The rhizomes – small tubers – of Turmeric remind me of Jerusalem artichokes and ginger at the same time, smaller though. There are a few differences I’ve observed – Difference 1 – Anatomy The skin has more ribs than that of ginger and the rhizomes are generally smaller in size. Difference 2 – Colour We break into them and you get the shock of carrot orange in the turmeric rhizome compared with the yellow of ginger. I love the colour and can’t wait to draw this hue into some goodness. Note though that this colour, this beauty is a dye...
In Season: Mulberries & Turmeric
In season. I love fruits and vegetables in season. I’ve been enjoying a lot of them – passion fruit and mulberries and last week, fresh Turmeric. Interesting, I always thought strawberries were my favourite berry. Alas people, the Mulberry has overtaken every single one of them. The tangelos are slowly disappearing, or is that just me? I’ve tried to lengthen their stay – baking them into some simple goodness. Take my regular yogurt cake, swap some of the flour with almond meal, add a healthy amount of tangelo zest – say 2, and the juice and voila, you have a moist, rich...
Recipes: Intellectual Property & ‘Copyright’ Protection?
I didn’t understand the gravity of Intellectual Property till I started creating recipes. Till I walked down circuitous paths in my head and in market stalls, on paper, in speeches and in many other places. In 2009, I attended a Food Bloggers Conference where Jeanne of Cooksister shared with us the importance of valuing our copyrights. She reminded me that I should treat my IP with respect by establishing and publicising my rights – on my photos and my blog. Because of that, I put up a copyright notice in the foot of the homepage. A few years later, someone began copying whole...
The Birth of an Idea, of a Recipe
There isn’t a single one of my recipes that’s without a story. Not one that isn’t ‘birthed’. I can trace the outlines, map the turns and corners, the junctions en route to bringing pumpkin to stew, scent leaves to curry. I can tell you the triggers, the memories, the hopes, dreams, plans. Take my Pumpkin Goat Curry for instance – it was birthed in a quiet market place bathed by the evening sun. I saw a pile of orange misshapen gourds and I purchased, yes purchased 8 of them. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make but roasting them...
Ten (10) Reasons to be Thankful for Thanksgiving
1. Adam Noah Levine. First man that ever liveth. Sigh. Deliciousness. 2. Hamburgers 3. Cheesecake 4. Texas Coming to America, my story 5. Southern Fried Chicken. Chicken & Waffles. Waffles and errthang 6. S’Mores S’More Semifreddo, courtsey of Sarah Shatz, food52 7. Floats Root beer and more 8. Ribs Oh lawd. Crying in juicy, smoky, porky ribs. 9. Apple Pie My attempts 10. Still thinkinggggggggggggggggg…. What would be your #10?[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Ten (10) Reasons to be Thankful for Thanksgiving – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Preparing for My Nigerian-American Thanksgiving
I’ve always loved Thanksgiving – the purpose, the feast, the celebration. Many gathered around tables, scattered around states and cities, homes, safe places, corners. Thanksgiving came to us by way of my children going to the American school in The Netherlands. Since then, we’ve celebrated it. This year, I’d like to serve up a Nigerian-inspired Thanksgiving menu. What do you think? I’m looking for a few extra things to add! Starter Scent leaf soup with coconut & chickpeas, served with Plantain flat breads Main Pumpkin Jollof Rice Dodo with sage Smoked Turkey wings with Zobo-pepper sauce Sides Sauteed Greens with pumpkin and toasted almonds Ginger-Pumpkin-Maple Puree Tapioca/...
How to Make Dambu
Making Dambu has been on my list of things to learn for ages. This weekend past, my Hausa teacher – yes, Hausa teacher (I’m learning to speak Hausa because I think it is delightful. It sounds incredibly beautiful – soft and melodic) taught me. In Hausa, Dambu literally translated is ‘mixture’. And this, is a mixture of cooked, pounded & shredded meat (beef, chicken, lamb, fish); seasoned and deep-fried. I’ve explored a few – of beef, chicken (Kazaa) and a version I made from sundried beef, Kilishi). It is an easy process, easier than I anticipated though there are a few tricky points. Things...
Preserved Tangelo, Because ‘In Season
Because Tangelos are in season. And because I had some sea salt, had run out of my jar of preserved Meyer lemons and had time on my hands. I’ll let you know how it all tastes in a few weeks but I can guess the flavours would be bright and sunny. I bet. [wpurp-searchable-recipe]Preserved Tangelo, Because ‘In Season – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
Miliki – Orange Lights & Mojitos
D, the son would love Miliki. Unfortunately, it’ll be many, many years before he’s granted entry into this members-only club. The formal objective of MILIKI is the provision of facilities and amenities of a private lounge, run on commercial principles, for the purpose of social intercourse of persons connected with or interested in the Arts, Sciences, Design and Social Justice. Relatedly, MILIKI intends to be a stimulus for new thinking and social re-engineering by offering a meeting point to discuss issues that shape our individual and collective progress, our national orientation and society. And by introducing artists, writers, musicians and...