Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Licor Beirão

Bacalhau à Brás (Codfish dish from Portugal)


Bacalhau ao Brás is one of the most popular ways to prepare codfish in Portugal. It is made from thin strips of cod mixed with onions, and thin strips of potatoes bound by eggs.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Up and Down


How food prices have changed in different countries
CHANGES in global food prices are affecting some countries much more than others. Despite a big fall from peaks in 2008, food-price inflation remains high in places such as Kenya and Russia. In China, however, falling international commodity prices have been passed on to consumers faster. The price of food, as measured by its component in China's consumer-price index, rose by more than 20% in 2007 but fell by 1.9% in 2008 and by a further 1.3% in the past three months alone.

Gruyère

Fufu



Semolina and Ground Rice Fufu

from Central Africa

What you need

* two to three cups ground semolina
* two to three cups ground rice


What you do

* Bring six cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the semolina slowly to the water, stirring constantly to avoid making lumps. Use a strong wooden spoon to stir constantly for a few minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. You may need two people: one to hold the pot and one to stir. If the fufu seems thinner than mashed potatoes, add more of the semolina. Then add a roughly equal amount of the ground rice. Stir and cook for another ten minutes.
* Serve immediately with meat stew or any dish with a sauce or gravy. To eat it, tear off a small handful with your fingers and use it to scoop up your meat and sauce.




Instant Fufu

An out-of-Africa variation.

What you need

* two cups instant mashed potatoes
* two cups Bisquick
* two cups cassava flour or tapioca (tapioca is made from cassava tubers)


What you do

* Bring six cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Combine at least two of the three ingredients and add to the boiling water. Use a strong wooden spoon to stir constantly for 10-15 minutes. You may need two people: one to hold the pot and one to stir. If the fufu seems thinner than mashed potatoes, add more of the dry ingredients. The fufu should be very thick but must be stirred constantly to avoid lumping and burning.
* Shape the fufu into balls (this can be done by putting a cup of fufu into a bowl with a few spoonfuls of warm water and shaking the bowl back and forth until the fufu shapes itself into a ball). Serve immediately with meat stew or any dish with a sauce or gravy. To eat it, tear off a small handful with your fingers and use it to scoop up your meat and sauce.

Source for the recipes :
Fufu - The Congo Cookbook (African recipes)
http://www.congocookbook.com/staple_dish_recipes/fufu.html