Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes…With a Twist! Part III- Yellow Rice with Raisins

South African Yellow Rice with Golden Raisins

This isn’t just any Yellow Rice and you can’t find this out of a Goya box!  I first tasted South African Yellow Rice from Madiba restaurant (read their review also in this newsletter!) and I loved the flavor!  I’m not typically of fan of sweets in my savory but the golden raisins are imperative to this recipe!  Try it, you’ll love it.

 

South African Yellow Rice w/ Raisins

 

4 tbsp butter

 

2 ½ cups long grain white rice or basmati rice

 

2 sticks cinnamon

 

1 tsp salt

 

1 tbsp sugar

 

1 ½  tsp turmeric

 

1 cup golden raisins (sultanas)

 

2 cups water

 

 

 

Melt butter over moderate heat in a heavy medium sized pot.  Add rice and stir until each grain is coated.  Add cinnamon sticks, salt, sugar and turmeric plus 2 cups of water.  Bring to boil, cover then reduce to simmer.  Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and rice is tender.  Stir in the golden raisins and heat for an additional few minutes before serving.

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes…With A Twist: Part II- Ethiopian Spiced Potatoes

Nitter Kibbeh-Spiced Potatoes (Ethiopian Spiced Buttery Potatoes)

Niter Kebbeh is a spiced butter made in Ethiopia-the spice capital of the world!  It makes a great pairing with roasted, pan-fried or baked potatoes.  Here I used Yukon gold potatoes, which has an already buttery flavor that will complement the warm flavors in this recipe.

3 tbsp clarified butter or ghee

3 tbsp olive oil

6 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

3 tbsp chopped yellow onion

2 tsp finely chopped garlic

½ tsp freshly grated ginger

1 tsp cardamom

½ tsp cumin

1  tsp tumeric

3/4 tsp salt (to taste)

pinch nutmeg

pinch of chili flakes

3 scallions thinly sliced

This recipe typically calls for the process of clarifying the butter which can take some time.  To shorten cooking time you can purchase clarified butter (also called “ghee) or you can use a blend of butter and olive oil.

In a large heavy based frying pan melt 3 tbsp of clarified butter and add to 3 tbsp of olive oil.

On medium heat add the dry spices (tumeric, cardamom, cumin and nutmeg and salt) and let it bloom in the oil (this releases the spices’  natural oils and develops a toasty flavor).  Add the diced potatoes to the oil and stir to coat well until potatoes gain some color.  Add the chiles, garlic, ginger and onions and some salt to taste.   Stir gently for about 5 minutes and until deeply colored  and if necessary add a little stock or water (about 1-2 tbsp) to help cook through potatoes.    Serve hot , sprinkled with thinly sliced scallions and a pinch of  red chili flakes.  Enjoy!

Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes…With a Twist- Part I-Piri Piri Turkey

Part I of the series featuring my favorite classic Thanksgiving recipes with a special African-inspired Dining With Grace twist!!

Piri Piri Turkey

Piri-piri is a seasoning blend found in the Southeastern part of Africa used as a spicy marinade or sauce condiment for broiled or grilled poultry and seafood dishes.  This spicy blend originated in Mozambique and Angola after Portuguese settlers arrived in these countries with the chili pepper.  (Piri-piri is Swahili for chili.)  The typical marinade for this dish combines a mix of red chili peppers, garlic, lemon juice, and fresh herbs and gives the turkey a wonderful smoky and zesty flavor.  It is similar to the Cajun style of seasoning (which also has both African and Portugese influence) in its major use of chilies/cayenne, garlic, vinegar and zesty herbs.

Piri Piri Marinade-Rub

12 red chili peppers (remove seeds) OR 3 tbsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp sea salt

½ cup lemon juice

¼ cup red wine vinegar

6 garlic cloves (crushed)

2 tsp fresh or dried thyme

2 tbsp cilantro

2 tbsp parsley

1 cup olive oil

Combine the spices, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic cloves, thyme, cilantro and parsley in a blender and puree until smooth adding the olive oil slowly until smooth.   Add additional salt to taste if necessary.

Put cleaned turkey in a marinating or roasting bag.  Lift skin gently from turkey by sliding your hand under and pour the marinade under the skin making sure the marinade has reached every part of the turkey.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or for 3-4 hours.

Take turkey out of refrigerator approximately 60 minutes prior to roasting and  pre-heat the oven to 420  degrees.  Truss the turkey which basically helps to hold the turkey together to encourage perfect shape,  even cooking and moisture retention.   For tips on how to truss, click here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auQB7D_xB0I

Add a cup of water, stock or apple cider to the pan and roast turkey for about 40 minutes.  reduce heat to 350 degrees .   Add chicken stock and desired aromatics (chopped onions, celery, apples, carrots, herbs, etc) to the roasting pan.  When deep color is reached, you may want to cover top of turkey with a loose foil tent to avoid further darkening.

Bake until meat between leg and thigh is at 165 degrees!  Let rest for at least 20 minutes and carve away!

Traditional PepperSoup (get ready to fight the chill!!)

I have been looking for eons for the perfect peppersoup recipe.   I must admit that when my Mom used to make it when I was younger, I had no interest whatsoever in following her lead.  I didn’t want to be around that hot pot of torture!  Ok ok, I’m being a little dramatic but lets just say that if pepper soup was being made it was up to the adults to take care of it including its consumption! 

 However, ever since I have delved more in the authentic cuisine of my culture I have found the supreme satisfaction that can be found in a hot savory bowl of pepper soup.  I reunited with pepper soup while working in a Nigerian restaurant in Brooklyn during my years of learning.  Every day swarms of people came by just for a fix of that soup and I never understood it…but then one day I took my first sip and it was like allll the memories I had of home came flooding back.  Nothing can replicate that taste…it was truly Nigeria’s own.  So I began on my hunt for a good recipe…and along the way I’ve learned many trick and secrets from using peppermint to bring out the flavor to using smoked meat to give it a more intriguing taste.

I will share with you a recipe I found for the spice mixture that gives the peppersoup its unique taste.    I found this recipe in “The Africa Cookbook” by Jessica B. Harris (1998) who had compiled quite an array of authentic recipes from around the continent through her travels and  personal connections.  From the research I have done, I confirm that her lists of spices are as authentic as it gets.  It contains equal amounts the following ground ingredients: atariko, uda, gbafilo, ground ginger, uyayak and rigije.  To further the authentic flavor when making the soup it is best to add dried crayfish and fresh mint leaves. 

Here is my recipe for PepperSoup below!  Try it and let me know what you think!

3.5 lbs of cut up goat meat or fowl

1 tbsp ground red pepper

1 large onion chopped

1/3 cup of chopped mint leaves

1/3 cup of ground dry crayfish or shrimp

2 tbsp of Peppersoup Mixture

4pts of water

1 garlic clove crushed

1 Scotch Bonnett pepper thinly sliced or blended with water.

Clean and cut meat into small bite size pieces.  Add onion, red pepper, salt, and peppersoup spices.  Boil in a large covered pot with plenty water for about 1 hour.  Reduce heat and cook for another hour unitl meat becomes tender to desired texture.  Add more water, the mint leaves, the sliced pepper and the crayfish or shrimp powder.   Cook and simmer for an additonal 20 minutes.  Serve warm and enjoy!

A Taste of Home

Just the other evening, I had the strongest craving. I needed something comforting, something that would warm me up and make a smile radiate from the inside outward. These are not common cravings for me. Typically I crave…ummm….well for the most part I crave sushi lol. But I’m talking about the days where you want to feel at home again and being a Naija babe you can likely guess my Momma wasn’t at home making sushi rolls.

My mother’s most frequently made meals were beans and dodo (fried sweet plantains), fish or meat tomato stew to be eaten with rice, or a variety of soups- mostly egusi, ogbono or okra served with pounded yam, garri or eba. Once in a while she also made the FORMIDABLE peppa soup lol. Now as I child, I cannot say that drinking pepper soup was my favorite activity. To be honest it felt like punishment! Lol, I remember my Dad used to make my siblings and I go to the pot and ladle the broth-like pepper-laced soup in our bowls and if we dared to put any less than he intended he would threaten to serve us himself! Then we would all sit around the dinner table trying our best not to watch him watch us drink our soups lol. Sooo…is it crazy that as an adult, I develop a craving for this spicy, savory, complex soup?
I suppose not. After all it brings me back to the memory of my family together at the table. A running joke in our family when someone didn’t want to eat something that they didn’t like, one of us would assuage them but telling them “It’s good for your back”, while we calmingly rub their backs LOL, I suppose this makes it go down smoother or perhaps just feels good to know someone is thinking of your well-being lol. My Dad was the one who started it and he became a little more hilarious when we got a little wiser and started telling him the same when he showed aversion to eating something!

The thing with making this soup though is that it takes some special ingredients to get that authentic flavor. Of course there is more than one way to make it but to get the truly authentic flavor there are some spices and herbs that bring the true essence out…

Stay Tuned for the Authentic Peppa Soup Recipe!!

Wedding Cake Jitters

I love cakes…really I do.  I love weddings…really…I do!  But there is something about the wedding cake combo that makes me cringe.  As if my perfectionist tendencies weren’t dizzying enough, making wedding cakes takes it to a whole other level.  It’s perhaps because I’m not into the easy fondant cover-up technique and buttercream is more apt to show flaws.  

And in my humble opinion, absolutely nothing can be flawed on my bride’s wedding day!!!  Sounds like pressure?  It is.

(About the fondant thing…it really doesn’t taste good, so what’s the point?  I don’t want people eating my cake to peel the carpet off of it lol.  I’d rather just make a nice design using my delicious buttercream frosting.)

I recently had to opportunity to work on a wedding cake for a special client and although I had done wedding cakes in the past, it still had me feel a little…you know…jittery.

I hosted a tasting with the lovely and exuberant couple and much success was made!  They decided on a Golden Coconut Cake with a Pineapple Fruit Filling and a Coconut Italian Meringe Buttercream.  We discussed the design concept where the bride wanted vines and the wedding colors of blue and orange incorporated.   I soon got to work on creating a draft image of the cake.

Here’s what I ended up with:

Blue/Orange Vine Wedding Cake Sketch

Not bad right?  I used to looove sketching when I was younger!  I remember making this whole women’s clothing catalogue when I was in high school.  It was very haute couture…(lol yeah right! but it was pretty cool…someone stole it.  That’s Brooklyn for ya, ehh? lol)

Well after much gumpaste ado and stiff egg whites I had completed the wedding cake project, complete with all the pomp and flair.  This is how the actual cake came out. 

Blue/Orange Vine Motif Wedding CakeWedding Cake Photo 2Wedding Cake Photo 2

 

Well,  I’m happy to say the bride was happy, the guests were “wowwed” and the cake was completely and eagerly devoured!  My wedding cake dream come true.   Even the catering staff/chefs  at the venue were pratically begging me for the recipe…which of course was pointless but I digress…I had a “feel good” moment.

I’m quite sure that no matter what, doing a wedding cake will always give me some kind of jitters… but its a good thing.  It means that I care LIKE CRAZY to have my brides day perfect as far as I’m concerned!

Chef Gracie

Step Your Grilling Game Up With a Nigerian BBQ Favorite: The SUYA Spice Rub

Yes, you can get the McCormick & Schmicks Montreal Spice Rub and rub a dub dub the heck out of that steak.

You can even tell everyone that you’re a purist and believe that all a good steak needs is some aging, some kosher salt and some fresh coarsely ground black pepper, bringing out your engraved peppermill for extra effect. 

 Of course, you can do what many do and empty half your spice cupboard on your steaks in a motivated attempt to “create your own blend”. 

Well…lets ditch all of that, I am going to share a wonderful dry-rub recipe that you and your guests will crave for BBQs to come!  Many Naijas know SUYA as that craveable spicy, smoky, savory kebab that offers a mouthful of meaty goodness generously rubbed with a unique blend of spices.   It is typically made with beef, but for my catering business I have made it successfully with lamb, chicken, shrimp and even fish!   I guess I stopped short of sprinkling it on top of a cupcake lol

 While it is possible to buy this spice rub already jarred from African specialty markets, it is sooo easy to make your own!  Here, here, stop fussing…I will show you how.  You owe me.

First a brief primer on grilling:

  (You know I’m all for recipes…but if you don’t know technique…ingredients ain’t gonna help you boo boo -inside joke….anywayyyy…lol)

1) Use well marbled meat!  For grilling you don’t want lean meat.  Fat=flavor so look for cuts that have fat weaved throughout the meat.  The fat melts from the heat and bastes the meat from the inside.

2) Let the meat come to room temperature before grilling or at least remove the chill to ensure even cooking.

3) Prep the grill: Make sure its clean, oiled and hot.  However know where the hot spots and the not-so-hot spots are.  I have also successfully used a cast-iron grill pan to excellent results.

4) Keep basting oil, sauce or marinade nearby with brush.  I recommend having 2 sets, one for raw meat and one for cooked.

5) Do not pierce meat while grilling.  The juices will escape and dry out the meat.  Only exemption, see #6.

6) Use a meat thermometer!  It’s not a must but it def takes the “fun” out of the guessing game.   However, with experience you will be able to gauge when your meat is done to your liking.

***For a beef grilling guide: Rare-125/ Medium-Rare-130/ Medium- 140/Medium-Well- 150/Well Done-160***

7) Post grilling:  Do not touch.  No, this is not to torture you.  The meat must rest…you know get used to its savoury situation :-).  This enables the juices to redistribute throughout the meat instead of pouring out once cut.  

So here’s the recipe:

Spicy Peanut Dry Rub (SUYA RUB)

1 cup dry roasted peanuts

1 tbsp ginger powder

2 tbsp cayenne powder

1 tbsp paprika powder

2 tsp onion powder

Kosher Salt to taste

(for best flavor make sure spices are fresh/potent)

 

(1) Using a mortar and pestle, grind the roasted peanuts until finely ground but not a paste.  Put in a paper towel and press/blot out released oil until dry.

(2) Combine the ground peanuts with the rest of the spices- ginger, paprika, cayenne, onion powder and salt.  Adjust to taste with salt.

(3)  Have peanut, vegetable, or canola oil nearby with basting brush.  Avoid using olive oil as it has a low smoke point (burns quickly)  and also may impart unfavorable flavors.

(4) Generously season your steaks with spice rub all over.  Pat it in.

(5) Preheat and oil the grill.  IF NICE GRILL MARKS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU: Place the steak on grill with bottom end of steak at 5 oclock. (ahhhh, the technicalities!!! )  Baste the upside with oil.  After 2-3 minutes move the steak so bottom end is at 8 o’clock, leave for 1-2 minutes.  Flip steak over, and baste.  It should have nice cross-hatch grill marks.  Cook until done to preference.  Perfect to me is medium.  For more traditional Nigerians, try it at medium-well.  For well done…I’ll provide you with a better beef jerky recipe! lol

(6) Serve with  grilled vegetables, roasted corn. sliced tomatoes and onions, or sweet plantains.  Enjoy!

 

(Please excuse the font color change, WordPress is not allowing me to fix this!  Anywho, the recipe remains the same!) 

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The Amazing Green Lemonade- A Favorite Detox Drink!

There are a lot great benefits in drinking  ”raw drinks” and  one of my particular favorites is Natalia Rose’s GreenLlemonade because of it’s amazing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

I was first introduced to Green Lemonade by a friend who suggested Natalia Rose’s Raw Food Detox Diet book when I took my first steps to a healthier lifestyle. At first the taste took some get used to but eventually this powerful drink played a major part in my raw food regimen and I was amazed at the immediate results.  It gave my body an engery boost, cut cravings, reduced any fever symptoms!  It kept me focused and full of energy throughout the day.

 I encourage you to try this drink and see if you do not feel simply amazing!  Truth be told, it is not the prettiest drink (looks like grass) but the flavors are amazing- the apples and the lemon gives it a wonderful sweetness and zing!    Of course you can sweeten it subtly but adding a touch of agave nectar or more fruit.   A little secret…whenever you are working with greens, just remember to add a sweet fruit with it, like an apple- delicious!

Accordingly to the author, “Juices are best taken on an empty stomach so they can bypass the digestive process and go right to the cellular level with all their life force and enzymatic superpowers!”  I totally agree and echo this all the time to my clients.

What are you waiting for? Drink to a better you.

Natalia’s Classic “Green Lemonade” Raw Food Detox Diet

(Serves one)

1 head romaine lettuce or celery
5 stalks kale
2 apples  (granny smith, fuji)
1 whole organic lemon (with peel)
1-2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)

For more information contact  me, Natasha at natasha.bernardez@gmail.com

Natasha Bernandez- Holistic Culinary Consultant

Book Review: The Soul of A New Cuisine- A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa (Marcus Samuelsson)

As an enthusiastic cookbook collector (“enthusiastic” read: over 200), I was thrilled to add Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s new book to my perpetually growing collection.  An Ethiopian man raised in Sweden, he shares my same passion for exploring  and exposing the culinary gems found in our homeland, Africa.    He loads the book not only with delicious recipes hailing from the continent but also exploring their culture of hospitality.  As quoted from the book’s foreward by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, “A solitary human being is a contradiction…We are made for togetherness, for friendship, for fellowship.  Food is a part of that fellowship.”  I couldn’t agree more.

Samuelsson explores not only the history and contribution of African culture and cuisine to the world but shares with the reader comfortable ways to implement various traditional recipes into their cooking repetoire using basic pantry ingredients with a mix of exotic spices and grains.

His list of African pantry ingredients includes banana leaves, beans, brown sugar, bulgur, cardamom, cassava, chickpeas, chiles, chocolate, cinnamon, clarified butter, coconut milk, coffee, condensed milk, cornmeal, couscous, fenugreek, ginger, lemongrass, lentils, mango, okra, palm oil, papaya, plantains, rice, tapioca, teff, vanilla bean, and yams.    He uses these delicious natural easy to find ingredients to develop delicious recipes such as dry rubs, chutnies,  condiments,  soups, vegetables and a wonderful array of  breads, proteins and sweets. 

I encourage you to experiment with me and try some of these wonderful and exciting recipes of African inspired fare!

Stay Tuned for our 1st Recipe!  Vegetable Samosas!

African Food Culture…What Is It About?

As many of you know, as one intrigued by all things hospitality, food and culture related, I had been working some extra hours in a new local authentic Nigerian restaurant.  I took on this gig because I wanted to study exactly what modern, NY-style African hospitality is.   Would anything change drastically from what I learned at home?    As a Nigerian-American born, raised and residing in Brooklyn, NY I wasn’t quite sure that the dining culture I knew of was relevant enough to provide great service at this institution that prides itself on being “authentic”.  So I decided to do a little reflecting and comparisons.

Here’s what I do remember of my childhood dining:

1)  Our typical traditional meal was pounded yam and soup (mostly ogbono w/ okra and egusi).

2)  We always ate together.   Rarely did my parents eat alone.  The more the merrier.  My Mom and Dad ate from the same plate.  Sometimes it was my whole family eating from one plate.  They would always ask us to wash our hands and join them at the table.  Us, meaning my sister and I, who were both born in America.  My brother, who was born in Nigeria, ironically didn’t take a liking to traditional Nigerian food!

3) Hands are the best utensils!  Pounded yam or any fufu (pounded starch with the consistency of a really dense mashed potato) were eaten with the hands.  You break of a small peice of fufu with your fingertips.  Use your fingertips to form a ball (about the size of a small gumball) and dip it in the soup using your fingers to scoop up some sauce.  To me pounded yam is the African cousin to Italian gnocchi!

4) Before eating always serve your parents (especially Dad, major respect necessary as patriarch of the family) a bowl of warm water to wash hands and a beverage to drink.  And by noooo means serve it with your left hand.  Please.  You will get an earful about disrespect. 

5) When handing parents (especially Dad for same reason as above) a beverage and/or bowl of water to wash hands, tell them “Thank you”.  Yes, you read that right.  When giving something to your parents, don’t wait for them to thank you.  You say “Thank you” to them to which they respond, “Thank God”.   If they make the mistake of  thanking you by no means respond “You’re welcome”  which would then remind them you shouldn’t be thanked or be accepting the thanks as your own in the first place.   This exchange was also done before the meal after a blessing is said.  The children must make thier rounds around the table saying “Thank You” to all the elders (including older siblings) around before eating.  As the youngest in the family I was always annoyed by this tradition!!  Especially when I was hungry! lol

6)  When eating with my parents, it was a sign of affection for them to pick out an appetizing morsel of meat from the soup bowl and offer it to the children.  Usually they would do this with the stockfish, which I’m assuming its because its the most…I’m not sure actually…precious?? lol  Stockfish is a peice of dried fish that is rehydrated to make stews or soups but still maintain a chewy texture and a unique flavor.

Hmm, that’s about all I can remember for now.  But of all the “complexities” of traditional African dining, one thing remains prevalent: Eating time is family time, its a time to commune, to express love and to bring cultural traditions to the American table. 

Now, as an adult, I watch my 3 year old nephew, Zephaniah, sit down on his grandparents table during Sunday dinner, eating from a platter of egusi soup and pounded yam with Grandpa and Grandma looking and watching lovingly and happily.  Thrilled and at awe that even their grandson, despite having never been to his homeland of Nigeria, can taste the intensity of Nigerian food that is missing from say “mac n cheese”.   Grandma makes little pounded yam balls for him.  He take a ball, dips it in the flavorful egusi sauce, and puts the delightful morsel in his mouth…he hardly skips a beat, except perhaps to share one of his dazzling smiles to show his approval of Grandma’s execution of his favorite meal!  Makes my heart swoon

This  led me to the conclusion that African food, made with love, is the original, feel good ”comfort food” and according to the smile on my nephew’s face, that has never changed!

Zephy’s Favorite Meal!