Love going to the Dutch Antilles and the Island of Bonaire is the all time favourite! It is super relaxed and if you like water sports like snorkelling, diving and wind surfing it really is the place to be. It is also known as bird's paradise...
Some more nice things to do in Bonaire are:
Visiting the donkey sanctuary they take care of around 800 donkeys that live on the island.
Visit Cadushy Distillery in Rincon where they make spirits with local ingredients like the cactus
Visit Washington Slagbaai national park, a real bird's paradise
Go to the Botanical Garden which is a private garden created with a lot of love
For nice beach sites you can spend your day at Sorobon Beach at Lac Bay or Ocean Oasis to relax and enjoy the sea
Besides that, there is also a lot of good food on the island and for me the best is trying local (inspired) food. One of the main local dishes would be Stoba di carni.
Stoba di carni is a beef stew originating from the Dutch Antilles. When you can't go to the Caribbean, you can bring it home... Hope to be "home away from home" soon...
Mind you there are all kind of stews, also goat and chicken is very popular and tasty. I'll share the beef version served with baked polenta and plantain.
Stoba di Carni
Ingredients (4 pax)
1 kg beef (cut)
1 red bell pepper (clean & cut)
1 small can of mais
1 large onion (cut)
2-3 cloves of garlic
dried chilli flakes
1 large carrot (clean & cut)
3 celery (clean & cut)
1 large potato (clean & cut)
10 dried plums (optional)
2 table spoons piccalilly
1 tea spoon mustard
dash of ginger powder, cumin and paprika powder
1 table spoon sliced green olives
1 table spoon capers
salt & pepper
olive oil & full fat butter
2 plantain (bakbanaan)
170 gr polenta
700 ml water
How to Stoba
- add some oil and butter in a large pan and bake the beef till nice and brown
- when done, take the beef out of the pan and set aside
- bake the onion, garlic, celery and carrot in the beef juice
- add the bell pepper and potato bake along
- bring back the beef and stir
- add the plums, piccalilly, and mustard and stir
- add the ginger, cumin, paprika powder and dried chilli flakes, taste if the spice is how you like it!
- if spicy enough for you, add the olives, capers, mais, salt & pepper
- add soem boiling water and let it simmer
How to Funchi (polenta cake)
- boil the water with a pinch of salt
- add the polenta and keep stirring (mine needs about 10 minutes to be ready)
- add a bit of butter
- put the polenta in an oven dish covered with foil
- smoothen the polenta with some olive oil
- let it cool (in the fridge)
- once you are ready to eat, take out the polenta, cut in pieces and bake = funchi
How to plantain
- make sure to have a ripe plantain (dark to almost black)
- slice the plantain in nice even pieces
- bake the plantain in full fat butter until golden brown
Serve the stew with the funchi, plantain and some sour cucumber!
Bon Apetit!
Pics@HeemstedeInKaart
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