Well, well, this is an entry I’ve been looking forward to writing! I come from America, I’m married to a Brit and we live in Africa. You betcha our daily “bread” is unpredictable!
Since coming back to Africa this time, a toaster oven and a reliable fridge have been added to my kitchen making the job of providing food to our family and guests much easier for me!
I’ve made several killer discoveries. But you must realize that the things that excite me here, are probably irrelevant, strange or even boring to you. Probably you live in the land of large supermarkets, lovely farmer’s markets and at least in a place where you can get lettuce year-round! J So, bear with me! Let me get excited, because here in Africa, we’ve got to be creative with what we have! J
But first, let me paint the broader picture….
Each morning a woman from every family here heads to the market to buy food. The vegetable part of the market consists of probably 20-30 small tables most of which have the same fruits and veg on them. With every season the vegetable options change, but year round we can usually get pumpkin, eggplant, onions, white sweet potatoes (different from orange ones),cabbage and a few various kinds of dried leaves. Most of the time, we can get potatoes and carrots. Some of the time we get okra, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, hot peppers, squash, cucumber and green onions ( I call this, “Salsa season!”).
Right now is “Salsa Season”. It’s the most plentiful time of year! Just two days ago we found our first lettuce! It is very expensive, but it is here!
Boodie
“Boodie” (below) is a green squash-type vegetable that is locally grown in this winter season. Some call it “the cooking cucumber” because it looks and tastes a lot like a cucumber (but has to be cooked!). I’ve found it makes a nice addition to stir-fry as well as a sweet quick bread, when grated.
Okra Curry
One of my favorite new recipes lately is “Okra Curry”. The BBC posted a good recipe and I doctored it up a bit and it was hit! Because okra is one of the few green veggies we can get I am always looking for new ways to use it! I found the BBC recipe bland, so I added hot green peppers and coconut (to make it more of a Thai-style) and it was much more exciting!
White Hibiscus
This is my favorite new food discovery this month. I have made white hibiscus jam, crumble and have added it to fajitas and even stuffing! It has a lovely tangy flavor (those of you who know me well know I like that!) . It’s a great substitute for lemons or lemon juice since we can get that so rarely here. With your eyes closed, the crumble could have *almost* passed for rhubarb! Now you KNOW it must be good, right Dad?!
More later….gotta go make dinner!
