Senegal (Africa) 18 April 2021

Senegal is located in northwestern part of Africa bordered by Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

The capital is Dakar.

The official language is French.

The “climate is conditioned by the tropical latitude of the country and by the seasonal migration of the intertropical convergence zone”. It is hot and has heavy rainfall. Staples are baguettes, rice, sweet potatoes, couscous, lentils, millet, fish, chicken, lamb, black-eyes peas, stews, peanuts and many vegetables.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Senegal

SENEGALESE CHICKEN YASSA (https://www.panningtheglobe.com/senegalese-chicken-yassa/):

• 3 chicken leg quarters (leg and thigh)
• 3 chicken breast halves (bone-in)
• 5 onions (about 2 lbs) peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• 1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper

Marinade:

• ½ C fresh lemon juice
• ¼ C canola oil or olive oil
• 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
• 4 medium garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ tsp salt

For Browning and Braising the Chicken:

• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 TBSP cooking oil (olive, canola, or grape seed)
• 1-1/2 C low-fat chicken broth (I recommend Swanson’s)

Garnish:

• 1 C pitted green olives, sliced

1. Marinate the Chicken: Put the chicken and onions into a large glass bowl. Cut a few slits in the habanero pepper and add it to the bowl. Whisk marinade ingredients in a small bowl and put on top. Toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate I the fridge for at least 3 hours or, preferably overnight.

• Brown the Chicken and Caramelize the onions: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat 1 TBSP oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. Remove the chicken from the marinade and sprinkle pieces with a few pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper, to taste. Brown chicken on both sides in batches, three pieces at a time, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Spoon out some of the chicken fat from the pot, leaving about one tablespoon.

• Caramelize the Onions: Set the hot pepper aside and scrape the onions and all the marinade into the pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes to get the onions hot and cooking. Cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Let the onions cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes more, until they are soft and starting to caramelize. Regulate the heat so they don’t burn.

• Use a spatula or wooden spoon to move onions aside, as you lay chicken pieces into the bottom of the pot, and then mound the onions on top of the chicken pieces. Place the hot pepper in the middle of the pot. Pour in chicken broth. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the pot and put it in the oven and cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

• Serve with fluffy white rice and sliced green olives (or Moroccan Carrot Salad).

MOROCCAN CARROT SALAD (https://mayihavethatrecipe.com/gluten-free-passover-recipes-part-2-moroccan-carrot-salad-2/):

• 12 large carrots, peeled and trimmed
• 3 tsp sea salt or 1-1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/3 C lemon juice
• 4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 C fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped

1. Slice the carrots into ¾” rounds (cut them in half lengthwise as you get to the thicker part. The goal is to have all the carrots be approximately the same size, so they can cook evenly).
2. Place carrots in a medium size pot, add water so it covers about 2” above the carrots and the salt (3 tsps of salt may seem like a lot, but all doesn’t get absorbed into the carrots. It is important to salt the water well, the same way you do when cooking pasta).
3. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat slightly so they can keep boiling. Cook for 45 minutes or until the carrots are tender, but not mushy.
4. Drain them well, transfer them to a large bowl and immediately add the lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, cumin and sumac and toss well. Add the chopped cilantro or parsley, toss again and refrigerate until ready to serve (the carrot tastes better when prepared a day or two ahead of time).

SOMBI (https://www.yummymedley.com/sombi-senegalese-coconut-rice-pudding/):

• 1 C medium grain rice
• 2 C water
• 1 C coconut milk
• 1 C coconut cream
• ½ C brown sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• A handful of coconut chips (optional)

1. In a pot, boil the rice with two cups of water, until it is soft.
2. In a separate saucepan, bring the coconut milk, coconut cream, and brown sugar to a gentle boil over low-medium heat. Stir continuously for 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved completely.
3. Add the rice and salt and continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes.
4. Chill in the refrigerator and serve with coconut chips on top of the pudding.

Notes: If you want to serve this recipe warm, replace the coconut cream with coconut milk, and add an additional cup of coconut milk. Serve straight from the pot warm.