When cold winds
blow and frost crackles up the windowpane, it's food with a kick to it
that cheers the spirits.
A Kwanzaa celebration
puts sunshine right there on the table. The dishes are colorful and come
with a bite that banishes the winter blues. Ingredients are earthy, sustaining
and substantial, providing just the kind of internal cuddle we need at
this time of year.
Like most dishes
that originate in hardworking communities with small-holding preoccupations,
they don't need complex preparation. They provide a rare thing -- a feast
that can be prepared ahead of time, with no last minute fiddle. So the
cook can enjoy the occasion as much as the guests. Who wouldn't want to
celebrate that? These recipes serve six.
Start with a
Peanut Soup with Crispy Okra Bites. In a large heavy-bottomed casserole,
fry in 1/2 tbs peanut or vegetable oil very quickly over medium heat until
they begin to darken the 1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes and 1/2 tbs lightly
crushed coriander seeds already there.
Then toss in
1/2 cup carrots, 1/2 cup celery, 2/3 cup butternut squash, 2/3 cup peeled
potatoes, all well diced, and 1 cup of roasted unsalted peanuts (or 3/4
cup of roasted unsalted peanuts if you prefer a soup with texture -- see
below).
Stir together
for 3 or 4 minutes until the potatoes begin to turn translucent, then pour
in 6 cups of chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cover, lower the heat
and simmer for half-hour. Cool, stir well, season with salt, then puree.
I like a soup
with texture, so remove 2 cups of the mixture and set aside. When I'm ready
to serve, I return the remaining cups to the soup, plus 1/4 cup of roasted
unsalted peanuts that I've roughly crushed in a pestle and mortar or in
a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Reheat gently, stirring, and add the
juice of half a small lemon before serving with a bowl of okra crisps to
sprinkle.
To make these,
preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Thinly slice 1 1/2 cups okra. Rinse well
under running water then drain and pat dry thoroughly. In a bag, mix together
3 tbs cornmeal, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp salt, then add the okra
and shake to coat. Lightly wipe a baking sheet with oil, spread the okra
over in a single layer. After 10 minutes, sprinkle with a little more oil
and turn to coat the okra. Bake until brown and crisp, turning every 10
minutes, for 30 minutes.
Black-eyed Peas
with Ham cooks itself. In a large casserole put a 3 1/2 pound ham or bacon
joint, preferably center cut, that you have soaked overnight to remove
excess salt. Cover it with fresh cold water, bring it to the boil and throw
out the water. Then add a bay leaf, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, an onion
and a celery stalk and cover with water again. Bring to a boil and simmer
gently for an hour.
Get rid of everything
except the ham. To the casserole now add, around the ham, 3 1/2 cups black-eyed
peas, 1 medium onion, finely chopped, 1 celery stalk, finely chopped, 4
garlic cloves finely minced, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp dried chili pepper
flakes, 1 tsp molasses, 1 tbs tomato paste, a bay leaf and 3 cups of chicken
stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, season,
and cook until the peas are soft, about 45 minutes, stirring every now
and then.
Serve with bitter
greens stir-fried until wilted in olive oil with plenty of minced garlic.
Add 2 tbs of chicken stock or water as needed until the greens are quite
soft. Season before serving. This is the only last minute work.
For dessert,
bake Benne cookies to serve with Halva ice cream.
Preheat the
oven to 325 degrees F and oil a baking sheet. In a big bowl, mix together
1 cup of well-packed brown sugar with 1/4 cup of softened butter until
creamy. Stir in 1 beaten egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp lemon juice,
then fold in 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, a good pinch
of salt and 1 cup of toasted sesame seeds.
Careful when
you dry-toast these -- you must keep stirring over gentle heat or they
will all pop out of the pan. Drop teaspoons onto the pan, about 2 inches
apart, and bake for 15 minutes.
If you serve
them with Halva ice cream rather than vanilla, they are so much more delicious.
To make your own, buy a pint of best vanilla ice cream and allow to soften
to malleability. Grate or fork a 1/2 pound block of Halva from a Middle
Eastern deli into a bowl, then fold into the ice cream and return to the
freezer until needed.
--
Copyright 2002 by United
Press International.
All rights reserved.
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