The Ranger > wrote:

> One of my students from a class in my now-receding past stopped by before
> the last minute of the last hour of the last day of school bearing a book on
> African cuisine by Jessica B. Harris. It was his way of thanking me as he
> headed off to middle school.
>
> WOW! I love it! I am enjoying reading every page so far. What a rich
> continent regarding melding flavors without losing individual ethnic
> identities.

Personally, I find the continent to be, on the whole, to be rather poor
in this regard. There are three truly major exceptions, as far as I am
concerned: Northern Africa (Mediterranean coast), Ethiopia, and the Cape
Malay cooking.

> Mafé (Senegal)
>
> Serves 4 - 6
>
> Author's Note: Mafé is a Senegalese classic. It is also an entrant in to the
> peanut stew sweepstakes that could be held for dishes from all over the
> continent. Here the meat of choice is lamb, but mafé could also be prepared
> from beef or chicken. Traditionally the stew is served with rice.
>
> INGREDIENTS:
> 2 TBS. peanut oil*
> 1 large onion, minced
> 2 lb. lamb, cubed
> 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter**
> 1-1/2 cups cold water
> 1/3 cup tomato paste
> 2 cups hot water
> 4 large carrots, cut into disks
> 3 sprigs fresh thyme
> 2 bay leaves
> Salt and Pepper to taste

This is one of the few West African recipes I find interesting. The
dish is not just Senegalese; it is common elsewhere in West Africa and
is also called tigadegena and maybe some other names. It appears that,
very often, many more vegetables than mere carrots and onions are used
in the dish. The use of peanut butter or paste is crucial - not only
does it provide a taste all of its own, it also enables the dish, the
meat particularly, to cook very fast. It is a true stew, yet it takes
just a half hour to cook. I do not know why peanut paste or butter
makes the meat cook faster, but it does.

Victor