The world is a passionate place, full of passionate people. Passion for sports, arts, music, travelling, academia, and many, many more. But it would not be unwise to claim that food is probably the most popular of passions out there.
To keep your food passions aflame, we bring to you a range of cuisines and recipes from both ends of the Indo-Caribbean trail, and today is no different.
The recipe of the day is the La Bandera.
Widely celebrated as the national dish of the Dominican Republic, La Bandera is a meal for all occasions. Generally constituting of rice, beans, meat and a salad, La Bandera is considered a full course meal and eaten as lunch, or dinner.
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs Chicken, Cut into 8 Pieces
- 1 Onion, Finely Chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
- 4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 2 Cups Tomatoes, Seeded and Chopped
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1/4 Cup Cilantro, Chopped
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock
- 2 Potatoes, Peeled and Chopped
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 3 TBSP Olive Oil
- 3 Limes, Cut in Half
- 1 tsp Sugar
Preparation:
Rub chicken pieces all over with lime juice. In a bowl mix the oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet, add sugar and wait until it turns golden. It should take about 30 seconds. Add chicken and stir so it gets covered all over with the golden brown colour, cook until browned on both sides. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic to the pot and sauté until the onion softens and turns translucent, taking about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, cilantro, and bay leaves and cook for another few minutes to reduce the liquid.
Return the chicken pieces to the pan, add the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add more stock if necessary.
Add the potatoes and simmer for another until the potatoes are tender, taking about 15 minutes.
Uncover to check the sauce, stir and keep cooking until tomatoes have released all their juices and formed a sauce.
Adjust seasoning and serve with arroz con habichuelas and a side salad.
Also Read: Learn How To Come Up With Famous Barbados’ Cuisine (Flying Fish and Coucou).
