Crunchy and moist stewing steak

Ingredients 

Serves 8

1 kg of diced stewing steak

15g of grated ginger

4 cloves of crushed garlic

3 diced green chilies 

2 large finely diced shallots

1 tablespoon of thyme

1 tablespoon of tarragon 

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Method:

Mix the ginger, garlic, shallot, tarragon, thyme, chillies and olive oil in a bowl 

Add the diced steak to the marinade and mix well. 

Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 4 hours or better still overnight. 

Preheat your oven to 160*c

Take the meat out of the fridge and leave for about 30min to reach room temperature .

Scoop your meat marinade into your clay pot or casserole  dish and cover with the lid.

Place the meat in the oven and cook slowly for 3 hrs or until it's crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle when you taste. 

Remove your meat from the oven when it's done and leave to rest for about 15 minutes

Scoop the meat into a bowl and sprinkle chopped coriander and spring onions over it and serve with a wedge of lime. 

Enjoy this as a perfect snack or accompaniment to most dishes like rice, Yam, potatoes etc

All photos are by the owner of this blog

Pan fried Coley and mushrooms.

Ingredients

Spinach

Shallots

Mushrooms

Sunflower oil

Garlic

Coley

Grated Parmesan cheese

Thyme

Sage

Maris piper potatoes

Fish stock

Butter

Salt

Black peppercorns

Blanch spinach for 30sec in hot water

Drain and pour cold water over the spinach to stop it from cooking further and to retain a bright green colour. Squeeze any excess water from the spinach

In a frying pan sweat garlic and shallots on a low heat until translucent. Then add the spinach and warm up for about 30 seconds

Add 3 table spoon full of grated parmesan

Clean and cut portobello mushrooms

Pan fry the mushrooms with dry thyme and set aside

Sage from my herb pot

Fry sage in hot oil 

Boil maris piper potatoes with a pinch of turmeric till cooked.

Shallow fry the potatoes till they are crispy and golden brown

Pat the fish dry and season with salt. Leave the fish to breathe for at least 10 minutes before you fry it. This will allow the skin to be crispy. Fry the fish for 3 minutes , skin side down and turn to cook the other side for 1 minute.

In a saucepan add about 100ml of fish stock and 50ml of white wine. Reduce to about 70ml, then add a dash of double cream.

Pan fry the shallots till golden brown.

 

All photos are by the author of this blog.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken with pan fried okra

Ingredients

1 Tsp mustard seeds

1 Tsp fennel seeds

1 Tsp of cumin seeds

1 Clove of grated garlic

1 tsp of grated ginger

Chopped 1 large red onion

350g of okra

2 sliced chicken breast

2 tsp of sunflower oil

Salt

Pepper



Method:

In a dry heated pan toast fennel, cumin and mustard seeds till you can smell the oils

Then add the oil, chopped onions, garlic and ginger mix. Fry on a low heat for 3minutes

Wash and dry the Okra

Chop the okra into little chunks

Add the okra to the spicy mix and stir gently. Cover the pot and steam the okra for about 8 minutes. Please do not stir too much as it will release the slimy okra juice. The Okra has to be el dente and hold its shape.

This will work as a perfect side dish. I pan fried strips of chicken for this dish. You can use any meat also. Enjoy!

Roast tarragon Chicken

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 chicken breast

2 chicken thighs

1 tablespoon of chopped Tarragon

1 large finely cut shallots

3 grated cloves of garlic

2 diced green chillies 

1 teaspoon of lemon or lime juice

1 tablespoon of olive oil

200ml of Chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

In a bowl mix the Tarragon, shallots, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and chillies together.

Add the chicken to the marinade

Rub the marinade into the chicken and leave overnight or for a minimum of 4 hrs in the fridge. 

Pre-heat your oven to 180*c 

 Pour the chicken and marinade into a roasting dish. 

Cover with foil and place in the oven roast for 15 minutes and then add the stock. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes.

Remove the chicken  from the oven and leave to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Drain the sauce through a sieve into a saucepan. 

Serve the chicken and add the sauce. 

Best served with  

ROAST POTATOES IN COCONUT OIL  

GRIDDLED AUBERGINE AND COURGETTES

Grilled Aubergine and Courgettes

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 large Aubergines, cut lengthways 

2 large Courgettes also cut thinly lengthwise

1 teaspoon of mixed herbs or fresh thyme

2 Sprigs of Greek basil.

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of olive oil. 

METHOD:

In a bowl add the olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs

Mix well and toss the sliced vegetables in the marinade

On a high heat place a griddle pan on fire. 

Griddle each individual vegetable for 1 minutes on each side. 

Remove the griddle vegetable and place in a container with a lid. 

Continue till you have griddle each vegetable. 

Sprinkle the vegetables with greek basil and serve . Best with Feta or mozzarella.

All photos are by the owner of this blog. 

Roast Potatoes in coconut oil

My favourite potatoes are the Maris Piper kind and they make for a fluffy and crunchy roast. Enjoy this recipe made with coconut oil. 

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4

1kg of peeled and chopped Maris Piper potatoes into even sized chunks

300ml of coconut oil

1.2 litres of water

I tablespoon of Semolina flour ( optional)

Salt

METHOD:

Pre heat the oven to 200*c  

Pour the coconut oil into your roasting dish/ tray

Place the oil in the oven to heat up.  

Place a saucepan with water on a medium heat.

 Add the peeled, washed chunks of potatoes and salt.

Part boil them for about 7 minutes and drain the water. 

Leave the potatoes to steam dry for about 1 minute, then sprinkle the semolina over the potatoes.

Gentle shake the potatoes, so the semolina covers it evenly and then using a ladle transfer the potatoes into the hot oil in the oven. (Please take care and use the appropriate protective clothing when handling anything hot). 

Roast your potatoes for about half an hour or until golden brown, making sure you turn them to cook evenly. 

Perfect accompaniment to your Sunday roast. 

Red Red (Black eyed beans stew with fried Plantain)

'Red, Red' is a popular vegetarian Ghanaian dish made from Black eyed beans and Plantain.  The distinct name 'Red, Red' is due to using palm oil. There are different variation to this dish which includes using coconut oil, (my personal favourite) 

 My childhood memory of this dish included the arduous task of picking the perfect black eyed beans from the tiny stones and imperfect ones. This process could take as long as an hour or slightly more and your anticipation and excitement relied on the nod your Mum gave, for her approval. 

Try and be creative with this dish, add any herb you prefer for the added twist. I made a version with sage and chunks of onion. 

You can get perfectly picked black eyed beans in most grocers, so why not try this recipe.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

450g of Black eyed beans (soaked overnight in 1.5 litres of water)

1 litre of water

Thinly sliced 2 large white inions

2 tablespoons of Palm oil (Zomi, spiced palm oil)

4 large blended tomatoes

15 g of grated ginger

1 finely diced habanero chilli (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste.

METHOD:

Drain the water from the soaked beans and run it under the tap for about a minute. 

Pour the water into a saucepan and place on a medium heat.

Add the beans and cook for about 37 -45 minutes. (I prefer my beans with a slight bite hence I cook it for 30 minutes)

Scoop the cooked beans into a  bowl and pour the juice into a container.

 Using the same saucepan(saving on washing) place it on a medium heat

Melt the palm oil and add the onions

Fry for about 2 minutes and add the diced chilli

Fry for 1 minute and add the grated ginger. Fry for 2 minutes and add the blended tomatoes. 

Cook on a medium heat for about 13 minutes or until the sauce holds a double cream consistency . 

See video by clicking on the link below,

http://instagram.com/p/w1i9WIMK1y/

Add the beans to the sauce and scoop 4 tablespoons of it's juice to the sauce. 

Cook for a further 7 minutes or until the beans has absorbed the juice. 

Add salt and pepper to taste

 

Best served with Gari (a West African staple made out of cassava, with a resemblance to couscous ) and fried plantain. (Recipe coming soon)

All photos are by the owner of this blog. 

Clay pot roasted Domedo (Harissa Pork belly)

'Domedo' (Spicy Pork) as called in Ghana has fast become a popular choice amongst the established  street food options. Why not create this simple to follow recipe and bring the streets of Accra food to your plate?

Ingredients:

Serves 6

2 kg of Pork belly (scored)

3 tablespoons of Harissa paste (Available at most supermarkets and coming soon to purchase on my website).

Rind and juice of 1 lemon

20g of chopped coriander

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place the pork in a bowl skin side down, add the Harissa paste, lemon rind and juice. 

Rub the mixture well into the pork and leave to marinade overnight in a fridge or for at least 2hrs.

Remove your pork from the fridge and place in your clay pot or roasting dish, making sure you scrape all the juices and sauce into your clay pot/roasting dish.

Leave the pork out till it comes to room temperature which should be about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat your oven to 180*c 

If you're using a roasting dish, seal with foil and for a clay pot use it's lid.

Place your pork in the oven and cook for 30 min. Reduce the heat to 150*c and cook further for 1hr 20minutes. 

Take the pork out and leave it to rest for 15 minutes before serving. The pork at this stage will break away beautifully.

Remove the crispy pork skin and place aside. 

Cut your pork into cubes , sprinkle with  coriander and serve with blended spicy salsa and a dollop of Shito (Black pepper sauce) and a lime wedge.

Scoop the juice of the pork and pour over the dish, break part of the crispy skin and add to your dish and serve. 

Best with crispy fried Yam chips.

All photos are by the owner of this blog.