January 9, 2008

• Week One

  So we made it through week one. My review is late, because Thursday we make the second dish.

  
  

  I made Chicken-Peanut Stew from “Discovery of a Continent: Foods, Flavors, and Inspirations from Africa” by Marcus Samuelssom (see currently reading, p.147). The recipe requires onions, carrots, two scotch bonnet chilies, fresh ginger, bay leaves, chicken, peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes and spinach.  I could not find scotch bonnet peppers, so I substituted with habaneras. I have a friend who is Jamaican, and that is what he suggested. I was really impressed by the spicy flavor that they added. It was not just hot. I plan on cooking with them again. The recipe required that we toast the peanuts, blended them into a paste, and then add them to the stew. We also boiled the vegetables and pureed them. Everything was added into the same pot.

  
  

  The final result was good- but not great. I felt as though there was something missing from the recipe. I felt it needed more salt, and a little pepper to help with the spice flavor. In addition, the peanut flavor could of been much stronger. I would add more of them. The directions told us to serve over rice. However, we ignored that advice because there are potatoes in the recipe. Both my husband and I agree that the rice would of complimented the dish.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  • 4:51 pm
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