Skip to main content

Domenica: Cooking Around the World Adventure


The final two countries in our Cooking Around the World adventure for the letter 'D' are Dominica and the Domenican Republic. Yes, those are two different countries. I had to look that up myself. I'm pretty sure that I, ignorantly, have used those names interchangeably. Whoops. But you can see from the map, above, that Domenica lies in the archipelago that begins with Anguilla in the north and ends with Trinidad and Tobago in the south while the Domenican Republic is further west, closer to Jamaica and Cuba.

So, first we're traveling to Domenica. Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due primarily to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs, finally falling under French control. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763 who, then, made the island a colony in 1805. Finally Domenica gained its independence in 1978.

Reading about the Domenican cuisine, they seem to have access to a variety of fruits and vegetables, including watermelon, pineapple, mango, citrus, coconut, banana, sugar cane, sorrel, paw paw, tamarind, guava, carambola, soursop, gooseberry, barbadine and passion fruit. Being a tiny Caribbean island, seafood also abounds with blue marlin, dolphinfish, grouper, kingfish, snapper and lobster in abundance. And two favorite local delicacies are: mountain chicken, one of the largest frogs in the world which is only found on Domenica, and manicou, the common opossum which is often curried or just roasted. And glancing at those recipes is when I realize that I'm not quite as adventurous as I would like to think I am...not that I would have access to those ingredients, even if I wanted to cook opossum tonight. I stuck with some less off-the-wall recipes for tonight's dinner.

Cream of Tannia Soup

Tannia is, apparently, a generic Domenican term for a number of food, including yams, cassava, breadfruit, and plantains. What do all of those have in common? Starch?!? Well, I happened to have two big white yams in my fridge and frozen breadfruit in my freezer. Perfect!

3 large tannias (your choice!)
1 small onion
freshly chopped herbs (Traditionally, they use chives, parsley and thyme. I used parsley, mint, and tarragon.)
butter
flour
1 C milk

Peel and cube the tannia. Boil in salted water, just covering the tannia, until soft and mashable. Do not drain; you will use the cooking liquid. Place two tablespoons of butter in a pan and cook the chopped onion and herbs till lightly brown. Make a roux. Then blend in hot milk to make a creamy base. Mash the tannia in its cooking water, then combine mixtures - the cream sauce, the tannia, and the browned onion-herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Reheat the mixture and serve with some freshly chopped herbs sprinkled on top and some warm rolls.

Coconut Bake
Dylan put his, now, considerable bread-making skills to work tonight, making a Domenican leavened coconut bread. It turned out pillowy soft with just a bite of the coconut.


6 C white flour

4 t organic raw turbinado sugar
1 T sea salt
4 T olive oil
2 T active dry yeast
2 C warm water
1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes

Place the salt, flour, and yeast in a large mixing bowl and slowly add warm water, mixing continually until the mixture forms a stiff dough, add more flour until you have a dough stiff enough to knead.

Lightly flour the work surface, and knead dough for 5 minutes. Add the coconut and knead for another 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic, then place in a greased bowl. Place the bowl in a warm place for 40 minutes until it has doubled in size.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll dough into fist-sized balls and place in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with more salt then let rise for another 20 minutes or, again, until the dough has doubled in size.


Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.


Tomorrow we head to the Domenican Republic before attacking the 'E' countries on the list!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce