Entree: Suriname – Southern Culinary Region – Peperpot (Slow-simmered Surinamese meat stew cooked in cassareep and warm spices)

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 20 min

Cook 30 min

Additional 2 hrs 30 min

Total 3 hrs 20 min

Ingredients

- 2 lb (900 g) beef brisket, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces
- 1 smoked ham hock, approx. 12 oz (340 g)
- 8 oz (225 g) salted or smoked pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
- 1 cup (240 ml) cassareep
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2–3 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, whole or halved (adjust to heat preference)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 tsp (2 g) ground allspice
- 1 tsp (5 g) coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp (30 g) brown sugar
- 6 cups (1.4 L) beef stock or water
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lime juice
- 1/2 cup (15 g) chopped fresh cilantro or culantro for finishing

Instructions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the brisket pieces in batches until well seared; transfer to a plate. Brown the pork cubes and ham hock briefly. Reduce heat to medium, add the onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the scotch bonnet peppers, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, black pepper, bay leaves and brown sugar and cook 1 minute to bloom the spices.
2. Return all meat to the pot, add the cassareep and beef stock (enough to barely cover the meat), bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to lowest simmer. Partially cover and simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours until the meats are very tender, skimming any foam. Remove the ham hock, shred any meat and return it to the stew. Increase heat to reduce the sauce if too thin, adjust lime juice and seasoning to taste, remove whole spices, then stir in chopped cilantro before serving with rice or roti.