Ingredients

• 4 green plantains peeled and cut in medium sized chunks
• 4-5 tbs butter or lard
• 2 tbs oil canola or sunflower
• 1 tbs hot pepper or chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 cup grated cheese and/or 1 cup cooked chorizo or chicharrones or bacon
• Salt to taste
• Ground peanuts (optional – add when mashing the green plantains)

Preparation

1. Melt the butter or lard over medium heat in large sauté pan
2. Add the plantain chunks and cook for about 40 minutes or until they are very soft, turn them about every 10 minutes, they should be slightly golden but not too crispy.
3. Sprinkle the cooked plantains with the chili powder, cumin and salt.
4. Transfer the plantain pieces to a bowl, do this while they are still hot (but be careful not to burn yourself).
5. Mash the plantains using a wood masher – or just a regular potato masher – until you obtain chunky dough like consistency.
6. Form balls slightly smaller than the size of a tennis ball with the dough.
7. Make a hole in the middle of each ball and fill it with the cheese or chorizo or chicharrones (mixed with ground peanuts), gently press the filling into the hole, cover the filling and reshape it back into a ball shape.
8. Heat the oil over high heat, add the stuffed plantain dumplings and fry them until they are golden and crispy on each side.
9. Transfer to plate lined with paper towels to drain the grease and serve immediately.

Laylita’s Recipes

Ingredients

• 6 roma tomatoes
• 2 habañero chiles (optional)
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 500 g meat (beef, chicken, or lamb)
• 4 large onions, sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1.5 l of water or appropriate stock
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 800 g long grain rice
• 2 carrots, steamed, chopped in large pieces

Preparation

Put tomatoes and chiles (if using) into the blender and blend until smooth.

Brown your meat, which should be already cooked (best seems to be leftover stew meat) in the oil, and set aside.

Add onions to the oil, and fry until soft, then add garlic and fry briefly. Add the tomato mixture, the stock, the tomato paste, and 1 tsp. each of salt and pepper. The seasoning should be strong, since the rice will cook in this. Continue simmering the liquid for around 10 minutes on medium heat. If it’s still under-seasoned, you can add some more of a stock cube.

Rinse the rice and add it to the pot, stir, cover, and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. It shouldn’t be entirely dried out yet. Add the meat and carrots and mix well. Add 1 c. more of water, and continue to cook on low heat until the rice is cooked.

My African Food Map, adapted

Ingredients

• 5 cuisses de poulet
• 200 gr de haricots verts (surgelés)
• 3 carottes
• 1 poivron rouge
• 1 poivron vert
• 3 piments doux verts
• 2 oignons
• 10 gousses d’ail
• 2 boites de pulpes de tomates (400gr chacune)
• 2 feuilles de laurier
• 1 c. à café bombé de gingembre
• 1 c. à café de piment de cayenne
• 2 bouillons cubes de volaille
• Huile
• Sel et poivre

Pour les plantains:

• 2 bananes plantain
• Huile pour friture

Preparation

Couper les cuisses de poulet en deux. Eplucher et couper en rondelles les carottes. Laver les poivrons et les piments, les épépiner et couper en gros morceaux les 2 poivrons. Les piments, les laisser entier ou coupé en deux.

Eplucher l’ail et l’oignon. Emincer les oignons. Ecraser sous la paume de la main 5 gousses d’ail et couper les autres en deux, les presser à l’aide d’un appareil pour en faire de la pulpe.

Dans une grande marmite mettre un peu d’huile et faire revenir les morceaux de poulet.

Quand ils sont bien dorés sur les deux faces, les retirer de la marmite et les réserver.

Mettre dans la marmite les oignons et les gousses d’ail entières. Faire revenir à feu doux.

Bien mélanger et mettre les boites de pulpes de tomates. Mélanger et laisser mijoter 5 mn.

Ajouter les légumes (haricots verts, carottes, piments et poivrons) et l’ail pressé. Saupoudrer le tout avec le gingembre, le piment de cayenne. Emietter les bouillons cube et bien mélanger. Mettre les feuilles de laurier, saler et poivrer.

Ajouter enfin le poulet et 30 cl d’eau chaude. Bien mélanger, couvrir et laisser mijoter pendant 30 mn en remuant de temps en temps.

Si la sauce est trop épaisse, rajouter un peu d’eau.

Pour les plantains: (ou allez les acheter au marché)

Pendant ce temps, éplucher les bananes plantain et les couper en rondelles.

Faire chauffer un bain de friture et mettre les bananes à frire. Les retirer quand elles sont dorées.

A 5 mn de la fin de la cuisson du poulet, les glisser dans la marmite, mélanger.

Servir bien chaud accompagné de riz nature.

Voozenoo

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup honey + 1/4 cup honey for drizzling on top
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the inside of the muffin wells extremely well. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and lemon zest. Cut in the room temperature butter to the flour mixture until it looks like a sandy/gravely mixture. Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, honey, and vanilla. Pour the liquids over the dry mixture and combine until just combined - do not over-mix.

Spoon the batter into 12 muffin wells - it will be between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup of batter each.

Bake for 16 minutes, or until mostly done but not quite golden enough.

Remove from the muffin pan and place the muffins on a silpat lined rimmed baking sheet.

Warm the remaining 1/4 cup honey in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

Using a silicone pastry brush, coat the tops of the cakes with the honey. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes to let the honey soak into the cakes.

Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until the cakes are golden brown.

The Gingered Whisk

Ingredients

For the tisane:

• 1/4 cup juniper berries
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice berries
• 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns
• 4 cups water
• Peel of 1 grapefruit, stripped with a peeler, avoiding the white pith
• Peel of 1 navel orange, stripped with a peeler, avoiding the white pith
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the drinks:

• 1 cup juniper tisane
• 3 ounces dry gin
• 4 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 twists orange peel, for garnish

Preparation

Make the juniper tisane: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, toast the juniper berries, star anise, coriander, allspice and peppercorns until fragrant (the juniper berries will begin to look oily).

Add the water, then the citrus peels, twisting them over the surface of the water to express the oils.

Add the sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer to infuse, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain out (and discard) the solids and reserve the liquid. The yield is about 3 3/4 cups (enough for 6 to 7 drinks).

Make the drinks: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the tisane to a simmer. Add the gin and let rewarm for 30 seconds, then divide equally between two teacups. Add 2 dashes bitters to each drink, then garnish with the orange peel — twisted over the surface of each drink, then dropped in — stir and serve.

WaPo

Ingredients

• 1 ounce fresh blood orange juice
• 1 ounce Campari
• 1 ounce bourbon
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• A few dashes Angostura bitters
• Ice

Preparation

Stir together the orange juice, Campari, bourbon, vermouth and bitters in a mixing glass.

Fill a highball glass to the top with ice, and then pour in the orange juice mixture. Serve right away.

WaPo

Ingredients

• 2 poblano chiles
• 5 guajillo chiles, seeded, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 5 pounds bone-in beef shoulder, cut into large pieces, or goat or lamb stew cuts on the bone
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• ¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 2 teaspoons toasted white sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 cloves
• Fresh black pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 limes, quartered
• Corn tortillas, warmed

Preparation

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Prepare the chiles: Use tongs to place the poblano chiles directly over the open flame of a gas burner set to high. Cook the poblanos until totally charred all over, turning as needed, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap so the poblanos can steam. After 10 minutes, use your fingers to pull the blackened skins away from the poblanos, then remove the stems and seeds. Roughly chop the poblanos and set aside.

While the poblano chiles steam, place a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches to cook the guajillo chiles evenly in one layer, flatten the chile halves on the hot skillet and toast them for about 15 seconds, turning once. Put the chiles in a bowl and add 2 cups hot water to help soften them. Set aside.

Prepare the meat: Season the meat all over with the salt. Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof pot over medium-high. Working in batches, sear the meat on all sides until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side, transferring the browned meat to a large bowl as you work.

After you’ve seared all the meat, add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Return all the meat to the pot.

Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, ginger, oregano, sesame seeds, cumin, cloves and a few grinds of black pepper to a blender, along with the chopped poblanos, toasted guajillos and the chile soaking liquid. Purée until smooth, scraping down the edges of the blender as needed.

Pour the blended mixture into the pot with the meat. Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, along with about 4 to 6 cups of water, enough to amply cover the meat.

Cover and cook in the oven until the meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Divide among bowls and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing on top, and a side of warm tortillas.

NYT

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. grated ginger
• 2 tbsp. sugar, divided
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 lb. sirloin tips, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced
• 1 firm pear, quartered, cored and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, ginger, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the sesame oil, garlic and 1 teaspoon pepper until the sugar dissolves. Add the beef and stir to coat. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate medium bowl, combine the vinegar, the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in the cucumber and pear. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat the broiler with an oven rack about 4 inches from the heat. Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Place the pieces on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Cook until 125° at the center for medium-rare, 7 to 10 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through. Transfer to a plate and let rest for 10 minutes.

Drain the cucumber mixture and transfer to a large platter, arranging it on one side. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Arrange the steak opposite the salad.

Oprah

Ingredients

• Frozen peas, thawed
• Radishes, thinly sliced
• Spring onion, minced
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. honey
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Combine the cream, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper, and put in a jar. Shake for about one minute. Leave on the counter for an hour to thicken. Toss with peas and radishes.

someone on Facebook, I think?

Ingredients

• 5 lb. beef bones, veal bones, or feet, cut into 3-4" pieces
• 1/2 lb. onions, roughly chopped
• 1/4 lb. carrots, roughly chopped
• 1/4 lb. celery, roughly chopped
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 5 qt. cold water
• 1 tbsp. dried thyme
• a few fresh parsley stems
• a bay leaf
• several whole peppercorns
• several whole cloves

Preparation

Arrange the bones in a heavy roasting pan, and drizzle with a bit of vegetable oil. Roast them in a hot oven (400 F) for around an hour. They should be moderately browned. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, and continue roasting for around 20 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir, and roast for another 10 minutes.

Remove the bones to a stockpot. Deglaze the roasting pan with a bit of water. Add the cold (important!) water to the stockpot, along with the mirepoix and the deglazing liquid from the roasting pan. Add the spices, tied together in a bundle of cheesecloth.

Bring the pot to a boil, then lower it to a simmer. Simmer for 4 to 6 hours, skimming fat and scum from the surface every so often. The goal is to end with 4 qt. of stock for every 5 qt. of water that you started with, so partially cover the pot and/or add more water to maintain that level.

Strain through cheesecloth and chill.

Spruce Eats