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August 1998 Recipe:
Giambo (Okra Soup/Gumbo) and
      Funchi (Corn-Meal Mush)  Serves 6-8

This dish is another typically Aruban dish: Giambo (pronounced ghee-yam-bo) is the Antillean gumbo, a thick, hearty soup. The pur?d okra gives it a slippery consistency.

Soak overnight:

• 1/2 lb. salted beef

Discard water. Place the beef in a heavy kettle with:

• 2 quarts fresh water
• 1 ham hock
• 1 or 2 onions
• a few sprigs of parsley
• 1 or 2 carrots
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 celery stalk

Bring to a brisk boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about one and a half
hours, or until meat is tender.
Place in the simmering kettle.

• 1 lb. red snapper fillets

After a few minutes test the fish with the tines of a fork, and remove from
the broth when it flakes easily. Make a bite-size chunks of the fillets. Remove
the beef from the broth, cube and set aside with the fish. Strain the broth
and return it to the fire. Discard the ham hock and vegetables.
To the simmering broth add:

• 2 lbs. okra, washed and sliced
• A few sprigs crushed yerba di hole, or fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Simmer until the okra is tender. With a lele stick, or its equivalent, a wire
whisk, reduce the okra to a pur?. Return the cubed beef and red snapper
pieces to the kettle. Heat thoroughly and adjust seasonings.
Garnish giambo with:

• 1/4 lb. cooked shrimp

Funchi (Corn-Meal Mush) Serves 6

Funchi is a must with this delicious soup and we have therefore included the recipe as well:

Funchi, the Antillean staple, is a simple corn-meal preparation. It must be
vigorously stirred while cooking and to the rhytm of these rotations
old-time cooks repeated. Un pa mi, un pa bo, un pe. Funchi was then
scooped from the kettle with a little round calabash, and the "funchi ball"
was placed on each individual plate - "One for me, one for you, one for him".

Mix in heavy saucepan:

• 1 1/4 cups cold water
• 1 1/2 cups corn-meal
• 1 tsp. salt

Stir in:

• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 tbs. butter

Bring to a brisk boil over high heat and cook for three minutes. Continue
cooking an additional three minutes, stirring the funchi vigorously with a
wooden spoon or palu di funchi. When the mixture is very stiff and pulls
away from the sides of the pan, remove from the fire. Turn out in to a deep,
well-buttered bowl and cover with a plate. Now shake the funchi down in
the bowl, then invert it on a serving platter.

For a special Sunday breakfast fry sliced funchi in butter and serve with
crisp bacon and scrambled eggs.

(Hand drawn illustrations by Lisa Tromp)

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[ This page was last updated on Friday, January 04, 2008 ]

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