Elite life
Ghana (Ghana Recipes)
Chicken Dorinda with Lemon and Herbs
Ingredients:
8 to 10 chicken drumsticks or chicken wings
Juice of 6 to 8 lemons
1 head romaine lettuce
1/2 bunch cilantro
Marinade:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups minced mixed fresh herbs, or 3/4 cup mixed dried herbs
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for garnish
2 or 3 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 or 4 large mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
6 cups hot cooked long-grain white rice, optional
Cooking Instructions:
Rinse and dry the chicken pieces. To make the marinade, thoroughly mix
the olive oil, garlic salt, lemon juice, herbs, and salt in a large
bowl. If you are using wings, cut them into mini drumsticks and flat
portions. Put chicken pieces into the marinade, and stir well so that
all the pieces are well coated. cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours
to marinate thoroughly. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Arrange the
chicken pieces and marinade in a large baking dish and bake for 20
minutes. Remove from the oven and pour off the marinade. Return the
chicken to the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until well done
and browned. As the chicken cooks, turn the pieces regularly so that
they brown evenly. The outside of the chicken pieces should be crisp,
and the inside soft and moist. Keep a close eye on the baking process.
Separate the lettuce leaves. Wash and dry them and arrange on a large
plate. Neatly arrange the cooked chicken pieces on top and garnish with
cherry tomatoes, mushroom slices, cilantro sprigs, and lemon wedges.
Serve the chicken hot or cold, alone or with the rice.
Ingredients:
6 cups cold water
Salt
3-1/2 cups cornmeal
Cooking Instructions:
Pour the water in a medium heavy-based pan or cast-iron pot. Salt the water and bring it to a boil. Transfer half the boiling water to another pot and keep it at a low boil. Add the cornmeal to the rest of the water in the pan. With a wooden spoon, stir vigorously, pressing against the inside of the pan to eliminate lumps as the dough cooks. Continue to press the dough against the insides of the pan, adding small quantities of the reserved boiling water, until the dough tastes less floury, softens, and cooks through. Remove from the pan and form into balls the size of tennis balls.
Dorinda's Special Baked Fish
Ingredients:
4 fresh pompano or red snapper
2 fresh red chiles, mashed into a pulp
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Chile Sambal
3 tablespoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
Salt
3/4 cup fresh or canned crabmeat
Semolina Dumplings or Cornmeal Dumplings
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
4 crayfish tails, cooked, optional
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Scale and clean the fish, remove the
gills, and cut off the fins and the tails. Lay the fish falt on a
chopped board, and make 2 deep but short diagonal cuts in each side,
leaving 1/2 inch between the 2 cuts. Prepare the seasoning by mixing the
ginger, garlic, chiles, and salt into a paste, and stuff some in the
cuts on both sides of each fish. Rub the rest of the seasoning paste all
over the fish. Rub the butter over 4 pieces of aluminum foil. Place each
piece of fish on a piece of foil, and sprinkle a bit of the garlic salt
all over each piece. Loosely wrap up the foil to form parcels, and bake
for 30 minutes. Wrap the crabmeat in foil, and warm in the oven for 10
minutes. Unwrap the baked fish and sprinkle the warm crabmeat over each
piece. Serve each person a piece of fish and a crayfish tail,
accompanied by Chile Sambal and dumplings.
Dorinda's Chile Sambal
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup coarsely grated fresh ginger, peeled or unpeeled
3/4 cup dried shrimp
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dried tiny shrimp
4 yellow onions, minced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 cup chile powder
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the oil in a heavy-based medium pan and fry the garlic, onions, and
ginger for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are golden. Stir in the
tomato paste and mix thoroughly. Crush the chicken bouillon cubes, add
them to the pan, and stir to mix. Add both amounts of dried shrimp and
stir for 1 minute. Add the chile powder and mix thoroughly. Remove from
the heat and let stand for about 1 hour, or until cool. Transfer to a
storage jar, and keep in a cool place.
Cumin Roast Lamb
Ingredients:
2 pounds (1 kg) leg of lamb with
most fat trimmed off
4 or 5 cups hot cooked spinach
1 tablespoon garlic salt
2 large sweet potatoes or yams, peeled or unpeeled
4 or 5 cups hot cooked corn kernels
5 tablespoons sesame oil
3 floury potatoes (such as russet), peeled or unpeeled
Marinade:
4 tablespoons ground cumin
Gravy:
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
Cooking Instructions:
Thoroughly rinse the leg of lamb under cold water and dry it with
paper towels. Lay it in a roasting pan. Make 3 to 4 deep cuts in each
side of the lamb. To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a
small bowl and mix well. Insert some of it in the cuts of the lamb, and
spoon the rest all over the leg of lmab. Preheat the oven to 425 F/220
C. Bake for 30 minutes, then lower the heat and bake at 350F/180C for
another hour, or until the meat is tender and cooked. Wash all the
potatoes, and cut each sweet potato into 3 portions and each potato into
2 portions. Lay the potatoes flat with the white sides up and sprinkle
with salt to help brown. Arrange the sweet potatoes and potatoes
alongside the meat for the last hour of cooking. When the meat and
potatoes are ready, transfer them to a platter. Prepare the gravy by
placing the pan on the stovetop over medium heat and stirring the
cornstarch mixture into the juices. Thin as desired with boiling water.
Slice the meat, and serve it with the potatoes, steamed spinach, corn,
and gravy.
Ham
Soup with Basil and Vegetables
Ingredients:
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
3 large yellow or red onions, coarsely diced
3 large springs basil
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 6 pieces
2 pounds (4 kg) smoked, meaty ham shank (choose the meaty, flat, rib
portions, cut into 3-inch squares by your butcher)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 or 3 hot chiles (such as habanero, Scotch bonnet, or Thai), optional
6 large tomatoes, blanched and peeled, or 1 13-ounce (410g) can Italian
peeled tomatoes
12 cups water (10 cups if using pressure cooker)
1 large zucchini, coarsely diced
Cooking Instructions:
Place the dried shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl of water and soak
them overnight. Drain before using. Trim any excess fat, sinew, or bone
debris from the ham shank. Wash and place them in a large pressure
cooker or stockpot (4-5 quart capacity). If using a pressure cooker, add
the basil, potatoes, zucchini, carrot, mushrooms, chiles, and the
remaining water. Close the lid and cook according to the appliance
instructions. However, this soup must be cooked at least 1 hour. After
cooking, pressure cookers take a long time cool down before thy can be
opened. If using a stockpot, add the remaining water and 2 sprigs of
basil. Bring to a rolling boil on high heat, then decrease the heat to
medium-low. Boil gently for about 40 minutes, or until the meat between
the ham shank starts to soften. Add the third sprig of basil, the
potatoes, zucchini, carrot, mushrooms, and chiles. Continue boiling
until all the ingredients are well done and the meat on the ham shank is
cooked and very tender. The soup should be runny but creamy and thick
with vegetable pieces for texture. If it is too thick, however, the
saltiness of the ham shank will take over. Add more water as necessary.
Once the soup is ready, use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the hot
chiles. Serve hot, but do not remove the bones; allow your guests to
enjoy the meat on the bones by using their fingers when the soup cools.
Fried Plantains
Ingredients:
3 large, ripe plantains
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sour cream
Corn or vegetable oil, fry frying
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 300F/150 C. Cut vertically down the length of
each plantain, cutting through the skin but not the inside of the
plantain. Peel the skin like a coat. Place each plantain on a cutting
board, and slice it diagonally into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Place the
slices of plantain in a little salted cold water to keep them from
discoloring while you prepare the rest. In a heavy-based, nonstick
skillet, heat approximately 3/4 inch of oil. The oil is ready when it
starts to ripple with heat. Drain the plantain slices and dab them dry
with paper towels. Gently lower small batches into the hot oil, and fry
until the plantains are golden brown on both sides. Remove from the oil
using a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Arrange the slices in an
ovenproof dish, cover with aluminum foil, and place in the preheated
oven to keep warm while cooking the rest. It is important not to crowed
the skillet while frying. It should be easy to turn individual plantain
slices over to allow for even browning and so the slices don't
disintegrate. When all the plantain slices are fried and drained of oil,
mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Arrange individual
portions of plantain on serving plates, and generously sprinkle each
serving with the sugar mixture followed by the orange zest. Serve hot
with sour cream.
Ingredients:
6 fresh red chiles, minced
Salt
1 yellow onion, minced
3 large tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped
Cooking Instructions:
Combine the chiles, onion, and tomatoes in a bowl, and mash or process to a pulp. Season with salt and serve as a side dish or sauce.
Okra
Stew
Ingredients:
1 pound (500g) okra
2 eggplants, peeled and finely diced
1 to 4 fresh red chiles, minced, optional
1 ounce (30g) dried salted fish (such as herring), shredded
1-1/2 cups oil, preferably palm oil
Pinch of ground kaawe or traditional stone, thought to enhance the
"tackiness" of the okra, optional
4 large, ripe tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and pureed, or 1 cup canned
tomatoes, mashed
Small piece of cured, salted beef, optional
3 or 4 yellow onions, minced
4 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup dried shrimp
1/4 pound (125g) smoked ham, diced, and/or 4 small pieces of boiled
pig's feet
Cooking Instructions:
Trim the ends of the okra, and slice the pods into thin rounds. In a
large, heavy pan, heat the oil and fry the onions until they are light
brown. Stirring constantly, add the okra, eggplant, kaawe, ginger,
chiles, and tomatoes, allowing 3 minutes simmering time between each
addition. This dish burns easily, so stir regularly. Simmer about 10
minutes on low heat. Add the dried shrimp, dried salted fish, salted
beef, smoked ham, and pig's feet. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until all
the ingredinets are well blended and cooked, but not mushy. This dish
should be served hot.
Ghanaian Salad
Ingredients:
2 large red onions, sliced into
very thin rings
1 head romaine lettuce
2 cups canned corn kernels, drained
4 firm, ripe tomatoes, sliced into rounds
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced into rounds
Red wine or cider vinegar, for marinating
2 cups canned baked beans
1 cup soy milk
1 avocado, sliced, optional
1 cucumber
2 cups canned salmon or other oily fish, drained
1/4 pound (125g) snow peas, topped and tailed
4 potatoes or yams, peeled, boiled and diced
Cooking Instructions:
Marinate the onions in vinegar for 30 minutes. With a fork, deeply
score the cucumber vertically, along the sides from top to bottom, then
slice it thinly into rounds. Cut the lettuce in half vertically and then
into thin half-moon strips. Place the baked beans in one bowl and the
salmon in another bowl. Put the corn in a third bowl. Blend the
mayonnaise with the soy milk to use as dressing. Using a huge,
preferably deep and oval-shaped salad dish, arrainge alternate layers of
all the ingredients and dressing until you use most of the ingredients.
Leave some egg, snow peas, and dressing to finish it aesthetically.
Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. You can
also make the salad the day before it is to be served, if it is
refrigerated. When ready to serve, slice it like a cake, lift out
portions, and serve with your favorite bread.
Peanut Soup with Guinea Fowl and Dumplings
Ingredients:
6 to 8 guinea fowl or chicken
pieces, or 2 pounds (1 kg) lean meat (such as chops or medallions of
lamb shanks), cut into chunks
2 large yellow onions, minced
8 cups boiling water
4 to 8 mushrooms, cleaned, optional
Salt
4 large, very ripe tomatoes, or cups canned whole tomatoes, drained and
pureed
Red chiles, fresh or dried, ground, for seasoning, optional
2 pounds (1 kg) fish fillets, salt, smoked, grilled, deep-fried, or
sundried
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup peanut paste or peanut butter
4 to 8 mushrooms, cleaned (optional)
Potato dumplings
Cooking Instructions:
Put the poultry or meat in a very large, heavy-based pan (not a
crockpot, becuase the initial cooking process requires fairly high heat,
which a crockpot does not provide). Season the meat with salt and
pepper. Add the onions, stir, cook "dry" on medium heat, stirring
continuously, until the outside of the meat is slightly cooked and
browned on all sides. Pour the tomato puree into the meat and onion
mixture, and continue to simmer. Put the peanut paste in a big bowl, add
2-1/4 cups of the boiling water, and use a wooden spoon or a blender to
blend the paste and water carefully together to form a creamy, smooth
sauce. Add the peanut sauce to the meat mixture, as well as the chiles
and mushrooms. Continue to simmer, stirring only occasionally to prevent
the food from sticking to the bottom of the pan. This is the basic soup.
Pour the rest of the boiling water into the soup, and simmer slowly on
medium heat to cook the meat for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the type
of meat used (guinea fowl takes about 10 minutes longer). Prepare your
choice of fish by removing any residual bones. Add the fish, either
whole or in chunks, to the soup during the last 30 minutes of cooking
time to prevent it from breaking up in the soup. Once you add all the
ingredients, simmer slowly until the soup thickens. Serve with the
dumplings.
Ingredients:
4 cups boiling water
1 packet (6 ounces/180 g) potato flakes
2/3 cup potato flour
1 cup cold water
Cooking Instructions:
Warm a medium pan with 1 cup of the boiling water. In a small bowl, blend the potato flour with 1 cup of warm water (mix some of the boiling water with part of the cold water; the water must not be too hot, or it will cook the starch) to form a creamy mixture. Empty the water from the warmed pan. Pour the potato flakes into the pan and add the remaining boiling water, enough to cover the flakes fully. Do not stir. Using a wooden spoon, stir the potato flour mixture in the bowl and quickly add it to the potato flakes. Speed is of the essence here, as is dexterity! Vigorously stir the 2 mixtures together, pulling the dough in from the center against the inside of the saucepan with one hand and gripping the pan firmly with the other. When the dough is firm, elastic, and smooth, moisten a small bowl with cold water and scoop the dough into this bowl, either as one large ball or individual balls, and serve.
Palava Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup palm oil
2 to 4 fresh red chiles, minced, optional
1/2 pound (250g) diced cooked meat (not chicken), and/or 1/2 pound
(250g) fish (such as snapper or pompano)
3 bunches fresh spinach, chopped, or 1-1/2 pounds (750g) frozen chopped
spinach
4 yellow onions, minced
Salt
1/4 pound (125 g) smoked herring, boneless, optional
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, ground in a spice or coffee grinder
4 large tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and mashed
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup dried shrimp
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the oil in a medium pan and fry the onions until golden. Add
the tomatoes and the chiles, and season with pepper. Cook for 10 to 15
minutes on low heat, stirring regularly (not continuously). Season with
salt and add the diced meat and/or fish. Stir in the smoked herring and
the dried shrimp. Simmer on very low heat, stirring regularly to prevent
burning. Add the spinach to the meat mixture. Cover and simmer on low
heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the spinach is soft and cooked. Stir
regularly, taking care not to break up the fish too much. Add the
pumpkin seeds and stir them into the sauce. Cook for another 10 to 15
minutes on low heat, or until the sauce is thick and green. It will be
speckled white with the ground pumpkin seeds.
Ingredients:
8 cups shredded dried coconut or finely grated fresh coconut
1-1/4 cups superfine sugar
3/4 cup peeled and finely grated fresh ginger or to taste
1 cup dark rum or to taste
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 200 F/120 C. In an ovenproof dish, mix the coconut and ginger with a generous amount of the rum. Keep it warm in the oven. Melt the sugar in a large, heavy-based pan on medium to low heat. When the sugar starts to brown at the edges, stir it with a wooden spoon until smooth. When the sugar is brown (not light brown, nut dark brown, but brown), quickly add the coconut-rum mixture. The timing here is critical. The mixture may bubble, but just stir vigorously until the sugar is well blended with all the ingredients. Remove from the heat and cool for about 30 minutes. Moisten your hands with cold water and form into small balls about the size of a Ping-Pong ball. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve later.
Ingredients:
2 cups ablemamu (finely ground, roasted corn)
3-1/2 cups milk, hot
8 teaspoons brown sugar, or more, according to taste
Cooking Instructions:
To make the ablemamu, dry-roast 2-1/2 cups ordinary popcorn kernels. Remove from the heat just before the popcorn begins to pop, then cool and grind until powdery and fine in a spice or coffee grinder. Cool overnight. Place the ablemamu in 4 cereal bowls. In each bowl, pour in a portion of the hot milk and add some of the sugar. Stir to mix thoroughly. It will thicken and swell to form a typical Tom Brown porridge. Sit back, smell it, tuck in.
Spinach with Salted Fish
Ingredients:
1 medium dried salted fish
8 slices yam (or 8 slices potato), peeled and diced
4 tomatoes, finely diced
1 tablespoons turmeric
4 to 8 whole baby plantains, peeled
2 bunches fresh spinach or swiss chard, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 slices taro root, peeled and diced
2 small green onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Cooking Instructions:
Soak the fish overnight to remove most of the salt. Rinse, clean,
and bone the fish. Shred it into small pieces and set aside. Boil the
plantains, taro root, and yam slices in salted water until tender. Place
the uncooked spinach inside a fine-mesh sieve on to of the boiling
vegetables to steam very lightly for 5 to 7 minutes. Heat the oil in a
small skillet, add the garlic, and lightly fry until it begins to brown.
Remove from the heat and stir in the turmeric. (Traditionally, palm oil
is used in this recipe, but vegetable oil mixed with turmeric makes a
wonderful substitute). Place the blended spinach mix in 4 small bowls.
Top each portion with 2 teaspoons of the turmeric-garlic-oil mix, and
sprinkle with some of the leftover fish. Decorate each bowl with the
boiled vegetables and serve.
Traditional Dark Chile Sambal
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup tiny dried shrimp, ground to a powder
4 yellow onions, minced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/3 cup chile powder
1/2 cup peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
3/4 cup dried shrimp
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the oil in a heavy-based medium pan and fry the onions and
ginger for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the onins are golden. Stir in the
tomato paste and mix thoroughly. Crush the chicken bouillon cubes, add
them to the pan, and stir to mix. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 3
minutes. Add both types of shrimp and stir for 1 minute. Add the chile
powder and thoroughly blend. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring
continuously. Be careful not to burn the mixture at this stage. Remove
from the heat and let stand for about 1 hour, or until cool. Transfer to
a storage jar, and keep in a cool place.
Traditional Fried Fish
Ingredients:
4 fresh small salmon or snapper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 fresh red chiles, mashed into a pulp
Cooking Instructions:
Scale and clean all the fish, remove the gills, and cut off the fins
and the tails. Lay the fish flat on a chopping board, and make 2 deep
but short diagonal cuts in each side, leaving 1/2 inch between the 2
cuts.
Prepare the seasoning by mixing the ginger, chiles, and salt into a
paste, and stuff some in the cuts on both sides of each fish. Rub some
of the remaining paste all over the fish. Heat the oil in a deep
skillet, and deep-fry each fish until crisp and golden brown, being
careful not to overcook. Remove from the oil and drain. Serve hot.
