Sometimes Less is More

My sister has this theory that the foods people tend to rave about (the things that we enjoy the most) have the least number of ingredients. I've had that experience recently with a dinner party. I slaved all day creating several masterpieces, and when everyone came over, my guests were all raving about the white rice. White rice, really? I definitely love it, but it there really isn't anything to it.

I had a similar experience at my favorite Greek Yogurt place. The first time I tried it, it was like a party in my mouth. I have never had yogurt that good! So when I asked for the ingredients, I expected a long list of ingredients. Now, I'm sure they didn't tell me the family secrets, but I only received two ingredients (milk and honey).

This brings me to one of the simplest Haitian recipes that I know: pikliz. It's the Haitian version of pickled vegetables, and is usually served as a topping to the fried pork. I've seen lots of recipes for this online that call for adding everything from garlic and onions to peas and string beans. However, the version I like the most only has four ingredients. I'm sure it's still good with these other things, but in this case, I think the simpler version gets you exactly where you want to go.

As always, please think of the recipe as more of a guideline. The recipe below is very spicy and makes a fairly large amount: feel free to use less habaneros (if you want it less spicy) or less cabbage and carrots (if you don't want this much). You do want to keep an even mix of cabbage and carrots, though, which is how I ended up with this amount to avoid wasting any ingredients.

I don't know if it's fundamentally necessary, but I like to mix the cabbage and carrots evenly before adding the habaneros and vinegar. It's also best when it's had the chance to sit for a few days.

Pikliz Ingredients: 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded 6 carrots, peeled and shredded 8 habanero peppers, finely chopped 32 ounces white vinegar

Directions: 1. Remove the stems from the habaneros. 2. Combine the cabbage, carrots, and peppers (including seeds) in a half gallon jar. 2. Add the vinegar to jar and give it a good shake. Store in a cool place.