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contest Begin! African Throwdown

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Bootsie, in my last post, the small dish is some rice pudding made by Chile Juju. I can't remember which region she said it was from.

CJ?????




geeme spotted the tater tot- :cool:
 
Well, you won't see mine MG! I had just made hummus - just cuz - then saw your post and thought to myself.."I could make some Chapati!" An hour and three smoke alarms later...(not so much goodness has come from THAT adventure!!!!!) I still have my West African rice pudding..which I can't post because the chiles jumped ship.....

But please people....continue on!!!!! :)
 
There you go! West African rice pudding.....with rum soaked raisins.......MMMmmmmmm
 
I really could use those goats for vegetation control in the summer~
This just makes me think of a woman I did some work with a number of years back. Seemed like almost every week she was complaining about her neighbor's goats getting into her yard and climbing up on the roof of her car. You KNOW that wasn't her ideal of an attractive hood ornament!
 
yea, I know, they're rascals. Sicman and LadySic just adopted their goats away because they get into everything and up on the tractor and eating the seats....
 
No- I'm sitting this one out. Nothing personal, it's the start of my new semester tomorrow. I'd have loved to do so. Having Donna Kebabs bought for me from the equivalent of Harrods here. Considering that, they aint that good sadly, but better than nowt. Good luck to all, I'm gonna vote for someone, so far, really difficult cos they are all good. I was thinking "Liberian Pepper Soup" for this, seeing as it The Hot Pepper.Good luck ya'all. Next time!!!!!!! Piri Piri prawns , or Chicken Livers Piri Piri would have been easy.

yea, I know, they're rascals. Sicman and LadySic just adopted their goats away because they get into everything and up on the tractor and eating the seats....
I can see why you're the Throwdown Queen.
 
The Creation...

I've been researching this for a couple of weeks, and found a number of recipes from which I pulled elements to create what I felt would be a relatively authentic Moroccan meal (though never having been there), with a personal twist. Whether I get a single vote of not, I've already won. I learned a lot about a region I've barely heard of...new cooking methods...and created a meal that is unlike anything else I've ever eaten. I can imagine myself visiting there someday, and upon eating the local fare, remembering home, in a foreign land. This project came out better than I could have ever hoped.

I would have video'd this if I had another disc, because the prep was a day long process, and each spice blend had to be made from a mix of whole spices, prep'd, combined with others, and applied in stages. But...I took a shit load of pics...so here goes:

The rib rub was started by toasting whole spices including black peppercorn, coriander, cumin seeds, and cloves for about 3-4 minutes until openly fragrant.

000_0072.jpg


Those were tossed into the coffee grinder, where I added granulated garlic, granulated onion, cayenne, tumeric, cinnamon, and Hungarian paprika. Congo Black powder was added to bump the heat.

000_0073.jpg


000_0074.jpg


Press the magic button for 30 seconds...

000_0075.jpg


Then, add regualr sea salt, ghost pepper sea salt, and turbinado sugar.

000_0076.jpg


Give it a quick 3 second spin...

000_0077.jpg


And the rub is ready. Slather it all over the ribs, rubbing it in gooooood...

000_0078.jpg


In the smoker. For this, I tried to think of a way to get some of the real wood campfire flavor...and since I'm out of wood for the smoker, I opted for regular charcoal, with mesquite chunk charcoal added throughout the cooking process. I imagine they have something similar to mesquite...an aromatic shrubby tree that adds flavor to meat.

000_0079.jpg


To be continued...
 
The BBQ sauce: I found a recipe that I used as a rough sketch, and filled in my own details. The rub for the ribs was excellent...but this sauce is the true star of the show. It's so good, I may look into marketing it.

I started by toasting whole spices including black peppercorn, coriander, cumin seeds, cloves (a lot more than for the rub) and added fennel seeds, African Bird's Eye chiles (dried/flaked), and a pinch of caraway seeds for about 3-4 minutes until openly fragrant. Stuck them in the grinder, and gave it a spin.

000_0083.jpg


I busted out the cast iron, coated the bottom with extra virgin olive oil, and tossed in a fair amount of garlic, whole but "squished", and a mix of red and yellow onion. I sautee'd them until they began to carmelize.

000_0084.jpg


I then added a can of whole, peeled tomatoes...scooping out just the tomatoes at first...sautee them with the garlic and onions for about 10 minutes until they soften, then pour the rest of the juice out of the can.

000_0085.jpg


After that simmers down for another 10 minutes or so...I added some Texas Creek Ghost Fire sauce, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, a 50/50 mix of chicken/beef broth, molasses, and turbinado sugar.

000_0086.jpg

To get this:

000_0087.jpg


Then, over the next hour...smash it up every 15 minutes or so. I found the best strategy was to aim for any visible garlic, as to leave a robust texture, which I envisioned (right or wrong) to be more culturally accurate. Over the hour and a half total cooking time, the sauce reduces to a "beef stew" consistency. And the flavor is out of this world.

000_0088.jpg
 
This time I am not voting for myself. My vote is goin to LB, and he aint even posted his entry yet.

Also, I finished the vodka bottle. AND lindsey lohan is on SNL.
 
The Creation...

I've been researching this for a couple of weeks, and found a number of recipes from which I pulled elements to create what I felt would be a relatively authentic Moroccan meal (though never having been there), with a personal twist. Whether I get a single vote of not, I've already won. I learned a lot about a region I've barely heard of...new cooking methods...and created a meal that is unlike anything else I've ever eaten. I can imagine myself visiting there someday, and upon eating the local fare, remembering home, in a foreign land. This project came out better than I could have ever hoped.

I would have video'd this if I had another disc, because the prep was a day long process, and each spice blend had to be made from a mix of whole spices, prep'd, combined with others, and applied in stages. But...I took a shit load of pics...so here goes:

The rib rub was started by toasting whole spices including black peppercorn, coriander, cumin seeds, and cloves for about 3-4 minutes until openly fragrant.

000_0072.jpg


Those were tossed into the coffee grinder, where I added granulated garlic, granulated onion, cayenne, tumeric, cinnamon, and Hungarian paprika. Congo Black powder was added to bump the heat.

000_0073.jpg


000_0074.jpg


Press the magic button for 30 seconds...

000_0075.jpg


Then, add regualr sea salt, ghost pepper sea salt, and turbinado sugar.

000_0076.jpg


Give it a quick 3 second spin...

000_0077.jpg


And the rub is ready. Slather it all over the ribs, rubbing it in gooooood...

000_0078.jpg


In the smoker. For this, I tried to think of a way to get some of the real wood campfire flavor...and since I'm out of wood for the smoker, I opted for regular charcoal, with mesquite chunk charcoal added throughout the cooking process. I imagine they have something similar to mesquite...an aromatic shrubby tree that adds flavor to meat.

000_0079.jpg


To be continued...
Superbe- i can taste it already.
 
LunchBox's Moroccan Mo-Betta BBQ

I've been researching this for a couple of weeks, and found a number of recipes from which I pulled elements to create what I felt would be a relatively authentic Moroccan meal (though never having been there), with a personal twist. Whether I get a single vote of not, I've already won. I learned a lot about a region I've barely heard of...new cooking methods...and created a meal that is unlike anything else I've ever eaten. I can imagine myself visiting there someday, and upon eating the local fare, remembering home, in a foreign land. This project came out better than I could have ever hoped.

Pork Ribs:

The rib rub was started by toasting whole spices including black peppercorn, coriander, cumin seeds, and cloves for about 3-4 minutes until openly fragrant.

Those were tossed into the coffee grinder, where I added granulated garlic, granulated onion, cayenne, tumeric, cinnamon, and Hungarian paprika. Congo Black powder was added to bump the heat.

Press the magic button for 30 seconds...

Then, add regualr sea salt, ghost pepper sea salt, and turbinado sugar.

Give it a quick 3 second spin...

And the rub is ready. Slather it all over the ribs, rubbing it in gooooood...

In the smoker. For this, I tried to think of a way to get some of the real wood campfire flavor...and since I'm out of wood for the smoker, I opted for regular charcoal, with mesquite chunk charcoal added throughout the cooking process. I imagine they have something similar to mesquite...an aromatic shrubby tree that adds flavor to meat.


The BBQ sauce:

I found a recipe that I used as a rough sketch, and filled in my own details. The rub for the ribs was excellent...but this sauce is the true star of the show. It's so good, I may look into marketing it.

I started by toasting whole spices including black peppercorn, coriander, cumin seeds, cloves (a lot more than for the rub) and added fennel seeds, African Bird's Eye chiles (dried/flaked), and a pinch of caraway seeds for about 3-4 minutes until openly fragrant. Stuck them in the grinder, and gave it a spin.

I busted out the cast iron, coated the bottom with extra virgin olive oil, and tossed in a fair amount of garlic, whole but "squished", and a mix of red and yellow onion. I sautee'd them until they began to carmelize.

I then added a can of whole, peeled tomatoes...scooping out just the tomatoes at first...sautee them with the garlic and onions for about 10 minutes until they soften, then pour the rest of the juice out of the can.

After that simmers down for another 10 minutes or so...I added some Texas Creek Ghost Fire sauce, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, a 50/50 mix of chicken/beef broth, molasses, and turbinado sugar.

Then, over the next hour...smash it up every 15 minutes or so. I found the best strategy was to aim for any visible garlic, as to leave a robust texture, which I envisioned (right or wrong) to be more culturally accurate. Over the hour and a half total cooking time, the sauce reduces to a "beef stew" consistency. Finish it with a few squeezes of lime...and the flavor is out of this world.

The Sides:


Vegetarian Carrot and Chickpea Tagine -
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, run through the chop-o-matic
  • cilantro
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt, ginger, tumeric, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, turbinado sugar
  • 4 or 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4" thick sticks
  • 1 cup water (half vegetable or chicken broth)
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained
In the base of a tagine (in this case, I substituted cast iron with lid), saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil over low heat for several minutes. As soon as the garlic starts to change colors, and the onion becomes translucent, add the chickpeas (garbonzo beans). Add the spices, cilantro, the carrots and the broth. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots are cooked to firm but tender...not mushy.

Vegetarian Stewed Lentils -
  • 2 cups lentils
  • 2-3 tomatoes chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, run through the chop-o-matic
  • cilantro
  • cumin seed (whole), Hungarian paprika, ginger, black pepper, sea salt
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups chicken and beef broth mix
Heat olive oil in a skillet, add garlic, onion, and raw lentils. Sautee until it all starts to brown. Add tomatoes, and cilantro, and sitr it up for another 2 miutes. Add broth mix, and bring to a simmer. Add spices, and simmer (covered) for 30 minutes or so, until lentils are cooked but firm.

Serve the BBQ sauce over the top, or on the side...both...doesn't matter. You'll want to bathe in it.

marchtdplate1-1.jpg


marchtdplate2-1.jpg
 
LunchBox, remember when I recently said "i think i love you"? I had this song in my brain, with a deep Barry-White-esque-type voice and couldn't find the youtube video. Thanks to CJ and Scovie, the song was..... "Wild Thang...I Think I LOVE you.." .....and now I know for sure!




You guys..AND GALS..... are are ALL posting some wonderful meals.


HabbyFam??? What's Up? Or maybe I shouldn't ask!!! ;)
 
This time I am not voting for myself. My vote is goin to LB, and he aint even posted his entry yet.

Also, I finished the vodka bottle. AND lindsey lohan is on SNL.

LOL.

I'm in a strange mood tonight. I am a very competitive person, and LUST after my first TD crown.

But...after the last couple of weeks have now come to fruition...I really don't care this month...I've already won. This experience has armed me with knowledge...appreciation...experience...it's really hard to describe. I feel like I just unearthed cold fusion or something.

And to think...I was bitching about this being African...even if I wasn't the most vocal about it...

We have all eaten at a place with a Latino/Asian/Mediterranean/Middle Eastern (etc) influence or theme...and we all know someone that can personally identify with that culture through family ties. It's like we at least have some window into that world. Africa was an unopened box...and even though I have never been there, I feel like I've at least started to sow the seeds of a new understanding.
 
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