Recipe: Epis

Epis is a staple in Haitian cooking. It had many uses in Haitian cuisine. It can be used as a marinade for meats or as a

base for cooking rice or soup. Some people even add it to their scrambled eggs. It can be added to almost anything. Like most Haitian food, there isn’t an exact recipe for epis. Each region and cook adds different things to their epis.

Regardless of the ingredients, the steps are simple. Gather your herbs and vegetables and clean. One cleaning method is to place them in a mixture of 8 cups of water, 1 cup of white vinegar, and ¼ cup baking soda for 30 minutes. After cleaning your herbs and vegetables, slide and place them in a food processor. A blender can also be used. Mix everything until it turns into a smooth, consistent liquid. If you would like to adhere to the traditional methods, you can use a mortar and pestle to grind and combine everything.

Ingredients

1 bunch of parsley,

1/2 a bunch of cilantro,

1 green bell pepper,

1 red bell pepper,

1 onion (peeled),

3 heads of garlic (peeled),

5 thyme sprigs,

2 celery ribs,

1/2 a habanero (warning, can be really hot, optional), and

1 Chicken Bouillon cube (optional).

NOTE: If using a food processor, no need to add any liquids or oils. The spices will produce their own oils. If using a blender, add a ¼ cup of olive oil. Add more if necessary.