Emily Mader: Journal 1 – ‘La Bandera Dominicana’

    Today I landed in the Dominican Republic just in time for lunch. When I arrived at my grandmother’s house, I was greeted with steaming rice, a stew of pigeon peas, chicken, ripe plantains, and avocado on a large dining table. The combination of rice, beans, and meat, along with other sides, is a dish called ‘La Bandera Dominicana’ which translates to ‘The Dominican Flag.’ The dish is a staple to the Dominican diet and is almost always present at the lunch table. I feasted on the food together with my grandmother, cousins, aunts, and uncles. From an outsiders perspective, it may seem that my extended family reunited today at lunchtime to greet me upon arrival, but the truth is that my extended family comes together daily at my grandmother’s house to enjoy her cooking of ‘La Bandera’ and share news of what is going on in their lives. Even if my aunts and uncles are at work, they will often find time to come to my grandmother’s house to eat as a family. We typically eat and talk at the dining table for about an hour, and after completing the meal, some family members choose to stay longer to continue conversing. Today is the first of many shared family lunches I will have this summer.

Me and my family eating at a restaurant several years ago.

    Although ‘La Bandera’ isn’t the Dominican Republic’s most unique and complex dish, it remains close to my heart because it is present in all of my memories of eating lunch with my Dominican family. It is also a dish that I take with me wherever I go. In Atlanta, I eat ‘La Bandera’ almost every day for lunch, to the point where I’ve gotten questioned from friends if I ever get tired of eating rice and beans (I do not, rice and beans are ingrained in me). Although I can eat rice and beans wherever I am, one thing that I particularly love about eating ‘La Bandera’ in the Dominican Republic is that either the meats such as beef and pork, or the beans, are often stewed. The beans, in particular, are stewed with a creamy consistency. The stewed items are used to wet the rice, which is typically very dry and grainy. Oftentimes, Dominicans let the rice slightly burn on the bottom of the pan, creating a thin coat of dry and crispy rice called Concon. I personally don’t enjoy eating Concon, but everyone else in my family loves it.

Image from: http://hungryfoodlove.com/2012/10/15/la-bandera-dominicana-dominican-flag/

    ‘La Bandera Dominicana’ is said to be called that way because it represents the Dominican flag. The Dominican flag has three colors, red, white, and blue. The rice represents the white of the flag, the beans represent the red, and the meat represents the third color. Rice is not native to the island of Hispaniola but was introduced through Spanish settlers who had gotten it from Asia. Pigeon peas and red kidney beans are both popular choices for La Bandera. Pigeon peas are said to have originated in India and have been brought over to the New World via the slave trade. On the other hand, red kidney beans are believed to be native to the Caribbean. These foods have become widely cultivated, and thus became part of the daily lunch staple dish. In the Dominican Republic, lunch is the most important and largest meal of the day, an eating custom that is primarily influenced by Spanish settlers on the island of Hispaniola. Traditionally in Spain, Spaniards take a two to three-hour break from work or school to fuel themselves with a large meal.

Recipe:

Arroz Blanco (White Rice):

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil (soy, peanut or corn)
• 1¼ teaspoon of salt
• 6 cups water
• 4 cups of rice

Instructions:

1. Heat up half the oil over medium heat and all the salt in a 1.5 qrt (approx) cast iron or aluminum pot (Amazon affiliate link).
2. Add the water, being careful with splatters.
3. Rinse the rice in running water, drain well (optional, I don’t do it).
4. Bring to a boil and then add the rice, stirring regularly to avoid excessive sticking.
5. When all the water has evaporated cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer over very low heat.
6. Wait 15 minutes and remove lid, add the remaining oil, stir and cover again.
7. In 5 minutes uncover and taste, the rice should be firm but tender inside.
8. If necessary, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes over very low heat.

Habichuelas Guisadas (Stewed Beans):

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of dry pinto , cranberry, or red kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 pinch of oregano
• 1 bell pepper , chopped
• 1 small red onion cut into four quarters
• 2 cloves of garlic , crushed
• 1 cup of diced auyama (West Indies pumpkin)
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• Leaves from a celery stalk , chopped (optional)
• 4 sprigs of thyme (optional)
• ½ teaspoon of chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon of salt (or more, to taste)

Instructions:

1. Soak the beans overnight.
2. Remove the beans from the soaking water and boil in fresh water until they are very soft (may take up to an hour, or about 20 minutes in a pressure cooker.
3. Separate the beans from the boiling water. Reserve both.
4. In a pot heat the oil over medium heat.
5. Add oregano, bell pepper, onion, garlic, auyama, tomato sauce, celery, thyme and cilantro. Cook and stir for half a minute.
6. Add the beans and simmer for two minutes.
7. Add 6 cups of the water in which the beans boiled (complete with fresh water if necessary).
8. Lightly mashed the beans with a potato masher to break them out of the skin.
9. Cook until it reaches a creamy consistency.
10. Season with salt to taste.

Pollo Guisado (Stewed Chicken):

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of chicken cut into small pieces
• 2 limes cut into halves
• A pinch of oregano
• 1 small red onion chopped into fine strips or eighths
• ½ cup of chopped celery (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (more may be necessary)
• ½ teaspoon of mashed garlic
• 2 tablespoons of oil (corn, canola or peanut)
• 1 teaspoon of regular white sugar
• 2 cups of water
• 4 plum tomatoes cut into quarters
• 2 green bell or cubanela (cubanelle) peppers
• ¼ cup of seedless olives cut into halves (optional)
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• A small bunch of fresh coriander leaves
• ¼ teaspoon of pepper

Instructions:

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Scrub with the lime, getting lime juice into all the crevices.
2. In a bowl mix the chicken, oregano, onion, celery, salt and garlic. Marinate for 30 minutes.
3. In a pot heat the oil over medium heat, add sugar and wait until it browns.
4. Add the chicken (reserve all the other things in the marinade) and sauté until the meat is light brown.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring and adding water by the tablespoon as it becomes necessary.
6. Add onion, celery, tomatoes, cubanelle pepper, olives, and garlic, cover and and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through, adding water by the tablespoon and stirring as it becomes necessary.
7. Add the tomato sauce and half a cup of water, simmer over low heat to produce a light sauce. Add fresh cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe from: https://www.dominicancooking.com/17570-la-bandera-dominicana-our-traditional-lunch-meal.html