Extreme Cuisine

Ghee

This is like clarified butter.

Heat butter until milk solids separate out.
Skim off solids, save them, and use for flavoring vegetables.
What is left after the solids are removed is a clear yellow liquid, ghee.
Ghee does not burn at high temperatures, and it does not go rancid nearly as quickly as whole butter.

Coconut Milk

1 cup chopped fresh coconut*
1 cup hot water

Place coconut and hot water in blender container.
Cover and blend on high speed until coconut is finely chopped.
Strain through several layers of cheesecloth.
Cover and refrigerate no longer than 48 hours.

* To open coconut, puncture eyes of coconut with ice pick drain liquid.
Bake coconut at 375 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove from oven.
Tap shell with hammer to open.
Cut meat out of shell. Pare brown skin from coconut meat.

Gestowe Soetpatats (Sweet Potatoes Slow-cooked in Butter, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon — South Africa)

Sweet potatoes, skinned, and thick-sliced
1 cup brown sugar, divided
2 or 4 cinnamon sticks, divided
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
Salt, to taste

In a heavy bottomed pot (cast iron Dutch oven) layer half the butter, sweet potato slices, sugar, salt and cinnamon sticks.
Start again with the butter and do layer for layer until done.
Do not add any water at all.
Place the lid on the pot and put on the stove over a low heat for about 2 1/2 hours.

You can also bake this with the same results.
This will keep for two days in the refrigerator.

Berbere (Ethiopa)

Use in soups and stews.

1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/4 cups (yes, cups) cayenne pepper
1/2 cup paprika
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

In a heavy saucepan, toast the first eight spices for 5 minutes.

Add remaining spices and continue stirring for about 12 minutes.

Cool and store it in a tightly covered glass jar.
This will keep in your refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Piripiri (Mozambique)

This is used in Mozambique’s fish and chicken dishes, and it can be used as marinade, basting sauce or a sauce for the table.

4 hot red peppers, crushed, or
2 heaping teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of two lemons
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
8 sprigs of parsley, chopped
1 cup butter, melted

Mix all ingredients together.

African Red Dip with Shrimp

The West African ata sauce is based on a homemade red pepper paste.
The paprika is “toasted” before it is added to bring out its characteristic flavor.

Ata Sauce
1 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons Red Pepper Paste
1 dozen chilled cooked shrimp

Mix chili sauce and Red Pepper Paste.
Serve with chilled cooked shrimp.

Red Pepper Paste
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 of a medium onion
1 small clove garlic
1/4 cup paprika

Place all ingredients except paprika in blender container.
Cover and blend on high speed until smooth, scraping sides of blender frequently.

Heat paprika in 1-quart saucepan for 1 minute.

Add spice mixture gradually, stirring until smooth.
Heat, stirring occasionally, until hot — about 3 minutes; cool.

Spiced Cottage Cheese with Greens (Gomen Kitfo — Ethiopia)

1 (12 ounce) carton cottage cheese
2 tablespoons ghee or butter
1 clove garlic, cut into halves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 green chile, seeded and minced
1 to 2 teaspoons grated gingerroot
2 pounds fresh collard greens or spinach, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons ghee or butter

Mix cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons ghee, garlic, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in medium bowl.
Let stand 15 minutes remove garlic.

Cook onion, chili, gingerroot and collard greens in 2 tablespoons ghee in Dutch oven until tender; drain.

Serve collard greens over cottage cheese.

Yields 6 servings.

Fish Stew with Vegetables

This may be the predecessor of Louisiana’s gumbos.
The okra acts as a thickening agent.

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
4 cups water
1 cup uncooked regular rice
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (10 ounce) package frozen okra pods
1 (10 ounce) package frozen green beans
3 cups sliced cabbage
1 1/2 pounds catfish, perch, bass
fillets, cut into serving pieces

Heat tomato sauce, water, rice, carrots, onion, salt and red pepper in Dutch oven to boiling; reduce heat.
Cover and cook 10 minutes.

Rinse okra and green beans under running cold water to separate; drain.
Cut okra lengthwise into halves.
Add okra, green beans, cabbage and fish to Dutch oven.
Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
Cover and cook until fish flakes easily with fork and vegetables are tender — 10 to 12 minutes.

Yields 8 servings.

Squash and Yams (Futari)

1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound Hubbard squash, pared and
cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium yams or sweet potatoes,
pared and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Cook and stir onion in oil in skillet over medium heat until tender.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender — about 5 minutes longer.

Yields 6 to 8 servings.

Beef in Pepper Sauce (Zilzil Alecha — Ethiopia)

Serve over hot cooked rice.

1 (2 pound) beef boneless sirloin or top
loin steak, 3/4 inch thick
2 medium red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, cut into fourths
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped gingerroot
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips

Trim fat from beef; cut beef across grain into 1 1/2 x 1/2-inch strips.

Place chopped peppers, jalapeño peppers, garlic, wine, gingerroot, salt, turmeric and cardamom in blender container. Cover and blend on medium-high speed, stopping blender occasionally to scrape sides, until mixed, about 45 seconds.

Heat butter and oil in 12-inch skillet until hot.
Cook and stir beef over medium-high heat until all liquid from beef is evaporated and beef is brown, about 15 minutes remove beef with slotted spoon.

Cook and stir onions and pepper strips in remaining oil mixture over medium heat until tender.

Add blended pepper mixture and beef.
Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until beef is hot and sauce is slightly thickened — about 10 minutes.

Yields 8 servings.

Peanut Stew with Chicken (Ghana Hkatenkwan - Ethiopia)

In most of Africa, soups and stews made with peanuts - usually called “groundnuts” - are staple main-meal foods.
Unless you relish very hot foods, begin with no more than half the pepper specified here.

1 (3 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
1/2 of a whole onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon peanut oil or other light cooking oil
1 cup onion, well chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger,
2 hot chiles, crushed, or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
or 1 teaspoon cayenne powder
2 cups fresh or frozen okra
1 medium-size eggplant, peeled and cubed

Boil chicken with ginger and the onion half, using about 2 cups water.

Meanwhile, in a separate large pot, fry tomato paste in the oil over low heat for about five minutes.
Add to the paste the chopped onions and tomatoes, stirring occasionally until the onions are clear.

Remove the partially cooked chicken pieces and put them, along with about half the broth, in the large pot.
Add the peanut butter, salt and peppers.
Cook for 5 minutes before stirring in the eggplant and okra.
Continue cooking until chicken and vegetables are tender.
Add more broth as needed to maintain a thick, stew consistency.

To make this a vegetarian dish, substitute 2 vegetable bouillon cubes for the chicken.
Or make fewer pieces of chicken go farther by removing meat from the bone.

Serve over rice.

Jollof Rice

1 pound boneless beef, round steak (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 fresh coconut
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup long grain rice
1 (8 ounce) can peas, drained

In 3-quart saucepan, brown meat in hot oil.
Drain off excess fat.

Puncture eyes in base of coconut.
Drain milk from coconut; add enough water to make 3 cups liquid.
Add liquid to meat.
Stir in tomato paste, onion, green pepper, salt, pepper and cayenne.
Bring to boiling.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour or until meat is just tender.

Add rice.
Cook, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Add peas; cook for 5 minutes more.

Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: Save the coconut meat for another use.

Chorba (North Africa)

1 large onion, chopped medium
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (15 3/4 ounce) can garbanzo beans
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
Black pepper, to taste

Fry the onions until tender in the olive oil.
Add the paprika and heat in the oil also.
Add about 1 cup water to prevent onions and paprika from burning.
Add carrots, garlic, tomato paste and the parsley and more water to cover.

When the carrots begin to get slightly tender, add the potatoes and water (if necessary )to cover.
Simmer for about 1/2 hour.

Add garbanzo beans and lemon juice.
Adjust the amount of broth by adding more water if necessary.
Adjust flavor by adding pepper and salt if necessary.

NOTE: If meat is desired, chunks of beef or lamb can be added by frying that with the onions at the beginning of the recipe.

This will serve 4 as a side dish or you can double it as a main dish soup.

African Groundnut Stew

1 whole fryer chicken, cut into pieces and
dusted with flour (remove skin, if desired)
Oil for frying
1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup seeded and diced chiles, mild
or hot, to taste (remove skin, if desired)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
3 hardboiled eggs

In a large skillet, fry chicken in oil until golden brown.
Place chicken with tomatoes, salt, sweet potato, onion and chiles in a casserole.
Pour the chicken stock over the mixture and sprinkle with peanuts.
Cover and place in a 355 degree F oven for 1 hour.

To serve, peel and cut eggs in half and arrange on top of chicken.

Injera (Ethiopian Flat Bread)

In addition to being a bread, Injera is also used as an eating utensil.
In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews.
Injera also lines the tray on which the stews are served, soaking up their juices as the meal progresses.
When this edible tablecloth is eaten, the meal is officially over.

1/4 cup teff flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
Pinch of salt
Peanut or vegetable oil

Put the teff flour into a mixing bowl, and sift in the all-purpose flour.
Slowly add the water, stirring to avoid lumps. Stir in the salt.

Heat a nonstick pan or lightly oiled cast iron skillet until a water drop dances on the surface.
Make sure the surface of the pan is smooth: Otherwise, your injera might fall apart when you try to remove it.
Coat the pan with a thin layer of batter.
Injera should be thicker than a crêpe, but not as thick as a traditional pancake.
It will rise slightly when it heats.
Cook until holes appear on the surface of the bread.
Once the surface is dry, remove the bread from the pan and let it cool.

Baked Banana Pie

4 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon banana flavoring
1 2/3 cups ripe bananas, mashed
Pinch of salt

Beat eggs, sugar, milk, flour, cream of tartar, nutmeg, flavor and salt until smooth.
Stir in bananas.
Blend well and pour into a buttered 9-inch glass pie dish.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.

Pie may be served chilled with whipped topping or at room temperature.

Avocado Broth

2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans condensed beef broth
2 broth cans water
3 to 4 drops red pepper sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 large ripe avocado, thinly sliced

Heat beef broth, water, red pepper sauce and lemon juice just to boiling.
Add avocado.

Makes 10 (1/2 cup) servings.

Sweet Potato Salad

4 medium sweet potatoes, boiled
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
Parsley

Cut potatoes in cubes; place in glass or plastic bowl.

Mix oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper; pour over potatoes.
Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Stir in celery, green pepper and onion.
Garnish with parsley.

Banana-Coconut Cake (Akwadu — Ghana)

5 medium bananas
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2/3 cup shredded coconut

Cut bananas crosswise into halves; cut each half lengthwise into halves and arrange in greased 9-inch pie plate.
Dot with butter drizzle with orange and lemon juices.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and coconut.
Bake at 375 degrees F until coconut is golden — 8 to 10 minutes.

Yields 5 or 6 servings.

Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine
1 pound confectioners′ sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 package graham crackers
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt margarine; mix sugar and cocoa together.
Add to margarine. Beat egg and add to mixture.
Add vanilla and nuts.
Break crackers into chips and fold into mixture.
Pour into 9 x 13-inch pan.
Put into refrigerator until set.
Cut into squares.