Cook's Alphabet 'U' — Um'bido (Peanut and Greens Stew) Recipe

Cook's Alphabet 'U'

This is the twenty-first in my series of 28 postings going through the entire alphabet, as it relates to cooks and cooking. As you can see, today I'm dealing with the letter 'U'.


The letter 'U' is, of course the twenty-first letter in the English alphabet and, apart from the letter 'X' it's the second most difficult recipes to get dishes named in. However, there are some classic dishes beginning with U (though the majority are African). Here I present Um'bido; a classic sauce common to much of sub-Saharan Africa made with peanuts and greens:

Um'bido (Peanut and Greens Stew) Recipe

Ingredients:
900g spinach
220g peanuts, coarsely ground
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Method:
Cook the spinach in just enough water to cover. After about 4 minutes sprinkle in the peanuts and stir-in well. Cover and continue to cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary to prevent burning. Drain before serving and mix-in the oil, salt and pepper. My wife makes a variant of this: chilli um'bido that includes chillies.


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Um'bido Recipe page, which is presented as part of the site's African recipes collection. )



Today's cooking term is Umami: Umami is a Japanese word for one of the five basic tastes (along with the more familiar: sweet, sour, bitter and salty). Literally, Umami means 'savoury' or 'meaty' and refers to the 'full mouth' sensation produced by foods rich in gultamates, such as fish, meat, cheese and other protein-heavy foods. This is why monosodium glutamate (MSG) makes food taste 'better'. Anchovies are particularly rich in 'umami' and this is why the use of anchovy fillets and the use of anchovies in many sauces and condiments is so prevalent. It also probably explains the Roman predilection for fish sauce condiments which provided both salt and umami to the foods they were used to season.

Today's spice is Uzazi: Uzazi (is the Nigerian name for the spice derived from the pericarp and fruit of Zanthoxylum tessmannii. a West African member of the 'prickly ash' trees and a relative of Asian Sichuan Pepper and a member of the Rutaceae (citrus) family.

Z tessmanii has a more spicy flavour and even greater 'pungency' than Sichuan pepper and both the pericarp and inner fruit are ground and used as a flavouring in traditional West African 'pepper soups' (ie chilli-based stews). Below is a recipe for a classic West African cassava-based stew that incorporates uzazi as a spice:

Cassava Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
8–10 Scotch Bonnet chillies, made into a paste
1 kg lamb pieces on the bone, cubed
100ml strong beef stock (or 2 stock cubes in 100ml water)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sumac (optional)
0.5kg cassava (peeled and cut into large chunks)
0.5kg yam (peeled and cut into large chunks)
3/4 kg sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks (red is best)
3 large plantains, peeled
3 onions, roughly chopped
3 ehuole seeds
6 uzazi peppercorns
3 large sardines, baked
2 dried fish fillets
3 tbsp red palm oil (optional)

Method:
Begin by pounding the uzazi and ehuole to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Add the chillies and pound to a paste then add 3 onions and pound those in.

Dry-fry the meat in a non-stick pan for a couple of minutes then add the remaining onion and the chilli paste, along with 1.5 l or water (including the stock). Bring the water to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

Meanwhile, soak the dried fish for about 20 minutes and prepare the sardines by removing the skin and bones and add the flesh to the broth. Strip the flesh from the dried fish as best you can and add this to the stew as well. Now add all the remaining ingredients to the stew (the cassava, yam and sweet potato should be cut in roast potato-sized chunks), bring back to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 80 minutes, stirring occasionally.

At the end of this time add about 3 tbsp red palm oil


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Cassava Soup Recipe page. )



For more information on cookery-associated terms and information beginning with the letter 'U' here are various links that may well be of interest:

Recipes beginning with 'U'
Spices beginning with 'U'
Herbs beginning with 'U'
Wild foods beginning with 'U'
Cook's glossary 'U'

For more African Recipes, see the Celtnet Recipes Blog African Recipes page.

This list of African regions and African recipes is brought to you in association with the Recipes of Africa eBook. With over 1000 recipes covering each and every country in Africa, this is the most comprehensive book of African recipes available anywhere.

If you love African food, or are just interested in African cookery, then the Recipes of Africa eBook is a must-buy. You get information about every region of Africa and every African country along with a selection of classic and traditional recipes from that country.

This is a must-get book for anyone interested in food. Learn about a continent that to this day remains mysterious to many people. The recipes presented here are written by someone who has travelled extensively in Africa and who is a published Author. The book is a properly-produce and published eBook and the collection is immense.

Don't delay, get yourself a copy of the Recipes of Africa eBook today!

Cook's Alphabet 'T'

Cook's Alphabet 'T'

This is the twentieth in my series of 28 postings going through the entire alphabet, as it relates to cooks and cooking. As you can see, today I'm dealing with the letter 'T'.


The letter 'T' is, of course the twentieth letter in the English alphabet, and today's recipe is for a classic Thai-inspired chicken salad (also a great way of using-up left-over Turkey:

Thai Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts, skinned
750g Romaine lettuce, shredded
1 bunch spring onions, white part only, cut into thin rings
80g red onion, diced
75g coriander leaves, shredded
100ml rice wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
60m extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tbsl soy sauce
1/2 tbsp crushed chilli flakes

Method:
Pre-heat your grill and brush the chicken breasts with a little groundnut oil. Place on the grill rack and grill about 8cm from the heat source for about 4 minutes a side, or until the chicken breasts are completely cooked through.

Meanwhile, combine the lettuce, spring onions, red onion and the coriander in a large bowl. Combine the wine vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice and chilli flakes and whisk to combine. Pour half over the salad mix and toss to combine.

Now slice the chicken at an angle. Plate-out the salad and arrange the sliced chicken breasts over the top. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.


(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Thai Chicken Salad Recipe page, which is presented as part of the site's South-east Asian recipes collection. )



Today's cooking term is Tagine: Tagine iis a meat and vegetable stew that stands at the core of Moroccan cuisine. The tagine is also the dish that the meal is cooked in. This is an earthenware dish with a conical-shaped lid that has a hole in the top. Tagines are cooked on a fire and the cooking ingredients are placed within and minimal liquid is used so that the resulting food is fairly dry. The conical shape of the lid is designed to act as a condenser so that little water is lost from the food by evapouaton — rather it condenses on the conical lid and drips back into the food.

Today's spice is Tasmanian Pepper Berry: Tasmanian Pepper Berry (also known as Mountain Pepper) is a native Australian spice that represents the dried fruit of the shrub, Tasmannia lanceolata which is part of the Winteraceae, a small family of shrubs from South East Asia and the Pacific Rim. The plant itself is mainly found on the Tasmanian Island, Australia; though it on the mainland in Victoria and New South Wales.

In Australia they are used as part of the growing trend for bush food where pepperberries are used to season emu burgers or kangaroo steaks. The berries are also crushed and mixed in vegetable oil before being used to marinate meat. In addition, the berries are used in flavored breads, pastas and patés, mustards and cheeses. In stews or sauces the pepperberries impart a vibrant red colour which can be very attractive.

Though largely known only in Australia Tasmanian Pepperberry is becoming available through a small number of on-line spice suppliers. Please note that if you are intrested in using this spice for your own cooking, then employ a light hand as they are ten times as hot as ordinary black pepper! The recipe below is for a traditional Australian pepperberry-flavoured dish:

Salmon with Acacia Seed and Tasmanian Pepper Berry Rub

Ingredients:
4 salmon fillets
2 tsp roasted acacia seeds, ground (substitute carob)
4 Tasmanian pepper berries (or use long pepper)
1 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1 tsp hot dried chillies, ground
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
6 tbsp flour
oil for frying

Method:
Combine all the spices together and mix into the flour. Dredge the fish in this then set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Heal a little oil in a pan and when almost smoking dredge the fish in the flour once again and place in the pan. Fry on the sking side first and cook for 3 minutes then turn over and cook for 3 minutes on the other side until just done through. Serve immediately.

(This recipe reproduced, with permission, from the Celtnet Salmon with Acacia Seed and Tasmanian Pepper Berry Rub Recipe page. )



For more information on cookery-associated terms and information beginning with the letter 'T' here are various links that may well be of interest:

Recipes beginning with 'T'
Spices beginning with 'T'
Herbs beginning with 'T'
Wild foods beginning with 'T'
Cook's glossary 'T'

Recipes for Spring Wild Mushrooms

Though almost everyone thinks of mushrooms as being autumnal in their bounty there are a few species that fruit very early in the spring and these are well worth hunting out and trying. Because they fruit so early they are also difficult to confuse with poisonous species and, as long as you take a few precautions they are safe to go an hut for and to pick.

Below are recipes including three of the commonest spring mushrooms and I include a link to an identification guide for each.

1: St George's Mushrooms

You can find an identification guide for St George's Mushrooms here. This is one of the earliest of all field mushrooms and is a wonderful-tasting mushroom well worth the hunt.

The recipe follows:

St George's Mushroom Croustade

Ingredients:
150g breadcrumbs (preferably wholemeal)
150g plain flour
100g mixed nuts, chopped
1 tsp basil leaves, chopped
75g butter, softened
1 large egg
500g St George's Mushroom, cleaned and sliced
75g butter
450ml milk
1 tbsp flour
3 tomatoes, finely sliced
6 asparagus spears, cooked
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:
For the base, add the breadcrumbs, flour and nuts to a bowl. Rub-in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and mix to a dough. Use this to line a well-greased 22cm flan tin. Press down with the back of your hand or a wooden spoon to compact the mixture to about 1.5cm thick.

Place in an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 14 minutes, or until set.

Meanwhile, fry the mushrooms, onion and garlic in the remaining butter for about 2 minutes before stirring-in the flour and adding the milk. Stir well to combine then cook until thickened. Adjust the seasoning then spoon the mixture into the prepared base. Decorate the top with the tomatoes and asparagus, cover lightly with foil and return to the oven. Turn down to 170°C and cook for 10 minutes.

Serve warm.

2: Morel Mushrooms

The morels are some of the more regonizable of the Spring wild mushrooms (you can find an identification guide for morels here). Note that morels contain a mild toxin which is rendered inert by cooking and they should always be cooked before eating. For gourmands this is definitely one of the most sought-after of the spring fungi.

The recipe follows:

Asparagus and Morel Bread Pudding


Ingredients:
8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthways
750ml whole milk
450g loaf of firm white bread cut into thick slices (slightly stale bread is best)
700g peeled asparagus cut at a diagonal into 1cm lengths
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large shallot, finely diced
300g morel mushrooms (chanterelles also work) cleaned and coarsely chopped
4 large eggs
50g frehshly-chopped parsley
3 tbsp finely-chopped tarragon (or marjoram) leaves
350g freshly-grated Gruyère cheese
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:
Add the garlic and milk to a pan, bring slowly to a boil then remove from the heat and set aside to cool and steep. Break the bread into chunks (much easier to do if it's stale) and pour the milk (through a strainer) over the top. Set the dish aside (but return to turn the bread every so often so that it absorbs as much of the milk as possible.

Meanwhile fill a large, deep, frying pan with water, bring to a boil the salt lightly and add the asparagus pieces. Cook for 3 minutes then drain and refresh under cold water to stop the cooking.

Melt half the butter in a non-stick pan, add the shallots and cook for 1 minute before adding the mushrooms. Increase the heat and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to brown and release their liquid, Remove from the heat, season and set aside.

Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk until smooth then add the parsley, tarragon or marjoram, 1 tsp salt and black pepper to taste. Add the soaked bread and the asparagus and mushroom mixture (along with any liquids). Add 2/3 of the cheese and mix to combine thoroughly. Pour into a gratin dish and spread out with the back of a large spoon or spatula. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with the remaining butter.

Place in an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 50 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool a little before serving.

3: Fairy Ring Champignon

The fairy fing chanpignon is not the prettiest of mushrooms, but it is tasty and very common (an identification guide for fairy ring champignons can be found here.

The recipe follows:

Fairy Ring Champignon Omelette

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp water
Salt and Black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp chopped onions
90g Fairy Ring Champignon caps, sliced 1 tbsp clarified butter (or oil)

Method:
Mix together all ingredients except the butter, onions and mushrooms. Put half of the butter in a skillet heated to medium and cook the onions in this until softened (about 4 minutes) then add the mushrooms and cook until the onion browns (about 5 minutes). Remove the onion and mushroom mixture and set aside then add then remaining butter and the egg mixture. Using a small spatula run around the edges of the pan, tipping the frying pan so the uncooked egg from the center of the pan can run under the bottom of the cooked egg. Continue to do this until the egg in the center is still just a little moist. Sprinkle the fried onions and mushrooms on the egg then roll the omelette with three folds as you turn it onto the plate.

You can find a wild greens and a wild mushroom recipe at: Wild Food as a Way of Saving Money.

I hope that these recipes have raised your interest in wild foods and you can find far more information on the Edible Wild Foods Guide. There are also several hunderd recipes incorporating wild foods in the Wild Food Recipes guide and for mushrooms at the Mushroom Recipes page.

For all the wild food recipes on this blog, see the wild food recipes page.