Garlic Harissa Marinade

 
A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine who has one of those jobs that has her in a different country every few weeks, told me she had a gift for me and the package would be dropped off at my house one night. When the package was delivered, it was a pretty la bag of Harissa from Tunisia in a cooling bag. My screams and leaps in the air had the Mr wondering if I got jewelry in the bag (my weakness).

Harissa is a uniquely Tunisian condiment paste that usually contains different kinds of peppers, spices like garlic, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and some kind of oil for preservation. Every spice merchant and family has their version of Harissa that is made and sold and this means they have people loyal to them who choose to patronize them only. I have seen versions with more exotic ingredients like rose petals and version as basic as peppers and garlic only. While it is traditionally Tunisian. Harissa can now be found in other Northern African countries now.

I use Harissa in everything from jollof rice dishes to savoury mixed meat stews. However, my favorite way to use Harissa is as the base of a delicious marinade that can be used on any type of meat, seafood, poultry, vegetables and even on potatoes. The beauty of this marinade is that all ingredients go into a blender and any extra marinade can be stored in the freezer for weeks with constant power supply.

To make approximately 1 cup of marinade, you will need:

• 1/2 cup Harissa paste
• 2 cloves peeled garlic
• I red onion – rough chopped
• 1 yellow scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 dried bay leaf
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil

Directions:

• Add all the ingredients into a blender and process till smooth. Taste and add salt if needed
• Coat raw food of your choice with the marinade and grill or bake till cooked.

I used this marinade to jazz up regular breakfast sausages as well as on chicken with simply delicious results.

Home Remedy Series: Soothing a Sore Throat, Decongesting a Stuffy Nose....

The rainy season is upon us in full effect. Along with the rains come colds, sore throats and all sorts of general unpleasantness. In my household, my son and I are just recovering from a terrible cold - that came with a bad cough, watery eyes and sore throat. My husband is staying far far away from us in the hopes that this shall avoid him. No love in sharing in this care (Insert side eye here)

 

In addition to the mandatory arsenal of medicine given by the doctors, this old remedy has gone a long way to easing my symptoms. It is a remedy that I am sure is as old as time and has been duplicated in modern medicine - in syrups and lozenges. It is a very simple honey, ginger and lemon mix made with hot water. The steam clears stuffy noses and the honey and lemon soothe sore throats as it goes down.

 

The beauty of this home brew is that most of the ingredients needed should be available all the time in most kitchens and you can mix the ingredients to taste. You will need:

• Lemon juice
• Pure natural honey
• Ground ginger
• Hot water

 

 

 

 

Mix all the ingredients in a mug and sip. I suggest at least 3 mugs of this a day until the dreaded cold is gone.

 Enjoy!!!

Overnight Oats - Take 2

Can you tell I am obsessed with overnight oats?

 

I am so obsessed, I have these oats at anytime of the day now. What's not to love though? Healthy, filling and cold. I also just found out that oatmeal is considered brain food and is integral to the diet for growing children. Add several more pluses here.

 



 

 

 

This version is one that my son loves. After getting him ready for school, he clamps his mouth shut and refuses to let anything pass his lips. Except oatmeal. He does not eat huge amounts in the mornings but with all the healthy goodness in this version, I know he has enough to keep him full till snack time at school which sets my mind at ease

 

 

 

You will need:

• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup milk - flavored milk works just as well.
• 1 crunchy apple like Granny Smith - core removed and cut into chunks
• 14 cup dried raisins
• 1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes

Directions:

• Pour milk over the oats and store in a lidded container in the fridge overnight
• The next morning, add the remaining ingredients, sweeten to taste if desired and stir to combine. Serve cold.

 

Enjoy!!!

Chips. Salsa. Dip. Nigerian Style....

I love Mexican food. Especially loaded nachos with fresh salsa and sour cream.

Now that I am living in Lagos and watching my calories and also constantly creating recipes that put unconventional twists on what most consider conventional ingredients, I decided to put my spin on this favorite of mine. Instead of corn chips, I opted to make unripe plantain chips, a fresh salsa with some produce from my garden and a natural yogurt dip taking the place of sour cream.

This little platter is so easy to put together but is so different from what your guests will expect and is the perfect appetizer or movie snack. My favorite part: it is pocket friendly. Do not be put off by the fact that there are 3 elements to this dish. They are really easy to put together.

To make the plantain chips to feed 2, you need:

• 2 green unripe plantains
• Salt
• Vegetable oil

Directions:

• Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the plantain lengthwise as thinly as possible
• In a large frying fan or a deep fryer, heat the oil
• Add the plantain and fry till crispy
• Drain and season with salt to taste

To make the salsa, you need:

• 1/4 red or white onion - diced finely
• 2 firm tomatoes - diced finely
• 1 hot pepper - jalapeno, scotch bonnet - diced finely. Remove seeds if you want to tone down the heat
• 1 sweet pepper - sweet banana or bell pepper - diced finely
• 3-6 leaves of Basil/ Cilantro / Coriander/ African Basil or Scent Leaf
• Salt to taste

Directions:

• Combine all the ingredients and season with salt to taste

To make the yogurt dip, you will need:

• 1 cup natural unsweetened yogurt
• 1 spring onion - chopped
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl

Once all the elements are ready, serve and enjoy.
The salsa and yogurt dip can keep in the fridge overnight. Use leftovers in sandwiches and burgers or to top a salad.


 

Cool Down With A Refreshing Watermelon Spritzer

If you are one of those people that thinks all the talk about global warming is a load of bollocks....and you live in Lagos, Nigeria at the moment...then I have no words for you. LOL

 

It is blazing hot. Scorching hot. Its so hot that air conditioners are struggling to churn out cold air. Its muggy. Most people are uncomfortable. Its supposed to be rainy season now but I can count on one hand how many times it has rained this year.

 

Drinking - make that guzzling liters of water and other cold beverages is imperative to keep hydrated and stay in relatively good spirits - I blame a lot of snappish behavior on the heat. (:-))

 

I say make the drinking fun too. This watermelon spritzer is cool. Its refreshing. It has fruit. It is easy to put together. It gives a buzz. What's not to like?



 

 

 

 

 

To make a pitcher spritzer that will serve 2 or 1.... you will need:

 

• 2 cups of white wine
• 75cl of soda water/sparkling water
• 1/2 cup grenadine
• 2 cups diced deseeded watermelon

 

Directions:

• In a pitcher/jug with a lid, add all the ingredients and stir to combine.
• Refrigerate till ready to serve
• Pour into serving glasses and enjoy......

 

 

This spritzer will make the guys and dolls happy. Make this in the morning so you can have a chilled glass of this at the end of the day.



 

 

Enjoy!!!!!

Chefrican......

I will be one of the chefs with episodes on the new EbonyLifeTv series Chefrican that starts airing on May 10th on channel 165 on DSTV. 

Please watch and send me emails with questions or comments.

Enjoy!!!

Messy Eats: Fragrant Prawns

A lot of us were told growing up not to play with our food. That was all well and good when trying to teach manners, however I know now, in my culinary journey that some of the best food experiences involve playing with one's food - using hands to eat.

Communal meals in the Middle East and a lot of Africa involve huge trays with different items of food and plates or bowls for individuals with hands used to scoop food from the trays to your mouth. There are rules of etiquette that guide this process. This practice is seen in India as well. Even in the West, messy burgers and fries require fingers to get the job done. Closer to home, popular Nigerian meals of soup and a starch (swallow) are best eaten with hands.

I wanted a full on messy but delicious food experience that involved hands and sauce and would be fun as well. I thought of crawfish in the US cooked in spicy seasoning and served on long tables with diners wearing bibs to protect their clothing from stray juices and people taking the shells off these little critters and some sucking the heads (the best part) with looks of rapture on their faces.

Inspiration came.

This dish is so easy to put together but is really finger licking good. Literally. You can have it on its own. Or with rice or potatoes or soft bread to mop up all the sauce. Regardless of what you choose to have as a side to accompany this dish, have spare plates for the shells and lots of paper napkins to clean up afterwards.

You will need:

• 1kg plump shell on prawns
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 small red onion - cut into chunks
• 6 cloves of garlic - peeled and cut into half
• 1 small piece of ginger - cut into 2
• 4 green chilies - cut into half
• 2 large lemongrass stalks - bruised or cut into half
• Choice of fresh herbs - one or a mix of thyme, African Basil (scent leaf), curry leaves, basil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

• In a large sauce pan, add all the ingredients except the prawns and bring to a gentle boil stirring constantly.
• Taste and add salt to taste
• Add the prawns and stir to make sure the prawns are all coated with the sauce
• Turn the heat to low and cover pan
• Cook for 10 minutes and stir prawns and sauce
• Serve in individual bowls

Enjoy!!!