Taste The World

Saturday at Callanwolde was too much fun! Refugee Services held their annual "trip round the world of food". I had a great time showing people how to make a trio of easy and delicious recipes from Africa. My friend and fellow chef Beci Falkenberg made my job easy - and we did a lot of laughing and cooking for the hungry crowd.

Here's the African goodies we cooked up:

African Spice Dip

Dukkah
1/2 cup salted peanuts


1 Tsp chili powder


1/4 Tsp ground ginger


1/4 Tsp ground nutmeg


1/4 Tsp ground cloves


1/4 Tsp ground cinnamon


Kosher Salt to taste


Grind the peanuts to a coarse powder in a mortar, blender or food processor, and then add the ground mixed spice, chili powder and a little salt.

Serve with Goat Cheese topped Apple Slices. Or, use for a rub on Chicken or Pork, top Goat Cheese with it, Use as a dip for fresh fruit like Apples or Pears, or serve it with Crusty Bread and Olive Oil.

Tropical Coconut Fruit Salad with Mango Vinaigrette

1 Recipe Mango Vinaigrette*

1 Peeled and Cored Pineapple, in 1” Cubes

2 Large Navel Oranges, Peeled and Segmented

¼ Cup Coconut

½ Cup Chopped Peanuts

¼ Cup Chopped Mint

Toss the pineapple, oranges and mango together in a bowl. Drizzle with the Mango Vinaigrette, garnish with the coconut, peanuts and mint.

Mango Vinaigrette*

1 Mango, Coarsely Chopped

Zest and Juice of 1 Lime

Zest and Juice of 1 Orange

1 TB Chopped Cilantro

¼ Cup Rice Vinegar

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

½ Cup Nut Oil

Kosher or Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper To Taste

Place the mango, lime zest and juice, orange zest and juice, cilantro, vinegar and mustard in a blender or food processor and puree. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil. Taste and add the salt and pepper.

Black Eyed Peas with Rice

Theibou Niebe - Senegal

1 Tsp Olive Oil

1 Cup Minced Red Onion

2 Cloves Garlic, Grated

½ Cup Smoked Turkey or Chicken

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

¼ Tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

1 (16 oz) Bag Frozen Black Eyed Peas, (Prepared as Package Directs)

1 (14 ½ oz) Can Fire Roasted Chopped Tomatoes, Undrained

½ Cup Minced Fresh Cilantro

¾ Cup Chopped Sweet Cherry Peppers

Kosher or Sea Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to Taste

Basmati Rice to Serve

Step One

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion, until golden. Add the garlic.

Step Two

Stir in the chicken, cumin, pepper, peas and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro and peppers. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on top of Basmati Rice.

FAST FOOD FACT

Did you know frozen fruits and vegetables could be more nutritious than their fresh counterparts? When you pick fresh vegetables from your own garden, or buy them at a farmer’s market the day they are harvested, they are at the peak of freshness. But fresh produce from the supermarket may have been sitting for days or weeks in transit. Frozen fruits and veggies have been picked at the peak of ripeness, and are immediately flash frozen. Freezing locks in the minerals and vitamins. This means they may be more nutritious than those sitting in the grocery store for days.