While in Burkina Faso, I spent some time in my mother’s village of Nouna, in the southwestern part of the country near the border with Mali. It was a very rewarding and entertaining time during which I got to know my extended family and partake in village activities. I particularly enjoyed helping my extended cousin prepare Tomsos, which she sold every afternoon in front of the house. Tomsos are black eyed pea fritters very similar in taste to the Northeastern Brazilian street food Acaraje. The name Acaraje is derived from the Nigerian Akara, which was brought to Brazil by West African slave. In fact, black eyed pea fritters are a very common West African street food that can be found from Cote d’Ivoire to Nigeria under various names such samsa, tomso, gawoo and akara.

BLACK EYED PEA FRITTERS (adapted from the traditional method)

1/2 lb black eyed peas
1 small onion chopped
2 small garlic cloves chopped
1 heaping spoon chopped parsley
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

In a food processor, pulse the peas just enough to crush them. Soak them overnight in a large quantity of water. The skin will float on the surface. Using the palm of your hands, rub the peas together to remove the remaining skin and drain the water.

In a processor, puree the black eyed peas. Add the onion, garlic and parsley and blend until homogeneous. Transfer to a bowl and whisk while adding water gradually until smooth and fluffy. The batter should be just thin enough to drop from an ice cream scoop. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the oil to 360 degrees F.  Using an ice cream scoop, drop the batter into the oil and fry until golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel and serve hot with a spicy tomato dipping sauce.

Ouagadougou may not rank high on the list of top vacation spots, but when it comes to good meat, aficionados know to come here to get it. Farming is a big part of the economy and thus, the city boasts a multitude of roadside shacks that make use of the most rudimentary methods to create some of the most succulent meat specialties. The choices vary from grilled offals on a stick to whole animals roasted to perfection, enough to make Anthony Bourdain and Sandra Lee make out at a dinner table.

I tried a few things such as calf’s liver and heart brochettes, roasted lamb innards and grilled veal kidneys, but what I enjoyed most and can’t seem to get enough of is the wood fire roasted lamb. I still look at the cooking process in amazement wondering how such simplicity can result in such deliciousness.

Diallo, the man whom I buy my lamb from, roasts entire carcasses of lamb over wood fire. His day starts at 5:00 am when he picks up his lambs from the farmer. The animals are then slaughtered, cleaned and brought over to the roasting shack.

Each animal is generously seasoned with salt and laid flat on a grill covered with giant sheets of heavy duty paper. The meat is then covered with more paper and left to roast for hours. No flavor enhancers, no special sauces, just pure natural goodness. The end result is a very tender and juicy roast with a nice salty crust.

To order, one just needs to point to the piece he or she desires and specify the quantity. Once the cut and price are agreed upon, the meat is cut up into bite sizes and served with diced onions. Just to give you an idea, I ordered an entire leg for 5,000 FCFA , just a little under $10.

The plate is not complete without a side of Kan Kan Kan, a spicy powder that accompanies all grilled meats. The supposedly secret recipe is said to have aphrodisiac properties. However, a small investigation revealed that the main components were ground red chili peppers, crushed bouillon cubes, allspice and peanut powder (the residue left after oil is extracted from peanuts).

Chez Diallo Hamidou
Dapoya, Rue 12-27 (Opposite Sabine Bar)
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Tel: +226-76-07-97-93
Wallet damage: 5,000 CFA ~ $10.00

Note: Takeout only.

After a long hiatus, we are finally back to the blogosphere with a new design and upcoming stories from the other side of the Atlantic. Yours truly has embarked on yet another transatlantic adventure and will be blogging from West Africa for the next few weeks. I am currently “Bourdaining” it up in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso where I’m visiting family and dodging scary salamanders on a daily basis. After jumping through countless hoops, I finally have a decent internet connection, and thus will try to capture and share as much as I can through an assortment of visual delights. Until then, I leave you with a map of Burkina so you can better picture my location.

The East Coast received another snow storm warning today. I feel bad for DC. Just when they thought the snowpocalyspe was over, another snow storm is preparing to hit the town again. We, New Yorkers expected a few inches last weekend as well, but we got nada. I don’t really know what’s going to happen this time. But if for some reason you find yourself snowed in with only two eggs in the refrigerator and a family of four to cook breakfast for, here’s a way to make it happen.

CREPES CITRON MIEL
125 grams flour
2 eggs
20 grams sugar
1 cup milk
1 pinch salt
1 tbps melted butter
1 lemon juiced
1/4 cup honey

Makes approximately 10 large crepes.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and make a well.

Crack the eggs into the well and whisk while adding half of the milk in small amounts until you get a smooth batter.

Add the remaining milk and let the batter rest for an hour.

Meanwhile, mix the honey and the lemon together.

When ready to make the crepes, add the melted butter to the batter.

Heat a nonstick pan. Add butter to coat.

Ladle the batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly.

Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove and place the crepe best side down on a plate.

Fold the crepe in half and in half again.  Then, drizzle with the lemon honey mixture.

Repeat the process for each crepe.

Enjoy hot.

Looks like the Fierce and Sweet bake-off win was the ego booster I needed to morph into a baking enthusiast. Up until then, I used to think that baking was an activity better left in the hands of the likes of Pierre Herme, Gaston Lenotre and Francois Payard. But after a series of successful experiments, I can say that I now fancy baking cakes. So for my friend’s birthday, I decided to surprise her with cupcakes. Since she likes simple flavors, I opted for vanilla cupcakes. This recipe has become my go-to recipe for cupcakes. Every now and then, I ditch the vanilla extract for amaretto, but the proportions remain the same.

VANILLA CUPCAKES
12 cupcakes liners
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line the cupcake tins with cupcake liners.

Cream the butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl a couple of times

Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Allow each each to be fully incorporated before adding the next one. Mix in the vanilla.

Sift the remaining dry ingredients together and add to the batter in 3 parts, alternating with the milk. Start and finish with the dry ingredients, but do not overmix.

Scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.

Evenly spoon the batter into the cupcake liners.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on rack.

Meanwhile, make the vanilla butter cream.

VANILLA BUTTER FROSTING
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 to 4.5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the butter on high speed until creamy. Add 1 cup of the sugar gradually and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add one more 1 cup of sugar and half of the milk and beat until smooth and creamy.

Add one more 1 cup of sugar and the remaining milk and continue to beat.

Add the remaining cup of sugar and vanilla and beat on high speed until light and creamy, about 5 minutes.

Assess the texture and add a little more sugar if the texture is too light.

Spread a generous amount of cupcakes onto each cupcakes.

Sprinkle with your favorite toppings. I’m using pop rocks for an explosive final touch.

Enjoy!

Every so often, I forget that I have grape tomatoes in the refrigerator and then when I remember and check them out, they no longer look cute enough for a salad. When that happens, I roast them with garlic and rosemary.  This has turned out to be a great way to salvage any tomatoes before their skin starts to shrivel. Hot, I find these roasted tomatoes to be a nice complement to grilled fish or chicken, but I also eat them at room temperature with bread. Sometimes, I store leftovers in a small container and cover with olive oil. This holds up well in the fridge for a week.

ROASTED GRAPE TOMATOES
1 container (1 lb) grape tomatoes
3 garlic cloves smashed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the tomatoes in a glass baking dish.

Add the garlic, olive oil, salt, sugar, rosemary and fresh cracked pepper.

Toss to coat evenly.

Roast  for approximately 10 minutes until tomatoes start to burst.

Add a basil chifonnade if you wish.

Enjoy hot or at room temperature.

Freemans is one of my favorite places to grab brunch in New York city. It almost feels like a hidden gem located at the end of a tiny alley. The food is socially conscious sans the pretentiousness and the vibe is very nice… um despite the animal heads hanging on the wall. But maybe you have an affinity for taxidermy. Anyway, what brings me to Freemans for brunch over and over is their skillet egg dish, which I absolutely love. Eggs decadently baked on a bed of spinach with heavy cream, bacon and gruyere, and served with sourdough toast. It’s such a simple yet delicious dish that I felt I should share it with you. Here’s my vegetarian adaptation of the dish, which offers a nice alternative to the oh so predictable omelet for a brunch party.

BAKED EGGS with SPINACH and CHEESE
3 eggs
1 cup frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed of all water)
1 shallot finely diced
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 grated cheese like Emmental, Gruyere or Jarlsberg
1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a skillet, saute the shallot and garlic in butter for 2 to 3 minutes until softened.

Stir in the spinach, then add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and simmer.

Remove skillet from heat and make 3 large indentations in spinach. Carefully break an egg into each indentation without break the yolk.

Sprinkle with cheese and bake, uncovered, until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, 8-9 minutes.

Serve hot with buttered toast.

Thank you all for the get-well wishes. My engine is almost fully functional again. And if you have not gotten your flu shot yet, please do so asap. On a tastier note, I have something interesting for you to try this weekend. An appetizer that adds a delicious Asian twist to a Mexican dish — Shrimp and tofu tostadas. Wonton wrappers replace tortillas to create a crispy bed for grilled shrimps and tofu slices that have bathed in a ginger, soy, honey and sesame oil marinade.

SHRIMP AND TOFU TOSTADAS
15 large shrimps peeled and deveined (tail-on)
1 block firm tofu, drained and cut crosswise into 8 slices
15 round wonton wrappers
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp honey
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Cut each tofu slice in half, then place on several layers of paper towels. Cover with more paper towels. Let stand 10-15 minutes, pressing down occasionally to remove the excess water.

Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, honey, vinegar and 3 tbsp of vegetable oil to make a marinade.

Place tofu into a baking dish in a single layer. Pour half of the marinade over tofu, turning to coat each slice.Cover and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

Marinate the shrimps in the other half of the marinade.

In a frying pan, heat up some vegetable oil to 370 degrees. Fry the wonton wrappers in batches until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and reserve.

Heat a lightly oiled grill pan. Grill 5 slices of tofu and 5 shrimps at a time, 2 minutes on each side.

To assemble, place a slice of grilled tofu on a fried wonton wrapper, top with a grilled shrimp and drizzle with cilantro oil.

Decorate with chives and serve hot or at room temperature.

Today’s post is going to be very short. I fell victim to the mischievous swine flu last week and my engine is not 100% restored. They say booze makes everything better, so here’s a recipe for a cocktail I wish I could be enjoying on a warm tropical beach.

PINAPASSION COCKTAIL
8 mint leaves
3 pineapple chunks
2 ounces white rum
2 ounces passion fruit juice
1 ounce Orangina
Crushed ice

In a glass, muddle the mint and pineapple with a pestle. Add the ice, rum, passion fruit juice and stir well. Top with the Orangina and serve.

Enjoy responsibly

There’s nothing like a big, fat and juicy steak to crank up the temperature during these cold winter days. You may argue that steak is not a thrifty food item, but there’s nothing wrong with splurging a little from time to time. That said, there are plenty of economical ways to enjoy a steak dinner. Hanger, skirt and flank steaks are reasonably priced cuts of meat that are highly prized for their flavor. Today, I’m making a bone-in rib eye, which is clearly not the cheapest, but it is delectably juicy, tender and flavorsome. I like to buy mine bone-in because the bone packs some extra flavor, which intensifies the deliciousness. You can buy whichever steak tickles your fancy as long as you buy quality meat. And by that, I mean no prepackaged grocery store meat. Locate the nearest butcher and get fresh meat that has been handled with the proper amount of TLC. Using the best products will yield the best results. Good meat only needs salt and pepper.

PAN SEARED RIB EYE
1 bone-in rib eye steak
1 tbsp oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt

The key to making the perfect steak is starting with a piece of meat that has been brought to room temperature. No cold meat please.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Coat the steak lightly with oil and season both sides with salt and black pepper to taste.

Heat up an empty pan (preferably cast iron) to the smoking point.

Place steak in the middle of the pan and cook for 45 seconds without moving it. Turn the steak and cook for 45 additional seconds.

Continue cooking in the oven for 1-2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for 1-2 additional minutes. This will get you a medium rare steak. Add an additional minute on each side for medium.

Remove the steak from the pan and rest for 2 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute.

Slice and serve with a side of green pea puree. There you have it: an easy winter steak dinner.