Puntacana Blogs
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
    • Puntacana Resort & Club
    • Golf at Puntacana
    • Six Sense Spa PCRC
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
    • Four Points by Sheraton
    • Puntacana Resort & Club
  • Puntacana Village

THREE VEGETABLES ESSENTIAL TO DOMINICAN COOKING

3/18/2015

0 Comments

 
Back in October, we discussed some of the sustainable farming techniques that go into producing some of the fruits, vegetables, and herbs we use in our hotels. To recap:  it is rather challenging to grow large amounts of sustainable, organic produce in Puntacana, but we have found a few clever ways to make it work.  As part of our commitment to sustainability, we have a composting initiative that has worked wonders to make the soil capable of handling the organic produce we cultivate.  What we left out of that last post, however, are the many different plants we grow and why we grow them.

Picture
Organic Cilantro From Puntacana Ecological Foundation.
First up on the list is coriander.  While even mentioning coriander or cilantro can be entering a linguistic minefield, let’s put the fight about fresh coriander and cilantro to rest for a moment and look at the wonderful things we can do with this herb.  Cilantro is a staple food in many Dominican dishes, and it’s often referred to as fresh coriander.  While cilantro goes into a lot of Dominican dishes, including the basics like rice, I think my favorite use of cilantro is in asopao de pollo.  There is just something about one pot dishes that simmer with fresh herbs that I find absolutely irresistible. 
Picture
Organic Tomato From Puntacana Ecological Foundation
Next up are our gorgeous tomatoes.  There are few things in this world as refreshing as a juicy, ripe tomato.  There are also few things as important to the national palate of the Dominican Republic as the tomato.  See, tomatoes are an important part of la bandera dominicana (the Dominican flag), which is a staple dish in the Dominican Republic, and it’s truly delicious.  The flag consists of a serving of rice alongside stewed beans (usually red beans) and stewed meat (usually chicken).  The juice from fresh tomatoes and onions creates the rich, complex sauce that the meat stews in. Tasting these tomatoes is tasting the Dominican Republic.
Picture
Organic Pepper From Puntacana Ecological Foundation
The last plant I want to highlight today is the pepper.  We grow both bell peppers and chile peppers at Puntacana, and it’s a good thing, because both see a lot of use in Dominican cooking.  The dish that I want to talk about next that really shows off how wonderful peppers are is one that probably has as many recipes as it does families on the island, and that is sazon.  Sazon (also known as sofrito elsewhere) is a base that is widely used in many of our dishes.  Far be it from me to tell people how to make it, but I like mine with at least a little bit of cubanelle in it, and I know others like to use all manner of bell peppers in theirs.  It’s most commonly used as an addition to stews, soups, and other dishes, but it’s so tasty I won’t judge you if you eat a little bit straight from a spoon.
While we do grow many other types of organic produce on the resort, including beets, lettuce, eggplant, and celery, those will have to wait for another day.  I hope that you have a deeper appreciation for some of our food.  At the very least, I hope that you leave this blog post hungry. If so, check out the menu for some of our favorite Dominican restaurants

What are some of your favorite Dominican dishes?

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Puntacana Blogs

    Our new way of communication!


    Categories

    All
    Activities
    Corales Championship
    Four Points By Sheraton Puntacana Village
    Four Points By Sheraton Puntacana Village
    Fundación Ecológica
    Fundación Ecológica
    Grupo Puntacana
    Playa Blanca Restaurant
    Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ)
    PUNTACANA Village
    PUNTACANA Village
    Six Senses Spa
    Six Senses Spa
    Tortuga Bay Hotel
    Tortuga Bay Hotel
    Westin Puntacana Resort & Club

    ARCHIVES

    March 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Picture

    Picture
    • TripAdvisor



Click to set custom HTML
 Property of Grupo PUNTACANA
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
    • Puntacana Resort & Club
    • Golf at Puntacana
    • Six Sense Spa PCRC
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
    • Four Points by Sheraton
    • Puntacana Resort & Club
  • Puntacana Village