Skip to main content

Sierra Leone: Collard Greens Plasas {CATWWC}

By
We headed to Sierra Leone next on our Cooking Around the World Adventure.

On the Map
Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Guinea to the north and northeast, Liberia to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

from LonelyPlanet.com
A Few Fun Facts
  • Sierra Leone gained its independence from Great Britain on April 27th, 1961.
  • The name of the country, from the Portuguese Serra Leao, means "Lion Mountain Range."
  • English is the official language of Sierra Leone; however Krio, a language derived from English and several African languages, is widely spoken in all parts of the country.
  • On February 14, 1972, the country made headlines when the world's third-largest gem-quality diamond – called the Star of Sierra Leone – was discovered in Koidu.
  • Over two-thirds of all adults in Sierra Leone are illiterate and the country has high infant mortality and low life expectancy rates. The maternal death rate of Sierra Leone is the highest in the world, at 2,000 deaths per 100,000 live births.


Though many of the dishes resembled other dishes we've already made throughout this adventure, I found a dish that interested me: Spinach Plasas. In the end, I went with a Collard Greens Plasas because that's what I had in my CSA box from High Ground Organics.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch collard greens (traditionally this dish is made with spinach; I used what I had)
  • 1 pound ground beef (traditionally it's made with stewing meat; I used what I had)
  • 8 ounces of smoked fish (I used smoked trout), flaked
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • olive oil
  • 1/4 C peanut butter
  • 3 C water
  • 1 C fresh tomato sauce
  • 1 t paprika
  • freshly ground salt, to taste
  • freshly ground pepper, to taste

Procedure
In a large, flat-bottom pan brown the onions in a splash of olive oil. Add in the ground beef and cook completely.

Julienne the collard greens and add it to the beef. Stir in the peanut butter, water, and tomato sauce. Bring to boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until greens are tender. Stir in the flaked fish and spices. Cover and simmer until the sauce has thickened, approximately another 10 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice...I used a mixture of brown basmati and forbidden rice.

And that's a wrap on Sierra Leone. We're moving on in our tabletop travel.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

By
If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce
1 comment
Read more

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

By
To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P
9 comments
Read more

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

By
photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an
183 comments
Read more