Habichuelas con Dulce

So we had last Friday off from class. I was imagining sleeping in a little and having a nice quiet day at home. I slept in a little, but when I got up I found out that my host mom had decided that I was going to make las habichuelas con dulce. Which literally translates to sweet beans. Now, I've been hearing about this dish since I got here. It's a traditional dish that they make around Easter or the Semana Santa here. Easter isn't just one day here it's a whole week long process and all the kids have the week off from school. So after I had breakfast my host mom had the fogon (wood fire cooking stove) all set up and going and Yameli, my friend Andrea's host sister was there too. My mom had already cooked the beans and blended some of them up so it was more like a bean soup. We put this in a big pot, then added some whole beans and some pieces of sweet potato and some water and brought it to a boil. Then we added cloves, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, ginger, evaporated milk, regular milk (I guess some people use cocunut milk), raisins, and some little round cookies. It looks kind of like thin chocolate pudding although you come across chunks of the sweet potato and beans periodically. I was pretty skeptical but it's actually really good. I like it hot better than cold, but everybody has their preference. My host mom made me take a little thermos full with me when I went out visiting so my friends and their families could try it. And when our training director stopped by on Monday to visit my host mom had saved a little bit for him so he could try it. Apparently I'm now ready to get married, now that I know how to make habichuelas con dulce! I think I still need to learn to make some other Dominican dishes first!


Here's my friend Andrea's little sister, Yameli helping to cook.


Here's my host mom Maria.


And here I am!!

Later on in the afternoon my friends Andrea, Cliff and I also went up to Doña Ana's house to learn to cook some other things. Well, really we watched her cook but they were little meriendas (appetizers) that I think I could make again. She made chulitas (which are fried yucca that she had shredded up with a cheese grater). You can make them with whatever you want to toss in; she had put in garlic, onion, salt and pepper. They were yummy. Then she made a dulce de coco (cocunut sweet). First, you boil some water and add cloves and cinnamon, then you add the sugar and dissolve it in the water, then you add the coco and you cook it until the water evaporates out and you're left with these absolutely delicious cookie like thing.

Ok, enough about food. I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it!