Pork Legume with Black Beans and Rice: A Haitian Tradition

Last weekend, I was in the mood for some delicious and comforting Haitian food.  So, I decided to make black beans and rice and legume.  Legume is a traditional Haitian dish that I make with succulent pork meat that is first marinated for 1/2 hour in lots of aromatic and delicious spices (such as thyme, cilantro, parsley, garlic, cloves, fresh ground black pepper, Essence or Creole seasoning), onions, and tomatoes, then braised for about 2 hours in a dutch oven, and then cooked for another hour with a medley of vegetables that include fresh spinach, cabbage, eggplant, coyote squash, and carrots.  Once the vegetables are cooked, I mash them (except for the carrots, which I slice) and mix them back in the pot with the pork and simmer for about 1/2 hour. The result is a mouthwatering piece of heaven on earth.  I don't make this dish often because it takes about 5 hours to make, including preparation time.  But, when I make it, I feel so warm inside and so comforted.  It reminds me of Sunday dinners that my family used to have in Haiti when I was growing up.

Well, I had planned to post the pictures of this dish online early this week.  But, on Tuesday (January 12), my world came crashing (literally and figuratively) with the devastating earthquake in Haiti that took the lives of so many people, including some family members and friends, and left so many more homeless and helpless.  For 3 days, we had no idea if any of our family members had survived.  I went through so many emotions.  We were most worried about my grandmother. Luckily, she is alive.

I am posting the pictures of this dish because this dish is a reminder of the great memories that I still have of my homeland.  No matter how chaotic or sad things may be right now, I want to keep the good memories alive through things that I enjoy such as food.

Until next time . . . Cheers

ZinAdel