Changes...

Hi guys, I've been a very busy chap lately, what with moving house (major upheaval), job changes and other slight annoyances that make life what it is. But, we keep calm and carry on eating good food. I've had a whole gamut of great cuisine lately, from a delicious homemade Cambodian curry to tasty BBQ street food and I can't forget the continuing presence of African food that I see all around London (which reminds me, I must try that Ivorian place in Deptford). What this means I don't know, and food trends come and go; when it comes to what's hot on the media buzz list, its about 'being out there',take the surging popularity of Brixton market. I think good solid food, whether 'on point' or not will always prevail, which can only be a good thing. Look out for me, somewhere soon!

I'll be back soon with some more fab recipes...and spread the word!

Crispy paprika plantain chips

I've cooked plantain in all its guises from plain and boiled to roasted to deep fried in hot spices - but I seem to return to my good old fail safe: the chip...or crisp...either way, they're damn tasty and perfect for mid-week snacking. Let me share my recipe with you and I defy you to return to Walkers after munching through a bowl.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 medium sized hard plantains
250 ml of virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cornish sea salt or equivalent

1) Start by cutting up the plantains into slices as thin as you can get them
2) Arrange in a bowl and then heat the oil in a pan until very hot (you can test the temperature by dropping in a slice; if it sizzles madly, you're all set!
3) Fry the chips in small batches( the secret to a really crisp chip is to space them out so they don't touch)
4) Once you've completed frying the plantain, transfer to a bowl and add the pepper. paprika and salt and give it a good mix!

You can give the chips more bite if you like by adding an additional 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne. I like to cool these chips down with a really simple lemon mayonnaise, which consists of the juice of half a lemon with a good dash of salt stirred into your fav mayonnaise.

Supper club night: Part 2

So my second attempt at cooking what I can only describe as West African fusion resulted in a mixed bag of friends and friends of friends dining at my Mum’s house last Saturday night. It was my mother’s suggestion of holding the event at her house, whether she wanted to witness with her own eyes that I could muster something more taxing than a poached egg (despite my mother hearing of the rousing feedback I got from the first supper night) or whether it’s because to her Peckham and dining just don’t sit comfortably together, I went along with the offer nonetheless, and besides, my mum could always pitch in and peel a yam or two?  I’d toiled and fussed around with the menu for sometime before the supper club and had it finalised well in advance. I even started preparing three days prior and the last thing I wanted was to start cooking when the guests had arrived – Come dine with me contestants should take note. So the order of service went as follows: -

Starter

Gold Coast Cocktail

Hot Plantain platter

Plantain bites

Mini beef kebabs

Akwaaba nuts

Tender battered gizzards

Main

Fish stew

Black rice

Spinach and carrot salad

Desert

Sweet yam ice cream

Banana fritters

The cocktails were a hit, of which the components have to remain a secret, needless to say, mixology isn’t my forte, but a few self taught lessons and I’m already thinking of a few more to add to my repertoire.  I loved how the plantain bites turned out – crisp and greaseless with a kick of pepper and ginger. Overall, the platter does take time to assemble, but it packs a punch both aesthetically and flavour wise. It would also work well served as nibbles at a party, so the next time I have a few friends round, I'm going to be sure to whip up my hot plantain platter. Equally, the main course - the fish stew - which consisted of snapper and cod combined with okra and sweet potato was fresh and modern while still retaining elements of traditional Ghanaian food.

The most experimental dish of the evening was the yam ice cream, certainly an acquired taste, my thoughts when creating this was to challenge the usual elements of Ghanaian food - savoury ingredients used under the guise of a sweet dish, keeping things creative by utilising spices and herbs uncommon in the staple soups and stews - it's all about thinking beyond conventions. I'm definitely running with this for awhile. 

So, now I retire to conjure up a new menu for the soon to be announced supper club three. If you fancy attending the next event, drop me an e-mail.

Preparations, musings and indecisions - cod vs snapper? Hmm...

Now, I've been counting down the days (and hours and minutes - literally) until I host my next supper club for six unsuspecting guests, for two reasons, I think; I love entertaining, as you're probably well aware, but namely because I've been itching to share the great menu I've created after much pen chewing deliberation: it's fresh, a little spicy, but most of all, I know my guests will leave plesantly stuffed with a cuisine that's new to them. It's pretty much the main reason I've joined the underground restaurant revolution - the need to share with people what I love doing most - cooking! I won't reveal too much about the menu, you'll have to tune in next week for a full, mouth watering review of all the delicousness that went down! Hint: chilli powder, plantains and chicken gizzards. Stumped? Yep, I thought so.

Anyway, all that aside, a fishy conundrum remains - do I use Cod or Red snapper for my main course? Opinions, please?

Christmas: it's that time

So it's here! Another year gets swallowed up in a fuzzy haze; you ponder retrospectively and consider your achievements during the last 12 months, if like me, a sudden case of 'What the *#!?!! have I done?' hits you square between the eyes, rest assured you're not alone. But one thing I always remember are all the fab meals I've had, recipes I've cooked and restaurants I've visited - and the new year always brings the giddy excitement of all the new places I wanna try, kind of like the anticipation of Christmas morning. So, what's everyone cooking for Christmas lunch? This year, I've been assigned the task of roasting a duck, which I hasten to add I've never done before, so it should be interesting if not a tad challenging. Roast duck, christmas pud and bucks fizz aplenty - that's my kind of Christmas! Well, have a great one, whatever you're doing and eat well and don't forget to check back for new posts in 2012!

Supper club night: Part 1

So, it came and went leaving me pondering and more convinced than ever that Ghanaian food has a place in the mainstream. Yes, granted a few things need to change to make it more accessible, but ultimately, it has potential because it's good, flavourful and interesting. In a world where we are becoming more inclined to seek out the more exotic and experimental, this is all pretty exciting for me.

Back to the events of Saturday evening. Being the organised person that I am, I had the menu sorted out weeks ago - I knew exactly what I wanted to cook for what would be the introduction to my supper club - something tasty but with impact. So, it went as follows:

Starter
Peanut soup

Main
Pimento roasted plantain
Supermalt basted pork chops
Stir fried okra

Dessert
Grapefruit ginger ice cream

My guests for the premier night of my supper club were all of Ghanaian extraction, which was an intentional decision, as I wanted to gauge the response from people already familiar with the cuisine. The feedback was great and fervently positive -namely being that something of this ilk is really needed to give West African cuisine the kudos it rightly deserves! I was of course extremely chuffed with all this praise showered on me, which led me to think of all the great things I could make for the next event.  All in all, a merry time was had by all, with great conversation flowing with each course. I'll also admit that my snazzy red and green Ghanaian print shirt was a hit, as was one of guests, who also chose to wear one - well keeping with the theme was the sartorial aim on my part for sure! Details for the next event will be posted shortly.

Mackerel and spinach stew

Call this my introduction into autumn; although at the moment the weather feels more like Takoradi Beach, Ghana, than Peckham, south London. The kids are back to school, the clothes are minimal, the chicken shops are full – it could only mean one thing, an Indian summer! The local markets are bursting with colourful, seasonal vegetables and my culinary senses are like a police radar racing down Cold harbour lane – well, that’s partly a lie – it’s never seasonal along Rye lane – it’s plantains, yams and red snapper all year round. I did pick up some Mackerel, Pumpkin and fresh thyme for this tasty stew that’s gonna get you reminiscing about school day conker fights, bonfire nights and onset of the dreaded winter. It’s rich, warm and spicy and it just loves a bowl of brown rice in which to smother its juices all over. Mackerel is great for this dish, but substitute it for any variety of robust fish, like tuna or halibut

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Ingredients:

1/2 small pumpkin

1 400g tin peeled plum tomatoes

A bunch of spinach, roughly chopped

10 okra fingers

1/2 large onion

A 2 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 Mackerel fish scaled and gutted and cut into three pieces

1/2 Scotch bonnet pepper

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 sprigs of thyme

3 tablespoons olive oil.

1) Begin by sweating the onions in the olive oil over a low heat in a large pot.

2) Chop the tops and ends off the okra fingers and cut in half and add to the pot along with the ginger, nutmeg, cumin, paprika and salt. Continue cooking over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

3) Add the peeled plum tomatoes, spinach, thyme, garlic and the scotch bonnet pepper, stir and resume cooking for five minutes

4) Add the pumpkin and the mackerel, cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes on a low heat.