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Kale and Whitefish
Kale and Whitefish
Greens are an important part of Nigerian cuisine. Efo riro is a classic dish of kale stewed in a spicy tomato/red pepper sauce with pieces of whitefish. You will want to use a firm fleshed fish, so I recommend tilapia, swai, catfish, or snapper. This dish is even hearty enough that it could be eaten vegan without the fish or dried shrimp. Efo riro is best served with boiled yams or steamed basmati rice.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 3 roma tomatoes chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 habanero
- 2 tbsp dried bitter leaf
- 1 1/2 lbs white fish fillets tilapia, swai, catfish, or snapper
- 1 tbsp creole seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 maggi bouillon cube
- 3 tbsp dried shrimp
- 4 tsp powdered locust bean
- 2 bunches kale rib removed; washed; chopped into 2” pieces
Instructions
- Place the onion, tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, and habanero in a blender.
- Purée until smooth. Set aside.
- Rehydrate the dried bitter leaf in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the water and chop. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season your fish with creole seasoning. Place on a rack on a baking sheet lined in in foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Cut into 2” pieces. Set aside.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the tomato paste, turmeric, thyme, and garam masala for 1 minute.
- Pour in the reserved purée, bitter leaf, powdered locust bean, dried shrimp, and maggi bouillon cube. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Slowly incorporate a handful of kale in at a time.
- Once all the kale is mixed in, simmer for 5 minutes without stirring.
- Add in the chunks of fish. Cook for 3 minutes.
Bibimbap
Bibimbap
In Korean, bibim means “to mix”, and bap means “rice”. So bibimbap is meat, vegetables, egg, and sauce mixed with rice. But it’s a lot more then that. Bibimbap is traditionally served in a hot stone bowl called a dolsot. The inside of the hot bowl is brushed with sesame oil. The rice is cooked in the bowl, creating a crispy rice layer. Then the toppings of your choosing are placed on top of the rice. An egg is cracked in the center and is drizzled with bibimbap sauce. Then, using your chopsticks, everything is stirred together in the bowl with the heat continuing to cook the bibimbap.
Servings: 2
Equipment
- dolsot stone bowl
- ramekins
Ingredients
- 2 cups steamed rice
- sesame oil
Toppings
- 6 oz sirloin thinly sliced and julienned
- 1/2 bunch spinach
- 1 carrot peeled and julienned
- 1/2 zucchini julienned
- 2 king oyster mushrooms sliced
- 2 green onions chopped
- garlic minced
- soy sauce
- sesame oil
- toasted sesame seeds
- salt and pepper
- 2 large eggs
- vegetable oil
Bibimbap Sauce
- 2 tbsp gochujang paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
Instructions
Prepping the Toppings
- Marinate the beef with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp green onion, and 1/2 tsp of sesame seeds for 10 minutes. Sauté in 1/2 tbsp of oil for 5 minutes until cooked through. Set aside.
- Sauté the carrots in a 1/2 tbsp of oil over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Sauté the zucchini, 2 tbsp green onion, and 2 minced garlic cloves in a 1/2 tbsp of oil over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Toss with 1/2 tsp of toasted sesame seeds and set aside.
- Sauté the mushrooms in a 1/2 tbsp of oil over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Sauté the spinach, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tbsp of green onion, and toasted sesame seeds in 1/2 tbsp of oil medium high heat for 2 minutes. Set aside.
- Mix together the bibimbap sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Smoked Pineapple
Smoked Pineapple
Believe it or not, pineapple turns out great in a smoker. I coated fresh pineapple rings in brown sugar. Using pecan wood, I smoked the rings for about 2 hours. The tops of the pineapple start to caramelize from the brown sugar. Once I pull them out of the smoker, they get drizzled with honey and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- fresh pineapple rings cored; 1” thick
- brown sugar
- honey
- toasted sesame seeds
Wood Chips
- pecan
Instructions
- Pat the pineapple dry with paper towels. Dip one side into a plate of brown sugar.
- Place the pineapple rings on a rack. Let sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Smoke the pineapple for 2 hours.
