This salad is a visceral experience, like you ran through the garden with a weed whacker. Made up of pieces of fresh herbs that are just shy of being too big to eat, it’s a wild and reckless bowl of green with a sexy crunch. At Dad’s, it stands up to the wrath of a greasy diner burger and a yolk-exploding mushroom sandwich. The ingredients list is anarchic; you can decide for yourself what your handfuls are, changing up the herbs and sprouts as others come into season. You can use a salad spinner to wash it all, but I like to get my hands in it, mix it up well, and let it drip dry. Then you’ll dress it with Hippie Vinaigrette (page 53), and your folks will chomp on it like they’re herbivores.
Historically, jollof rice was a one-pot dish made with protein and carrots, peppers, and leafy vegetables. Today, it’s all about the rice; the vegetables tend to show up as a side, à la Nigerian Salad . A seasoned tomato base spiced with curry powder gives this rice its orange-red color. For great jollof, the tomato mix for the stew base is cooked twice—first to soften and round out the raw, tart flavors, and a second time to fry and season it, concentrating the flavors.
To get grains that are “one-one” (fluffy) and well seasoned to the core of each grain, start with parboiled (not parcooked) or converted rice (husk-on rice that is partly cooked before dehusking). The result is golden grains of raw rice that are sturdy and capable of absorbing stews without turning to mush. Cook the rice over low heat so it absorbs the sauce properly and doesn’t scorch on the bottom. Stirring occasionally ensures evenly cooked rice.
Serve with Dòdò, Mọ́ínmọ́ín Elewe, an assortment of meat or fish, and Nigerian Salad.
Maybe a lentil loaf doesn’t sound that thrilling, but you haven’t had this one yet. It has so much flavor and texture, I think it’s more satisfying than a real meatloaf. Even carnivores will ask for a second slice.
I absolutely love making this soup now that I have figured out how to make it using my food processor. It used to be quite labor-intensive to cut all the vegetables by hand. Now, I just throw them into the food processor to chop into small pieces, then toss them into my Dutch oven. So quick, so simple, and I also vastly prefer the texture of the soup prepared this way to the traditional way I was taught to make it. The vegetables don’t all come out the same perfect size, which I like, and the rice or pasta is cooked at the same time, making it possible to get my soup on the table pretty quickly.
You can, literally, put any vegetables in soupe au pistou. In spring, I add asparagus and loads of fresh peas. In summer, more ripe tomatoes. In fall, I add butternut squash. It is a substantial soup, and served with a baguette, it could easily be the meal’s main course. A green salad is a nice accompaniment.
Throughout the Caribbean and American South, African slaves transformed the tails of oxen or other cattle, the discards of wealthy plantation owners, into a delicacy by slow-braising them in rich, fragrant stews. In Haiti, oxtail is served with pikliz, an intense peppery and sour slaw tart enough to make your jaws clench, similar in taste and texture to the Southern condiment chow chow. Pikliz is most often made with green cabbage, but I use red cabbage, which is prettier and slightly sweeter, and brussels sprouts, which have a hint of nuttiness. Serve with your favorite white rice.
You won’t believe how good mushrooms can taste. All you need is soy sauce, a bit of honey, and a dash of smoked paprika. After a quick roast, they’re crispy and packed with deep umami. You can serve these mushrooms as a main dish accompanied by cooked buckwheat, or use them in Miso Żurek with Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Mushrooms, and Dill.
SOUP BASE
The ordering key to a chili parlor is thus, and will guide you in your own kitchen as well
If you’ve never had red beans and rice before, let me warn you that you just might become addicted to it. When you cook this dish, the house will smell amazing, and you will be eager to dig in every minute you wait for it to be finished. Make this with Honey Jalapeño Cornbread and thank me later.
INGREDIENTS