Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking by Michelle Rousseau and Susanne Rousseau

When I think about Caribbean cooking, vibrant dishes come to my mind. Two favorite recipes of mine are Jerk Sweet Potato and Black Bean Curry (BBC Good Food) and Caribbean Ginger Stewed Chicken With String Beans (Caribbean Pot). The flavors of the Caribbean are usually complex and very flavorful.

Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking - 150 Vegetarian Recipes by Michelle Rousseau and Suzanne Rousseau delves into vegetarian Caribbean cooking with a great introduction of women who have influenced them and their cooking. Rosseau and Rousseau are Jamaican sisters who show all the great foods of the Caribbean, and who also run a Caribbean gastropub in Kingston, Jamaica.

Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking

Provisions showcases 150 vegetarian Caribbean recipes, all using ingredients found locally in the Caribbean in recipes that are easily recreated at home. The recipes are fun and inspiring, not to mention colorful - you'll find a plethora of beautifully plated shots from the recipes throughout the book. The ingredients may be a little different, but Caribbean ingredients are explained and their other names are used so they may be easier for the reader to find in a market (Never heard of gungo peas? They are pigeon peas.).

From the introduction:

The foods we present here - the roots and vegetables, abundant fruits and flowers, luxurious spices, coffee, cocoa, and (yes!) even rum - are both good for you and delicious. [For] those unfamiliar with the tropical produce of the islands, we explain how the ingredients are used, list possible substitutions, and describe how to prepare them.

Essentially, they make the complex foods of the Caribbean accessible with a vegetarian flair.

Provisions Chapters and Cookbook Overview

'Provisions' is a Caribbean term in history: "Provisions were the main source of sustenance for slaves in the Caribbean." Provisions is also the first chapter, and is dedicated to roots/tubers, yam, cassava, dasheen, sweet potato and coco (taro). Other chapters (with their Caribbean specialties): Savory Fruits and Vegetables (ackee, cho cho or chayote squash, avocado); Sprouts and Starchy Fruits (hearts of palm, plantain, breadfruit); Greens, Leaves, and Shoots (callaloo, pak choi); Beans, Pulses, and Legumes (gungo peas, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, beans and lentils); Grains; Sweet Fruits and Flowers; Coffee, Cocoa Nuts and Coconut; Rums, Beverages, and Festive Recipes; Sea Salt, Sugar, and spice (pickles, sauces, preserves). Beyond the afterword is more notes on their 19th century sources and local Caribbean produce.

Provisions is a wealth of both Caribbean food history and food notes, and really tasty Caribbean vegetarian recipes. Try the Casava Pancakes below.

Recipe to Try: Casava Pancakes with Sorrel Syrup.

In the book, the authors note that sorrel buds are a good substitute for dried cranberries or dried pomegranate.

Cassava Pancakes with Sorrel Syrup

Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking

Ingredients

  

• 1 3/4 cups cassava flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Large pinch salt
• 1 cup canned coconut milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut oil for the pancake batter plus 1 tablespoon for cooking
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Nutmeg to taste
• Cinnamon to taste

Sorrel Syrup

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups whole fresh sorrel buds washed

Toppings

• Greek yogurt
• Diced fresh fruit like mango and grapes
• Candied sorrel buds from syrup

Instructions

For the Pancakes:

• Combine cassava flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, eggs, coconut oil, and honey; season with nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.
• Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Ladle the batter into the saute pan, using about 3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake. Cook about 2 minutes until lightly browned on one side, and then flip carefully. continue to cook until both sides are golden-brown. Serve hot, drizzled with fresh sorrel syrup and topped with Greek yogurt and fruit.

For the Syrup:

• Bring the sugar and water to a boil over high heat in a wide rimmed pot. Add the sorrel buds. Reduce the heat to low, and allow the mixture to simmer uncovered for about 1 hour until reduced. After about an hour, the sorrel buds should be candied and the liquid should have acquired a syrupy texture. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sorrel buds from the syrup, and spread them on a rack to cool. Once cool, store the candied buds in an airtight container; they will keep for up to three weeks.

Book Info:

• Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking – 150 Vegetarian Recipes by Michelle Rousseau and Suzanne Rousseau.
• Da Capo Press; 2018.
• ISBN13: 9780738234670
• Available in hardback and eBook.

Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher and any opinions are my own. Affiliate links help support this site. Thanks 🙂

Recipe excerpted from Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking—150 Vegetarian Recipes by Michelle Rousseau and Suzanne Rousseau. Copyright ©2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Photo credit: Ellen Silverman.

Enjoy,
Renee Shelton
Succotash Book Reviews
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