Maine Lobster Rolls

While the first documented lobster roll may have been served at a restaurant in Milford, Connecticut, there is no doubt that the lobster roll is an icon of Maine cuisine. Anyone who takes a vacation in Maine -- from Kennebunkport to Lubec -- will inevitably have the opportunity to try a roll. And, there are many places across the State to get one. 

However, there are a lot of stories behind this sandwich. It is the stories about the lobsters and those who catch them that need to be told more. 

One of those stories is presently unfolding in the Gulf of Maine. Climate change is clearly making its presence known. The waters in the western part of the Gulf of Maine - such as Casco Bay (near Portland, Maine) - are beginning to get warmer. As anyone who has cooked a lobster will tell you, lobsters don't like warm water. As the waters of Casco Bay get warmer, the lobsters move north and east. As one fisher told Norah Hogan, a journalist with WMTW, "[w]hen I started [about 30 years ago], almost half of the lobsters in the state of Maine were landed in this part of the state - Casco Bay region." He added, "[w]e're not in the ballpark anymore." 

Lobsters thrive in waters that are between 54 degrees and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The waters in the western portions of the Gulf of Maine exceed 68 degrees from time to time. This means that the lobsters will migrate to where it is cooler, which is toward the northeastern shore of the State and into Canadian waters. It also pushes the lobsters further offshore, to cooler, deeper waters. 

This means that, as the waters warm, there will be less lobsters around the shores of Maine. Less lobsters mean that the already high prices for lobster rolls will only go higher (as long as the demand is there). In fact, I was quite surprised that the cost of a lobster roll could be from $28 to $38 for each roll. If both my beautiful Angel and I had a lobster roll, we would be looking at paying $56 to $76 for a meal (and that is without any beer or anything else). 

As it turns out, I had brought my trusty steam pot to Maine for our vacation. As I noted in my post about Steamed Lobsters, I was able to find a seafood market that sold whole lobsters for anywhere from $8.00 to $12.00 per pound, depending upon the lobster. The market only had soft shelled lobsters (that is, those who had recently molted). Soft shelled lobsters come with a lot of water since they have not fully regrown into their new shells. So, part of what one is paying for with that $8.00 to $12.00 per pound is water. I knew this fact when I bought them, but I could buy 4 soft-shelled lobsters for the price of 2 lobster rolls. 

With those lobsters, I proceeded to make my own lobster rolls. I found a recipe, which is set forth below, and tried to follow it as best I could. I also decided that I would do the "presentation piece" and have a whole lobster claw served on the top of the sandwich. However, I think in the future that I perhaps do a rough chop of the claw into pieces. I think that would be better than a whole claw.

MAINE LOBSTER ROLLS

Recipe from Food & Wine

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons fresh chervil or tarragon
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• 1 pound cooked, shucked and chopped lobster meat (from knuckles and 6 pincer claws)
• 6 top split (New England style) hot dog buns, separated
• 2 tablespoons salted (or unsalted butter), softened
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, plus more for garnish
• 6 butter lettuce leaves

Directions:

1. Prepare the lobster. Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice and chervil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in celery and fold in chopped lobster meat. Cover and chill up to 4 hours.

2. Prepare the buns.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Butter the sides of buns and toast in skillet until golden and heated through, about 2 minutes. 

3. Finish the dish. Fold chives into lobster salad. Place a lettuce leaf inside each bun. Divide lobster salad evenly among buns. Sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately. 

ENJOY!

Thai Hot

When it comes to spiced ales, the typical offerings - pumpkin beers, Christmas ales, and the like - don't usually get my attention, let alone hold it long enough for me to consider buying them. (There are some exceptions, but that is the general rule.) But, when I find a mole stout - a beer incorporating the ingredients that typically find their way into a mole sauce (for example, chiles, chocolate, and nuts), that beer has my attention. Indeed, until very recently, mole stouts were the only spiced ales that I would purchase. 

However, while on a recent vacation, the Savage Boleks visited Fogtown Brewing Company's tap room in Bar Harbor, Maine. According to its website, Foghorn brews farmhouse ales, saisons, sours, spiced ales, and other styles. The beers are brewed with malts, grains and hops that are grown in Maine. 

While sitting at a table, I looked over at the beer fridge. There was a four pack that caught my eyes. The red labels with a golden script that I could not recognize. The only thing that I could understand was the print at the bottom: "Thai Hot." I picked up the four pack for a closer inspection. The beer is an ale brewed with grains from Maine, along with rice, lemongrass, basil, toasted coconut, lime and thai chiles.

The beer pours a golden yellow, with a thin foam that quickly gives way to the liquid. The lemongrass and limes provide featured aromas, but I think I could sense some grass as well. 

The beer has a very light body, with the lemon and lime at the front of the taste. My initial reaction seemed to prepare myself for something along a sour beer; however, any thoughts of sourness soon gave way to the heat from the chiles, which could be felt both on the tip of the tongue and in the back of the throat. 

With an ABV of only 4.7%, this beer would be a very drinkable, except that burn from the Thai chiles can set the pace from time to time. It's a good think that I love spicy food and that I have experience cooking with Thai chiles, so that I know what to expect. 

In the end, if you find yourself in Maine, near Ellsworth or on Mount Desert Island, you should check out Fogtown Brewing Company. And, if you are like me and always willing to try something different, check out the Thai Hot if it is available. Until next time ...

ENJOY!

Togolese Grilled Chicken

I have a hard time keeping up with my cooking hobby. Times have been so busy lately that I need to actively plan to cook. One plan is my effort to make lunches for the workweek. I try to find a relatively simple, yet interesting recipe, and then make it. The end result gets packaged into three to four containers that become my lunches.

Recently, I came across a recipe for Togolese grilled chicken. Togo is a very small country sandwiched between Ghana and Benin along the Gold Coast of Africa. The country has a very thin rectangular shape, with only thirty-two (32) miles of coastline and three hundred and twenty (320) miles of interior. Yet, there are thirty (30) different ethnic groups that can be found in that very small country. The indigenous groups include, among others, the Gurma and the Kwa. Other groups emigrated to this area, including the Ewe, Yoruba and Temba. All of these indigenous groups have contributed to the cuisine of Togo. In addition, as is with much of the African continent, there are European influences as well. In the case of Togo, those influences stem from periods of colonization by both Germany and France.

Yet, for me, this recipe evokes images of food stalls located near one of the markets in the country's capital of Lome, or perhaps a small restaurant in one of the interior cities, such as Kpele, Bassar or Dapaong. (Please note that I have never had the chance to visit Togo, so much of this is my own imagination and speculation.) Some small stall or restaurant where the aromas of grilled chicken - such as koklo meme - fill the air.  The recipe for koklo meme is a traditional Togolese way to prepare chicken. They marinate drumsticks with ginger and garlic, as well as traditional spices, and then grill the chicken over an open flame until the skins are scorched and the juices run clear.

I was very intrigued by this recipe, so I decided to make it for my lunches. I made a couple of changes to the recipe. First, the recipe calls for red palm oil, which is traditionally used to make this dish. I have a source for red palm oil, which is a small local African market. However, that market was not open when I tried to buy the oil. So, I used a substitute - vegetable oil. Better substitutes could be rapeseed oil or sunflower oil; however, regardless, the substitutes lack the one thing that red palm oil can provide for the dish - a slight reddish hue. I added some cayenne pepper, but it is no substitute for the red color. The other change I did was to take the skin off the drumsticks. While this is not the traditional way to prepare the dish, it did make it slightly healthier, which is something that I need to do more of with my cooking. 

In the end, this recipe did fulfill my visions of a possible Togolese street food. They also provided some very tasty lunches for the week. If only I had made some Jollof Rice to go with it. I guess I always need something to improve on when I return to recipes like this one. Until next time ...

TOGOLESE GRILLED CHICKEN

Recipe from Explorer Compassion

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons red palm oil 
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper (and/or cayenne pepper, for heat)
• 8-10 pieces of chicken, bone in and skin on
• 1 large white onion, sliced in thick rings
• 2 tomatoes, sliced, for serving

Directions:

1. Prepare the chicken. Since red palm oil is semi-solid at room temperature, place it in a glass bowl and microwave for 20-30 seconds until liquid. Mix in lemon juice, followed by ginger, garlic, salt and pepper(s). Roll each piece of chicken in the bowl of marinade and then place in a brining bag or large zipper bag. When all pieces are in the bag, add onions and then seal. Through sealed bag, use hands to further work the marinade into the chicken. Let marinade for at least one hour, overnight is best if you have the patience.

2. Grill the chicken. Preheat the grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove chicken pieces from bag and grill until cooked through, about 15-17 minutes per side. When done, the skins will be almost blackened and the juices will run clear. When the meat is nearly done, add the onion rings and grill to soften them but do not let them burn. 

3. Finish the dish. Serve chicken with grilled onion rings and sliced fresh tomatoes. 

ENJOY!

Steamed Lobster

A lobster does not need a hot tub. It just needs a steam room.

There are many websites that will tell you there are two ways to prepare whole, fresh lobsters. One way is to boil the lobsters. Another way is to steam the lobsters. These websites will engage in a seemingly meaningless discussion about the pros and cons of each method. Truth be told, in my humble opinion, there is only one way a whole lobster should be prepared. It must be steamed. 

A long time ago, at a crab house far, far away, I used to steam lobsters. The kitchen had three large steam pots, as well as another three, equally large pots in a back-up kitchen. The primary purpose of the pots was to steam crabs; however, we always left at least one open to steam other seafood. A lot of mussels and clams, but, every once in a while, a lobster. 

Since that time, I have not steamed whole lobsters very often. The one notable time involved my effort to make Masaharu Morimoto's Lobster Masala. 

However, the Savage Boleks recently vacationed in Maine, spending a week on Mount Desert island. I found a local business, Parsons Lobsters, in Bar Harbor. Parsons is perhaps the only place that I could find in the town that sold live lobsters. Sitting right outside Acadian National Park, Parsons is a family owned business that has been selling lobsters, and other fresh seafood, such as clams, oysters and fish, for more than forty years. 

We visited the Parsons store, because I wanted to purchase some lobsters to prepare for my family. The store is small, but impressive. At the time, the store was holding approximately six hundred (600) pounds of live lobsters in multiple tanks. There were also displays featuring those clams, oysters, fish and more. We purchased four lobsters and returned to the place where we were staying. (The four lobsters were approximately one and one-half pounds each; but, the cost of four lobsters were less than the cost of a lunch or dinner in town.) 

Going back to the original point of this post, I planned on steaming those lobsters. I brought my good old steam pot, the one piece of cookery that ties me to my original cooking experience.  Steaming is the preferred way to prepare lobsters for one reason ... boiling lobster threatens the taste of the meat. One is far less likely to get the sweet, tender meat that creates an amazing culinary experience. By contrast, steaming the lobster provides a way to get that tender meat, and, protect the meat. 

To be sure, steaming a lobster takes more care and monitoring than simply boiling it. Steaming also provides an additional way to provide some subtle flavor. While most steaming uses simple water, I have often substituted that plain ingredient with something like stock, beer or wine. The best stock would be seafood stock, which can be purchased at many grocery stores. As for beer and wine, the thoughts should turn to something on the lighter side. The best beers would be pilsners and summer ales. As for wines, I think the best wines would be white wines, such as Albarinos from Galicia, Spain or Vinho Verdes from Portgual. 

In the end, and in my humble opinion, the liquid does not matter. All that matters is that you steam the lobster, don't boil it. 

STEAMED LOBSTER

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 whole lobsters, live 
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• Water, seafood stock, beer or wine

Directions:

1. Prepare the steam pot. Fill the steam pot with water, seafood stock, beer or wine, but the level should remain below the steam plate. Heat the steam pot on high heat until it steams. 

2. Steam the lobsters. Add the lobsters. Steam for seven minutes for the first pound of lobster, then an additional 3 minutes for each additional pound of lobster that you are steaming. Melt the butter while the lobsters are steaming. Once they are cooked, remove from the steam pot and serve immediately with the melted butter. 

One final note ... I may have to eat my words about boiling versus steaming the next time I enjoy a lobster boil. But, that will be for another post. 

ENJOY!

Double Dead Rise

Over the past several months, I spent a substantial amount of time writing and publishing my In Search of Orange Gold blogpost series.  The series explored the history of using spice mixes in Chesapeake cuisine generally, as well as the origin of the iconic Old Bay spice mix. I traced the travels of Gustav Brunn, who Jewish-German spice maker who escaped Nazi Germany and came to Baltimore, Maryland. He set up his spice shop. He developed an 18-ingredient spice mix, which he eventually sold to local seafood vendors. Only 15 of those ingredients are publicly known, but I tried to ascertain what could have been the final three ingredients. I ended the post series by trying to recreate Brunn's mix.

It would seem that the next logical step in the series is to explore the ways in which Old Bay is used. A local Maryland Brewery has taken the mix to produce what it calls the Dead Rise. A deadrise is a type of workboat used on the Chesapeake Bay used to catch crabs, oysters, fish and eels. It is also the angle that forms from a boat's bottom to a horizontal plane on either side of the keel. However, for Flying Dog, it is a blonde ale that is spiced with Old Bay.

I have to admit that I have used Flying Dog's Dead Rise more for steaming crabs than I have for drinking. I don't usually drink it, preferring Flying Dog's other offerings, such as the Truth or Raging B. 

However, I recently came across the Double Dead Rise, which Flying Dog describes as an Imperial Summer Ale. That beer caught my attention, which the brewery is very good at doing. The brewers describe the beer in the following way:

... double the spice and double the ABV. This Double Dead Rise will surely blow your taste buds away. Spicy and lemon-y you can almost skip the crabs ... almost.

This is pushing the envelope, as I cannot skip the opportunity to eat blue crabs. However, the words of the brewers did rope me in to try the beer.

The Double Dead Rise pours out a few shades of orange lighter than the Old Bay spice mix itself. A thin blond foam is also present, but it quickly recedes to the edges of the glass, leaving only cirrus-like whiffs floating across the center. 

The typical aromatic elements of this beer -- that is, those that would be produced by the hops, malts or yeast - have to contend with the aromas that come with the use of Old Bay. The aromas have a good hint of spice, but it is not the typical coriander or herbal notes that typically come with a summer ale.

As for the flavor, this beer is what the name implies. The presence of the Old Bay spice mix is definitely amped up over what it is in the Dead Rise.  The spice mix is so present that, in my humble opinion, the beer could probably have been marketed as an Imperial Spiced Ale, as opposed to an Imperial Summer Ale. That is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you are someone living in the Chesapeake Bay region who loves Old Bay.  However, the beer acts like a spiced beer, there is a sting in the back of the throat and a sharp finish. A finish reminiscent not so much of the claws of a crab, but its bite. Indeed, the Old Bay makes one forget about the other "bite," that is the 9% ABV of the beer. 

Overall, I liked this beer and I would buy it again. For those who don't like spices generally or in their beer, I would suggest you try it before you buy it. (Or, in the alternative, you can send me the remaining 3 bottles from the four pack.) Until next time ...

ENJOY!

Cochinita Pibil

There is cochinita pibil and then there is cochinita pibil. The former involves a suckling pig (cochinita = little pig) that is first marinated with a mixture of achiote, sour orange juice, chiles and other ingredients, then wrapped in banana leaves, and finally placed in a relatively shallow hole in the ground that is lined with very hot stones or the remnants of a fire (pibil = piib, or Yucatec Mayan for "earth oven"). The hole is covered and the meat roasts for a very long time, often at least eight hours or overnight. By contrast, the latter is a pork shoulder, marinated with the same mix of ingredients, but roasted in either a smoker or an oven. One dish, but two ways to prepare it.

The authentic preparation -- banana leaves and the hole in the ground -- has a very long history throughout the Yucatan peninsula and surrounding regions. That history is tied to the indigenous Mayans, who used this process to prepare wild boar or venison. However, the dish that we know today has been heavily influenced over time. This influence came principally from the Spanish, who brought many things in their conquest over of the indigenous Mayan civilization and the colonization of the Mayan lands. 

Placing the wrapped pork in the pib.
Source: Mexicolores

The influence can be seen in three ways with respect to this dish. First, there is the use of pork. The Spanish introduced pigs to the Yucatan region approximately in 1511, although it would be a few decades later before pigs were brought in significant numbers to the area. The Mayans accepted the pigs as a food source, and, prepared the pork in the same way as the boar and venison. Second, there were the oranges, most notably, the Seville orange. Its sour juices were incorporated into the marinade and preparation of the pork prior to the roasting of the meat (just as the Spanish used the orange juice for marinating fish and meats). Third, the influence of the Spanish can be seen in the banana leaves. The banana tree is not native to the western hemisphere. The tree probably originated in Southeastern Asia, somewhere between Malaysia and New Guinea. The fruit made its way through trade routes in the east. However, the Spanish -- more specifically, Bishop Vasco de Quiroga (the first Bishop of Michoacan) -- brought the banana trees to what would become Mexico in 1554. Thus, cochinta pibil demonstrates how cuisines can change with the introduction of new ingredients and cooking processes.

Turning to this particular recipe, it falls more in line with the latter form of Cochinita Pibil, that is, the one that is prepared in a smoker or oven, as opposed to a hole in the ground. A few notes. First, my beautiful Angel will not let me dig any holes in our yard for culinary purposes. So, no pib. Second, I had to dispense with the banana leaves. While I have occasionally seen banana leaves in ethnic food markets, but I have not seen them recently. However, this recipe provided an interesting substitute: parchment paper. I have a lot of parchment paper thanks to a purchase at the local warehouse store. So, I cut pieces that could be used much in the same way as banana leaves to wrap the pork.

One last thing about this recipe. I decided to use a smoker, which would give me the closest thing to a charcoal fire that would have been used to heat the rocks that would have gone into the pibil. Given I was using a smoker, I also decided to add some wood for smoke. I needed to decide on a wood; and, I went with post oak because I felt that (after doing some research) oak would be as close as I could get to the type of wood that might be found in the region.

COCHINITA PIBIL

Recipe adapted from Glebe Kitchen

Serves several

Ingredients (for the marinade):

• 8 cloves unpeeled garlic
• juice of 2 medium oranges
• juice of 2 large limes
• 3 ounces achiote paste
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup white vinegar

Ingredients (for the pork):

• 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder
• chunks of oak wood (for the smoker)
• Banana leaves (or parchment paper)
• Foil pan

Ingredients (for the pickled onions):

• 2 red onions, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
• 2 cloves garlic, cut in half
• 1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 clove
• 5 allspice berries, whole
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients (for the presentation):

• Corn tortillas
• Pico de gallo

Directions:

1. Prepare the pork.  Roast the garlic in their skins. Use a small cast iron frying pan over medium heat and toast them until they blacken slightly and soften. This takes about 3-5 minutes. Peel the garlic. Combine the peeled, softened garlic with the lime and orange juice, achiote paste, and salt in a blender and blend thoroughly. Check to ensure that the achiote paste is broken up. Add the marinade to the pork and ensure that all sides of the meat are covered by the marinade. Marinate for two to four hours.

2. Prepare the smoker. Prepare the smoker to reach a temperature of about 275 degrees to 300 degrees. Soak the chunks of oak wood for about 1 hour in water.

3. Prepare the pickled onions. Combine all of the ingredients except the onions in a pot and bring that pot to a boil. Add the onions and boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and let cool, stirring occasionally. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. Let the onions rest for at least 4 hours before using.

4. Prepare the pork for the smoker. Typically, the pork is wrapped in banana leaves; however, I did not have access to those leaves. However, I used four pieces of parchment. Scrunch one piece of parchment to form a receptacle for the pork along with the marinade. (The goal is for the pork to be steamed with the marinade while it is smoked.) Take a second piece and cover the pork wrapping it around the pork. Place the pork in an aluminum pan. Place the pan in the smoker and smoke for about 3 to 4 hours or until the pork reaches 190 or 195 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Continue to prepare the pork. After removing the pork from the smoker, let it rest for 20 minutes. Remove the pork from the parchment packets but keep the marinade and juices. Use a fat separator to separate the fat. shred the pork with two forks and then mix the juice back into the meat. 

6. Finish the dish. Serve with corn tortillas, pico de gallo and the pickled onions.

ENJOY!

Achiote Paste

Scientists and botanists refer to a particular plant as Bixena orellana. It is a tree that is native to Central America and the Caribbean. The tree produces beautiful pinkish flowers, which eventually develop into some rather odd fruit. While the fruit is inedible, it nevertheless contains some red seeds that have a very colorful history. 

To shed some light on that history, the proper starting point is the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Mesoamerica. Those people referred to this tree as annatto (in the Caribbean) or by the Nahuatl word, achiotl. Those words give us what we commonly refer to as annatto or achiote.

The red seeds are often dubbed "saffron of Mexico." The nickname comes from the fact that these little red seeds have the ability to create pigment colors that range from yellow to a deep red.  As with saffron, one could add annatto seeds to hot water to create a reddish water that could be incorporated into dishes. However, one of the more common ways of creating color through annatto is its use in what is commonly referred to as "achiote paste." 

There appear to be two different types of achiote paste, at least according to Oaxaca al Gusto, which was written by Diane Kennedy. In areas such as Oaxaca, people prepare the paste using just the annatto seeds. By contrast, in the Yucatan, the paste is prepared with more than just annatto seeds. Recipes call for the addition of coriander, cumin, oregano, cloves, black pepper and garlic. The combination of these ingredients in the Yucatan version produces a mild, somewhat earthy paste that contributes both flavor and color to a wide range of dishes.

I was particularly interested in the Yucatan version of the paste, because I intended to use it as part of my first effort to make Cochinita Pibil, the iconic roast pork dish of that peninsula. Overall, I think the effort was a success, although it produced a paste that was slightly darker than expected. 

ACHIOTE PASTE

Recipe from The Spruce Eats

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup annatto seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup bitter orange juice (or 1/4 cup orange juice plus 1/4 cup Mexican lime juice or 1/3 cup white vinegar)

Directions:

Grind the annatto, coriander seeds, oregano, cumin seeds, peppercorns and cloves in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle. Place the ground spices with the salt, garlic and bitter orange juice in a blender and process until it is smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

ENJOY!

Smoked Chicken with African Spice Rub

The creative process at Chef Bolek is rather unique, as this recipe demonstrates. I recently saw some really good friends were at Walt Disney World. They just noted that they were getting ready to go to Animal Kingdom, which happens to be probably my favorite park (although Epcot is probably a close second because of all of the international pavilions). Whenever we visited Animal Kingdom, we would usually end up at a restaurant at the Animal Kingdom lodge. That restaurant is Boma, which serves up a buffet of African foods that I would just gorge upon every time we went there. Thinking about my friends being there got me to thinking I should make something influenced by African flavors. That brought about this recipe and this blog post ... Smoked Chicken with African Spice Rub. 

As with any Chef Blog post, there is a larger question. That question revolves around the rub. What exactly is an "African Spice Rub" or, put differently, what makes the spice rub "African"? 

Let's start with what exactly is an African Spice rub? Many people would probably answer that question with Ras en Hanout, Harissa or Baharat. Those are African spice rubs, but they originate in northern Africa.  Others may answer the question with Berbere (which happens to be one of my all-time favorite spice rubs). That spicy rub comes from the Horn of Africa. Indeed, much of the talk around "African" spice rubs focuses on blends that come from those two regions. Don't get me wrong, they are African rubs. But there is a lot more of Africa than the Maghreb or the Horn.

It is that simple point that becomes the focus of my thoughts. What are some sub-Saharan spice rubs? Truth be told, I have already dabbled in at least one of those rubs, the iconic Suya. I have made a version of the rub from both Ghana and Nigeria. (The Rago Suya from Nigeria stands as perhaps my favorite kebab to make.)  The key to that spice mix is the use of peanuts, along with ginger and chiles.

There are no peanuts in this recipe. Instead, it draws from other spices that can be found across the continent. These spices include mustard, fennel seeds, fenugreek and, of course peppers. I decided to use this recipe on a chicken that was destined for the smoker.  However, while the recipe called for the temperature of the smoker to be somewhere between 225 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit, I decided to smoke it at a higher temperature - around 300 degrees. It cooked a lot faster, but I thought it would be a little more reminiscent of street food. (To be truly reminiscent, I should have probably just grilled it, but I went for something in-between smoking and grilling.)

In the end, this recipe was a success. The spice mix actually shined through the smoke, with the fennel seeds - along with the pepper - clearly making its presence felt. This recipe will have me spending more time trying to answer what makes a spice rub African. Until next time ...

SMOKED CHICKEN WITH AFRICAN SPICE RUB

Spice rub recipe adapted from Food Fidelity

Serves 2-4

Ingredients (for the spice rub):

• 3 tablespoons smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon fenugreek
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Ingredients (for the chicken):

• 1 whole chicken (between 3-4 pounds), spatchcocked
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 3-4 chunks of oak wood (soaked for 1 hour in advance)

Directions:

1. Prepare the spice rub. If you are using ground spices, combine all of the ingredients together well. If you are using whole seeds, lightly toast the mustard, fennel and fenugreek seeds in a skillet over medium heat. Remove once you small the aroma. Place the seeds in a spice grinder and coarsely grind.  Add the ground spices to a bowl and mix with the remaining seasonings and sugar. 

2. Marinate the chicken. Apply the spice rub to all sides of the chicken, both on the skin and underneath it. Refrigerate the chicken for at least four hours or overnight.

3. Smoke the chicken. Prepare the smoker and get the temperature to at least 225 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the chicken and then the wood for smoking. Cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thighs. Spray the chicken breasts with the apple cider every twenty minutes after the first hour of cooking. 

ENJOY!

Ghanaian Crab Stew

"If you give me rice, I'll eat today. If you teach me how to grow rice, I will eat every day.

-- Mahatma Gandhi

Knowledge comes from learning and experience. If one would trace the origins of how to grow rice, that educational journey would take them most likely to Asia, where it is believed that rice cultivation first emerged between 13,500 to 8,000 years ago in the Yangtze basin of what is now China. However, rice cultivation emerged independently in other areas of the world. For example, rice cultivation emerged in western Africa approximately 3,500 to 3,000 years ago in what is known as the Niger River delta. 

Rice is an important staple food in many parts of Africa. It is grown in 40 of the 54 countries on the continent. From Roz 'me ammar served in Egypt to Geelrys served in South Africa, or from Thieboudienne served in Senegal to Wali ka kukaanga served in Kenya, rice can be found in countless dishes prepared in an equally countless number of ways. Underlying it all is one more basic fact: rice not only provides needed nourishment, it also provides income. After all, rice is the principal crop for more than 35 million small farmers across the continent.

Source: BBC

Yet, as you can probably guess, rice is not simply a chapter in the story of African cuisine, it plays a significant role in cuisines around the world, including the United States. In the U.S., there are really two stories about rice, each with their own perspective. The first story revolves around the native rice or wild rice, which served as a staple food for native Americans. The second story revolves around white rice. It is that story that I want to explore a little further in this post.

As I did my research, I struck by the following phrase: "Enterprising colonists were the first to cultivate rice in America." It is part of a story that supposedly started in 1685, when a slave ship from Madagascar unloaded a load of white rice (what would become known as Carolina Gold rice) at the port in Charleston, South Carolina. This story - which has been repeated multiple times on the internet - suggests that white people brought this rice (along with slaves) to the New World. 

Source: US Slave

The foregoing words do not necessarily tell the story. White rice is not native to the United States. It had to come from somewhere else. Contrary to the popular story, some scientists believe that the rice did not originate from eastern Africa.  Instead, the rice shares an overwhelming number of common molecular markers with rice from Ghana, which is located in western Africa. It is also located in a region where many slaves were taken and shipped to the New World. The region, which runs from present day Guinea-Bissau to at least Cote d'Ivoire, was known as the Rice Coast. It is also the region where at least 50,000 Africans were forcibly taken and shipped to the New World as slaves. More Africans were taken from areas that constitute the present day countries of Ghana and Benin.  These facts and suggest that rice may have come -- with the slaves -- to the shores of the Carolinas during the sixteenth century. 

To be sure, this research is ongoing and even it cannot be said with definitiveness. Nevertheless, it seems beyond debate that Africans played an important role in bringing rice to the New World. This recipe, which is from culinary historian and writer Michael Twitty, ties together the foodways of both the new and the old worlds. 

Mark Bittman penned a wonderful article about Twitty, which included this recipe for Ghanaian Crab Stew. Bittman describes the stew as, not only one of the simpler stews to make, but "a bright stew representing what one might find in a Cape Coast market." This is definitely one of the brighter and simpler stews to make. And, it is also one of the more delicious stews that I have made in a long time. 

GHANAIAN CRAB STEW

Recipe by Michael Twitty, available at Bittman Project

Serves 4

Ingredients (for the Stew)

• 1 medium yellow onion or 6 scallions, green and white parts, minced
• 1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 pound cooked blue crab meat
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger or ginger paste
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic or garlic paste
• 1/2 teaspoon of Kitchen Pepper (click here for recipe)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup of vegetable, chicken or beef stock
• Parsley, chopped, for garnish
• 4 cups cooked, long-grain rice, for serving

Directions:

1. Sauté the vegetables.  In a medium bowl, mix the onion and habanero.  Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, add the onion and peppers, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until soft.  Add the tomatoes and bell pepper to the pan.  Sauté, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes begin to soften and break down, about 10 minutes. 

2. Cook the crab.  Flake the crab meat into the pan and add the ginger, garlic, kitchen pepper, salt and stock.  Stir, turn the heat down low and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

3.  Finish the dish. Remove the stew from the heat. Garnish the stew with chopped parsley and serve with rice. 

ENJOY!

In Search of Orange Gold: Part 5 - To the Kitchen

Over the course of this blog post series, I have undertaken a long journey that began long before there was an Old Bay seasoning, the State of Maryland, and even the United States. The journey began with the first nations and later the colonists, who introduced certain spices into the area. They used those ingredients, such as allspice and mace, to add flavor to recipes, especially ones involving the local seafood. Fast forward a century or so, and the story changes as a German immigrant and his spice grinder reach the city of Baltimore. That immigrant, Gustav Brunn, opened his spice business near a popular seafood market and eventually created the blend that would become Old Bay. I even focused on the ingredients in the Old Bay mix, pouring through books and searching the Internet to learn about each and every ingredient. I have reached the point where I must put down the books, close the research tabs on my browser, and actually go to the kitchen to apply what I have learned. In other words, it is time to actually try to make Old Bay seasoning ... from scratch.

The real stuff ...

This effort faces two hurdles, one created by Gustav Brunn and another created by myself. As to the first hurdle, as you may recall from the previous post in this series, Brunn created the Old Bay seasoning using 18 different herbs and spices. Only 15 of those ingredients have been identified with any degree of certainty. Those ingredients are: (1) allspice, (2) black pepper, (3) cloves, (4) mace, (5) mustard, (6) nutmeg, (7) paprika, (8) celery seeds, (9) salt, (10) celery salt, (11) bay leaves, (12) crushed red pepper, (13) white pepper, (14) cardamom and (15) cinnamon.

That leaves 3 mystery ingredients. In many ways, I think that is  exactly what Brunn intended. The spice business was surely competitive, with many proprietary blends and mixes. If one could come up with a popular mix, there was money to be made selling it at the markets, both to other sellers and customers. Of course, success also garners attention, especially from potential competitors. Brunn did not want others copying -- or worse, improving (if that could be done) -- his spice mix.  For that reason, he chose ingredients that people would not think of when it came to a seafood spice blend. He also held his recipe close, not ensuring that not all of its ingredients would become public knowledge. 

... up close.

Needless to say, I wanted to see if I could figure out the three remaining mystery ingredients. I pulled out my copy of The Flavor Bible. I created a chart with all fifteen ingredients on one side. I then began looking for the most compatible herbs and spices with each of those ingredients. A list of candidates began to emerge, and, it soon grew to be almost as large as the original 15 ingredients. In the end, my rudimentary analysis produced 14 possible herbs or spices that could complement the ingredients of Old Bay. These ingredients include anise, caraway, chervil, coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger, oregano, rosemary, sage, star anise, thyme, and turmeric. 

Some of these candidates are easily disqualified. For example, turmeric was out because it turns everything into a golden yellow color. I could also rule out anise, fennel seeds, and cumin because both spices have rather unique aromatic and taste elements that usually stand out, even when mixed with other ingredients. Rosemary and sage also have a lot of volume and would be readily noticeable, even when blended together with other herbs and spices. And, there were some, like caraway and chervil, that matched only a couple of the ingredients that we already know are in Old Bay. Based on the foregoing observations, I was able to narrow the field down by more than half. 

The remaining contenders were coriander, garlic, ginger, oregano, thyme and star anise. Of these six, the top three ingredients -- meaning the three that had the strongest matches with what was already in the Old Bay blend -- were coriander, ginger and garlic. (Cumin was tied with garlic in third overall, but, as noted above, the strong aroma and taste of cumin would be noticeable, even if small amounts are used.) Each of these ingredients makes sense in its own way. Coriander has a nutty or citrusy smell, which would work with the other ingredients. Ginger seems like an ingredient that Brunn would choose because it is something that one would not necessarily think to use in a spice blend that goes on top of blue crabs. And, garlic is, well, garlic. 

Gustav Brunn's spice grinder. 

One last challenge, Brunn owned and operated a spice company. When he created Old Bay, he most likely started with whole spices, using the spice grinder that he brought with him after escaping Nazi Germany. It seems only proper that in trying to recreate Old Bay that I would use as many whole spices as possible. 

Adjustments need to be made when one goes from using ground spices to whole spices. According to Epicurious, a teaspoon of larger spices such as allspice, cumin, fennel or juniper berries will provide approximately 3/4s of a teaspoon of ground spice. Smaller spices, such as celery seed, usually provide about 1 teaspoon of ground spice for 1 teaspoon of whole spice. Still other spices - such as cardamom and coriander - have a one teaspoon of whole spices equaling 1/2 teaspoon of ground spice.  In sum, I need to figure out the proportions spice by spice. I undertook this task for each of the spices that I had in whole form. Even though I used whole spices, I have left the measurements as they should be for ground spices. I have noted the whole spices that I used with an asterisk (*).

In the end,  I prepared what I thought could be reminiscent of the Old Bay seasoning. Once I finished mixing the ingredients, I immediately noticed that I did not have the right color. I don't know how Gustav Brunn (or McCormick Foods) gets that bright orange color, but I could not recreate it in my kitchen. (The only thing I could think of - which I know is not possible - is to mix a little turmeric which the paprika hoping that the yellow and red would produce an orange color.) 

As for the taste, I think I came much closer to the real thing. The large amount of salt, along with celery salt, helped in that regard. However, I noticed more bay leaf in my mix than in the traditional Old Bay. This stronger sense of bay leaf may be because I did not grind the leaves finely enough or it may be that five leaves are too much. The next time I try to make my own Old Bay-style seasoning I will probably make some adjustments in that regard. As for the three ingredients that I added (coriander, ginger, and garlic), none of those really shone through. The reason lies with the amount used, which I kept at 1/8 of a teaspoon.

The final verdict is that, for my first effort, this was a fairly decent attempt to recreate an Old Bay-style spice mix with 18 ingredients. I will continue my work (when I have the time) to refine this recipe further.

CHEF BOLEK'S OLD BAY STYLE SEASONING

Recipe adapted from The Daring Gourmet

Ingredients:

1.      1/8 teaspoon ground allspice*
2.      1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper*
3.      1/16 teaspoon ground cloves*
4.      1/8 teaspoon ground mace
5.      1 teaspoon ground dry mustard*
6.      1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7.      2 teaspoons sweet paprika
8.      1 tablespoon celery seed
9.      3/4 tablespoon salt
10.      3/4 tablespoon celery salt
11.      5 bay leaves
12.      1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes*
13.      1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
14.      1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
15.      1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16.      1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
17.      1/8 teaspoon ground coriander*
18.      1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Combine all of the spices together. Store in an airtight container.

*    *    *

Now that I have attempted to make an Old Bay style seasoning, it would seem that my search has come to an end. That may not necessarily be the case. Who knows? There may be a second series where I explore the use of Old Bay as an ingredient in making dishes (as opposed to simply dumping it on crabs). Only time will tell. Until then ...

ENJOY!