once the Akasan is cooked you put it in a serving bowl and on the side you serve milk, sugar and vanilla essence that one can add liberally at one's preference.  This dish is always accompanied with bread and butter.


Akasan from Scratch

Ingredients 

300 grams of corn kernels
1 liter of milk
 mollasses
Malaquette (bois d'inde/Pimenta racemosa)
Cinnamon
Salt

Preparation

1. Soak the corn for twenty-four hours and scald them quickly.
2. Then grind them in a mortar.
3. Mix the mixture in water while removing impurities that rise to the surface.
4. Then press through cheesecloth the puree.
5. allow the collected puree to rest.
6. In a pot add water, cinnamon, malagette and boil, salt.  Add the puree mixture and gentle cook and stirr to avoid lumps.

7. When cooked serve with milk, vanilla essence and sugar. or simply sugar cane syrup.

Eat cold or frozen, to your taste.

If the Aksan is purchased already grinded just follow step 6 and 7 but before adding the Akasan mixture from the bottle. Throw out the water that is in the bottle and add fresh water to the bottle and shake mixture before adding it to the pot

AK 100 from premade Flour

Ingredients

3-4 cups of water

1 cup Corn Flour (AK 100)Anis seedCinnamon StickMalaquette (bois d'inde/Pimenta racemosa)
Sugar to taste or Gro Sirop mollasses


Preparation 

Mix corn flour into 1 cup of water.  It has to be a soft liquid not too hard nor too liquid. 

boil 3 Cup of water with cinnamon, salt and malaget leaf in a pot.When boil add Akasan flour liquid and let it cook gentle by stirring to avoid lumps.When cooked serve with milk, sugar and vanilla essence or simply with sugar cane syrup or brown sugar.Boil the corn flour, with all the spices. 

You can either drink it like  that or add evaporated milk.

Simple pasta

Ingredients

1 lb of spaghetti
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion
2 clove of garlic
1 scallion
salt and pepper
1 chicken bouillon
Bouquet garni
1 teaspoon of butter
Instructions

In a pot of salted water add the scallion and 1 garlic to boil, when water starts to boil, add the spaghetti. When cooked drain and set aside.

In a large skillet heat the oil and minced garlic, add the tomato paste and let it fry for a few second add 3 tablespoon of the pasta water, bouquet garni and chicken bouillon and let it simmer for a few second before adding the pasta and sliced onions. Before removing off the fire add the butter and stir gently.


Pasta with smoked herring

Ingredients

2 smoked herring fillet
1 lb of spaghetti
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion
2 clove of garlic
1 scallion
salt and pepper
1 chicken bouillon
Bouquet garni
1 teaspoon of butter

Instructions

Soak the herring fillets in several changes of water to remove salt. Drain and discard water. Set herring aside.

In a pot of salted water add the scallion and 1 garlic to boil, when water starts to boil, add the spaghetti. When cooked drain and set aside.

In a mortar or pestle, grind the garlic and the herring together to form a paste. In a large skillet heat the oil, add the tomato paste and let it fry for a few second add 3 tablespoon of the pasta water, bouquet garni and chicken bouillon and let it simmer for a few second before adding the pasta and sliced onions. Before removing off the fire add the butter and stir gently.

Smoked Herring

Ingredients
8 fillet of smoked herring
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 onions
3 tablespoon of olive oil
thym
parsley
2 garlic clove
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of vinegar
black pepper
1 tomato diced into six pieces

Instructions

You can either soak the cod fish overnight by constantly changing the water or for a faster way you can simply boil the fish in a pot of water and change the water twice. You want to eliminate the salt but it needs to have a little bit of salt in it otherwise it will be tasteless. 

Place a pan on the stove add all the olive oil when hot add the garlic don't let it brown, add tomato paste 

remove the herring in the water and add it to the oil. Add 2 cup of water, vinegar, bouquet garni and let it simmer under medium heat until the water is reduce to half. 

Lastly add the onions, diced tomato, black pepper to taste and let cook for 3 more minutes and remove from fire and serve. 

This recipe is great with just about any dish. For breakfast serve it with green bananas (not plantain) and other roots and a side of sliced avocado.

Salted Herring

Ingredients

1 lb of salted Herring
1/2 lb of shallots, peeled
2 scallion
1 green bell pepper
1 onions
1/2 cup of olive oil
thym
parsley
2 garlic clove
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 tablespoon of lime juice

Instructions

Remove all scale from the herring and can either soak the cod fish overnight by constantly changing the water. 

The next day, clean the fish with 1 lime of which juice you have recuperated and place in a bowl. Prepare a marinade by mincing the garlic, slice the scallions, peel the shallots depending on their sizes cut them in half or leave them whole. peel and slice the onion and the scallions. Slice the bell pepper as well. create a bouquet garni with the parsley and thym and add it all to the fish, vinegar and lime juice as well and let it seat for a couple of hours in this marinade. 

Place a pan on the stove add all the olive oil when hot add 1 cup of water and the fish and its marinade except the onions which you would have removed before adding the fish and its marinade to the pan and let it boil on medium heat.

and let it simmer under medium heat until the water is reduce and you see more oil than sauce. 

Lastly add the onions and let cook for 3 more minutes and remove from fire and serve. 

This recipe is great for morning breakfast or brunch serve with boiled green banana, yams, sweet potato and avocado!!!

Cod Fish Haitian Style


Ingredients 

1 lb of salted Cod
1/2 lb of pearl onion, peeled
1/2 lb of shallots, peeled
2 scallion
1 green bell pepper
1 onions
1/2 cup of olive oil
thym
parsley
2 garlic clove
salt and pepper
2 tablespoon of vinegar

Instructions 

You can either soak the cod fish overnight by constantly changing the water or for a faster way you can simply boil the fish in a pot of water and change the water four times. You want to eliminate the salt but it
needs to have a little bit of salt in it otherwise it will be tasteless.

Separately, peel the shallots depending on their sizes cut them in half or leave them whole. Peel the pear onions and leave them whole, peel and slice the onion and the scallions. Slice the bell pepper as well. create a bouquet garni with the parsley and thyme. and mince the garlic.

Place a pan on the stove add all the olive oil when hot add the garlic don't let it brown and remove the cod fish from the water and add it to the oil with all the pearl onions, scallions, shallots and bell pepper. Add 1 cup of water, vinegar, bouquet garni and let it simmer under medium heat until the water is reduce and you see more oil than sauce.

Lastly add the onions and let cook for 3 more minutes and remove from fire and serve.

This recipe is great for morning breakfast or brunch serve with boiled green banana, yams, sweet potato and
avocado!!!

Cod Fish in tomato sauce

Ingredients

1 lb of salted Cod
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 onions
3 tablespoon of olive oil
thym
parsley
2 garlic clove
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of vinegar
black pepper
1 tomato diced into six pieces

Instructions

You can either soak the cod fish overnight by constantly changing the water or for a faster way you can simply boil the fish in a pot of water and change the water four times. You want to eliminate the salt but it needs to have a little bit of salt in it otherwise it will be tasteless.

Place a pan on the stove add all the olive oil when hot add the garlic don't let it brown, add tomato paste remove the cod fish from the water and add it to the oil. Add 2 cup of water, vinegar, bouquet garni and let it simmer under medium heat until the water is reduce to half.

Lastly add the onions, diced tomato, black pepper to taste and let cook for 3 more minutes and remove from fire and serve.

This recipe is great with just about any dish. For breakfast serve it with green bananas (not plantain) and
other roots and a side of sliced avocado.

Rognons Sautee/ Sauteed Kidneys

Ingredients

2 kidneys, trimmed off fat
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
2 lime
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup of vinegar
parsley
Thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
2 scallion
2 garlic
1 scotch bonnet pepper
onion
bay leaf

Instructions

Set each kidney flat side down on a work surface. Using a thin, sharp knife, cut each kidney by cutting out the tough core at the center of each kidney, and cut out each round section. You should remove all white traces.

Next it is very important to soak the kidney in a bath of 1/3 vinegar (I use white vinegar) and 2/3 parts water for 10 minutes. Soaking is important to ensure that there is no smell or taste of urine. If the kidney is not

cleaned properly there is a chance that your dish might be ruined.

While soaking place a pot of water on the stove by adding two lime halves, 1 twig of parsley. When water

boils, drain the vinegar water from the kidneys and add the boiled water by squeezing the hot lime on the kidneys (be very careful it is hot do it with the aid of a spoon) let the kidney soak in the hot bath for less than than 30 second and drain and rince well with cold water. The kidneys are ready to be marinated.

Prepare the marinade with the herbs and spices without bay leaf and add it to the kidneys and set aside for a couple of hours or more.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the kidney and cook the kidneys over high heat until browned and cooked, about 5 minutes. Transfer the kidneys to another plate.

In the pan add the tomato paste until it is brown.

and add 1 cup of water with a bouquet garni, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste and let simmer and reduce to half. When sauce is ready add the sliced onions for 1 minutes than add the kidneys. Mix well, allow to cook for 1 minute and remove from fire.

Transfer the kidneys to plates and serve with boiled green bananas (not plantain) and other roots and watercress salad.

Sauteed Liver


Ingredients

2 kidneys, trimmed off fat
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
2 lime
1 chicken bouillion cube
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
parsley
Thyme
 black pepper
1 scallion
garlic
1 scotch bonnet pepper
bay leaf

Instructions

Boil one cup of water with one lime.  When boil add the liver in a bowl and the boiled water and let soak for 30 second and try to remove the grey veil off the liver if it is not already removed and cut the meat into chunks.

Wash twice thoroughly under cold  water.

Prepare the marinade with the herbs and spices and add it to the liver and set aside for a couple of hours or more.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the liver and cook  the liver over high heat until browned and cooked, about 5 minutes. Transfer the liver to another  plate.

In the pan add the tomato paste until it is brown and add 1 cup of water  with a bouquet garni, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste and let simmer and reduce to half.  When sauce is ready add the sliced onions for 1 minutes than add the liver and mix  well, allow to cook for 1 minute and remove from fire.

Transfer the liver to plates and serve with boiled green bananas (not plantain) and other roots and watercress salad.