Book of Days Tales

The 2^nd Monday in March is designated as Commonwealth Day by the U.K. and its international dependencies – heir to the British empire. The Monday closest to March 9^th is also Baron Bliss Day in Belize, which used to be British Honduras before independence. Bliss was an English lord who settled in the Caribbean in the early 20^th century, spending most of his time yachting and fishing around the islands. At the time of his death in 1926 he was living on his yacht in the waters of Belize, never having actually set foot on the island. Nonetheless, being childless, he bequeathed his fortune of around one million pounds to the island to be held in stocks, and only the interest used for charitable purposes. A small amount was also set aside for a regatta to be held on his birthday, March 9^th .  Since his death, various institutions have been established in his name on the island funded by his behest, and the closest Monday to March 9^th honors his generosity. 

Belize is famous for boil up, a classic soupy stew.

Ingredients

2 lbs fish, cut into chunks.
1 lb pig’s tails, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 chunk of salted pork, diced)
2 eggs
1 yam
1 cassava
2 large sweet potatoes
2 ripe plantains
4 green bananas
1 onion, peeled and sliced
3 cans diced tomatoes
2 tsp baking powder
pepper, and salt to taste
4 cups flour

Instructions

Boil cakes (dumplings)

Combine the flour, baking powder, and enough water to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into three-inch balls and flatten each.

Tomato Sauce Preparation:

Sauté the onions in a deep skillet, then add the diced tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm

Preparing the Vegetables

Peel the yam, cassava, and sweet potatoes. Chop them into three-inch chunks. Remove the skin of the green bananas and slice them. Peel the ripe plantains and chop them into cubes.

Boiling Process:

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

Add the pig’s tails and cook for about 2 hours. Turn off the heat and reserve them for later.

Meanwhile, in a pot with fresh water, add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the chopped vegetables and salt pork and cook until tender (about 1 hour). Towards the end of the cooking process add the boiled cake dough.

Cooking Fish and Eggs:

Remove the boiled items with a slotted spoon and add the raw fish chunks to the pot. Cook until tender – just a few minutes.

In a separate pot hard boil the eggs. Peel the shells and slice the eggs in half.

Plating:

Plate all boiled foods on a shallow dish.

Place the boiled eggs on the provisions, bananas, plantains, boiled cakes, fish, pigtails, and salted pork.

Pour the tomato sauce over everything.