Dominican Republic

 Welcome to the Dominican Republic!  We took a pit stop on our way to Barbados to celebrate this country.  A dear friend of mine was taking her volleyball team to the Dominican Republic on a missions trip, and let me cook the national dish for them in preparation for their trip!  How fun!  According to Google, the Dominican Republic has a population of 10.88 million people and their capital is Santo Domingo.  Their national dish is...

 

 

La Bandera!

It means "the flag".  La Bandera is a traditional lunch meal, and they say that this meal reflects the central identity of the Dominican Republic, much like it's flag.  The meal is typically composed of rice, beans, and some kind of stewed meat (likely chicken).  It also is served with a cabbage salad and tostones.  For dessert we had Batida de Lechosa, which is a papaya milkshake. This was such a fun meal to make, and it made it even more fun to serve it to the volleyball team!  I'll write out the real recipe, not the quadruple recipe I made...  Here's what I did:

LA BANDERA

Rice (Arroz Blanco)

5 tbsp avocado oil, divided

4 tsp salt

2 C long-grain rice

5 C water

1. Combine 3 tbsp oil, salt and water in a pot over medium heat.
2. When the water boils, add the rice, and stir often to prevent clumping.
3. When the water has evaporated, cover, and turn the heat to the lowest setting.
4. Let the rice steam for 15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, add the remaining 2 tbsp oil, cover, and steam an additional 5 minutes.
6. There should be some crunchy rice stuck to the sides and bottom of the pan - this is called the concon, and is highly desirable and tasty.
7. Serve with the rest of the meal.

(Source: Arroz Blanco)

Beans (Habichuelas Guisadas)

2 C dry pinto beans
1 tbsp avocado oil

1/2 tsp oregano
1 bell pepper, chopped

1 red onion, cut into four quarters

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes (the original recipe called for a different squash to be used)
1 C tomato sauce

2 celery stalks, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
Salt, to taste

1. Soak the beans overnight.
2. When the beans have been soaked, drain the water, add new water, and boil until soft (mine took 45 minutes).
3. Strain the beans, but keep the water.  Set the beans aside.
4. In a pot heat the oil over medium-high heat. 
5. Add oregano, bell pepper, onion, garlic, squash, tomato sauce, celery, thyme and cilantro. Cook and stir for a minute.
6. Add the beans and simmer for two minutes.
7. Pour in 4 cups of the water in which the beans boiled.
8. Lower temperature to medium heat and cook until it reaches a creamy consistency. 
9. Season with salt to taste.
10. Serve!

(Source:  Habichuelas Guisadas)

 

Chicken (Pollo Guisado)

2 lbs chicken thighs and drumsticks, bone in (you can add breast, if you like)

Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp oregano
1 red onion, cut into slices
1/2 C chopped celery

1 tsp salt, to taste

5 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tbsp avocado oil
1 tsp sugar
2 C water

2 green bell peppers, chopped
4 Roma tomatos, cut into quarters
1/4 C pitted green olives

1 C tomato sauce

1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Pepper, to taste

1. Place the chicken in a Ziplock bag, and pour lime juice on top of chicken.
2. Add oregano, onion, celery, salt, and garlic and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
3. In a pot heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add sugar, and wait until it browns.
5. Add the chicken (reserve all the other things in the marinade for use in a later step) and cook and stir until the meat is light brown.
6. Add 2 tablespoons of water. 
7. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring and adding water by the tablespoon as it becomes necessary to prevent it from burning.
8. Stir in the vegetables that you had set aside from marinating the chicken, plus pepper, tomatoes, and olives. 
9. Cover, and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through, adding water by the tablespoon and stirring as it becomes necessary.
10. Add the tomato sauce and half a cup of water, and simmer over low heat to produce a light sauce.
11. The vegetables will be very soft, the sauce is a bit thick, and the chicken fall-off-the-bone tender.
12. Add fresh cilantro and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
13. Enjoy!

(Source: Pollo Guisado)

 

Dominican Salad

1 beet, boiled and sliced thinly
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cabbage head, shredded finely
1 large cucumber, sliced

1 red onion, cut into thin slices

Dressing

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
6 tbsp avocado oil

1 tsp salt

1. Lay out all of the ingredients separately on a plate.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients, and put on the side.
3. Add all the ingredients and dressing as you like on your plate and enjoy!

(Source: Dominican Salad)

Tostones

2 plantains, green
1/2 C vegetable oil
Salt to taste

1. Peel the plantains and cut them into 1/2 inch slices.
2. Heat oil over medium heat.
3. When oil is hot, add plantains, and cook about 3-5 minutes per side, until brown.
4. Remove from the oil, and use the bottom of a glass and smash the plantain (you may need a spatula to get it off the cup).
5. Place the smashed plantain back into the oil, and cook for another 1-2 minutes per side, until crispy.
6. Remove from oil and add salt to taste (we found it needed a good amount of salt).
7. Enjoy!

(Source: Tostones)

BATIDA DE LECHOSA (Papaya Milkshake)

3 C papaya, peeled, and cut into cubes
1 tsp vanilla 

3 C ice cubes
1 qt evaporated milk or coconut milk (we made one of each)
1/2 C sugar

1. Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Serve immediately and enjoy!

(Source: Batida de Lechosa)

 

The verdict?  This meal did not disappoint!  It sounds like a lot, and you're not wrong!  But all together, these components were delicious.  The rice was salty, but it worked wonderfully with the chicken and the sauce from the chicken.  I loved the thighs of the chicken, as the meat was so tender and tasted so good in the sauce.  I don't usually like plantains, and haven't liked them from any of the other countries that I've made them in, but these were so good, and they went FAST!  The salad was simple and yet so tasty together.  I had it again for lunch today!  The milkshakes were surprisingly good!  I preferred the coconut milk rather than evaporated milk because it tasted lighter and more fresh.  Sadly, I didn't get a picture of the milkshake...we ate them too quickly!  The team all seemed to enjoy the meal as well, so I'll take that as a win!  I couldn't eat the beans, so I'll have to let Handsome Husband tell you about those...

 

The beans were very tasty. They were cooked so much that they halfway turned into a sauce, and with all of the vegetables in them there were a lot of flavors that worked really well together. I had never thought of putting squash in beans, but now I won't hesitate to do it! Definitely something I would be happy to eat again!

 

ME

Taste of La Bandera (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of La Bandera (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):6

 

ME

Taste of Papaya Milkshake (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Papaya Milkshake (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):6

 

 

Another country down! Next time, for real, we will hit up Barbados!