…or how to start eating vegetables<\/p>\n
By preparing a legume of course! Please note that in French, the word legume literally means vegetables.<\/p>\n
I can already imagine the dubious look on your face after reading those lines. Don’t worry, I am not referring to just any dish. Nor am I suggesting that you simply cook those ingredients and try to shove them down the throat of vegetable haters. I could never preach that. I would be the first victim of my own words.<\/p>\n
I have never been truly fond of vegetables. And I have yet to make peace with some of them. Boiled carrots and cooked cabbage are among those vegetables that rank high on my list of foods to avoid. I, nonetheless, manage to eat them in different forms particularly as the \u201clegume\u201d mentioned above. I have learned to enjoy this local dish through the years.<\/p>\n
When I say legume, I am referring to a dish that is quite popular in our Haitian cuisine. Legume or touffe is much like a vegetable stew or ratatouille. It is often featured on the everyday menu of many locals. \u00a0We prepare it primarily with vegetables to which we add meat or seafood. These vegetables can either be mirliton or eggplants or a mix of both, according to one\u2019s preference. I myself would rather a mix of both because mirliton does not hold itself well when cooked alone.<\/p>\n
Yes, I do like our legume. When touffe is featured on the menu, I serve myself generously. It\u2019s actually one of the very few times you will detect an appetite for vegetables in me. I start my meal with the legume and boiled plantains as my entr\u00e9e. \u00a0I finish it with some more legume mixed with my rice. And when ciriques are included\u2026 se koupe dw\u00e8t!<\/p>\n
I will only eat my touffe legume if all the vegetables are mashed and reduced to a puree.<\/p>\n
I am living proof that a Haitian legume touffe can be a great strategy to get those who dislike vegetables to eat them. Try it for yourself with a loved one. You have a recipe below.<\/p>\n
This is the base recipe for the Haitian touffe legume. Feel free to adjust it to your taste and add some meat. I find that this dish tastes better with some pork and\/or cirique because the flavors are bold.<\/p>\n
Should you choose to include meat, I recommend cooking the vegetables in the meat juice. This makes for a tasty legume in which all the flavors pair perfectly with each other.<\/p>\n
Please also note that, since I am not fond of carrots and cabbage, I like all the vegetables to be cooked thoroughly and pureed. Some do leave them chopped, however.<\/p>\n