Boil Up

"Boil Up" is a staple of Belizean cuisine, bringing together a medley of ground provisions, desalinized salted pig tail, and soft boil cakes, all swimming in a vibrant tomato sauce and garnished with grated hard-boiled egg yolks. Perfect for a hearty main course, this dish encapsulates the rich flavors and cultural heritage of Belize.

Ingredients

🍌 2-3 Green plantains
🍠 1 Large sweet potato, orange flesh
🌰 1 Coco/Taro root
🌿 1 Cassava
🥔 2 Potatoes
🍠 1 Yam
🐖 Salted pig tail, boiled three times to desalinize
🥬 1/4 Head cabbage
🌾 2 cups All-purpose flour
🧂 1/2 tsp Salt
🔶 1 tsp Baking powder
💧 Water, as needed to form dough
🍅 1-2 Yellow/orange tomatoes for concassé
🥥 Coconut oil for sautéing
🧅 1/2 White onion, chopped
🧄 1-2 Garlic cloves, chopped
🌶️ Belizean hot pepper, "Hot Mamma's", optional
🥚 1-2 Hard-boiled eggs per serving, yolks grated
🍺 Belikin beer for serving

Instructions

1- Prepare Pig Tail:

• Boil the salted pig tail three times, changing the water each time, to desalinize.
• Keep the water from the final boil for cooking other ingredients.

2- Boil Ground Provisions:

• Peel and cut the ground provisions into chunks.
• Boil in salted water or use the final pig tail water, until each piece is soft (20-30 minutes).

3- Prepare Cabbage:

• Cut the cabbage into large chunks.
• Boil in the pig tail water until tender-crisp.

4- Tomato Concassé:

• Score an "X" on each tomato's bottom.
• Blanch in boiling water until skins peel off easily (approximately 5 minutes).
• Peel, core, and deseed.

5- Tomato Sauce:

• In a blender combine concasséd tomatoes, onion, and garlic until smooth.
• Heat coconut oil in a pan.
• Pour in tomato blend, cooking until a bright red color is achieved. Season to taste.

6- Boil Cake:

• Combine flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Add water gradually to form a dense dough.
• Shape into small, flat cakes.
• Boil in pig tail water until they rise to the surface (about 10 minutes).

7- Boil Eggs:

• Hard-boil eggs, peel, and grate yolks for garnish.

8- Assembly and Serving:

• Arrange the boiled provisions, cabbage, pig tail pieces, and boil cakes on a serving plate.
• Drizzle with the vibrant tomato sauce.
• Garnish with grated egg yolks and serve with Belizean hot pepper sauce like "Hot Mamma's."
• Pair with a cold Belikin beer.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Calories: Approximately 400-600 per serving
Equipment: Various sizes of cooking pots/saucepans (stainless steel)
🔪 White plastic cutting board
🔪 Chef's knife (black handle, stainless steel blade)
🔌 Blender (Hamilton Beach, silver base with glass pitcher)
🥣 Stainless steel mixing bowls
🧤 Green striped oven mitts
🍽️ White rectangular serving plate
🍴 Slotted spoon/spatula (black handle, stainless steel head)
🔗 Small metal strainer (for grating egg yolks)
🍲 Small prep bowls/ramekins (glass and metal)
🔥 Electric coil stove top

Cooking Tips

• Infuse more flavor by cooking ingredients in the pig tail water.
• Ensure coconut oil is very hot before adding the tomato blend for a vibrant sauce.

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Boil Up

Posted by Waivio guest: @waivio_hivecooking