The secret to great cooking usually lies in the art of layering flavors throughout the cooking process. The French use Mirepoix, a combination of celery, onion and carrots sautéed in butter as a flavor base for stocks, sauces and stews. In Spanish cuisine, there is the ubiquitous sofrito, a combination of garlic, onion and tomatoes cooked in olive oil. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that we can find the same principle in African cuisine. Today I will be sharing with you a west african equivalent of sofrito called ata lilo in yoruba, which literally means blended peppers. The blended pepper mix is a combination of red bell peppers, tomatoes, chili, and onion that is usually sautéed in palm fruit oil, peanut oil or vegetable oil. There are several variations. You can add ginger, garlic or any combination you like. As a proud mom-taught cook, I always remember those lessons dear mom taught me about picking the right produce. Pick the deepest red peppers, earthy smelling and heavy tomatoes and firm bruise-free onions.  Thanks mommy!

Ata Lilo (Blended Pepper Mix)

2 large red bell peppers

2 medium vine tomatoes

1 plum tomato

1 medium red onion

1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (optional)

1-6 oz tomato paste (optional)

Remove seeds and ribs in red bell peppers and cut into pieces. In a blender, add roughly chopped onions, tomatoes, peppers, scotch bonnet and enough water to blend into a thick sauce consistency.

I get such a visceral reaction to bread.  I can tell good bread apart from bad by just looking at it. Yeah, I know…I am such a gifted person. So when I saw a recipe for buttery dinner rolls in the Oct/Nov 2011 issue of Fine Cooking magazine, I knew I was in for a treat. I took the liberty of sprinkling some dukkah spice on a couple of the rolls. Dukkah is an amazing nut and spice mixture typically eaten in Egypt with flatbread and olive oil. It’s very versatile. It can be used in pasta, on meat and poultry. Try making your own dukkah spice mix and enjoy!

EGYPTIAN DUKKAH

⅔c blanched almonds

⅔c hazelnuts

¼ c coriander seeds

3 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp black peppercorn

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp paprika

Pinch of Turmeric

Pinch of crushed dried chilies

Dry toast almonds and hazelnuts in a heated skillet until fragrant and set aside to cool. Repeat procedure with the spice seeds and peppercorn. Set aside and let it cool. Place nut and seeds with remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a coarse consistency.

Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a month.

Click on link for dinner rolls recipe: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/knotted-dinner-rolls.aspx

Happy Wednesday!

The middle of the week is upon us yet again. I don’t know about you, but time just seems to fly around here. At any rate, let’s talk fish, tilapia, to be exact. Tilapia is not the finest girl in the room, but definitely the girl you want to hang with. Tilapia, native to Africa, is a hardy freshwater fish that can withstand a wide range of water conditions. Tilapia’s hardy flesh allows it to take well to great flavors. Nowadays, you see tilapia just about everywhere, its glorious skin and bones stripped away to produce uninspiring fillets.  So boring. I get it, a lot of folks don’t like skin and bones which is unfortunate since that’s where most of the flavor of the fish resides. For those of us that do like the whole fish, here’s a recipe for a wicked fish spice paste. You can steam, grill or pan fry the fish. It’s all good.

Enjoy!

West African Fish Spice
Paste

2-3 chili peppers (Bird’s Eye)

3 cloves of garlic

1 fresh ginger (approx. 1 inch)

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1 Tsp black peppercorns

2 Tsp dried thyme

2 Tsp dried oregano

2 Tsp grains of paradise

1 Tsp kosher salt

1 Tsp grated nutmeg

1 Tbsp parsley

1 Tbsp cilantro

2-4 Tbsp Peanut Oil

Juice of Fresh Lemon (1)

Toast coriander and cumin seeds in pan until fragrant.  Grind seeds, black peppercorns and grains of paradise in a spice grinder and set aside. With a mortar and pestle, crush garlic, ginger, chilies, fresh herbs and salt into a paste. Add ground spices, thyme, oregano and nutmeg to the paste and stir in peanut oil. This paste can be used as a wet rub for whole fish as well as poultry.

What a weekend! My New York Football Giants managed a win against those lip flapping Philly Eagles and I snuck in a win in my football fantasy league.  Go Verrazano Jillstraps!!! However, the most exciting part of this past weekend was getting to work on the photos for this post. After all, we eat with our eyes first. So I decided that I will make something out of my farmer’s market bounty of the day: Green Beans, Yellow Beans and Carrots.

I love a good side of veggies. It makes all things right in the world, such as pushing down that heaping plate of rice that I fall prey to from time to time.  To add a little attitude to the old standby steamed beans and carrots, I paired these veggies with some charmoula sauce.  Ooh wee! Charmoula is of Moroccan origin. It is similar to the popular Argentina chimichurri sauce.  This side of veggies with some roast chicken is what’s up. Try it!

Charmoula          Yields about 1 Cup          

Adapted from “Yolele! Recipes From the Heart of Senegal”, by Pierre Thiam

½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro

½ cup coarsely chopped parsley

4 to 5 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 ½ tsp paprika

2 tbsp ground cumin

Pinch of ground cayenne pepper

Chop garlic in a food processor. Add the cilantro and parsley
and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive
oil, paprika, ground cumin, pinch of cayenne and salt. Pulse again until the
sauce comes together roughly. Season to taste with salt.

Serves 2-4

1 champagne mango

1 hass avocado

1 scallion, chopped

zest and fresh juice of 1 Lime

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon scotch bonnet, minced

6 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 plum tomato, diced

DIRECTIONS

1. Dice champagne mango or regular mango and set aside in a
   medium-sized bowl. (Champagne mangos are less fibrous and have a thin pit.)
2. Split the avocado in half and remove the pit. Dice the
   flesh and drop into a medium-sized bowl. Add the zest and juice of lime and
   salt and pepper. Lightly toss.
3. Combine crabmeat, chopped scallions, chopped cilantro,
   diced tomatoes, minced scotch bonnet, mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste.  Lightly toss.
4. Use the crabmeat mixture to fill the bottom layer of a
   clear container. Repeat with the avocado mixture and then the diced mango. You can eat immediately, but it’s best refrigerated for at least an hour.

Mila Lake Photography

Food is a gateway to discovering what is most authentic about a culture. Culinary traditions are guiding principles which define the cooking style of a people and/or culture. This blog will showcase the cuisines of Africa and chronicle my journey into the world of food business. I look forward to exploring tastes, traditions and cuisines with you while opening up a whole new world of culinary traditions.