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Gboma Dessi
Gboma Dessi
This is the first Togolese recipe on stonedsoup.net! Togo is a small West African country on the Gulf of Guinea, in between Ghana and Benin. Togolese cuisine is made up of African, French, and German influences. Tomato and spinach is a popular combination, which happens to be the base of this every so tasty dish, gboma dessi. A spicy tomato sauce is simmered down. Then spinach is stirred in, followed by sautéed chicken that was seasoned with commonly used spices such as ajowan seeds, anise, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. What really stands out to me in this dish is the texture the ground pumpkin seeds add to the sauce. It reminds me of what a scoop of ricotta does to an Italian tomato sauce. You can serve gboma dessi with rice, potatoes, or polenta.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2” pieces
- 1 tsp ajowan seeds ground
- 1 tsp anise seeds ground
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1-3 habanero
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds ground
- salt to taste
- 1 lb spinach washed
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the ajowan, anise, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the chicken for 8 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the pan.
- Heat up the other 2 tbsp of cooking oil. Sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add in the habanero and sauté for another minute.
- Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the stock and ground pumpkin seeds. Season with salt. Simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach. Cook for 5 minutes until spinach is wilted.
- Stir in the chicken and cook for 5 more minutes.
Peri Peri Sauce
Peri Peri Sauce
Peri peri is eaten all over Southern African countries such as Mozambique and South African. The sauce, which can double as a marinade, has the perfect balance of sweet, salt, and acidity, with a tremendous amount of heat. It pairs well with just about every meat, fish, and seafood. The base of the sauce comes from African bird’s eye chilies. Since these peppers aren’t accessible outside of Africa, Thai red bird’s eye chilies are a suitable replacement. All of the ingredients are puréed in a food processor, then slowly simmered to cook out the raw flavor of the ingredients. Peri peri can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 red onion chopped
- 8 garlic cloves chopped
- 1/2 cup red bird’s eye chilies chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 2 small roma tomatoes chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small lemons juiced and zested
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tbsp oregano
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a food processor.
- Purée until smooth.
- Place the purée in a small pot over medium low heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring.
Honduran Carne Asada
Honduran Carne Asada
Carne asada is the national dish of Honduras. What sets this carne asada apart from others is that it’s marinade base is bitter orange juice. While you might have a difficult time finding bitter oranges unless you go to a Latin market, you can substitute the juice of an orange and lime. There is also bottled bitter orange juice called naranja agria from a concentrate that is available in the Latin sections of most grocery stores that will also work. I prefer to use real juice.Carne asada is always flank or skirt steak. Both of these cuts can be tough, so marinating overnight will get you the best results for tenderness and flavor. The beef can either beef grilled or broiled for 5-6 minutes a side. Slice the beef across the grain on a bias to serve. Carne asada is served with chimol, a Honduran-style pico de gallo, and refried beans.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skirt or flank steak
- 1/2 cup bitter orange juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix together the marinade ingredients.
- Cross cut the beef into 2” wide pieces. Marinate the beef for 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat your broiler. Place the beef on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Broil for 6 minutes a side. Alternatively, you can grill the beef for the same amount of time. Let rest before serving.
