Eat your way around the world
THE SCENE: A thick strand of ooze connected my spoon to the serving bowl. I wiped it up quickly, before mounding the spiced okra onto Ava's plate. She looked at the dark green mountain. She looked at me, shook her head, and signed for more fish. This wasn't going to be easy. "Try the okra, Ava," I said, cloaking my desperation with a cheerful voice. "Okra. Okra." I repeated, slowly. I pointed to the plate and smiled. "Try it!" We watched her. We waited. Ava scrunched up her … [Read more...]
Serves 4-6 Okra amazes me. Fried, it behaves nicely. Crispy, yummy, good. When stewed okra becomes a little more... shall we say... unwieldy? Slippery? Viscous? No matter. In Equatorial Guinea they make the best of it and turn this tricky veggie into spicy and exotic side dish with a few simple spices (and one explosive habenero pepper). I avoided fire-engine heat levels by simply splitting the habenero to let a little juice out. It was more than enough heat for me. While the okra becomes … [Read more...]
Serves 2-4 What is breakfast like at your house? Does one person eat more sugar than oatmeal? More syrup than pancake? That's Mr. Picky. One day I fully expect him to eat a bowl of nothing but sugar. Meanwhile I just barely dust my breakfast with sweeteners. While eating, we take turns shaking our heads at each other's crazy eating habits. Today, take your sugar out for a spin on a bowl of millet porridge, an African treat. Particularly popular in central Africa, you can make this dish as … [Read more...]
Tulsa seems to be channeling a little bit of Equatorial Guinea. After record-breaking snowstorms, the sky is blue, the air is warm, love birds are chirping, and a squirrel is peering at me over a fence. He's wondering where the 14 inches of snow went. And why the trees are budding in February. The one thing he doesn't have to worry about, however, is being dinner. I'm not interested and my cats are way too slow. In Equatorial Guinea, Mr Squirrel might be faced with a different fate. In the … [Read more...]
Serves 2 You've seen them at the fish market. Whole trout. Somewhat intimidating, but also intriguing. Friends, if you've never ventured in the world of whole fish, I highly recommend it. Cooking them is beyond easy and the flavor is exceptional. Today we stuff them with peppers, onions, and fresh lemons - flavors characteristic of Equatorial Guinea. Slightly spicy and super fresh - make this for a special occasion or just for fun. Ingredients: 2 whole trout, cleaned 1/4 cup … [Read more...]
Yesterday you asked me if I was going to be cooking a monkey head. You asked because I shared a photo of a cooked monkey head with you. Totally understandable. To answer your question - there are two reasons why I will not be cooking a monkey head this week. And I think it's best I leave those reasons to your imagination. Instead I'm cooking a whole fish and will include the whole head for authenticity purposes. As for the rest? Thankfully, Equatorial Guinea is full of all sorts of wonderful … [Read more...]
My riding instructor invited me hunting when I was 15 years old. The thought of riding through France's foggy woods seemed romantic, adventurous, and disarmingly elite. I desperately wanted to say yes, but I had a squeamish feeling I just couldn't shake. Bottom line? I didn't want to kill my dinner and I didn't want to watch other people kill their dinner. Thankfully, I didn't have to. I was surrounded by supermarkets, cafes, street vendors, and - just down from our house - carrot and mushroom … [Read more...]
