Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Tonight I had TWO kitchen elves for our feast from Mozambique. Sweet deal. The Country: Mozambique Where the the World: It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east and Tanzania to the north, South Africa to the south west and Zimbabwe to the west. Some Fun Facts... Mozambique gained independence from the Portuguese in the year 1975.  "The country is only as old as Daddy?!?" asked Dylan. That's a pretty young country. "Mommy, you're older than a country!" Nice. The national language is Portuguese though Sena, Swahili and Makhuwa are also spoken fluently. The Mozambique Island is one of the world heritage sites. The Bazarut Archipelago, one of the richest coral reefs in the world, is the largest marine reserve in the Indian Ocean. There are over 1,200 species of fish that have been identified in the coastal waters of Mozambique. What We Made... [click on the recipe to go to the original recipe post.] Sopa de Feija...

1 large ripe pineapple 1/2 C port wine handful of raw, halved cashews Peel and slice pineapple into bite-sized pieces. Play them in a flat dish. Pour port over the sliced and let stand for at least an hour - several if you have the time. Turn once and turn again just before serving on dessert dishes. Cashews are one of the major crops of Mozambique. So sprinkle te nuts over the pineapple or just pass a bowl of nuts alongside the dessert.

Perfect timing! I had all of the ingredients to make this dish, from Mozambique, in my CSA box this week. Hooray for Fogline Farm ! Dylan did a great job helping me chop the onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and green beans. Sopa de Feijao Verde 4 Spring onions, sliced 5 potatoes, washed, dried, and diced 3 tomatoes, rinsed and diced 4 C water or chicken stock 2 C sliced green beans salt and pepper to taste In a large souppot, saute the sliced onions until they begin to soften. Add the diced potatoes and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes begin to lose their shape. Add in water or chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes may be mashed with a fork. The traditional version of this soup is pressed through a sieve. I left our version a bit more rustic and chunky by using a potato masher in the pot. Add in sliced green beans and simmer for another 5 minutes. You want the beans to still have some firmness to them. Serve hot.