Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Epis
Epis, or zepis, is the foundational seasoning in Haitian and creole cuisine. A raw blend of peppers, alliums, and herbs; many versions include green habañero or Scotch bonnet chilies which gives it a kick. Many variations of epis abound. Use epis in traditional Haitian dishes, certainly, but also to liven up other soups, sauces, bean dips and more. Epis will keep in the fridge for 5 to 7 days and freezes beautifully.
 
Prep time 15 minutes
Makes about 5 cups
 
8 whole cloves, freshly ground
1 bunch scallions, cut in ½-inch slices
1 small leek, cleaned well, cut in ½-inch slices
1 medium yellow onion, cut in a large dice
1 stalk celery, cut in ½-inch pieces
1 cup parsley, packed, cut in ½ -inch pieces
1 green pepper, cored, cut in a large dice
½ red bell pepper, cored, cut in a large dice
½ orange bell pepper, cored, cut in a large dice
½ yellow bell pepper, cored, cut in a large dice
1 green habanero, seeds and membranes removed, cut in ½-inch pieces (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and cut in pieces
3 tablespoons lime juice
 
Use a coffee or spice grinders to grind the whole cloves into a powder.
Add all the epis ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. If you have a smaller processor, make epis in two batches.
Run the processor for a minute and scrape down the sides. Repeat for a few seconds more. The texture of epis should not be smooth like a sauce but have some texture with bits of color from the peppers detectible.
Transfer to small tight-lidded jars and refrigerate until use.