Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Kedjanou

Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Flag of Côte d'Ivoire

Mask of  Côte d'Ivoire 

As I was searching for music for a friend of my father's who wants to explore African music, I heard a song from Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) which provided my inspiration for dinner. I've never been there, but after working in Haiti many years ago, I love the mix of African and French in music and food. I searched for recipes that included what I had in my cupboards and refrigerator after returning from our holidays in sunny Bahamas and Fort Lauderdale and this is what I came up with.

 Kedjanou

The main ingredients are chicken pieces - on the bone is best for flavour - chopped onions, tomatoes and aubergines (eggplants). Key spices included bayleaf, thyme, ginger, garlic and chilies. 

Kedjanou  is normally cooked slowly in a tagine, but I used my trusty 20 year old Le Creuset pot! 

Aubergines (eggplants) are delicious with any meat, but  you could also use okras.

 Boiled cabbage, carrots and potatoes worked well as a healthy and warming winter side dish.

Kedjanou is traditionally served with attiéké (a starchy dish made from cassava flour. But we ate it with boiled white rice and potatoes. It could also go well with couscous or fufu.

Click here for the recipe that inspired this dish. http://www.congocookbook.com/chicken_recipes/kedjenou.html

Learn more about Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) here - the source of the flag and mask above. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_d'Ivoire

Welcome

The Big 'D' -  an epic Burger

Welcome to London 2012 – the year of the London Olympics and Wendy’s culinary Olympiad!

The Olympics is a wonderful way to bring the world together in peaceful and meaningful contact. Eating together is another.

We enjoy the company of people from around the world and through them we have the opportunity to sample tasty treats from their homelands. They also inspire my cooking and so I will share with my fellow foodies, a dish or drink from a different city or country – including London and other British regional capitals.

Although I will prepare many of the dishes or beverages, I love eating out so will include some tasty treats sampled in restaurants as well as those cooked, enjoyed or prepared by my family and friends around the world!

So, let’s cleanse our palates and start our yearlong worldwide tour of food and drink from Britain and around the world.

Bon appétit!

                                  
 Happy New Year!

The dawn of 2012 found us basking in the warmth of family love and Florida sunshine! We celebrated the New Year at a potluck dinner party hosted by my beautiful sister Alexandra and her gorgeous daughter Shaneka in Fort Lauderdale, where everyone bought a dish. 

Here are some highlights.

The core dish is of most Bahamian meals is Peas and Rice, a must have at any Bahamian celebration. Other dishes are added to create a balanced meal. The main ingredients are long grain rice, peas (either Pigeon Peas or Black Eye Peas) onions, a tablespoon of tomato paste, browning, and seasonings such as fresh thyme). Send me a request if you want the recipe. I'll have to get it from my Mom as her Peas and Rice is  much better than mine!

Bahamian Peas and Rice

Other dishes:

Baked Chicken with Peppers and Onions

 Curry Chicken

Macaroni and Cheese

Baked Ham

Smothered Salmon 

Mixed Salad (gotta have greens!)

Coleslaw

Potato Salad

Bahamian Desserts  (Rum Cake, Benny Cake and Coconut Cakes)

This is just a random sampling of Bahamian delights. We will do a full Bahamian posting later! 




January 2


Although we thought we couldn't eat anymore, New Years' Day found us in Longhorns Steakhouse Restaurant to eat some of their Wild West Shrimp. We loved these and went back at least three times for them! Deliciously fiery,  with Jalapeños, red chilies and garlic.

These guys were always hanging out in the parking lot, but never wanted to join us for dinner lest they found themselves on the menu!

The next morning, we left beautiful, sunny Florida..............

But... we'll be back soon!