African Meal

We have finished up our safari through Africa, so we planned our African meal. This was just a bit more of a challenge than any so far, since their diet on the Dark Continent is pretty foreign to us. However, Mark found an article in the newspaper that was highlighting North African cuisine, and from that we created our main dish: Spicy Chicken Tagine. We made a valiant atempt at making our own injera, the staple bread of Africa, but humbly gave up and used a thin flexible pizza crust instead. (Injera is made of teff, which is a native African grain, so even if we had made it of wheat flour, it wouldn't have been authentic.) We added Shuku Shuku, a rich coconut candy, for dessert, and Rachel and the boys made scary African masks to complete the fun.

Clockwise Left to Right: Shuku Shuku, Spicy Chicken Tagine, American Injera Spicy Chicken Tagine:

2 T. olive oil plus a pat of butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 t. rosemary

1/2 t. ginger

2 fresh red chilies, seeded and chopped

***See note below

1/2 t. cinnamon

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (could use boneless thighs)

6 ounces dried apricots

2 T. honey

14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

salt, black pepper

Fry the onion in oil and butter. Add rosemary, ginger, chilies, and cinnamon. Stir well, then add chicken. Cook until browned. Chop apricots in food processor. Add a little water to the honey to make it runny and toss with the apricots. Add apricots and tomatoes to the chicken. Add a little water if necessary to make sure there is enough liquid to submerge the apricots. Bring to boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer gently 35-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste before serving hot with injera. (You might want to take the lid off towards the end to cook off some of the liquid.)

***Important Note: The meal coordinator asked the grocery shopper to get 2 red chilies, but the grocery shopper got 2 cans of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, 7 oz. The chef just dutifully put in the available ingredients and we didn't realize it until it was on the table! We all believe that this was a grand mistake, and though it might not be authentic African, it was SO good--not to mention so HOT! Next time (we have another can!), we might not quite put in the whole can--then again, we just might. But if you make it the way we did, don't say we didn't warn you!
Shuku Shuku:
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup self rising flour
extra powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together coconut, sugar, and egg yolks to form a stiff dough. Squeeze into 1 inch balls and roll in flour to coat. Place on baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Can serve warm or chilled. (We tasted them warm and then later ate them cold out of the fridge.)

I have to mention that we really should have put the chicken tagine in a communal pot and used the bread to dip it up instead of using utensils. We also should have sat around the pot on the floor. But we were glad to use our table and our forks! :)

It was a simple but wonderfully flavorful meal, and we all agreed that we definitely wanted to make it again!