Chew boullette (fish balls)

boullettes
680 grams of boneless white fish chopped up
2 onions chopped finely
2 slices bread (moisten with water if using fresh fish)
1 T parsley
1/8 t black pepper
1/4 t red pepper
pinch of salt
1 cube of maggie
2 t garlic powder

blend ingredient in your blender or food processor and make small balls, fry in oil than set aside

chew
fry one chopped onion until translucent, add 1 garlic clove pressed, a cube of maggie and 2 cans of tomato paste add vegetables of your choice, carrot, potato, cabbage and enough water to cover them and simmer until cooked

*note, you can make your boullettes small like marbles omit the veggies from the stew to make a sauce and serve over benechin (the recipe I'm linking is made with meat but substitute fish) this dish is called jagua

liver

2 onions chopped
1 pound of liver sliced

marinade the liver  at least an hour  before cooking
 one chopped onion
a maggi cube
salt and pepper
two pressed garlic cloves

fry liver in a small amount of oil with the remaining onion until brown do not overcook add a teaspoon of lemon juice stir and serve with rice and salad.

Garlic Lime Chicken

Marinade 2 pounds of chicken for at least 2 hours with this

6 cloves garlic
2 tlbs soy sauce
2 in ginger peeled and sliced
1/3 cup lime juice
3 tlbs olive oil

Grind all ingredients together rub over chicken and place in a bowl or plastic bag, bake or grill until cooked.

(since I lost my camera this pic can be found here)

Hodge Podge

This is a Nova Scotian classic stew that is made with fresh garden vegetables

2 cups Baby Potatoes (scrubbed not peeled)
1 cups Baby Carrots (scrubbed not peeled)
2 cups Young tender string Beans (yellow and green)
1 cups Fresh Peas
1 cup Cream and or 1 can of milk

1/4 pound of butter

cook vegetables in order of their cooking times in the least amount of water, when finished add your milk or cream and butter let sit for a half an hour to allow the milk to absorb into the veggies.

Ceebu Yapp

Ceebu Yapp is wollof for rice and meat which is usually cooked in one pot, there are variations to this recipe ceebu ginaar rice and chicken or benechin rice and fish, benechin has a special rub that is placed on the fish, that recipe here, back to ceebu yapp:)

1/2 cup oil
1/2 pound of lamb or beef
1 onion diced
1 garlic clove minced
2 carrots roughly cut
1 small eggplant
1 potato cut in half
1 sweet potato cut in half
1 cassava
1 small cabbage cut in wedges
6 okra pods
1 cup of tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1 bouillon cube
2 pinches of sugar
1/4 cayenne pepper
1 habanero pepper
3 cups of broken rice
6 cups of water

fry meat in oil until browned add onion and garlic and cook just to release flavour

add water, tomato paste, stir until smooth add all spices and veggies cooking order(carrots, cabbage take longer so cook for about 20 minutes than add the rest) simmer until all are cooked

wash and drain rice

you can do this 2 ways (1) lift meat and veggies out of pot and keep warm add rice and cook on low heat covered until cooked about 20 minutes, serve on a platter with meat and veggies on top or (2) add rice to pot and cook for 20 minutes, serve on platter

Usually there in the prized browned rice stuck to the bottom of the pot called knogn that is all too happy to be received or kept to yourself.

Use whatever veggies you have on hand, nothing here is written in stone :)

Yassa

You will be crying tears of joy after eating this:) This is a very popular West African dish, enjoy!

2 or 3 pounds of fish or meat (chicken is traditionally used) cut to your liking
4 or 5 onions sliced thin
1/2 cup of lemon or lime juice (you can use vinegar just use 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup of oil
2 habanero peppers
1 bouillon cube
salt and pepper
dash of sugar
1/4 cup sliced green olives (optional)
2 tsp curry powder (optional if you want unique flavor)

mix all ingredients in a large plastic bowl except habanero peppers and curry

remove chicken, bake, fry or grill chicken (grilling is tastier) until cooked, set aside

remove onions from marinade and fry until translucent add marinade, curry powder if using, habanero peppers and cooked chicken, simmer until slightly thickened, if needed add water 1/4 cup at a time.

serve over rice

Soupa Kanja

The star of this soup is the okra(kanja) and red palm oil, if you ever get the pleasure of visiting the Gambia, this soup is traditionally made every Saturday in almost all homes for lunch. I make this soup according to what I have available in Canada. The inspiration for the gumbos you may have tried probably originated from this West African stew.

1 cup palm oil (make sure it is red not the refined palm oil)
1 pound stew meat cut into cubes
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 or 2 habanero peppers
five to ten cups water
one smoked or dried fish, cleaned, rinsed in water, and bones removed, broken into bite-sized pieces, I use smoked cod(no bones)
one fresh fish, cut into bite-sized pieces
twenty to thirty okra, ends removed sliced thin or puree
1 beef bouillon cube
1 tsp cumin powder
salt, cayenne pepper (to taste)

Fry the meat in a little oil then add the onions
add the water and okra and cook on low until the soup thickens
add the fish, the peppers, cumin and bouillon cube
add the rest of the palm oil and cook until it rises to the top
serve over rice or with fufu
(I love carrots, I add them to everything)

Saffron Rice with Chicken and Dates

4 chicken drum sticks
2 cups of rice
6 dates pitted and chopped
1/2 tsp saffron soaked in 1/2 cup of water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 onion chopped
1 carrot sliced
1/2 cup
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup corn niblets
4 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup of ghee

Rub 4 chicken drum sticks with salt and pepper

Fry in a small amount of ghee until cooked

add onion and carrot cook lightly

add remaining ghee and coat rice

add 4 cups chicken stock and water with soaked saffron

add corn and all spices simmer covered until cooked

stir in dates and peas, let stand for 5 minutes covered, serve

Chicken Tetrazzini

sift together

1/4 cup of flour

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of pepper

pinch paprika

In saucepan

melt 3 tlbs butter add flour mixture making a roux

slowly add 2 cups of milk until thickened

add bay leaf

add 1 cup chicken stock, simmer on low heat stirring occasionally

meanwhile

cube chicken and rub with salt and pepper

fry chicken and add 2 cups sliced mushrooms and 1 onion chopped

add chicken and veg to sauce pan along with 1/3 cup of Parmesan and 1/3 cup mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.

serve over your favorite noodles

(add any vegetables you may have, I had broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)

sneaky chefs

To all my vegetarian or sneaky chefs here is a recipe I got from a vegetarian cookbook, I forgot the name but I love it. Use it for a pasta topper , lasagna rolls on top of steamed veggies or with you favorite meat recipe for extra protein. You can also add more veggies or spices to suit your taste this is just a basic builder.

Lentil bolognese
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed

2 carrots grated

2 celery sticks chopped

1 cup of red lentils

1 140z chopped tomatoes

2 cups of stock

1 tablespoon of oregano or 1 tsp of dried

salt and pepper

gently fry the first 4 ingredients in olive oil then add the rest of ingredient in a medium stock pot bring to a boil then partially cover and simmer until thick and soft about 20 minutes

DIY

Spicy Tuna Patties

makes 10 approximately

1 can tuna

1 onion finely chopped

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp paprika

2 tsp chili paste

1 tsp sugar

2 tlbs ketchup

3 cups mashed potato

2 tlbs flour or 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Combine all ingredients, shape into patties, refrigerate for at least an hour, then fry on medium heat in a little oil until golden brown