Serves 4 Prawns are a real treat, especially on the grill! For this Angolan appetizer we thawed frozen prawns in some of the marinade overnight (in the refrigerator). This simple step saved us time on meal day. I’m honored that this recipe was featured in Penzy’s Spices’ 2012 early summer catalog. Ingredients: 4-8 prawns 4 cloves garlic, crushed 4 green onions, chopped 1/8 tsp minced habanero 1 tsp cumin 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/4 cup water Method: 1. In a small food processor, combine all ingredients except prawns. Pulse until mixture forms a loose paste. NOTE: This step may be done the day before, just cover and refrigerate. The habanero will get stronger overnight as its hot oils mix more with the other ingredients. Depending on the habanero, this recipe is fairly mild. 2. Brush prawns with about 1/3 of the marinade, reserving the rest for dipping. If prawns are frozen, thaw completely. 3. Grill prawns about 3 minutes per side or until no longer translucent. Serve immediately with dipping sauce on the side. Grilled Prawns with Peppers | Camarao Grelhado Piri …
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Serves 4-5 Cocada Angolana is an intensely sweet dessert. Make sure to add plenty of cinnamon; the warm spice rounds out the flavor. Ingredients: 1 cup water 2 cups sugar 4 whole cloves 4 cups grated coconut 1 1/2 cups whole milk 1-2 Tbsp cinnamon Method: 1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook water sugar, and cloves. Stir until dissolved. Heat until mixture reaches soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer (about 240F). 2. Using a spoon carefully discard cloves. 3. Add coconut and milk. The mixture will clump. Continue to stir until smooth. Simmer for a few minutes. 4. Spoon into serving dishes and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 5. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve chilled. Coconut Dessert | Cocada Angolana Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Cocada Angolana is an intensely sweet dessert. Make sure to add plenty of cinnamon; the warm spice rounds out the flavor. CourseSweets Lifestyle5-ingredients or less, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian Servings Prep Time 4-5 People 5 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 10 minutes 30 minutes Servings Prep Time 4-5 People …
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Serves 8 What is a Bâton de Manioc? The pounded flesh of the yucca root, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for several hours. These dense yuca sticks are great cut up and eaten with stew. They take on the flavor of the banana leaves (which taste like steamed artichoke). Note: Do NOT shred the tough fibers in the center of the cassava, as these are unfit to eat and may contain traces of cyanide (just like apple seeds). Ingredients: 2 lbs cassava tubers banana leaves or aluminum foil Method: 1. Peel tubers. 2. (This step is optional in the US) Soak the cassava tubers in a bucket of water for about 3 days. Rinse off. 3. Using a grater, shred the tubers into a large bowl. Again, be careful NOT to shred the tough fibers in the center, as these are unfit to eat. Then, using a pastry cutter (or potato masher), pound into a paste. NOTE: If you have a large enough mortar and pestle, you can use this as well. 4. Place about 1/4 cup of the paste …
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You may be aware that Angola was in civil war from 1975-2002 (after winning independence from Portugal). This war devastated Angola, but they are working hard to put the pieces back together. Here is a beautiful Angolan peace song (with English subtitles). Want to learn more about Angola? Read the story of 5 men who ride their motorcycles through Angola. Even if you aren’t interested in their story, I highly recommending looking through the photos. They really give you a sense of what the Angolan countryside is like. Here’s just one of a hundred photos (there are 50 pages of text and photos):
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One of the reasons I started this project was to help my husband overcome his “picky eater syndrome.” Well, I thought it was about time I did some bragging on my husband. I’m happy to report that in just 4 meals he’s already come a long way. The first change happened about two weeks into the adventure. He stopped grunting “good” when I asked him how the food was. In fact, I haven’t really had to ask. He’ll just let me know. As someone who doesn’t like to beg for opinions, I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. On a related note, there’s nothing I love more than to eat a big meal and discuss the experience with friends. At our dinner parties we hash out the good, the bad, and the ugly. My husband used to be really uncomfortable doing this (I suppose he was afraid of giving the “wrong answer”). Now that he realizes there’s no such thing as a wrong answer, he’s getting into the experience. Of course, I still have to remind him not to scrunch up his …
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I first heard about Red Palm Oil on Tuesday, when I was digging around for Angolan recipes. I am cooking with it this weekend so time to get educated! Turns out there’s been a lot of hype about Red Palm Oil in the natural foods/health food world. With good reason. Red Palm Oil … – is popular in parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America – has been consumed for thousands of years – has a high smoke point (437F) – is red because its high in beta carotene and lycopene. – is a rich source of vitamin A (15 times more than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes) – is an extremely high antioxidant – has been shown to help prevent cancer as well as slow tumor growth – great for lowering cholesterol and seems to reduce the formation of blood clots – is finding its way into many commercial foods as producers struggle to replace unwanted hydrogenated oils This last bullet point cracks me up. Leave it to modern man to dig himself into a hole by making unhealthy manufactured commercial products that slowly kill us, only …
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This week at the Global Table we’re eating like Angolans, lovers of hot and spicy food. I’ve never cooked with Habanero peppers, so I am eager for this challenge. Hopefully I don’t burn our mouths off! Camarao Grelhado Piri Piri (Grilled Prawns with peppers) [Recipe] Marinated Prawns in garlic, green onions, cumin, and habanero peppers Muamba de Galinha (Chicken Stew) [Recipe] Chicken seared in red palm oil, then stewed with pumpkin, okra, onion, tomatoes, and habaneros Baton de Manioc/Chikwangue (Cassava Sticks) [Recipe] Cassava (also known as Yuca) is soaked in water for 3 days, then ground into a paste and steamed in banana leaves. Cocada Angolana (Coconut Dessert) [Recipe] Use fresh coconut to make this pudding-like dessert.
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In 1992 I moved to Paris. I brought my love of brownies with me. There was just one problem. No one sold or made brownies (there were amazing croissants everywhere, yes – but brownies, no). I was only 13 years old and I was homesick. By 1995 I went to extreme measures to get my hands on some brownies. I asked any American within shouting distance for a recipe. In a strange turn of events an Irish priest handed me a recipe scribbled on a scrap of paper. I’m not sure who told him about my plight but I was thrilled! I immediately got to work. I made brownies by the boatload. I brought them to school parties, friends’ houses, picnics, and so on. So what does this have to do with Angola? Food habits follow people, migrating from country to country. Even as years and miles add up, cultures remain linked through food habits. Angola was a Portuguese colony for 300 years. 300 years! If I could infiltrate Parisian suburbs with brownies in 3 years, you better believe that the Portuguese significantly impacted Angolan food in 300. …
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Hitting stride with Andorra I’m really starting to figure out this whole “dinner party” thing. Knock on wood. Of course, the first two times I did this (Afghanistan and Albania) I was all nerves and chaos. Getting a small dinner for 4 to table with grace felt unattainable. I had never heard of most of the dishes and I did not know how to pronounce many of the ingredients. I was unsure of myself and although I enjoyed eating the meals, I spent the entire day locked in the kitchen in a mad state of panic. “Honey, could you please….? Oh, no I forgot… honey would you mind? CRUD!” were about the only things I managed to mutter from my own personal tornado. The good news is my timing gets better with each meal. Also, my stress level goes down. Finally, with Andorra, I enjoyed the entire process. You want proof? Exhibit A: For a brief moment I thought I might have to remake the dessert from scratch. I wasn’t even worried. Exhibit B: I was able to go out with my husband and daughter to grab a “commercial coffee of choice” and run some unrelated errands …
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