I know a place inspired by a library book my 5-year old brought home: I know a place by Karen Ackerman I know a place where vanilla and cloves meet And embrace with warm, heady scents Where citrus and nuts mingle in a pungent dance Where ginger and cardamom, black pepper and coriander come alive I know a place where bumpy, gnarly shells hide pyramids of spice Where seeds, a warm red-brown colour cuddle together And give no inkling of the power that doth lie within A place that’s as bright, and sunny as can be I know...
Thanks Femme Lounge: 20 Nigerian Food Bloggers We Love
Interesting things happen every day. So began my Friday, last Friday. I was chatting online with a colleague about a shared responsibility we have, and when we were done, I left my desk to another building. On my return, I saw she’d sent me a link – I had absolutely no idea what it was but when I clicked on it, it was a pleasant surprise: a feature on Nigerian food bloggers. And yes, I featured. I’m not ‘totally’ crazy about recognition, but I find it pretty special to get Nigerian ‘press’! Thank you Femme Lounge. [wpurp-searchable-recipe]Thanks Femme Lounge: 20...
Technique: How to Bake Authentic French Bread, Pain a l’ Ancienne
I’ve been searching for the easiest way to turn out sticks of beautiful bread in the manner of le Francais. For I equate French breads with a gorgeous tan, exterior; a soft, chewy interior and well developed flavour. Pain a l’ Ancienne. Bread made in the ‘old-fashioned way’. t6p says: They might look like a true baguette but pain à l’ancienne is a very different type of bread. Real baguettes rely on adding a pâte fermentée (pre-ferment, or old dough) to enhance their flavour. This means making dough you let rise overnight the day before you bake. The final dough has the pâte...
Cooking & Baking with Tea: The Spice, And Drink
I’ve always loved tea, but never considered it more than a drink, hot or cold. Recently, that has changed. And two things have done that for me: a book – ‘The Art of Blending by Lior Lev Sercarz’ which has nothing to do with tea, and everything to do with spices and one man’s passion; and food52.com’s last contest ‘Your best recipe with Tea’. The Art of Blending was a book I won at the start of the year, on food52.com. Its all about spices, in unique combinations and used in a myriad of ways. And though there aren’t any...
Green Pawpaw (Papaya) Salad
I love the very idea of combining fruit and savoury flavours, especially in the way Asian cuisine knows how. I’ve watched Luke Nguyen cook with ingredients that are tropical and easy to find in Nigeria. But cook with them in a way so different, so foreign and appealing in that way ‘exotic’ cuisine is.
Happy Valentine’s Day: Celebrating Friends & Failure
My friends are the other children my mother didn’t have. In fact, in the course of my young life, I have chosen turned to them many a time…over the children of my mother’s womb. But now I am old and grey, and both have a place in my heart. I am thankful for my friends, and this season, I will celebrate them. Not with the perfect cake as I’d hope but with sincere thanks. My journey into adulthood has been fraught with corners, and junctions and sudden stops.
Wara, Nigerian Cheese Curds
Wara, a place in Kwara state, Nigeria: 8°25’60” N; 4°27’0″ E and 305m above sea level. Awara, food. Faux cheese aka Nigerian Tofu, made from soya beans. Wara, food. From Kwara state, fresh cottage cheese/curds made from milk. And currently formerly in my possession. —–00000—– My cheese curds arrived half way between saying goodbye to neighbours moving to Brunei, and getting the children ready for bath-time, dinner and school on Monday. S, my friend and roomate in Utah and Colorado had been home to Kwara state in Nigeria’s west, one of the 36 states in Nigeria for her grandmum’s funeral. She’d told me...
Nigeria’s Dry Season’s Produce: January/February
Some day soon, I’ll have a record that’s complete. I’ll know exactly when to lie in wait for mangoes, buy the best pineapples and feast on Ube, with corn. This is the start of that catalogue. The Nigerian climate, like most tropical countries consists of seasons, rainy and dry. Obviously, there are differences from north to south, in terms of the length of each season. In the south where I live, our dry season begins in October and lasts till early March with it being somewhat cold in December. The rest of the year is wet, save for a short period...
Take 2: Deep Fried Green Beans
I like it when this happens, when a regular visit to Food 52 brings up…to my surprise, one of my recipes on the front page! Along with a super gorgeous photo. Thanks Jenny, Mondays rock because of you! X X X[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Take 2: Deep Fried Green Beans – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]