Harissa meatballs with black eyed beans

Ingredients:

For the meat balls;

500g minced beef

1 tsp of Harissa paste or dry Harissa spice

1tsp of pomegranate seeds (get from most Indian shops)

1tsp of tandoori spice mix

2 chopped green chillies

4 sprigs of thyme (remove from stalk and only use the leaves)

1 diced medium size red onion 

Small bunch of chopped coriander and parsley

1 minced garlic

1 duck egg (optional) You can use any egg  but I prefer the light and fluffiness that duck eggs lend to the dish.

A pinch of salt to taste

1/2 a tsp of freshly ground black pepper

For the beans

300g cooked black eyed beans

1 medium red onion

1 tsp of cumin

2 chopped green chillies

1tsp of coconut oil

For the Sumac raw salsa

Dice 3 large sized sun ripened juicy tomato

A small bunch of chopped parsley 

1 small diced red onion

3 tsp of extra virgin oil

1 chopped green chilli ( you can deseed the chillies to remove it's hotness and enjoy it's subtle kick) 

Personally I prefer the extra kick

Dice half a cucumber

1 tsp of Sauvignon Blanc vinegar ( I got mine from Sainsbury's) or any other white vinegar 

Salt

Pepper

1 tsp of Sumac

Method;

In a bowl add the minced meat, pomegranate seeds, tandoori spice, Harissa spice, diced onions, chillies, minced garlic, coriander and parsley. 

Add the duck egg and using your fingers mix everything together till it's well combined and all the herbs and spices are evenly distributed. 

Roll the mix into a big ball. Using a table spoon (to help create an even sized meat balls), scoop a mixture and roll in between your palm to create medium sized balls as below

You should get 20 or 21 (in my case) individual portions of meat balls which will comfortably feed 4. 

Let the meat balls rest for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavours to permeate and also bring it to room temperature.

In a pre heated oven grill of gas mark 200*c, place the meat balls in the middle of your oven grill and cook for 7 minutes. Leave the meat to rest for 5 minutes. Remove the meat balls to a separate bowl and don't discard the meat juices. We will be using the juicies later.

Beans

Place a saucepan on a medium heat with the coconut oil. Once the oil is medium hot add the diced onion and cook for about a minute. Add the chillies and fry for a further minute. Add the cumin and cook for 30 sec. 

Add the beans and it's juices to the sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and pour the mixture into the meat juices.

Mix the beans and juices together.

For the Raw Sumac salsa combine all the ingredients apart from the sumac in a bowl. Mix well and sprinkle the sumac on top and serve.

Mix together the beans, Sumac salsa and  meatballs. Serve with your favourite white or red. Best still freshly brewed Palm Wine (African things) . 

Voila! Enjoy and please don't forget to leave a review of the recipe. 

Recipe for Lamb and Paneer Sagwala

Ingredients

 Serves 6

Spice Mix:

3 Cardamoms

1 teaspoon of Coriander Seeds

2 Cloves

1 teaspoon of Cumin Seeds

1/4 of a teaspoon of Fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon of Carom Seeds

1 large size Onions

 100g of Ginger

2 cloves of Garlic

3 Green Chillies

A small bunch of coriander

2 tablespoon of Sunflower oil

2 tablespoon of butter

2 teaspoon of sea salt

2 large bags of spinach

200g Paneer (Cut into cubes)

1kg of diced lamb preferably with bones

Rice:

3 cups of basmati rice

5 cups of vegetable stock / Water

100g of peeled and chopped Pistachio nuts

4g of Saffron

3 Cardamoms

1 teaspoon of Cumin seeds

1 Diced medium size onion

 

























   

















           

Method:

In a saucepan warm the spice mix to release it's oils. Once you can smell the spice (which should not take more than 2 minutes), quickly take it off the heat and pour into a mortar and pestle, (Please keep an eye on it or else it will burn ) . 

Roughly bash the spices and pour into a blender. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and some little liquid to form a paste.

                                 

Marinate the lamb for at least an hour in the paste.  On a medium heat, melt the butter with oil, add the marinated lamb and cook on a medium heat for an hour or until tender but with a little bite. 

                                   

Then add the paneer and cook for a further 5 minutes until the cheese is cooked through. 

In a separate saucepan sweat half a diced onion and the green chillies on a medium heat for about a minute. Wash your spinach, coriander and wilt them in the mix.

Blend the spinach mix into a smooth paste.  

Add the Spinach blend to the meat and cook for a further minute.                           
                                 

Rice; 

Wash your rice in a colander under a running tap for about 2 minutes. 

Melt the butter and oil together on a medium heat for about a minute, then add the onions. Cook gently for another minute then add the cumin, cloves and cardamom . Fry for a further half a minute and add the washed rice to the mix. 

Stir the rice into the mix and fry for a further 3 minutes. ( Stir your rice to avoid it sticking to the bottom of your pan). 

Warm your vegetable stock or water and gently pour half into the rice mix, this might bubble, so be cautious. Add a further quarter of the juice and cover with a lid. Turn the heat down and cook for about 12 minutes. (The juice would've evaporated by now)

Then sprinkle the saffron onto the rice and add the remaining stock or water. Cover ad cook for a further 15 minutes and turn the heat off. 

Serve your rice and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and a portion of the Lamb Sagwala. Best served with a cold beer. Enjoy!

Don't forget to leave a review for the recipe, when you try it. 

I'm in love with Emerald Tomatoes

I have to write about an ingredient, a rather controversial fruit, I met yesterday at Tesco's called 'Emerald Tomato'.

She looks like an unripenned tomato but has a soft feel to touch. Emerald Tomato is  described as sweet and purposefully grown to keep her unripenned look. 

I decided to make a simple green inspired salad. 

Emerald Tomatoes

A simple salsa of emerald tomato with sweet onions and a drizzle of an African homemade anchovies oil and black pepper. The tomato is crunchy and sweet

 I decided to use the rest of the tomatoes for a warm salad for brunch today.

Ingredients

 6 sliced Emerald Tomatoes

 A bag of Rocket

1 medium size sliced sweet onions

 1 medium size diced Avocado into chunks

Sliced 1 whole Courgettes into disc shapes

 225g of Halloumi (Cut into chunks)

 100g of cooked Bambara beans (optional)

Marinade

2 tablespoonful of olive oil

Smoky sea salt

2 pinches of freshly toasted ground black pepper

Method

Cut your courgettes into little disc shapes 

In a separate bowl mix together  the olive oil, salt and black pepper.

Add the courgettes and Halloumi to the marinade

Using a  hot griddle pan, grill the courgettes and Halloumi for a 

minute on each side.

In a bowl, add the rocket, onions, tomatoes, avocado, courgettes, bambara beans and halloumi. Drizzle the remaining marinade  over the salad and serve immediately.

A crunchy green salad with grilled Halloumi, Courgettes and Bambara beans. 

An Italian affair (Trastevere, Rome). Part 1

My love for Italian dishes and subsequent holidays to Italy is my idea of a dream. I love travelling, mainly to immerse myself in the culture and food of various countries.

However in all my travels, Italy ticks all the right boxes for food and culture. 

The enchanting and intoxicating streets of Trastevere has me hooked. The anticipation of finding something unique, creative and breathtaking makes me walk around for hours and hours on end. The excitement of finding obscure Trattoria's, a bakery shop, a fresh pasta making shop, the amazing grocers, vintage cars and the retro clad individuals.

The best part after exploring most of the town, is treating yourself to a chilled glass of Prosecco, Wine or Beer, in a rustic bar, outside ,whilst feasting your eyes on passersby. 

Intrigued by these gentlemen with their dishevelled but equally cool and retro appearance. 

I'm not into cars but I loved this. It reminded me of an old Bedford truck that was used as public transport in my childhood in Ghana. 

One rule I always abide by when I travel, is to eat everything local, as one is guaranteed good and fresh food. I always avoid 'touristy' restaurant and hunt for places the locals visit. With this in mind we came across this place called 'The Fish Market'

 We had to queue for an hour and a half as it operates a first come service. This place does not operate a booking service and I can understand why. Most people visiting this restaurant were a trendy retro bunch.

You select from a variety of fresh fish and seafood by the weight and state how you want them cooked. Alternatively you can select from their standard menu.

You are allowed to get drinks from the bar and wait outside for your turn. However the random service of deep fried Calamari and anchovies, with the accompanied cheers from everyone outside waiting, was a great idea and one I'll never forget.  When next you are in Rome just try them

The amazing Tuna Carpaccio 

Shredded fresh Fennel, Grapefruit , Anchovies and Rocket

Tuna tartar with raspberries and balsamic glaze. 

What I loved about 'The Fish Market', was the creative combination of ingredients, in a simple way, but had a great impact on my taste buds.  A must visit!

Exploring the streets of Trastevere

The perfect Cappuccino and spot to people watch. 

Quenching my thirst from one of the many fountains across Trastevere

A traditional Roman dish made of tripe.

I couldn't resist a bowl of fried fish

Please come back and read about the second part of my secret 'Italian affair'. 

My Mango Obsession

The mango season in Ghana, is one that feels me with nostalgia and excitement. The local grocery markets are filled with freshly, plucked, sun ripened mangoes and the hawkers, screaming for your attention to purchase their wares.

The process of touching each mango, checking for their freshness, juiciness and smell, before they qualify for your basket increases your appetite for these mangoes. 

The most frustrating and rewarding way of eating Mangoes, is one you hunt yourself. Typically most Ghanaians do own Mango trees at home,and that in itself is where the problem of obsession stems from. 

The ripened Mangoes always seemed to be at the top of the tree. One had to create different  ways of getting to the Mango, as the 'first come first serve rule operates' during the Mango season. 

I found it interesting, how some people 'short gun' the Mangoes, just because they saw it first, however did not have the process to get to it. 

Enjoying my Alphonso Mango!

This is where my obsession for Mangoes started.  During my childhood we had two different varieties of Mango trees. 

The variety we had was the Nam-doc-mai (which we called Salo mango), which is large with an oval shape, dark to medium green in colour. The skin stays green even when ripe, you'll have to squeeze it gently to check for it's ripeness. The only frustration with this tree is,  it bore limited fruit, was difficult to maintain and Mum monopolised the tree. The best part was when they were ready to be eaten, mum fridges them and after dinner, she gives me a share of the mango. 

Using my teeth to bite the tip off, I squeezed the mango gently but firmly, to get to the juice . The first taste of a perfectly ripened chilled Mango is just amazing and if you still have a few more Mangoes left to devour, you eat them quickly, regardless of the juice dripping on your hand (which one quickly licks off skilfully)

The taste of Nam-doc-mai is creamy, firm with less fibres and extremely delicious. The tree is generally short and the fruits are always within an arms reach to pluck. 

My cousin, Francisca got me this gorgeous Mango from Ghana. 

A perfect rounded shaped 'bad girl'.

The second tree was the Alphonso variety. This 'bad girl' bore many fruits that got me in trouble over the years. These sun kissed , juicy, fibrous mango will stare at you from the top of the tree. One had to be creative with ways on getting to the ripened mango.  The most common approach was using   stones, a long stick, climbing the tree or patiently waiting for the Mango to fall off the tree. 

Perfectly ripened Alphonso mango

 The easiest way is to wake up at dawn and visit the Mango tree. You are guaranteed easy picking during the peak of the Mango season. However if you miss that opportunity, then you need to use different options. 

Enjoying my Mango at lunch at Bushey Park

If on the other hand you just have one Mango to eat, then you take your time, to savour all the juices, take the seed out, skilfully separating the juice from the fibres and finally finishing both the juice and skin. 

I wanted my Mangoes to be perfect, hence ~I always climbed the Mango tree, to my Mum's displeasure, pick the mangoes, scrape my leg against the tree (I have scars on my leg due to my Mango obsession), however enjoyed every bit of my hard work. 

My box of sun ripened Alphonso Mangoes from my local grocer in Hampton Hill

I've always bought Mangoes from the supermarket, which most times are disappointing . However the best are from Waitrose and Marks & Spencer , who stock the sun ripened juicy Mangoes. 

I've tried the honey sweet and juicy taste of 'Pakistan Mangoes', they are amazing. 

My obsession for Mangoes has no boundaries. Finding out my local grocers, next to my office stocks the best Venezuelan, almost perfumery Alphonso Mangoes, was and still is the best news ever. They reserve a box of handpicked Mangoes each week for me till the season ends. 

I prefer to have my Mangoes in their natural form, in my African way with the juices running down my hands, preferably under a Mango tree. I know I can't push the 'Under the Mango tree' bit, so I always include Mangoes when I organise a picnic or visit the park.

When I uploaded my picture on Instagram about my obsession for Mangoes, I noticed a lot of people shared my obsession. Below is a comment from a fellow Mango obsessor. 

  Miss Hassan writes:

'My favourite fruit is Mango. My family and friends know how crazy I am about the fruit. I would not be able to pass by a shop that sells fruits without having to buy mangoes. One time I went to a fruit market , bought a box full of mangoes and I finished them in three days (there were probably 23+ of Mangoes in the box). I get cravings of it and haven't eaten it in a while and this could also include cravings of just the mango skin. I love Mangoes."