This is how you first eat starch, with your grandmother’s fresh fish pepper soup, thick with Tilapia and the noon day Isoko sun. Usi, she calls it – softly, slightly hissing the s . You are in your Sunday best – every mothers dream of a princess child – frilled hems and checked belts tied...
Cream Puffs are one of life’s greatest gifts. Everything about the way they are composed to how they are quaffed make them worthy of odes and sonnets. I think. And believe me, I’ve had some of the finest ones so I know what I’m saying. Made of Choux pastry – cooked pastry, they are the...
Eid Mubarak, with my first-ever Crepe cake, perfect for crowd-feasting. Talk about resounding successes. Twenty (20) (in my case imperfect but delicious) layers of crepes with alternate layers of rich chocolate mousse and a salted caramel one, finished with a semi-sweet ganache and crushed candied pecans. What a mouthful. A delicious mouthful. Also known as...
I am a collector of many things, chief amongst which are kitchen utensils. Since I discovered the Indians have something called a Coconut scraper, I’ve scoured every Indian store in Nigeria and even attempted to do same in Dubai, to no avail. Enter Kalustyan’s on my March trip to New York…and see what I procured...
These don’t need no introduction or explanation. Take fresh groundnuts, in season – add sugar and spice (fresh ginger, cardamom, 5-spice) and boil away. I promise, you’ll want to bathe, sleep and wrap yourself in the fragrance of the liquid and the taste. We enjoyed this on a Saturday night, with tall glasses of Coca-cola...
My advice on tomatoes may test ye, o virtuous cook for who fresh is best. Stay with me. Yes, it is the season of fresh corn and African butter pears, Ube; African walnuts, fresh dates, mosquitoes, sugar ants, guinea fowl eggs, yellow pepper and soursop. The season of rain storms and cottton wool clouds, of sunrise and sunsets,...
Legume & grain salads are perfect for Ramadan meals. Cook up a huge pot of beans, grains and use it in a variety of soups and salads, combined with simple dressings and vegetables. Take one is this salad, take two is a soup using much the same ingredients. I particularly like this salad for the...
You can take any combination of grains/ legumes and vegetables to cook up an amazing soup. Well, almost any. As long as you have the basics right, you can slay every single time. Using meat? Brown it first. Start off with whatever ‘meat’ you’d like, cut in small chunks. I like to make my soup...
This, like sangria and mulled wine. At once festive, Christmassy, of celebration. And all the consequence of a leftover bottle of red, and some leftover cinnamon sugar. I cooked both together for a syrup and topped up with zobo and ice. Recipes {Zobo} {Sugar Syrups – for lemon/ orange, use strips of skin} Red wine....