Cassava and Saltfish Pie

Good Friday in Trinidad and Tobago

At last! Good Friday is here. For most Catholics in Trinidad and Tobago this begins the Easter Triduum and the culmination of the Lenten season. Of course in Trinidad and Tobago we have our traditions surrounding Good Friday as well, one of which is the “Bobolee”, a scare crow of sorts that represents Judas Escariot.
Well, the custom with the “bobolee” is to beat  it to smithereens with anything you’ve got….from sticks to stones …man just let him have it…planass him if you like lol! …..I’m sure if Judas were alive today in Trinidad, he would have been a year round “bobolee”, getting licks for “selling out” we Jesus. lol!!

Anyhow, another fine tradition on Good Friday is to have a meal of ground provision and some sort of fish, usually salt fish, salt mackerel (expensive mind you) or any other fish for that matter. It’s our approximation to the Seder meal or as I would put it, the Seder meal gone Trini 🙂

If you would like to find out more on my take on this long standing culinary tradition click here .  I really had a great insight on the significance of the  Good Friday meal.

Cassava and Saltfish Pie:  A Twist on a Local Dish

For today’s Good Friday meal, I have come up with another twist to the regular cassava and saltfish. This idea I got from my mentor again while on the phone chatting away about food….She told me instead of doing the normal cassava and saltfish why not bake it in the form of a pie.  My eyes lighted up that instant and I was on the path to making this cassava and saltfish pie a reality.

So here is my take on a traditional Good Friday dish. Enjoy!

Cassava and Saltfish Pie Recipe

CASSAVA AND SALTFISH PIE

Ingredients:

2 lbs. cassava
1 medium onion, divided (1/2 sliced and 1/2 chopped finely)
4 tomatoes, diced
2 seasoning peppers, finely chopped
1 sweet pepper, chopped and divided
1 lb salt fish, boiled and flaked
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp celery (leaves only), finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp white pepper
3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk

Direction:

Wash, peel and boil cassava. Remove centre “string”.

Dice the boiled cassava.

Crush and season the cassava using paprika, white pepper and parsley.

Now it’s time to make the white sauce

In a small pot melt the butter. Add the flour and stir.

Then add the milk and continue to stir until the sauce gets to a thick consistency.

Add the sauce to the cassava.

Pour the white sauce and add the finely chopped onion,1/2 of the chopped sweet pepper, and 2 cups cheese.

Mix evenly.

Boil and flake the saltfish

Sauté the onion and garlic in two tablespoons olive oil  for 1 minute. Then add the diced tomatoes…

…and allow to cook  for about 2 minutes. Add the chopped celery, seasoning pepper, and sweet pepper

Add the saltfish and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. You may need to add a little water while the saltfish cooks, about 1/4 cup.

Time to assemble:

Place about half the cassava mixture in a greased dish (13 x 8 x 2 inches) and spread evenly with the back of a fork. Then add the layer of saltfish. Top off with the remaining cassava.

Sprinkle the Parmesan on the top completely .

Note: You can substitute with any cheese

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cool.

Well that’s it for another delightful recipe, hope you enjoyed it . See you soon.

Ah gone.

Oh by the way feel free to leave a comment or two below if you like my Cassava and Saltfish Pie. 🙂

Print

Cassava and Saltfish Pie

Course Seafood, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Cuisine Caribbean

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 9

Author Felix (Simply Trini Cooking)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. cassava
• 1 medium onion divided (1/2 sliced and 1/2 chopped finely)
• 4 red tomatoes diced
• 2 seasoning peppers finely chopped
• 1 sweet pepper chopped and divided
• 1 lb salt fish boiled and flaked
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
• 1 tbsp celery leaves only, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp all purpose white flour
• 2 1/2 cups reduced fat milk 2%

Instructions

• Wash, peel and boil cassava. Remove centre “string” and dice. Crush and season the cassava using paprika, white pepper and parsley.
• For white sauce: In a small pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir. Then add the milk and continue to stir until the sauce gets to a thick consistency.
• Pour the white sauce and add the finely chopped onion, 1/2 of the chopped sweet pepper, and 2 cups cheese. Mix evenly.
• Boil and flake the saltfish.
• Saute the onion and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil for 1 minute. Then add the diced tomatoes and allow to cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chopped celery, seasoning pepper, and sweet pepper. Add the saltfish and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. NOTE: You may need to add a little water while the saltfish cooks, about 1/4 cup.
• Time to assemble. Place about half the cassava mixture in a greased dish (13 x 8 x 2 inches) and spread evenly with the back of a fork. Then add the layer of saltfish. top off with the remaining cassava.
• Sprinkle the Parmesan on the top completely. NOTE: You can substitute with any cheese
• Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cool.