Around the World in Eighty Bites - Uganda

As my loyal readers know, I keep track of the countries around the world that read this blog. While it’s fun to watch my numbers increase, the main reason I track my international readership is because I want to try as many different cuisines as possible, and knowing that I’m reaching real people across the globe keeps me inspired to create many new variations of traditional ethnic and national recipes. I also like being able to share the recipes with people who, like me, travel vicariously through their taste buds.
 

from nationsonline.org

The 97th country to hop on the www.baconbutterbooze.com bandwagon was Uganda. Like many countries that have been prone to invasion, Ugandan food features mainly native ingredients while reflecting the influences of invading countries’ cuisines. European, Arab, and Indian traders and explorers brought with them ingredients that have been incorporated into traditional Ugandan cuisine, but traditional dishes rely on native staples such as bananas, yams, and smoked or dried fish.

Cooking Ugandan food was a bit intimidating to me, because with the exceptions of Morocco and Ethiopia, most African nations’ cuisines haven’t become trendy yet, and I feared that finding enough information about the cuisine and its ingredients and cooking techniques would be difficult. However, when I’m intimidated by a kitchen project, I always accept the challenge and step up to the plate, so with a little bit of web research and a basket of fresh ingredients, I was ready to cook. After browsing through about a dozen Ugandan recipes, I selected Oluwombo. Oluwombo is a traditional Ugandan dish featuring meat and smoked fish cooked with tomatoes, peanuts, and mushrooms. I chose this dish because it was so different from the dishes I’ve cooked in the past.

While researching, I found several variations of the meat used in the dish - some used beef, some used chicken, and pork and goat were also featured in a few recipes. The other ingredients had no significant variation from recipe to recipe. Oluwombo is traditionally steamed in banana leaves for almost two hours, but to save time, I’ve varied the cooking method to create a stew that captures the flavors, but requires less preparation and cooking time. My first reaction? “How did I live without this for 30 years?”

Try this when you’re seeking something different from your typical beef stew!


Oluwombo-Inspired Stew

1 T. coconut oil
12 oz. sirloin, cut into ½” cubes
1 small onion, minced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 c. peanuts, crushed
3 oz. Tomato paste
1 cup beef stock or bouillon
4 oz. Fresh button mushrooms, finely chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, minced, plus 2 T. adobo sauce
½ t. toasted cumin seeds, ground
¼ t. ginger
¼ t. turmeric
6 oz. Smoked whitefish, skin and bones removed and flaked

4 baked plantains (instructions below), sliced
Crushed peanuts, to garnish

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 1 T. of the coconut oil over medium-high heat until it has melted. Add the sirloin and cook for several minutes until the meat has browned. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside, and if a lot of liquid and fat has been released from the meat, drain it. Add more coconut oil if necessary, then add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.

Add all the remaining ingredients and the browned sirloin. Stir, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, serve over slices of baked plantain and garnish with crushed peanuts.

Serves four.  Nutrition facts per serving: 790 calories, 68g carbohydrates, 35g fat, 56 g protein


Baked Plantains

4 plantains

Start with plantains that are in their medium stage of ripeness - beginning to blacken, but with a fair amount of yellow still showing. Preheat the oven to 425, and in the meantime, slice the ends off of each plantain, then halve lengthwise. Place the plantains skin side down on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and once the plantain halves are cool enough to touch, peel the skins off and slice the plantain halves into half-inch chunks.

Serves four.  Nutrition facts per serving: 180 calories, 48g carbohydrates, 0.3g fat, 1.2g protein

Coppa (Boston, MA) - Restaurant Review, Restaurant Replica Recipe

Last week, I entered a new decade. Goodbye, 20’s, you were pretty damn fun; helloooo, 30 - I have a feeling you’re gonna be just as fun! Although I definitely had a brief freak-out over my old age, the fear didn’t last long. I refuse to believe that my ability to enjoy life is determined by the amount of time I’ve spent on this planet. As long as I can read good books, watch hockey, surround myself with interesting people, and eat good food, the next 70+ years are going to be just as awesome as the first 30.

Speaking of good food, I used my big ol’ birthday as a good excuse to finally try a restaurant that I’ve wanted to try for, oh, two years. A few friends and I gathered at Coppa, a popular, well-known restaurant in Boston’s South End that specializes in Italian-inspired small plates, unique salumi and variety meats. Knowing Coppa’s popularity, I made a reservation about a week in advance. Thank God, because the place is much smaller than I expected! Reservations are a wise choice - the bar area is pretty small, and it‘s likely to be packed because this place is friggin’ awesome.

I started the night with a cocktail, as one should on her 30th birthday. After a painstaking decision making process, I chose the Fumo sull’Acqua (Mezcal, citrus, and chili syrup). I found a new favorite “away” cocktail (as opposed to the Godfathers and dirty martinis I like to mix up at home). Smoky, slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and totally delicious - I could drink these every day.

While each of us ordered an individual entrée, we split several small plates, including arancini, duck prosciutto, and bruschetta con ricotta (crostini with sheep’s milk ricotta and hen of the woods mushrooms). Although the duck prosciutto was phenomenal (the stuff literally melts in your mouth), the dish that we all raved about for the rest of the evening was the bruschetta. The four of us split one small slice of bruschetta, yet it was so rich that we agreed that a larger portion would have been too much.

My individual dishes were the Panino di Riccio di Mare (sea urchin and salami panino with mustard seeds) and the Orecchiette con Trippa (house made orechiette pasta with tripe, beef tongue, pork belly, chick peas and parmesan). If you’re into sea urchin, this mini-panini is to die for!!! Coppa does NOT skimp on the sea urchin in this dish - pieces were literally seeping out of the sides with every bite I took, so I had to eat carefully. It is small, but like the other dishes we sampled, it was so rich that large portions are unnecessary.

The orechiette was good, but I am a tripe lover and I would have been happier with the dish if it had contained more tripe. However, it was still delicious - the pasta was done just right, and the tomato sauce was very light and subtle, as to not overpower the other flavors.

By the end of the evening when our waitress asked us if we were interested in dessert, I didn’t think I could do it (plus, I was wearing a very tiny Free People sweater that revealed my entire midriff¾ I wouldn’t have been able to pull off the look if I’d been full and bloated!). However, being my birthday, our server brought me a complimentary dish of their honey-walnut gelato, topped with a lit birthday candle. As if the food wasn’t enough to encourage me to return to Coppa, touches like this stick in customers’ minds and can be the nudge that will elevate a restaurant from “great” to “favorite.” And the gelato?!? One bite, and I was mentally kicking my own ass for not ordering it in the first place!!! It wasn’t overly sweet, and you could definitely taste the honey. This is one of the most perfect desserts I’ve ever had, and I’m not even a dessert person.

Overall, Coppa is now one of my favorite dining spots in Boston. It’s one of those places with a menu so unique that you’ll want to make sure you try everything on it at least once. Just like a carefully assembled All-Star team, there is no weak link in Coppa’s lineup.

Because age has done nothing to diminish my curiosity, I stopped by Whole Foods and picked up the ingredients I thought I’d need to try and duplicate Coppa’s Bruschetta con Ricotta. Of course, when I say “duplicate,” I really mean “replicate as closely as I can, then tweak it a bit to personalize it.” One characteristic of Coppa’s ricotta topping sparked my curiosity¾while the flavor of the hen of the woods mushrooms stood out, I don’t recall biting into any mushroom bits. Were the mushrooms pureed? Possibly, but I suspected that the chefs pulverized dried mushrooms and folded the powder into the ricotta. So that’s the technique I used. I wouldn’t know where to buy hen of the woods mushrooms if my life depended on it, so I relied on the dried porcinis and shiitakes in my pantry. Using my spice grinder, I buzzed them into a fine powder. Needing my own touch, I decided to add a bit of Spanish flavor with a splash of dry sherry, some fresh thyme, and smoked paprika. Also, I used regular cow’s milk ricotta rather than sheep’s milk ricotta.

This recipe’s concept is the same as Coppa’s, and the flavor is similar, but the finishing touches differ. If you can’t make it to Coppa, make this recipe!



Brushchetta con Ricotta with Thyme

8 dried shiitake mushrooms
4 dried porcini mushrooms
2 T. melted butter
16 oz. Whole milk ricotta
2 t. dry sherry
2 t. fresh thyme
1 t. olive oil
2 t. white truffle oil
pinch kosher salt

Toasted baguette slices
Several thyme leaves, to garnish
Pinch smoked paprika, to garnish

Using a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or coffee grinder, pulverize the dried shiitake and porcini mushrooms to form a powder.

In a deep mixing bowl, combine the mushroom powder and the melted butter. Mix well. Next, add all the remaining ingredients except for the baguette slices and garnishes. Using an electric mixer, beat well until the ingredients are all fully incorporated into the mixture and the mixture is nice and fluffy.

Spread a heaping spoonful of the ricotta mushroom mixture onto each toasted baguette slice. Top with a few fresh thyme leaves, and then sprinkle with a tiny pinch of paprika.

VARIATION: Instead of using the whipped ricotta as a topping for crostini, use it to sauce pasta. Simply use the recipe above to sauce 16oz. of dry pasta, adding about a teaspoon of salt, an extra dash or two of smoked paprika, and some additional thyme leaves.

Farro Tagliatelle with Zucchini, White Beans, and Pink Peppercorns

For weeks, I've been planning to write a post about what to do with game day leftovers, but instead I’m choosing to be petty―there will be no mention of Sunday's main event. Game or no game, post or no post, I still had to eat last night. Although I was tired and had spent the greater part of the morning battling a hangover, ordering take-out was not an option, as my stomach could not handle any more salty, greasy, fatty food. I decided to suck it up and prepare something quick and light.

What ended up on my plate was an unintentionally vegetarian pasta dish using my favorite brand of farro tagliatelle, lots of garlic and butter, fresh zucchini, canned beans, and flavorful seasonings, including pink peppercorns. Try this recipe when you’re feeling lazy but still craving something nutritious!



Farro Tagliatelle with Zucchini, White Beans, and Pink Peppercorns

white beans and zucchini

12 oz. farro tagliatelle
3 oz. butter
Generous splash olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. zucchini, quartered lengthwise, then thinly sliced
1 16oz. can small white beans
1 t. dried thyme
½ t. dried oregano
1 t. coarsely ground black pepper
1 T. pink peppercorns
Salt to taste
Sprigs of parsley, for garnish
Shaved or grated pecorino romano, for garnish

Cook the pasta in generously salted water. In the meantime, melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the olive oil, then add the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for a minute or two or until the garlic is fragrant.

Next, add the zucchini to the pot. Cook for 3-5 minutes before adding the beans, thyme, oregano, ground pepper, pink peppercorns, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until all the ingredients are heated through.

Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the pot with the beans and the zucchini. Toss it well so that each strand is coated with the butter and oil. If it seems a bit dry, add a small splash of the pasta cooking water and toss it again. Serve on individual plates, garnishing each portion with a sprig of parsley and shaved or grated pecorino romano cheese.

Radicchio Wedge Salad with Curried Blue Cheese Dressing and Campari Raisins

The iceberg wedge salad. Now a common steakhouse and “New American” restaurant menu staple, the iceberg wedge wasn’t always so readily accepted by the hungry public. In fact, yours truly was waiting tables during the iceberg wedge’s rise to popularity, and I recall many a diner shooting me a barbed, “What the hell is this?” or “Um, did someone forget to chop the lettuce? Send it back.” I could feel my tips dwindling. But like hybrid cars, the Internet, and casual Fridays, the iceberg wedge went from shunned to tolerated to embraced. However, as eaters’ palates have become more adventurous, the iceberg wedge is now playing second fiddle to salads that use darker, more exotic greens, innovative dressings, and interesting touches like candied walnuts, pickled shallot, and marketable “superfoods” such as goji berries and pomegranate seeds.

Rather than burn out or fade away, perhaps the wedge salad simply needs a makeover!

Last night, I created a modern twist on the classic wedge salad, using radicchio instead of traditional iceberg lettuce. I originally planned on dressing it in a garlicky aioli, but I decided to at least stay parallel to tradition, so I concocted a runny blue cheese dressing with a punch of curry. The richness of the creamy blue cheese paired delightfully with the warm, bitter radicchio. Still, the plate needed something else, but what? Perhaps something sweet to counter the bitterness of the radicchio and the kick of heat in the curry? Raisins! But I’d have to plump them first; otherwise I’d risk having my plate look like it had been sprinkled with rabbit poo. I didn’t have any open wine, and I feared that whiskey or grappa would be far too strong, so I chose Campari. Campari is an Italian liqueur with a bitter, yet sweet and almost citrusy flavor; it seemed like a logical choice for this dish. I soaked the raising in warmed Campari to speed up the plumping process, and then I sprinkled the raisings on the plate with my radicchio wedge.

The result? Sheer perfection! If your palate is not accustomed to bitter ingredients, you may not appreciate the complexity of this dish, but if you like bold, unique flavors, you’ll surely fall in love with this modern twist on the classic iceberg wedge salad!


Radicchio Wedge Salad with Curried Blue Cheese Dressing and Campari Raisins

For the Campari Raisins:
2 T. raisins
3 T. Campari, warmed but not boiling

For the dressing:
3-4 T. high-quality blue cheese dressing
2 T. olive oil
2 t. Campari (use the liquid left after the raisins have soaked)
2 t. turmeric
1 t. garlic powder
¼ t. cayenne, or to taste
Dash finely ground black pepper

2 heads radicchio, quartered
1 T. olive oil

Soak the raisins in the warmed Campari for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven’s broiler over a low setting, and if you can’t control the setting, simply use the rack farthest away from the heat source. In the meantime, make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together until they are completely blended. Set aside until ready to use.

Now, it is time to broil the radicchio. Brush each cut surface of the radicchio quarters with the olive oil, lay the curved side on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil, and broil for 5-7 minutes. Do not let the radicchio burn.

Once the radicchio has broiled, place a quarter or two on individual serving plates, drizzle the dressing over the radicchio, and sprinkle each plate with a few raisins. Serve immediately.