Legim, a vegetarian recipe from Haiti

Name: Legim
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Haiti
Ingredients: 2 aubergines, cut into large dice; 2 chayotes, peeled and diced; 300 g green cabbage, shredded; 2 carrots, sliced; 200 g spinach; 4 tbsp epis (blended parsley, thyme, garlic and pepper); 1 onion, sliced; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 1 whole scotch bonnet chilli; Juice of 1 lime; 1 tsp salt

Method

Soak the diced aubergine and chayote in lime water for 10 minutes, then drain.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Boil the aubergine, chayote and carrot for 20 minutes, until a knife tip meets no resistance.
Drain, keeping 200 ml of the water. Crush the vegetables with a pestle or fork into a rough purée.
Heat the oil in a casserole. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, add the epis and tomato purée, and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the vegetable purée, cabbage and reserved water. Set the whole chilli on top without piercing it.
Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the mixture pulls away from the base of the pan.
Stir in the spinach, cook 5 minutes more, lift out the chilli and adjust the salt. Serve with white rice.

Epis is the aromatic base of every Haitian kitchen. Blend parsley, thyme, garlic and pepper with a little oil and vinegar, then keep it in the fridge for a week. Without it, legim stays a plain vegetable stew.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.
Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.

Frequently asked questions

What is epis and how do I make it?

It is the aromatic base of Haitian cooking: parsley, thyme, garlic and pepper blended with a little oil and vinegar. It keeps for a week in the fridge and starts most dishes. Without it, legim is just a pot of mashed vegetables.

Why sit the scotch bonnet on top whole and unpierced?

Whole, it lends its fruity side while releasing only moderate heat. Pierced or chopped, it lets out its seeds and membranes and the dish turns fiery. It comes out before serving, which also lets you judge the heat for your guests.

My legim is watery. How do I thicken it?

It is a matter of uncovered simmering time. Those thirty minutes are there to drive off the water from the vegetables: stir every five minutes and keep going until the mixture pulls away from the base of the pot as the spoon passes. Add the reserved cooking water in small amounts only.

Legim

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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