West African Peanut Stew

18 Oct By

Because I’m a live-out-loud foodie, I’m often asked to identify my favorite cuisine.  The answer is African cuisine which, for some reason, comes as a surprise to most folks probably because most Americans have never patronized an African restaurant.  If you live in even a moderately metropolitan area, do yourself and favor and find a local Moroccan or Ethiopian restaurant (these two seem to be the most common across the U.S.) and dive in.  You won’t regret it.
This recipe, which is one of Saveur’s 101 Classic Recipes, is common on the west coast (duh) of Africa where countries like Ghana, Senegal and Gambia all boast their own special blend of ingredients and spices.  One of the things I most love about African cuisine is the blend of savory and spicy flavors, so we kicked Saveur’s recipe up with some additional cayenne pepper.  I also decided this was a good dish for the slow cooker – and it was.  Enjoy this easy, flavorful stew over rice or couscous.
West African Peanut Stew
(adapted from Saveur Magazine)
1 lb chicken breasts or thighs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 serrano peppers, seeded and sliced
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 medium eggplant, peeled an cubed
5-7 okra, sliced
Chopped peanuts
Cooked rice or couscous
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add chicken and onion and cook, turning chicken until it is browned on all sides.  Transfer chicken, onions and olive oil to slow cooker.  Add serrano peppers, all seasonings, tomato paste, peanut butter, diced tomatoes and water to slow cooker.  Set heat to low and cook 6 hours.  Add eggplant and okra and continue cooking on low heat about 1 more hour.  Serve over rice with chopped peanuts.

1 Comment

Filed Under: Food, Main Dishes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Lovely Meals: Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, Butternut Squash Mash, Lemon Green Beans

9 Oct By

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
Butternut Squash Mash, Lemon Green Beans
Today’s lovely meal features one of the “101 Classic Recipes” from Saveur Magazine.  Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic is a ubiquitous French dish featuring a whole chicken roasted with – you guessed it – forty cloves of garlic resulting in a mellow, buttery flavor.  Paired with gently seasoned mashed butternut squash and basic lemony green beans, this is a company-worthy menu.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
(Adapted from Saveur Magazine October 2012)
3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces (2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 breasts, 2 drumsticks)
Salt and pepper
40 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup dry vermouth
¾ cup chicken stock
Chopped fresh tarragon
To peel garlic cloves, gently mash the clove with the flat side of a chef’s knife as shown.  You’ll feel a distinctive “crack” when the peel has been loosened from the clove.  You can then roll the clove in your hand or under a towel to loosen, or just peel with your fingers.
Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Rub chicken with salt and pepper, add to pot and cook until browned on all sides (10-15 minutes). Transfer to a large glass baking dish and set aside. Add garlic cloves to pot cook until gently browned, about 6 minutes. Add vermouth to deglaze pan, scraping the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen browned pieces of garlic and chicken. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Transfer several whole cloves of garlic to baking dish and mash remaining cloves in the stock, stirring well. Pour stock over chicken and sprinkle with about 1 Tbsp of chopped tarragon. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through. Top with additional tarragon.
Butternut Squash Mash
1 butternut squash
olive oil
2 cups chicken stock plus additional water
1 tsp ground thyme
3 Tbsp cream of half & half
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Rub the exposed flesh with a little olive oil and place face down in a glass baking dish.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until squash is slightly tender.  Allow squash to cool slightly, peel and cut the flesh into cubes.  Transfer cubed squash to a medium pot and cover with chicken stock and any additional water necessary.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes until very tender.  Drain and mash as with potatoes.  Stir in thyme, cream and salt and pepper to taste.
Lemon Green Beans
1 lb fresh green beans
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
Salt and Pepper
Cut off ends of green beans and rinse well.  Bring 1-2 cups of water plus lemon juice to a slow simer in a saucepan.  Transfer green beans to a steaming basket and place basket in the saucepan.  Sprinkle green beans with lemon zest, salt and pepper and steam 5-8 minutes or until tender and fragrant.   Serve immediately.

6 Comments

Filed Under: Food, Lovely Meals, Main Dishes, Side Dishes Tagged With: , , , ,

Five Recipes for Entertaining

22 Feb By

It’s Listable Life time again and I love that this week’s prompt gives you readers something to work with.  Head over to Moments that Define Life to see more lists.

On my old blog, I spent a lot of time sharing my recipes, but life has changed dramatically since then and my cooking has been rather less inspired lately.  I’m ready to change that, though, so we’ll kick off with 5 of my favorite recipes for entertaining.  Enjoy!

1.  Favorite Appetizer for a Crowd:  Ginger-Lemon Calamari.  The kick of ginger and the refreshing lemon make this an winner every time!

2.  Favorite Sweet Treat:  Balsamic Berries with Mascarpone Honey Cream.  This dessert tastes decadent and rich, but it’s light on calories.  I love making these in pretty china wine glasses to dress up a table!

3. Favorite Tailgating/Sports Viewing Food: I love Sweet and Spicy Wings with Squash Slaw.  Make this recipe  skewered on the grill (below) or in the oven – either way it’s delicious! (from my days writing at the Examiner)

4. Favorite Dinner Party Main Course It is TOUGH to narrow this down as I have so many favorites, but I’m going to choose Feed-a-Crowd Baked Chicken because, well, it feeds a crowd, it’s easy and yum!

5.  Favorite Holiday Dish:  Why make the choice between pumpkin, fruit and sweet potato pie?  You can have them all with this Ultimate Holiday Pie.  Always a crowd-pleaser!

6 Comments

Filed Under: Appetizers, Dessert, Entertaining, Food, Main Dishes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Kabobs!

16 Aug By

I made this recipe weeks and weeks ago and then simply forgot to share it with you!  These simple chicken kabobs are marinated in baharat – an Iranian spice blend – and yogurt. This marinade is a must-try if you’ve been in a flavor rut and the yogurt keeps it healthy to boot. Enjoy!

Baharat Marinated Chicken Kabobs

1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. each coriander, allspice, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and smoked paprika
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. honey.
1 lb Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large summer squash
1/2 a medium onion
1 green bell pepper

Combine yogurt, tomato paste, spices, lemon juice and honey.  Mix well.  Chop chicken, squash, onion and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces.  Spoon marinade over chicken and vegetables in a large bowl and toss to coat.  Refrigerate 2-4 hours.  Skewer chicken and vegetables and grill until chicken is cooked through.  Serve with basmati rice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

30 Comments

Filed Under: Main Dishes Tagged With: , , ,