Provisions – a book review

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Dark and Dreary months

During these dark and dreary months here in the Pacific North West it was like a ray of sunshine when I opened my copy of Provisions a cookbook with roots in Caribbean cooking. Written by sisters Michelle and Suzanne Rousseau, very successful restaurateurs in Kingston Jamaica with their groundbreaking restaurant Ciao Bella, fusing classic techniques with Jamaican ingredients. 

150 vegetarian recipes

The book itself is made up of 150 vegetarian recipes that play on provisions and ingredients in a modern way with the odd rock solid classic thrown in like the old fashioned blue mountain chocolate layer cake that I have bookmarked for my next birthday. 

“food”

In the Caribbean provisions refers to that of which you grow underground like taro, yams, cassava, sweet potato, roots or tubers. As Rousseau explains, provisions are served in some form or other at every meal and have become simply named “food” by locals across the islands. It’s also a very fitting name for a cookbook. 

Homemakers of the Caribbean

Provisions is not only a cookbook but a strong shout out to all the women chefs, cooks, caretakers, housekeepers and homemakers of the Caribbean that kept the island moving forward. With roots in slavery, the gardens and provision grounds were tended by women who wove themselves invaluably into food culture as inventors and entrepreneurs. In the introduction, the sisters dive into their family history to tell stories of wonderful meals with influential women whose story was untold. 

Ten chapters

Ten chapters break down the book into sections like Number 3, Sprouts and Starchy Fruits (hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, pumpkin, banana, plantain & breadfruit), Number 5, Beans Pulses & Legumes (black beans, gungo (pigeon) peas, chickpeas, lentils, red peas & black-eyed peas) or Number 7 Sweet Fruits and Flowers (mangoes, papaya, berries, citrus, melon , guava, pineapple, passion fruit and sorrel).

Chickpeas with Cilantro and Coconut

Festive drinks

There is also a great chapter on festive drinks and another on pickles preserves and sauces. The book is loaded with great pictures of the finished dishes along with easy to follow recipes lead by great stories and sometimes a history lesson. 

Shop differently

Obviously for some folks getting your hands on ackee to try their Ackee Tacos will be difficult but with a recipe in mind, this book may make you shop differently exposing you to other ingredients more readily available like plantain. 

A new take

Craving a veggie burger, I found provisions had a new take on it using caramelized plantain as the binder with black beans, cilantro, scallion, chili peppers and oats. The Haitian pikliz that they recommended with the burger stood out as a recipe I would like and happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. A fiery pickled slaw that is brightly stained by the red cabbage and spiked with cloves and fresh chilies, island style. 

Black bean burgers

With the pikliz waiting in the fridge for a couple of days I finally had time to find some decent plantain and make dinner. The black bean burgers came together in a flash using the food processor as explained in the recipe. Cooked in a bit of coconut oil they browned up and held together well. 
I plated them simply on half a toasted bun and a pile of pikliz on top. The colour of the pikliz is just amazing and backed up by a unique crunchy flavour. The burger was moist and loaded with flavour packing more than enough protein to fill us up fast. I will probably make them smaller next time. I have gone on to use the rest of the Haitian pikliz on conventional burgers, sandwiches and tacos and love it. 

Banana curry

Another recipe that caught my eye besides the “banana curry” or their “oven roasted flatbread with goat cheese, cilantro-coconut pistou and sweet and salty pumpkin seeds” was the simplicity of the “chickpeas with cilantro and coconut”  artfully plated with grated papaya, just ripe mango, lime, coconut and cilantro. The chickpeas are sautéed in fragrant fresh chilies, ginger, spices and fresh cilantro and then tamed by the fruit. For me, this dish was everything you would expect to eat at a beach somewhere in the heart of the Caribbean. 

A regular thing

Vegetarian cooking is becoming more of a regular thing in my kitchen and to discover new flavours, ingredients and food traditions is always interesting. Provisions hits the mark for me with bold flavours and stomach rumble inducing recipes (pecan pie infused with rum!) that have me using ingredients I don’t regularly buy and during the darkness of winter it’s a great way to brighten things up at dinner.