Last Updated on May 19, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Keshi Yena
Dutch Caribbean Gluten Free Savory Pie is a traditional #glutenfree savory cheese pie from Aruba & Curacao. It is an explosion of flavors with African, Dutch, Latin and Indonesian influences.
Bonbini! (welcome in Papiamento)
One of my pet peeves is when people lump all Caribbean food into one basket. Imagine saying all African food is the same when the foods of Kenya will be quite different from the foods of Ghana or saying all South American food is the same. Tell someone from Uruguay or Colombia that they eat the same food and they will think you quite ignorant and ill informed. When people think of Caribbean food, usually the first thoughts are Jerk Chicken and Rice & Peas or the Indo-Caribbean cuisine of Trinidad and Guyana which includes Curry, Dal & Buss Up Shot (Roti). However, the Caribbean is a diverse group of islands with different influences from the British, French, English, Spanish and Dutch depending which country colonized the island.
Since most migration from the Dutch islands occurs to the Netherlands, it is an under-represented cuisine and culture here in the United States. However, my family originates from this part of the world so here I bring you a little taste into the diversity of Dutch Caribbean Antillean Cuisine.
Before we get to the recipe, why don’t we learn a little bit about the Dutch Caribbean! Even though my Mom is from Aruba, I am going to focus today’s cultural lesson (sorry if I sound like a teacher) on Curacao where I have just as much family as I do in Aruba, since I speak about Aruba so often.
Dutch Caribbean History
Hearing the unique language of Papiamento (a patois language originating from the fusion of English, Spanish, Dutch, French and Portuguese) as you stroll the streets of Willemstad is a listening experience. If you speak Spanish, you will understand most of it but then there will be other words that will be totally foreign to you – the same if you speak Portuguese or Dutch. These three have the largest influences on the language. The difference languages are represented by just counting from 1-10 in Papiamento – Un, Dos, Tres, Kuater, Sinku, Sies, Shete, Ocho, Nuebe, Dies…
The island of Curacao is the largest of the Netherland Antilles and is a unique Caribbean island. One of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), the Dutch influence remains strong in its architecture, culture, language and cuisine. For a little bit of Europe in the Caribbean, Curacao is the island destination for you. Consider it for your next vacation!
There is something for everyone on the island of Curacao for relaxation, history and culture:
- Beautiful beaches don’t fail on this island, located outside of the hurricane belt
- In just an hour and a half, you can go to Caracas for a shopping spree and be back in Curacao for dinner
- The oldest synagogue in the Americas, a visit to Mikve Israel-Emanuel is a unique part of Curacao history
- The historic port city of Willemstad is a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Golf courses
- Scuba diving and snorkeling
Now let’s get to the recipe for Keshi Yena – Dutch Caribbean Gluten Free Savory Pie …..
As diverse as the language is the cuisine with influences from the Dutch, Spanish, Indonesia and Africa. Like Suriname, Aruba and Curacao were colonized by the the Dutch and the influences on the cuisine remain. Due to its proximity to Venezuela, Aruba is also influenced by Latin American cuisine. It is just as common to have Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) as it is to have Sancocho (hearty Latin American soup).
Today’s Keshi Yena is the national dish of both Aruba and Curacao. Keshi is the word for cheese and yena is the word for stuffed. This stuffed cheese is traditionally #glutenfree. You can think of it almost like a gluten free quiche or savory pie. Dutch Edam cheese is the only cheese that is ever used to make Keshi Yena.
Here is the perfect one pot meal if you are on a low carb diet although due to the amount of cheese, I can’t say the same for the fat content! However, it is usually eaten with cornbread. I’ve given the quantities to make 2 pies as I think this is the perfect dish to serve for parties. (Note: if you are Vegetarian, simply replace the ground meat with soya chunks)
Dutch Caribbean Recipes
- Pastechi – Dutch Caribbean Empanadas
- Panlevi – Sponge Cookies
- Tutu – Savory Cornmeal Porridge (Polenta)
IN THE MAKING – HOW TO MAKE KESHI YENA
It really is an explosion of flavors in your mouth. The filling is salty, sweet and spicy – all at the same time with the crusty top shell and the soft cheese at the bottom.
There are many variations to this dish. It is also often made with chicken or tuna and even rice is sometimes stuffed inside as well.
Although I think of it as the perfect carb free one pot meal, it can also be eaten with rice or bread. In Aruba and Curacoa, it is often served with our version of Cornbread – Pan Bati.
Keshi Yena
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- 2 onions chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1 Scotch Bonnet pepper finely chopped
- 3 tomatoes chopped
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sweet relish
- 2 tablespoons spicy mustard
- 1 1/2 pounds Edam cheese
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 lbs. ground turkey chicken or tuna can also be used
Instructions
- Heat oil. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and Scotch Bonnet. Saute until softened.
- Add meat and cook until meat is thoroughly cooked.
- Add tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, relish and Worcestershire. Simmer for about 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- In a small bowl, beat 4 of the eggs.
- Add to skillet and cook, tossing frequently, for 3-4 minutes.
- Add a generous sprinkling of black pepper and scant amount of salt.
- Add parsley. Stir to combine and cook for 1 more minute. Let cool.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg.
- Grease 2 pie plates with butter.
- Place cheese slices along the bottom and sides of the dish, overlapping the slices, making sure there are no spaces.
- Place half of the filling inside.
- Cover with more cheese slices, again making sure there are no spaces.
- Brush the top liberally with the remaining egg to seal, especially at the edges.
- Repeat for the second pie plate.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Yum
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Wow yummy recipe, tempting
Ohh yummm ..
yummy,,,,,,thanks for linking to my event…
Thank you for sharing your tasty sounding recipe with the No Waste Food Challenge! 🙂
Wow this stuffed cheese pie looks delicious. Thank you so much for linking this, and so many other delicious recipes, to the Flavours of the Caribbean event.
Looks great Mir. Must try this.
The cheese crust sounds amazing! I didn't see where you add the raisins and capers though.
thanks for pointing it out. I've updated the post
Very interesting one to read about! I love savory pies..
thanks – yes the foods of the dutch are always cheese obsessed
The recipe definitely is a medley of flavours , interesting read too .
thanks – fusion cuisine it is
savory pies are great to add to the list of baking recipes, i liked the combination of flavors and the crust is beautiful
thanks – yes isn’t a cheese crust so unique!
yummm… good savory pie
Amazing pie recipe. I get the food generalization…. Each and every region has its own and we can’t just group them all together.
yes absolutely
Quite a different kind of pie. There are so many many many different kinds of cuisines in this world. Each unique to the country and then each one varies from home to home.
yes – this cheese pie is unique to Dutch islands
I felt like I was in a geography class… 🙂 There is so much to learn when it comes to food and what I find really interesting is how changes are made at least in a minor way to a base recipe and converted to something unique to that particular region… what immediately comes to my head is rice pudding – one simple dish with n number of variations. Similarly, this pie sounds like a pot pie without puff pastry but oodles of cheese… That is seriously so much cheese! But definitely a treat too…
Yes. I am a rice pudding fanatic and have tried so many different versions from different countries and the varieties are all so unique and vast
I loved the video, it’s really awesome. I would love to try this savoury dish with vegetarian options.
sure just replace the meat with soya chunks or even some sauteed mushrooms instead could be used
I enjoyed reading this post both for the information and the recipe. Savory pie sounds wonderful.
thanks – yes its a part of the Caribbean that most people know little about
Love reading your food posts mir, shows how little we know about food! your cookery class students are very lucky, they will be taking more than just a recipe!!! Pie looks delish, i bet it will taste even yumm with all that cheesy crust!
thanks a lot for the compliments!