epis (haitian green sauce)

Love Puerto Rican sofrito / recaito, Trini green seasoning, or “Caribbean green seasoning”? If you haven’t tried them, do you like pesto? Picture a pesto with other herbs instead of basil, a tiny hit of bouillon instead of parmesan, and so much garlic and onions! If you’ve ever eaten Haitian food, you have probably thought, “Wow, this is delicious… it has some special flavor I can’t put my finger on,” it might have been the homemade epis.

Like many Caribbean dishes, its origins are with African food, and indigenous (Taino) Caribbean food. If you love Caribbean food, you have to try this.

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Thank you so much to HaitianCooking.com for this recipe!

10 sprigs of parsley
1 onion
2 celery stalks
2 cups culantro (substitute cilantro if you can’t find it!)
2 green bell peppers
3 scallion stalks
2 chicken bouillon cubes
5 sprigs of thyme
3 Heads of garlic
2 tbs of Lime juice or 1 lime
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs of vinegar

blend. that’s it! you’re done! keeps for a week in the fridge, but then you should freeze the remainder. you can freeze it in a ziploc and break off pieces to use, or freeze in ice cube trays and transfer the frozen cubes to ziploc bags, jars, or other freezer-safe containers.

recipe by HaitianCooking.com

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The comments are full of opinions about cilanto vs. culantro. If you have access to culantro/chadon beni/recao, it seems people tend to feel that is more traditionally Haitian than cilantro. However, in watching YouTube recipes, it seemed like for every one person saying cilantro was a crime in epis, there was someone else saying their Haitian mom or grandmother used cilantro.

I love the small regional and familiar differences with recipes like this. If I had access to culantro, I would have used it. However, my local shop had only cilantro and parsley, and I went with it.

As always with my recipes, don’t take my word as gospel truth. I have no claim to know what is authentic Haitian food. I’m happy to share what I cook, along with my opinions. They are just that: opinions. If you’re Haitian, I would love to hear how your family makes epis!

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I’m still not sure if I like this better than sofrito. I think right now I’m on the fence. The tomato paste (I know not everyone uses it!) adds something special to sofrito. I can say with absolute certainty that this epis is incredible when used as a marinade for chicken, or rubbed onto a fish filet before pan-frying. However, my absolute favorite use for epis and sofrito is with beans. I challenge you to find a more perfect way to add depth of flavor to black bean soup. I saute onions and garlic first, then add the epis to cook out the raw flavor, and then add the broth and beans. This is a particularly good recipe for people who tend to find fresh herbs going south before they can be used. This ensures you always have a hit of fresh-tasting cilantro for whatever you plan to cook! I always have a batch of sofrito or epis in my freezer for a quick batch of black beans!

My only caution is that the temptation is huge to use this raw as a sauce on the side, but please be aware how much raw garlic and onion is in this. I’m not going to say *not* to use it raw, but you may be breathing fire for a while….

soup joumou (haitian pumpkin soup)

two versions: VEGAN and MEATY!

This Haitian pumpkin soup looks amazing for warming up in January. & in fact, this soup is traditionally eaten on the New Year to celebrate Haitian independence. There is a great read about why Haitians celebrate their independence with this pumpkin soup on soupsong (or a short version here if you like!)

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VEGAN VERSION!:

2 lbs pumpkin
one small cabbage, diced; or one package of extra-firm tofu, cut into chunks; or one package of tempeh, cut into chunks; or 1 eggplant, diced; or anything that you like to eat that can be marinated

marinade:
2 limes
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme
2 scallions
salt and pepper
soup:
1 habanero, seeded (less if you don’t like spicy food)
2 whole cloves, or a pinch of clove powder
veggie stock, or bouillon cube and water

any combination of:
cabbage
celery
carrots
potatoes
turnips
bell pepper
a few sprigs of parsley
malanga
1/4 lb vermicelli or other small pasta, broken up
pat of margarine or drizzle of oil

roast about 2 pounds of pumpkin, or cut up and boil in stockpot.
smash or puree once cooked.

marinate the meat substitute or vegetable of your choice in a paste of onion, shallot, fresh garlic and/or garlic powder, thyme, scallions, salt, and black pepper (green peppercorns if you have them, too.. but it’s not necessary.) marinate between an hour and a day.

bring water to a boil in a soup pot. add the pumpkin, habanero, and clove powder. if you are using eggplant or cabbage or some other firm veggie, add it now. simmer for a half-hour or so. add hard vegetables. cook until soft. if marinating something delicate like tofu, add now, along with vermicelli, parsley, and margarine, and cook until pasta is soft.

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MEATY VERSION!:

2 lbs pumpkin
1lb beef stew meat

marinade:
2 limes
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp thyme
2 scallions
salt and pepper

soup:
1 habanero, seeded (less if you don’t like spicy food)
2 whole cloves, or a pinch of clove powder
stock, broth, or bouillon cube and water

any combination of:
cabbage, celery, carrots, potatoes, turnips, bell pepper, a few sprigs of parsley, malanga, 1/4 lb vermicelli or other small pasta, broken up, and a pat of butter or margarine

roast about 2 pounds of pumpkin, or cut up and boil in stockpot.
smash or puree once cooked.

take a pound of beef stew meat, and squeeze half a lime over the meat. rub the other half of the lime on the meat. rinse meat. marinate it in a paste of onion, shallot, fresh garlic and/or garlic powder, thyme, scallions, salt, and black pepper (green peppercorns if you have them, too.. but it’s not necessary.) marinate between an hour and a day.

bring water to a boil in a soup pot. add the pumpkin, beef, habanero, and clove powder. simmer for an hour or two. add hard vegetables. cook until soft. add vermicelli, parsley, and butter, and cook until pasta is soft.

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adapted from love for haitian food, soupsong, and axis of logic by friedsig

 

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update 1/2016 –
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! tweaked this to make an extremely lazy version that’s great for a quick dinner if you have a few roasted squash in your fridge. it tastes great, so i can only imagine how good the real soup tastes.

just sauteed some diced onions, carrots, parsnips, and poblanos in a soup pot.

when soft, i poured in tons of homemade stock, and simmered everything with cloves and thyme for a while.

then added tons of roasted squashes (like butternut, acorn, hubbard, and golden nugget) and little soup noodles.

when everything fell apart, i turned off the heat and squeezed in some fresh limes. fantastic soup! will definitely make the real deal soon.