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Recipes from Liberia
Liberia was founded as a country in
the 19th century by freed American slaves returned to Africa to
form a new nation. While only 5% of the population are descendants of
these settlers, certain American traditions continue and are apparent in
the cuisine. Recent civil war has meant that the country is struggling to
recover as refugees return to their homes. Common ingredients in Liberian
cooking include cassavas, hot red peppers, sweet potatoes and yams,
plantains, greens, okra, coconut, pumpkin, mangoes, ginger and eggplant.
Stewed Mangoes with
Cloves (Liberia) 8 servings
If ripe mangoes are not available, you can use 2 24-ounce cans of
apricots or yellow cling peaches in heavy syrup.
Make a sugar syrup by mixing: ¾
cup sugar and ¾ cup water and boiling one minute
In a 1-quart saucepan, place: 4
large ripe mangoes, peeled and sliced (or peaches or apricots)
Add: syrup(you can use syrup
from canned fruit) and 6
whole cloves
Simmer for 15 minutes or until
mangoes are tender. Cool and serve in compote dishes, garnishing
with cloves. |
| Sweet Potato Pone
(Liberia) 1 9-inch square pone
Preheat oven to 325F
| In
a 3 quart saucepan, combine: |
3
cups grated raw sweet potatoes,
1 cup molasses or dark cane syrup
2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1
teaspoon salt
a cup vegetable oil |
- Simmer slowly, stirring
constantly for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and pour into a
well-greased 9-inch square pan
- Bake at 325EF for 30 minutes,
stirring the pan every 5 minutes for the first 20 minutes in the
oven. After the last stirring, smooth the top and let it brown.
- Remove from the oven. Cut into
squares and serve hot or cold.
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Eggplant stew with
ham and fish (Liberia) serves 6 to 8
| 2
pounds eggplant, thinly sliced* |
1
onion, chopped finely |
| 4
to 6 tablespoons oil |
½
pound cooked ham or bacon, chopped |
| 1
pound white fish fillets, cut into pieces |
2
½ cups water |
| salt
and pepper to taste |
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(*Some people prefer the taste of
eggplant, or find they like it better, if the pieces are soaked in
salt water for 20 minutes and then drained, and then sauteed in a
little oil for a few minutes before adding to the recipe.)
- In a flat pan with a lid, heat
2 tablespoons of the oil and gently cook the fish fillets
until they are golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Adding more oil if necessary,
cook the onion a few minutes and then add the bacon or ham.
- After this, replace the fish
and add the water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then
toss in the eggplant slices.
- Cover the pan and turn the heat
to low, simmering for 20 to 30 minutes until the eggplant is
tender and the flavors have blended.
Recipe from The New
Internationalist Food Book by Troth Wells, Second Story Press,
1995, p. 67 |
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