Caribbean Recipe: Haitian Griot

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Like many Caribbean nationals in the Diaspora, Haiti is on my mind now, and as I get my donations together to help the victims there of Hurricane Matthew, I am also thinking about the wonderful cuisine of Haiti.

My favorite Haitian dish is griot (gree-o) with rice and peas, fried plantains and lettuce and tomatoes. The reason I love this dish is it’s a unique way to cook and serve pork.

Pork as we all know – for those of us who eat it – is a delicious meat when it is seasoned properly and cooked stewed, grilled or roasted. So try to imagine the taste of Griot, which  is cooked by two different cooking methods, served with a homemade Vinaigrette sauce, and then pared with fried plantains, rice and peas – it’s mouth watering! Good caan dun as we say in Jamaica!

This dish is very popular among Haitians and when this dish is served at a Haitian party, it’s the first to finish as it a favorite!

The following is the recipe for my version of Haitian Griot. Please try to make the dish; you will love it and as you do, please do whatever you can to help with the relief efforts for the people of Haiti  who are once again severely impacted by another natural disaster. Your support will be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your support.

Here’s the Haitian Griot recipe!

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Haitian Griot

To make this pork dish, juice sour oranges and set the juice aside. Rub cubed pork with salt and the squeezed orange halves, then marinate for 4-8 hours. Rinse the meat to remove excess salt and combine it with the orange juice, scallions, thyme, parsley, green pepper, and scotch bonnet (whole for mild, chopped for spicy). Cook the pork in a Dutch pot with enough water to cover until tender, then drain. Heat oil in a separate pot, add the pork, and simmer covered on low heat for 30 minutes. Finally, increase the heat and brown the pork until golden.

Course Main Course

Cuisine #caribbean, Haiti

Keyword Haitian Griot

Prep Time 8 hours hours

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 People

Author NewsAmericas

Ingredients

2 pounds pork shoulder chopped in cubes

Juice of 3 sour oranges

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of chopped scallion

I sprig of thyme

1/4 teaspoon of parsley

1/4 teaspoon green pepper

1 scotch bonnet pepper

Instructions

Take the sour oranges, cut them in half. Make one cup juice from the Sour oranges. Do not discard.

Juice of 3 sour oranges

Place cubed  pork  in one bowl. Add salt to the meat. Rub the oranges over the pork. Marinate 4 hour to 8 hours.

2 pounds pork shoulder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Rinse the meat with water to make sure it's not salty.

Add the juice and all the other ingredients to the pork in the bowl.

(If you like spicy cut the scotch bonnet pepper. If not, leave the pepper whole.)

1 scotch bonnet pepper

Put all the ingredients in a Dutch pot.

1/4 cup of chopped scallion, I sprig of thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of parsley, 1/4 teaspoon green pepper

Add enough water to boil everything. (Only enough to cover the meat in the pot.)

Boil the Pork until tender.

Drain the water off the pork.

In a separate Dutch pot heat 1/2 oil

When the oil gets hot place the pork in some heated oil; cover the pot and simmer for half an hour over low heat.

Then turn the heat up again and brown pork until the chunks of pork become golden brown.

Serve hot as is or sprinkle Vinegrette saucer pickles over meat.
Side dishes recommended: rice and peas, fried plantains and lettuce tomato salad!

Bon Appetite

By Minna LaFortune

EDITOR’S NOTE: Minna LaFortune is a trained Caribbean caterer and also president, Society for the Advancement of the Caribbean Diaspora (SACD). Check out her food group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/bestfoodscaribbean/