African Green Pepper & Spinach
Courtesy of Sarah

1 md onion, chopped
1 md green pepper, chopped
1 tb oil
1 md tomato, chopped
1 lb fresh spinach, stems removed
3/4 ts salt
1/8 ts pepper
1/4 c peanut butter

Cook and stir onion and green pepper in oil in 3-quart saucepan until onion is tender. Add
tomato and spinach. Cover and simmer until spinach is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt,
pepper and peanut butter. Heat just until hot.

Versatile Mince
(Makes 20 portions)
Courtesy of Jackie

50 ml oil
2 onion peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1,5 kg lean minced beef (think it is called ground beef in the US)
500 g mushrooms, sliced
250 g back bacon, chopped
820 g can tomatoes, chopped
25ml Worcestershire sauce (you know Lea & Perrins e.g.)
15 ml. fresh basil, chopped
10 ml fresh rosemary chopped
10 ml fresh oregano, chopped
50 ml fruit chutney
1 beef stock cube dissolved in 500ml boiling water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 ml cornflour (cornstarch)
25 ml Bisto (gravy browning powder)
50 ml cold water

1. In a large saucepanheat the oil. Add the onions and garlic. Saute stiring until the onion
is soft.

2. Add the minced beef, mushrooms and bacon. Cook until the minced beef is browned,
stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes, Worcestrshire sauce, herbs, chutney and stock.
Season to taste

3. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally - about 30-40 minutes

4. In a bowl combine the cornflour, Bisto and water. Add to the meat. Simmer to thicken.

Allow to cool and then spoon into cartons, seal, label and freeze. I have often used dried herbs instead of the fresh variety for these recipes and the flavour has been good.

Adaptable Chicken

3 x 1,5 kg chickens, cleaned and seasoned
200 g butter or margarine
2 onions finely chopped
200 g mushrooms finely sliced
150 g cake flour
1,2 litres milk OR use half milk and half stock
125 ml Cream
50 ml fresh thyme chopped (dried is OK)
15 m fresh chives , chopped
salt, and freshly ground black pepper

1. Onto a large baking sheet place a piece of foil. place the shickens on the foil and cover; seal foil.

2. Rost in a preheated over 200 deg C until the chickens are cooked tghrough, about 1 and 1/2 hours. This method ensures that the juices and flavour remain intact.

3. Allow the chickens to cool, then remove the skin and bones. Cut the chicken flesh into bite size pieces. Set aside.

4. Into a large saucepan place 50g of the butter, add teh onions, mushrooms and leeks. Saute until limp and cooked through. Remove and set aside.

5. Add the remaining butter to the pan and allow to melt. Stir in the flour.

6. Graduall add the milk and aloow the sauce to simmer until thickened. Stir in the cream, thyme, chives, salt and pepper. Stir in the mushroom mixture.

7. Lastly, stir in the chicken. Allow to cool Spoon into containers, seal, label and freeze.

(Instead of using whole chickens you could use chicken breasts - more meat, and a lot less messy to take to pieces!) Makes 20 portions.

Chicken Stew
Courtesy of Iara <IL918@aol.com>

2 pounds stewing chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon "Mrs. Dash" seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups oil
1 large pepper, chopped
2 large onions
4 ounces tomato paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon)
1 large tomato, chopped or diced

Skin and trim fat from chicken. Cut 8 to 10 pieces. Rub in lemon juice. Rinse and drain chicken. Add spices and rub into chicken. Refrigerate for 10 hours. Heat oil and brown chicken. Saute and brown chicken. Saute onions and pepper for 1/2 hour; add tomato and tomato paste. Stir to distribute evenly. Add salt to taste, add chicken, 1/2 cup water and simmer over low heat till chicken is tender 10-15 minutes.

Fufu
Courtesy of Iara <IL918@aol.com>

Note: Conventional west African fufu is made by boiling such starchy foods as cassava, yam, plantain or rice, then pounding them into a glutinous mass, usually in a giant, wooden mortar and pestle. This adaptation for North Americans may trouble you if you try to stick to minimally processed foods. But it's worth trying at least once with west African groundnut stews.

2 1/2 cups Bisquick
2 1/2 cups instant potato flakes

Bring 6 cups of water to a rapid boil in a large, heavy pot. Combine the two ingredients and add to the water. Stir constantly for 10-15 minutes -- a process that needs two people for best results: one to hold the pot while the other stirs vigorously with a strong implement (such as a thick wooden spoon). The mixture will become very thick and difficult to stir, but unless you are both vigilant and energetic, you'll get a lumpy mess. When the fufu is ready (or you've stirred to the limits of your endurance!), dump about a cup of the mixture into a wet bowl and shake until it forms itself into a smooth ball. Serve on a large platter alongside a soup or stew.

Cooked or Boiled Plantain
Courtesy of Iara <IL918@aol.com>

Note: Boiled plantains make an easy-to-prepare base for meat or vegetable stews. Because of the amount of agricultural chemicals used in fruit cultivation, we suggest a good soap and hot-water scrub before cooking plantains this way. If you prefer, you may peel them before boiling. Drop unpeeled plantains in boiling water. Cook for 15-20 minutes until a test plantain is tender when pierced with a fork. Peel before serving.

Senegalese Chicken Yassa
Courtesy of Sarah <sitm@ne.infi.net>

1/4 Cup Fresh lemon juice
4 Large Onions -- thinly sliced
Salt -- to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper -- to taste
1/8 Teaspoon Minced fresh habanero chile (or other hot chile, to taste)
1/4 Cup Peanut oil -- plus
1 Tablespoon Peanut oil
1 Chicken - (2 1/2 to 3 1/2 lbs) -- cut serving pieces
1 Habanero or other hot chile -- pricked with a fork
1/2 cup Pimiento-stuffed olives
4 Carrots -- scraped, sliced thin
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup Water
6 servings  Cooked rice -- hot

In a large nonreactive bowl, prepare a marinade with the lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper, minced chile, and the 1/4 cup peanut oil. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, making sure that they are all well covered, and allow them to marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat the broiler. Remove the chicken pieces, reserving the marinade, and place them in a shallow roasting pan. Broil them until they are lightly browned on both sides. Remove the onions from the marinade. Cook the slowly in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a flameproof 3-quart casserole or Dutch oven until tender and translucent. Add the remaining marinade and heat through. hen the liquid is thoroughly heated, add the broiled chicken pieces, the pricked chile, the olives, carrots, mustard, and water. Stir to mix well, then bring the yassa slowly to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot over cooked white rice. This recipe yields 6 servings.

Comments: This variation on the classic yassa theme uses carrots and pimiento-stuffed olives to create a rich chicken stew. You can double this recipe because yassa is even better the next day. It also freezes well.