Ground provisions we used to call them, before the slightly pejorative "blue food" became the popular term. These were as much a part of a Trini child's diet as rice or roti or bread. In fact, the group (of high energy high fibre foods) would not be complete without eddoes, cassava, yam, topi tambu and (even though these are not roots) breadfruit, green fig and ripe plantain.
Lent - coinciding with the start of the dry season - was the time for roots. It was my mother's pride to have a Good Friday dish that featured an assortment of roots - dasheen, cassava, eddoes, cush-cush - dressed with sliced onion and olive oil. These were perfect accompaniments to stewed saltfish or salmon.
She was especially fond of cush-cush, and because she liked it, I developed a taste for the white crunchy - sort of sandy - texture of a good cush-cush. Dasheen was my Dad's favourite, and he would steam cubes of pork and dasheen with subtle Chinese spices that still resonate in my memory - a sticky starchy bluey grey meal, with hidden bits of meat, that was tasty and stick to your ribs satisfying.
Many of these roots - hearty yet subtle in flavour and texture - are now scarce. There's no reason why they can't make a comeback in home and commercial gardens if we ask for them - and make a change from the imported potatoes - when they are in season.
This recipe is a version of dasheen and pork that's stewed with star anise to enhance the sweet meat and starchy root. It serves two to four persons. Callaloo goes so well with this.
STEWED PORK AND DASHEEN
Stewing pork, sliced, about a pound
Star anise, 2 stars crushed
Ginger, small piece sliced
Garlic, 2 cloves, crushed
Pimentos, 2 or 3, sliced
Salt to taste
Beer, half can or bottle
Dasheen, small head boiled, peeled and sliced
Cooking oil, 3 tablespoons
Brown sugar, 2 tablespoons
Mushrooms, half pound
Carrot, one large sliced
Heat oil in pot. Add brown sugar at medium heat. As the sugar starts to bubble, add the pork and star anise and stir well. Cook the pork, turning often until it is golden brown. Add ginger, garlic, pimentos and salt. Add beer and cover to cook at low to medium for about 40 minutes. Make sure that there is liquid in the pot, adding a little water as necessary.
When the meat is cooked, add slices of dasheen, mushrooms and sliced carrot, with about half cup water. Cover tightly and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the gravy is thick.
Serve with callaloo on the side.
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| Cush-cush |
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| Tannia |
Lent - coinciding with the start of the dry season - was the time for roots. It was my mother's pride to have a Good Friday dish that featured an assortment of roots - dasheen, cassava, eddoes, cush-cush - dressed with sliced onion and olive oil. These were perfect accompaniments to stewed saltfish or salmon.
She was especially fond of cush-cush, and because she liked it, I developed a taste for the white crunchy - sort of sandy - texture of a good cush-cush. Dasheen was my Dad's favourite, and he would steam cubes of pork and dasheen with subtle Chinese spices that still resonate in my memory - a sticky starchy bluey grey meal, with hidden bits of meat, that was tasty and stick to your ribs satisfying.
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| Dasheen is the essential "blue food" in many countries: its leaves for saheena or callaloo; its roots for "poi" in Hawaii |
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| Cush-cush on the left; tannia on the right Some people use tannia to make accras; others a coconut punch |
Many of these roots - hearty yet subtle in flavour and texture - are now scarce. There's no reason why they can't make a comeback in home and commercial gardens if we ask for them - and make a change from the imported potatoes - when they are in season.
This recipe is a version of dasheen and pork that's stewed with star anise to enhance the sweet meat and starchy root. It serves two to four persons. Callaloo goes so well with this.
 |
| Callaloo: made from dasheen leaves and ochroes |
STEWED PORK AND DASHEEN
Stewing pork, sliced, about a pound
Star anise, 2 stars crushed
Ginger, small piece sliced
Garlic, 2 cloves, crushed
Pimentos, 2 or 3, sliced
Salt to taste
Beer, half can or bottle
Dasheen, small head boiled, peeled and sliced
Cooking oil, 3 tablespoons
Brown sugar, 2 tablespoons
Mushrooms, half pound
Carrot, one large sliced
Heat oil in pot. Add brown sugar at medium heat. As the sugar starts to bubble, add the pork and star anise and stir well. Cook the pork, turning often until it is golden brown. Add ginger, garlic, pimentos and salt. Add beer and cover to cook at low to medium for about 40 minutes. Make sure that there is liquid in the pot, adding a little water as necessary.
When the meat is cooked, add slices of dasheen, mushrooms and sliced carrot, with about half cup water. Cover tightly and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the gravy is thick.
Serve with callaloo on the side.
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| Stew the pork to a golden colour |
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| Add the slices of dasheen to the pot for the final simmer |
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| Complete nutrition in this typical Trini plate: pork for protein, dasheen for energy; callaloo for green stuff! |
...Yummy,..those ground provisions with calaloo and stew pork,...mouth watering....that's so Trini...
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