In this “cultural pit stop”, we wanted to represent the cultural traditions of our people, spread across the various geographies in which we are present. So we invited them to share a recipe they usually prepare during the festive season at a table full of friends or family. Regardless of each person’s beliefs and the celebration they hold, they have what is truly important in common: sharing joy and love with their loved ones.
Tofu with cornbread in caramelised leeks and spinach (vegetarian option)
Ingredients:
• 500g natural tofu
• 2 lemons (juice and zest)
• 3 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• 2 leek stalks, cut into strips
• 1 teaspoon molasses/agave syrup
• 200g spinach/watercress
• 1/2 cornbread (200-250g)
• 2 cloves garlic or minced garlic
• 1 hand of coriander or parsley
• Olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation: In a large bowl, combine the thinly sliced tofu, the juice of 2 lemons, 1 sliced garlic clove and the tamari. Add water until the tofu is submerged and leave to marinate for at least 30 mins.
In a wide frying pan, sauté the leeks in olive oil for 5 min. Add the molasses, salt and pepper, stir in, and leave to caramelise for 2 min. Arrange the leeks in the bottom of an oven dish.
In the same pan, place the spinach without adding any more oil, and reduce over medium heat (2 min). Arrange the spinach on top of the leek layer, and top with the marinated tofu strips.
Finally, place the roughly chopped breadcrumbs in a food processor, together with the other clove of garlic, coriander, lemon zest, salt and pepper and grind (they can also be chopped and stirred by hand).
Arrange the last layer of bread on top of the tofu and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 35 mins or until toasted. Serve with boiled or baked sweet potato.
Jerimu dumplings
Ingredients:
• 1 kg of butternut squash (jerimu)
• 60g flour
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of port wine
• 1 teaspoom of baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• peel of 2 lemons
• 20g sultanas (dried white grapes)
• sugar and cinnamon to taste
• frying oil
Preparation:
Cut the pumpkin into pieces and cook in water seasoned with a bit of salt, cinnamon stick and 2 very thin lemon peels.
Drain the pieces and strain them through a sieve.
Place the purée in a cloth and squeeze it well to remove all the water.
Mix the puree well with the flour, yeast, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and port wine.
Add the beaten egg whites and stir in.
Finally, add the sultanas.
Fry spoonfuls of the dough in scalding oil, drain and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Milk “Rabanadas”
Ingredients:
For the french toast:
• 1 bundt
• 1l of milk
• 100g sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 to 5 lemon peels
• 5 eggs
• Cinnamon powder and sugar for sprinkling and oil for frying
For the syrup:
• ½L of water
• 200g of sugar
• 1 cinnamon steak
• peel of 3 lemons
• Port wine to taste
• Dried fruits to taste
Preparation:
For the french toast:
On low heat, place the milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and lemon peel in a saucepan. Let the milk boil a little so that the sugar dissolves and the taste of the cinnamon stick and lemon are absorbed. Cut the breadstick into thick slices on the diagonal to make them bigger. The bread cannot be fresh – it should be at least 2 or 3 days old, so it does not crumble when placed in the milk. Scramble the eggs on a plate, and put the milk mixture in another bowl. Dip the slices of bread into the milk mixture and allow to drain in a bowl before rubbing them with the egg. Then fry the slices of bread in scalding oil and place them on kitchen paper so that the fat from the oil is absorbed. Leave the pieces to cool and sprinkle with cinnamon powder and sugar to taste.
For the sauce: Place the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and lemon peel in a pan. Let this mixture boil for some time, so the syrup turns into “pearl point”. To test it, use a spoon and see if the syrup runs in a thread. A little before turning off the syrup, add the Port wine and let it boil a little more. Let the syrup cool down and become more solid and add the nuts.
Octopus Rice in the Oven
Ingredients:
• 1 octopus with 1,5 to 2kg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 chilli pepper
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1dl of olive oil
• 350g of rice
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar
Preparation:
Cook the octopus in a pan for about 30 minutes in water with salt, pepper, chilli and a sprig of parsley. Sauté the chopped onion, garlic, and diced carrot in half the olive oil. Add the chopped octopus and the rice. Let it braise a little and place it in a pyrex. Drizzle with about 1 litre of the octopus cooking water and stir. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200º C. Stir constantly, and if necessary, add a little more of the octopus cooking water. Sprinkle the vinegar and the other bunch of chopped parsley before serving.
East & West tuna tacos
Ingredients:
For the tacos:
• 1kg of fresh tuna (preferably from the belly/”ventresca”), cut into “Cork” type steaks (cubes approximately 10cm wide)
• 300ml of dark soy sauce
• 300ml of sake or rice wine
• Boiling potatoes
• Bimis (small broccoli with long stalk) for steaming
• 200ml of sesame oil
For the tartar sauce:
• 200g of mayonnaise
• 30g of mustard
• 1 tablespoon of crème fraiche (or cream)
• 100g assorted pickles chopped
• 1 tablespoon of grated onion
• 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
For the tacos: Mix the soya with the rice wine and stir well. Dip the steaks in the mixture and leave them to marinate for 4 hours. Meanwhile, steam the potatoes to taste and the bimis and set aside. Next, prepare the tartar sauce as indicated below. Before frying, drain the steaks well, removing the excess liquid. Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan almost to the maximum temperature. When the oil is crackling, fry the tuna steaks equally on each of the 6 sides until the surface is crispy but not too runny (ideally, you should eat them raw or almost raw in the centre). Serve while hot.
For the tartar sauce: Mix all ingredients except parsley very well. Serve in a serving bowl, sprinkling the parsley on top (without mixing). Place in the refrigerator no more than 1 hour before serving.
Loin stuffed with gorgonzola and pears
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Braise the onion in the butter over medium heat until golden. Add the chopped pears and the white wine and cook until the wine reduces, and the pears are soft.
Open the loin, seasoned and cut, and place the pears and onions lengthwise in the centre of the meat. Cover with gorgonzola cheese. You may close it on both sides, tie it with string, or roll it up, like a roll. It depends on the size and thickness of the cut. In the same pan as the pears, brown all sides of the loin in olive oil.
Transfer to a baking sheet with the rosemary sprigs, cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 220. ° to bake for 20 minutes covered, plus 10 minutes open to brown completely. Remove the ready loin from the oven when it reaches the point of your preference. You can also boil the remaining broth to reduce it a little more and put it on top of the loin at serving time.
Serve with rice, tomatoes, roasted vegetables or whatever you prefer.
Ribs served with chilli sauce
Ingredients:
For the ribs:
For the sauce:
Preparation:
For the rib: Season the rib with coarse salt only, wrap in cellophane paper, then in foil and place in the braise for about 8 hours.
For the sauce: Mix everything in a blender.
Moamba Chicken
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Cut the chicken into pieces (breast, thigh, leg, neck and wings) and season them with lemon, chopped garlic and salt. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour;
Place the chicken in a pan, with a drizzle of olive oil and let it brown. Then add a little hot water and 3 spoonfuls of moamba, leaving the other two to mix in warm water; pour into the pan and stir. Once you have mixed everything very well, put the pulp made from the moamba with the rest of the moamba in water.
Cut the okra in half, the tomato in quarters, chop the onion and add all the chopped ingredients to the chicken pan. Add a little water and season the broth with salt to taste. Let everything cook over a low heat to refine the flavour.
Chicken with ground peanuts
Ingredients:
Preparation: Season the chicken to your liking. Separate and wash the vegetables. Grind the peanuts in a bowl until they become a paste.
Prepare a sauté with the onion, garlic and tomato in a pan. Over low heat, add the chicken and peanuts to create a paste until cooked, keeping the cooker on low heat at all times. Add water to taste (optional), depending on the density of the peanut paste.
Fish Calulu and Kissanga
Ingredients:
For the fish:
For the beer :
Preparation:
For the fish: Prepare a stew with onion, tomato and palm oil for the fish. Place the fish in alternate layers of fresh and dried fish and let it stew for a while. Add the okra and okra and cover with water. Mix the wheat with the water and add to the sauce until it thickens. Remove from the cooker and serve.
For the beer: Put 5 litres of water in a large pan and bring it to the cooker. When it begins to boil, add 1kg of cornflour and boil for 1 hour (approx.) to cook the flour well and reduce its volume. Add sugar to taste. Let it cool to settle. Place in a bottle in the sun to ferment. Depending on the alcohol content, it may ferment for 2 to 5 days. To stop fermenting, you should put the drink in the fridge.
Crispy Marshmallows
Ingredients:
Preparation: Mix the butter, caramels and condensed milk in a bowl and heat in the microwave until smooth and a homogeneous mixture. With a fondue fork, prick a marshmallow and wrap it in the hot mixture and then in the cereal. Place on a biscuit base and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Enjoy! A real treat!
Baba’s Nachynka
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Sauté the onion and butter until cooked, without turning brown.
Slowly add the cornflour and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
In a separate pan, bring the milk to the boil. Once boiling, slowly add to the cornflour, constantly stirring until it becomes creamy.
Add the whipped cream, salt and sugar and mix.
Beat 4 eggs and add to the previous mixture.
Grease a casserole dish with butter and pour in the prepared mixture. Bake in the oven at 160º for 35 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Cranberry Noels
Ingredients:
Preparation:
In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddles, beat for approximately 2 minutes the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the milk and vanilla and beat just until combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour, salt, cranberries and walnuts. Continue beating until thoroughly mixed. On a clean surface, pour the dough and divide it into two equal parts. Shape each portion into a 20cm log, 5cm in diameter. Wrap the logs in cling film and place them in the fridge until hardened, after about 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 190º. Using a sharp knife, cut the logs into 6mm thick slices. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper and place the slices 38mm apart. Leave in the oven until the edges are golden brown, for 14-16 minutes, turning the leaves halfway through. Remove from the oven and transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely.