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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Legumes Epinard, Chou, Berejèn, Militon a Vyann Bef avec Coden

Legume shouldn't be this dark, got distracted by the baby and left on stove top too long.

Braised Spinach, Cabbage, Chayote Squash, Eggplant Beef and Turkey served with boiled plantain and white rice.


Legumes is a traditional Haitian dish of braised vegetables and meat that is a real crowd pleaser. It's hearty, healthy and worth the time and effort. The meat used in this recipe is beef and turkey but you can really use any meat including pork, crab, ribs, conch meat and my all time favorite oxtail. The same goes for the veggies. The cooking time is 2 hours and it does require a lot of attention, unless you are using a dutch oven, but this dish is a staple in every Haitian home. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lbs of stew beef
1/2 lbs of turkey necks/steaks
1 large eggplant/ 2 meduim eggplants
2 large chayote squash
1 bag of spinach (10 oz to 16 oz)
1 onion
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 green pepper
1 cup of chopped carrots
1 cup of cilantro
1/2 cup of parsley
2 tablespoons of epis
3 cups of cabbage (rough chop)
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of pepper
1 habanero pepper
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 green onion (crushed)
1.5 sour oranges
2 small limes
4.5 tablespoons of oil (any except olive oil)
1 teaspoon of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
4 cups of beef broth

PREP WORK:

Juice the limes and set the juice aside. In a medium bowl, cut oranges and rub the beef chunks then rinse with hot water, drain and set aside. In a separate bowl rub the turkey meat with limes, rinse with hot water then drain and put turkey into the same bowl as beef. Pour in lime juice, add in chopped onions, 1 crushed  bouillon cube, salt, pepper, seasoning salt, crushed garlic cloves, chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon of epis(spice blend) and green pepper. Allow to marinade minimum 1 hour.

Wash and rinse all your veggies beforehand. Chop the carrots and set aside. Peel chayote, remove the white oval shaped seed in the center; then chop into cubes and set aside. Remove the skin from the eggplant, chop in half, remove some of the seeds from the eggplant and set aside. This helps reduce the amount of liquid released from the eggplant while in the pot. Wash and rinse cabbage and rough chop, then set aside.

Let's get started:

Add oil to a 6 or 8 quart stockpot on medium high temperature. Add in 1 tablespoon of epis and saute for 1 minute then add in strained beef and turkey meat and stir. Brown the meat, turning over and stirring. After 5 minutes pour in marinade and stir in tomato paste, add in habanero pepper (do no let this break, it will be very hot so watch for the pepper). Cover and let cook until the water evaporates some. Do not let it burn. Stir with wooden spoon and add in 1 cup of broth. Do this every 15 to 20 minutes.

Once the meat starts to take on a brown color and the water has started to evaporate some more add in 1 cup of broth, top the meat with the chayote, the eggplant, then the cabbage and cover. Lower temperature to medium and let cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add in rinsed spinach on top and cover. After 15 minutes, stir in carrots and cover the pot. At this point, the vegetables should start to cook down, the sauce should be getting thicker and the meat should be cooked completely. Allow the carrots to cook and the sauce to thicken a bit more, approximately 15 minutes.

At this point you want to search for and remove the habanero pepper. Lower the temperature after 15 minutes to low and serve with rice.




Legumes with boiled plantain and white rice



Every family and every home has their own way of making legume but I find that cooking everything in one pot is hassle free and saves time.

81 comments:

  1. This looks delicious! Legim is my favorite! Will definitely be trying this recipe. Thanks!

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  2. Thanks. I am going to put some more variations of legime recipes.

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  3. Most legime that you get at haitian restaurants is ridiculously oily and you can hardly taste the flavor. This looks like a good legime recipe. I might try it soon. But different variations, thats interesting. I thought it was just 1 signature recipe. Do you make this version all the time? I'm telling you barbara, I might never go to another haitian restaurant ever again...lol. They are starting to really suck in boston. I remember a time where you had to wait at least 30 min for your order, now they pop the tassot kabrit in the fryer and its ready like a McChicken at mcdonalds...sad

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    1. Not true, its impossible to cook goats instantly and if you know how to cook you wouls know that. they prob already cooked it and fry it as u order

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  4. Legime is similar to collard greens. Everyone makes it, but everyone has there way of making it. However, there are some underlying main ingredients like the squash, spinach, cabbage, carrot. But this recipe is definitely not oily. Here are some variations.

    1. Instead of adding the beef and turkey, you can add any meat. For example conch meat and crab legs. Or add it all. The seafood adds a serious flavor to it. Mouth watering just talking about it.

    2. There is a veggie version does not include any meat and it's just as good.

    3. There is the variation of just the chayote squash.

    4. There is also a version with different greens or just greens.

    5. Green papaya's, squash, eggplant, cabbage...etc.

    You get the jist. But to answer your question. Yes, this is the one I make all the time. I may just play with varies meats.

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    1. the crab legs and the conch meat in your legumes is just delicious

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  5. gotcha, i think when i finally get all those ingredients I will just ultimately play with the meats as well. I love the way my friends mom makes it with crab legs, its so flavorful, I can't see myself eating crab any other way girl. I think #1 & #2 for pescatarians like my sis is the right way to go. Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

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  6. Oh yea, What is Lalo? that stuff is soooo good with white rice & sauce pwa but no one seems to know what it means in english? Do you make it and if you do. When is the recipe in the works? lol

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  7. Ok Taja. You got me on the Lalo. I've heard of it, but don't know what it is or what it looks like. So I had to do my homework. Lalo is a type of green known to a particular region/provence in Haiti; primarily Gonaive. According to my source, my mother-in-law, you can add it to everything like stew, legume, braised meat...etc.

    I have not had it but I hear it's delicious.

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    1. what is Lalo in english? Could you tell me where I could find it or tell me where to look for it in stores?

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    2. I think lalo is native to Haiti, you would have to ask someone to bring from Haiti for you, uless you can find a Hatian shop that sales it.

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    3. Lalo is a green leafy vegetable similar to spinach. It is native to Haiti. Some Haitian restaurants make it and some tropical markets carry it. My guess would be major cities with such as NY, Boston, Miami.

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    4. Lalo I believe is the same as Calalou often used in jamaican cooking

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    5. Lalo is from the spinach family known as Mulukhiyah, it is def not calalou. and is grown all over the tropical area of the world. we just know how to cook it right.. L'artibonite region is where you would mostly find it the most when it comes to Haiti..

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    6. Jute leaf...you can find it tat the Asian market

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  8. it is out of this world!! thanks for doing the research for me.

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  9. Miss Barbara J, I am in serious need of help. Last night I tried to make Legim but I made a mistake and burn the veggies. I bought the right vegetables and chopped them as I had to. (Cabbage, Eggplant, Carrots, and Watercress)However, I poured everything into the pot not knowing which vegetable had to go in first and everything looked disorganized and I just gave up. In addition, the carrots were burnt at the bottom of the pot. I am a Haitian guy looking to make some very good Legim. Can you please teach me how to do it without the meat just the veggies style method?

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  10. thank you SO much for every single recipe on this website!!!

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  11. Hi Shana. Your welcome and thank you for leaving this message.

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  12. I love legume made with Lalo unfortunately you can only find it in Haiti..

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  13. You can find lalo at the oriental markets

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  14. Its called jute leaf either fresh or frozen at the oriental markets

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  15. Hi Mrs Barbara, just wanted to know what is Eli's and where can I buy it? By the way this recipe looks delicious can't wait to try it!

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  16. Hi Kim. Epis is a blend of fresh herbs placed ina jar and used as marinade or to add flavor to dishes. I have a blog post that explains it in detail with recipe included. Just click on the word epis in this post to get to that post.

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  17. Lalot for Americans is greens and Jamaicans is calalou and kalalou for us is okra. Just a little fun fact. Lalot is a seasonal leaf. Someone on this blog made reference to the jute leaf, I am not 100% sure if that is it however it does look like it. I have never seen it sold in stores, my family generally eat it from fresh source. My aunt grows in her backyard and we live in southern florida. Lalot was readily available in my city (st. marc)Haiti. Its very delicious, When lalot is not in season we use frozen spinach found in any grocery store and mix it with kalalou so it can have a smooth texture.

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  18. On a recent trip to Haiti We bought some Lalo in a market and it was unforgettable. It is actually quite common throughout much of the world, especially in Africa and the Middle East. In Egypt it is known as mulukhiah and it is part of one of their most famous dishes. Also known as jute mallow or Jew's Mallow. It is not the same but similar to calalou. It may have been brought to Haiti from Africa as the name Lalo is rooted in African languages.

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  19. Thank you! I'm an American and i been look for this dish since the first time i taste it!

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  20. I am making this recipe now, I am Jamsican my husband Haitian. Right now this berenje is smelling goooooooood!

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  21. Thank you for the recipe... I just made it and it turn out great... I used crab instead of meat. again thank you.. :-) peace!!!!

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  22. It seems like in the US, Kale is very popular. Is it possible to use Kale in this recipe?

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  23. what is militon and how would i prepare it

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  24. You dont mash the veggies?

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  25. Guys!!! I am so nervous! My family is from Trinidad and my boyfriend is Haitian. He loves legume but just as calalou in Trinidad, everyone swears by their mothers. I going to make it for our one year anniversary. I hope its special; especially since his mom move to Florida a 5 months ago.

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  26. Sayeeda, congratulations on your Anniversary! Let us know how he liked it! I am learning to make different Haitian meals for my Haitian born son. I do pretty well thanks to Barbara J and others who are kind enough to share their recipes I am able to help my son preserve his culture! Mesi Anpil!

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  27. Hello Barbara, I have used this recipe before and it was good now. Now I would like to do it with crabs. Can you please tell me how to do it with crabs. I am making it Friday night. I am making it for some Japanese guests, then I should not fail.

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  28. Hey, your recipe mentions a cup of cilantro? But the prep instructions don't indicate when to add or how. Please elaborate. Otherwise, this recipe looks on point.

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  29. virtual visiting the santhe is of great enjoyment. In Nasik (Maharashtra) we also has the same type of market that is weekly that is on every wednesday. After the entry of big malls and super stores the wedneday weekly bazar is still popular lemeilleurschoix.com

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