Taso and Banan Peze

So the first Haitian Food recipe I will be sharing with you guys is a double header.

Goat Meat Taso

The first dish is called Taso. The photo and recipe comes from KreyolCuisine.com. Taso is traditionally made from beef or goat meat. But for those who prefer a leaner meat, turkey is also used. Personally I love Taso because it is my alternative to Griot. I don't eat pork so I believe it is a great replacement and it is similarly prepared. The following recipe is for goat meat Taso.


INGREDIENTS:
3lbs. goat meat
10 cloves of garlic
Thyme
Parsley
1 Green Onion
1 Sour orange
2 Cups and 2 tablespoons of Vinegar
1 Lime
Salt to taste
Cloves
2 cubes chicken stock
2 Habanero peppers

INSTRUCTIONS:
Soak the goat meat overnight in 2 cups of white vinegar and salt. The following day thoroughly clean the meat with lime, followed by 1 sour orange (squeeze the juice into a separate container prior to cleaning and reserve). Scrub the meat with orange vigorously. This step is important because it will help mask the heavy "goat" smell.

Meanwhile, boil some water, with salt. Once the water has come to a boil (and you are done cleaning the goat), pour it over the cleaned goat meat. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the hot water and put into a deep pot. Fill with water.

Add in garlic cloves, bouquet garni (thyme, flat leaf parsley, green onion… all tied together), Habanero peppers, cloves, salt, the cubes of chicken stock, the sour orange juice and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Boil the meat for an hour or until it’s tender. While the meat is boiling taste the broth (it should be flavorful, slightly acidic). Once the meat is fully cooked, remove from the liquid (you can reserve some of the liquid to make a sauce).

Fry the goat meat on medium heat in some Grape Seed oil or vegetable oil. Serve hot.

Banan Peze

Now you can't just eat Taso all by itself. Today we will pairing it with Banan Peze (fried plaintains). Together Taso and Banan Peze make a great lunch or even an appetizer before diving into the main course. Banan Paze is a relatively easy dish to make. Once again I'll be using the recipe found on KreyolCuisine.com.

INGREDIENTS: 
2 plantains
1 bowl cold salted water, with vinegar 
Oil for frying 
Salt Pepper 

INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel plantains. Cut diagonally into 1-3 inch thick pieces and place them in salted water and vinegar. (I like my banan peze to be on the thinner side so 1-2 inch thick slices are perfect for me)

Drain and cook in oil, about twenty minutes. When finished, remove the slices of plantain from oil.

Flatten plaintains between two plates or two cutting boards. 

Dip again in salted water and vinegar. 

Remove excess water and fry in hot oil like French fries. (I prefer mine very crispy so I let them fry a little extra. You may fry them to your liking).

When well browned, drain well and add pepper and salt lightly and serve hot. 

The most important step to keep in mind for either recipe is to...INVITE RHONEL OVER TO EAT!!!!



However you like your taso and banan peze prepared, most people, Haitians and others alike, will agree it is not complete without a healthy helping of pikliz (spicy coleslaw) on the side. One of my favorite brands of pikliz is Fusion Melange made by renowned chef and Haitian Cuisine expert Chef Ariette J. Desrivieres (more info on her later).

For now I will leave you to your work, you have goat meat to fry and plantains to cut. For more great Haitian cuisine recipes please visit www.kreyolcuisine.com and for your catering and pikliz needs visit www.fusionmelange.com.

Na we pita/A plus tard