Haiti’s Cuisine: A Tasty and Hearty Glimpse
What follows are two amazing bits of traditional Haitian cuisine which bring forth some of the many beautiful sides of a very rich culture enjoy!
Bannann Peze (Fried Plantains)
Ingredients
* ½ cup vegetable oil
* 2 medium-sized green plantains, peeled and sliced
Procedure
1. In a heavy 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat.
2. Add as many plantain slices as you can without crowding the pan and brown for about 2 minutes on each side.
3. As they brown, transfer them to paper towels to drain.
4. On a board, using a spatula, press each slice flat and round, about ¼-inch thick and 2 inches in diameter.
5. Heat the oil and fry the rounds again for about 1 minute on each side.
6. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
Serves 4
Riz Djon-Djon (Rice and Haitian Mushrooms)
Ingredients
* 2 cups long grain rice
* 1 cup Haitian black mushrooms (or dried, black European mushrooms)
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 4 Tablespoons butter
* Salt, pepper, and thyme, to taste
Procedure
1. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and soak them in a cup of hot water for 30 minutes.
2. Soak the heads in a separate cup of hot water.
3. Sauté the rice and garlic in butter, then add all the other ingredients, including the water used to soak the mushrooms (discard the mushroom stems, which are inedible).
4. Cook for 20 minutes and serve.
Serves 6.
Author: 
Publisher-Creator Mikhail Saavedra began life down by the deepest tip of southern Latin America. He started life with a deep curiosity for all things, with music and books being at the forefront, a curious child by all accounts. As he grew and opened his eyes to the world, he developed a sense of justice and dignity in part as a reaction to growing up in a military dictatorship. Alas, this did not fill him with fear or cynicism but a more rebellious spirit, which led him to being incredibly popular at the principal’s office and the local riot police department….
Then came Canada and it was here that he was able to formulate his deep desire to learn about the world, with Toronto being the kind of multicultural soup that could engage his need to know and embrace. It started with writing, then moved on to what became Toronto’s first Latin Alternative radio show, followed by an all-English show in the same vein. It was this desire to find the true “crossover” among people, which led him to the concept of “Alternavox”
He is a lover of wine, good food, Neruda, Eduardo Galeano, rebel music, revolutionaries, dancing, family and beautiful people. Believes that kindness in this much too cynical world is revolutionary, that you are a better person when able to give a little without asking for the change and that on the same token you should laugh at yourself and the madness surrounding you as often as possible as you set out to change the world bit by bit. 