Spiced Plantain cake recipe

Plantains are part of the Banana family of Genus Musa. In differentiating between the two, bananas are generally eaten raw and are sweeter in taste whereby Plantains are cooked before eating. 

Plantains are larger, starchier, sweeter when ripened and are rich in Vitamins A & D. They are staples in most West African homes and are treated as potatoes, (steamed, boiled, roasted,fried etc).

There are different ways of cooking Plantain both ripened or unripened and on this occasion I'm using the over-ripened plantain. 

This is an in-expensive flavourful dish which you should include in your Christmas Lunch or dinner. 

Ingredients;

4 over-ripened plantain

Spice Mix

15g ginger

2 shallots, peeled and chopped

1 green chilli

1 clove

2 cups of  self raising flour

1 large egg

100g of chopped coriander

Salt 

Half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Ripened Plantain

Method;

Blend the spice mix together to a smooth paste.

In a bowl peel the over-ripened Plantain and add the spice mix and egg. Using your clean hands mash the mixture between your fingers till you have a coarse texture. 

Add the flour and black pepper and mix, till combined.

 Cut the coriander roughly and add to the mix.

Add salt to taste. 

Leave the mixture to rest for at least 20 minutes, to allow the flavours to infuse. 

Whilst waiting for the mixture to rest, pre heat your oven to 180*c and grease a baking tin.  

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 25 minutes. The cake should rise and have a golden brown crust at the top. Insert a skewer and if it comes out clean, your cake is done. 

Leave to rest for 3 minutes, turn your cake out onto a flat surface and serve warm. 

 Serve with a nice spicy tomato sauce or Bambara nuts stew.

Perfect with fresh Pineapple juice or Palm wine. All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.  

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'.