Haitian Legumes

Haitian legumes is a vegetarian dish, sometimes called Haitian legims, depending on whether you include beans in it or not. The term refers to a tasty Haitian stew that includes a mixture of different vegetables which offer an original, rich flavour to each bite. If you include beans and rice with the legim dish, then you could technically call it Haitian legumes.

You will need:

1/ 2 lb of Eggplant (cut thinly)

1/ 2 lb of Cabbage (shredded)

1/ 4 lb of String Beans (cut in half)

1/ 2 lb of Carrots (diced)

5 oz of Fresh Spinach

1/2 Bell Pepper (medium sized, chopped)

2 Chopped Garlic Cloves

2 Whole Garlic Cloves

1 Onion (medium-sized, chopped)

4 Sprigs of Thyme

1/2 cup of Chopped Parsley

3 tbsp of Tomato Paste

1 hot Pepper (optional)

Water

2 tsp of Dry Spice (blend)

1 1/2 tsp. of Salt

3 tbsp Oil

Method:

Put a large pan on the stove and add the oil to it. Set the heat to medium-low intensity, add the chopped onions and sauté them until they are tender. It should take no longer than 5 minutes.

Change the heat from medium-low to low on the stove. Add dry spice and tomato paste into the chopped onions and mix it all together. Now add the chopped garlic cloves into the mixture and stir it all together. Next, add the thyme and parsley to the mixture and stir it for about 3 minutes. If the oil and juices get absorbed by the ingredients, you can add more oil if the pan is too dry. Don’t add too much. Just a teaspoon should be good enough. The idea is to prevent the garlic and other ingredients from getting burned. If they do get burned, then it will diminish their flavour. Add several different layers of vegetables, starting in this order: eggplant, whole garlic cloves, onions (use the leftovers), cabbage, spinach, whole hot pepper. Pour 1.5 cups of water into the mix. Increase the heat intensity to medium. Cover the pan and let the food cook for up to 40 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender, take out the hot pepper and throw it away. Use a spoon to mash up the vegetables and blend them together. Don’t make it mushy though. Put string beans and carrots into the pan and mix them together. Leave it to cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water if the pan dries out. Put bell peppers into the mix. Cover the pan and set the heat intensity to simmer. Let it cook until the liquid is gone, which should take about 10 minutes.

Mix everything thoroughly. Take it out and serve the meal. The dish goes great with boiled plantain and white rice.