A chance find of natural yogurt, and a gift of white Toblerone, shortly before I leave to catch a plan results in this – what I consider the discovery of the year. Well, that would be going a bit too far but I have to say this is an amazing blend. The beauty? Plain, unsweetened yogurt – smooth, tart, cold is awesome when paired with creamy white chocolate. So, the essentials? Plain, unsweetened yogurt – for the contrast with the sweet white chocolate White chocolate – at room temperature, crumbles better and works well with the cold yogurt Nuts –...
The Anatomy of a Tangelo
I’ve always loved tangelos, bigger and juicier than regular tangerines, we would ‘import’ them to Warri and Port Harcourt whenever family came from Lagos and Ore in the west of the country. I always thought they were a cross between oranges and tangerines, I didn’t know till a few weeks ago that they are actually birthed by oranges and pomelos/ grapefruits. The Anatomy Tangelos are larger than tangerines, and are roughly the size of a small orange though I’ve seen some the size of small grapefruits. Apparently, some describe them as being the size of an adult fist. They tend to...
Suya-spiced Cauliflower Steaks
Because Yaji is bae. And is delicious on almost every single thing – even white chocolate. Which is chocolate (argue in your back garden)! I’ve wanted to make cauliflower steaks since I came across the stunning recipe on Food52. And I did. And made it tres Nigerian with the addition of suya spice – yaji. What the yaji does is contribute peanutyy, spicy, smoky flavours. Here’s what you do. Heat up your oven to 180°C, about 350°F. Set your cauliflower right way up and then with a sharp knife, cut two 1-inch-thick slices of cauliflower from top to bottom. Brush cauliflower steaks...
The Instagram Breakfast Edition @RSVPLagos
When @instagram invites you to breakfast, you turn up. I don’t know if to say ‘in style’ but you know, you do you. Be you. You prep to feast and to trade hugs, laugh with fellow ‘grammers and generally have a good time. Photo Credit – Tope Horpload If you know me, you’d know that I love Instagram. Everything about it. The fact that it reminds me of polaroids, that there is a rich and vibrant community, that I learn from other ‘grammers, make new friends, see beautiful things, travel the world,…I could go on and on but in one phrase,...
Photo Essay: Salted Caramel-Bacon Beignets
Because bacon, salted caramel and beignets are an amazing combo. A photo-essay (or photographic essay) is a set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer. A photo essay will often show pictures in deep emotional stages. Photo essays range from purely photographic works to photographs with captions or small notes to full text essays with a few or many accompanying photographs. Photo essays can be sequential in nature, intended to be viewed in a particular order, or they may consist of non-ordered photographs which may be viewed...
World Food Day 2015
Hunger. I’m not often hungry. When I am though, I am almost stark raving mad. I could cry, throw tantrums, scream, and act silly. That often takes me by surprise, this reaction, unplanned, sudden yet totally consuming. Quite often, I can stem the hunger, with food or drink and in no time, all’s right with my world. Hunger. I have access to food so my hunger is never life threatening. It never puts me in a position where I’m so weak that I might die. And so the statistics scare me: 60% of the hungry in the world are women...
‘Texas Cake’, Just Because
Just because. Because we all have that one friend who makes us be, become more than we feel capable. The one who encourages, who pushes us forward in spite of our own reluctance. The one who is always and forever there. This is for IJ, who forced me to learn to make layer cakes and ice cream cakes. And who has/had Texas on her list for many reasons. Gosh, IJ, I wish I could move mountains for you. This is remembering that birthday. And your cake filled with strawberry sauce and chocolate mousse. Two layers of deliciousness in vanilla and chocolate....
Remembering Philly & Rita’s Italian Ice
Notes: From a Proud Mama. I grew up writing compositions on every topic under the sun – no thanks to an English teacher of a mother. It is therefore of little surprise that I write now, and that I – like my mother before me- encourage my children to write, even when they are weighed down by reluctance. I promised all three of them that if they wrote pieces, I would guest post, so here – the first of a few I hope on Italian ice, which we tried many moons ago in Philly. This was written by J, my now 12-year old...
Food Photo Love: Carob Pods
Carob – Locust beans, Ceratonia siliqua, used in many forms, as replacement for cocoa powder and as a gelling agent. Not to be confused with the African locust bean, Parkia biglobosa (Iru, Une, Dawadawa) – different plants altogether. I spotted the thick pods in the spice souk in Dubai…in December and marvelled at the almost crystalline core. I love the way that came through, in spite of the ‘dark’ setting – both the colour of the carob pod but also because it was taken at night. I find that texture is the thing I long to capture most in my photos and shine....