TL;DR:
Here are two of Barbara Culbertson's favorite Haitian recipes: griots (pork cubes) and Haitian bean sauce. These recipes introduce some of the everyday flavors of Haitian cooking. Prepare them as part of a cultural learning activity as you study and pray about missionary work in Haiti. Serve the griots with rice and bean sauce for a Haitian meal.
Looking for a creative activity as you study and pray about missionary work in Haiti? Prepare one of these recipes!
One Haitian specialty is griots, or pork cubes. Vendors often prepare and sell them at small roadside stands. Serve the cubes on toothpicks as appetizers, or make them a main course with rice and bean sauce.
Put all ingredients except the oil in a bowl, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours. Drain, reserving the marinade. Heat some oil in a pan and brown the pork. Add the reserved marinade, bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and increase the heat to cook off the remaining liquid. Serve hot.
Rice and beans are staple foods in Haiti. In this recipe, the beans are made into a thick sauce, subtly seasoned with garlic and cloves. For a complete meal, serve the bean sauce with rice and griots, accompanied by a vegetable salad and melon for dessert.
Cook one package of pinto beans in water until tender. Add salt to taste, a few whole cloves, a clove of garlic, a pinch of oregano, and some salt pork. Continue cooking until the beans are very soft, then remove the cloves and garlic. Press at least half of the cooked beans through a colander, collecting the strained beans and liquid in a bowl. Discard the skins left in the colander, and return the strained mixture to the remaining beans. Serve over rice. The sauce should have the consistency of cream gravy, with some whole beans remaining.
Your Kingdom come? On earth? Signs of the Kingdom of Heaven at work in Haiti . . . [ more ]
— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
