The Hirshon Ghana Black Chili Sauce – Shito

July 13, 2018 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

Shito Image Used Under Creative Commons License From naijanewsagency.com

Citizens, your unmatched sovereign – the royal and highly-inflexible monarch that is TFD! – is extremely fond of Ghanaian food! I have several recipes from the country and the entire region of West Africa already in the blog and now I will add yet another that is guaranteed to tickle your taste buds in several delicious ways!

Shito is the word for pepper in Ga, a Ghanaian language from Accra, the Ghanaian capital. While the word for pepper is different for each of the Ghanaian native languages, shitor din (black pepper), commonly called ‘shito’, is widely used as the name for the hot black pepper sauce ubiquitous in Ghanaian cuisine.

Shito sauce consists primarily of fish or vegetable oil, ginger, dried fish, prawns, crustaceans, tomatoes, garlic, peppers and spices. The blend of spices and fish differs between different regions and villages but owes its original recipe to the Ga tribe.

In Ghana, shito is used with a variety of dishes. These include kenkey, steamed rice, eba and waakye (rice and beans). Indeed, its uses have been adapted to that of a local ketchup, hot sauce or chili oil. It is not uncommon to find shito being eaten with white bread or spring rolls. In most Chinese restaurants across Ghana, shito replaces hot oil as a condiment to fried rice/steamed rice.

As noted by author Maeve O’Meara:

Smoking fish in West Africa is an age-old tradition, with smoked fish viewed as ‘food for the Gods’, and is often a part of religious ceremonies and presented on altars. Shito is made from smoked fish, chilli and palm fruit oil, which Kunle describes as ‘liquid gold’, extracted from the fruit (not the kernel) of the palm tree and with anti-viral and antibacterial properties.

It’s like a coarse paste with a chilli warmth and a smoky flavour, and is traditionally served with fried plantains, blanched green leafy vegetables such as English spinach or kale, and steamed rice. It can also be used as a natural seafood flavour enhancer by adding to seafood soups or pasta.

Citizens, my version hews to tradition but since one ingredient (smoked fish powder) is very hard to find outside Ghana, I’ve come up with – immodestly – a genius substitution. I use katsuobushi – dried, smoked bonito flakes from Japan! 😀

An old sneaker would taste delicious slathered with this umami-rich and spicy sauce – I hope you enjoy it! I think of this as African XO sauce, by the way… You can buy the more unusual ingredients such as red palm oil, grains of paradise, katsuobushi, gochugaru flakes, Maggi Shrimp cubes and crayfish powder from the links.

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon Ghana Black Chili Sauce – Shito

Ingredients

250 ml (8 ½ fl oz) red palm oil
250 ml (8 ½ fl oz) sunflower oil
3 onions, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
3 blades from a star anise, ground
8 grains of paradise, ground
7.5 cm (3-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, finely grated
½ tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 ounces green habanero peppers, diced with seeds
⅓ cup ground celery
6 tablespoons tomato purée
100 ml (3 ½ oz) good-quality chicken stock
125 g (4 ½ oz) chili powder - TFD prefers Korean gochugaru
50 g (¼ cup) powdered katsuobushi flakes, top-quality
50 g (¼ cup) crayfish powder
2 powdered Maggi shrimp bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat a heavy-based saucepan, then add the oils and fry the onions over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until translucent.
Add the garlic, celery, grains of paradise, star anise, ginger, thyme or rosemary and chilies and fry together for a few minutes.
Stir in the tomato purée and chicken stock until the mixture has formed a thick paste. Then pour in the chili powder and continue cooking and stirring for a further 10 minutes.
Finally, add the katusobushi, Maggi and crayfish powders, then cook over a low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring almost continuously to prevent the mixture sticking to the pan. The contents should transform from deep red to very dark brown and the oil will rise to the surface when the sauce is ready. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
You can choose to blend the sauce with a stick blender or leave it unblended for a coarser texture. Leave to cool, then spoon into sterilized jars. There should be plenty of oil on top of the sauce once it’s cooked, so make sure there is a layer about ½ inch thick in each jar. But if there is not enough, pour in extra oil to cover. Seal the jars and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-ghana-black-chili-sauce-shito/

The Hirshon French Toulouse Sausage – Saucisse de Toulouse

July 12, 2018 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

Saucisse de Toulouse Image Used Under Creative Commons License From pinterest.com

Citizens, the World Cup finals are rapidly approaching and the amazing French team are looking forward to a game where they dominate the Croatians! I’ve just yesterday posted a Croatian recipe to honor the equally stunning Croat team – now let me do the same for the French!

In the past, I have only posted a few sausage recipes here on TFD as so many of them require specialized techniques and equipment – but not these from the ancient city of Toulouse in the south of France!

Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made from intestine, but sometimes from synthetic materials. Sausages that are sold raw are cooked in many ways, including pan-frying, broiling and barbecuing. Some sausages are cooked during processing and the casing may then be removed.

Sausage making is a traditional food preservation technique. Sausages may be preserved by curing, drying (often in association with fermentation or culturing, which can contribute to preservation), smoking, or freezing. Some cured or smoked sausages can be stored without refrigeration. Most fresh sausages must be refrigerated or frozen until they are cooked.

Sausages come in a huge range of national and regional varieties, which differ by their flavouring or spicing ingredients (garlic, peppers, wine, etc.), the meat(s) used in them and their manner of preparation.

The word “sausage” was first used in English in the mid-15th century, spelled “sawsyge”. This word came “…from Old North French saussiche (Modern French saucisse)”. The French word “saussiche” came “…from Vulgar Latin *salsica “sausage,” from salsicus “seasoned with salt,” from Latin salsus [meaning] “salted”.

Sausage making is an outcome of efficient butchery. Traditionally, sausage makers would salt various tissues and organs such as scraps, organ meats, blood, and fat to help preserve them. They would then stuff them into tubular casings made from the cleaned intestines of the animal, producing the characteristic cylindrical shape. Hence, sausages, puddings, and salami are among the oldest of prepared foods, whether cooked and eaten immediately or dried to varying degrees.[citation needed]

An Akkadian cuneiform tablet records a dish of intestine casings filled with some sort of forcemeat.

The Chinese sausage làcháng, which consists of goat and lamb meat, was first mentioned in 589 BC.

The Greek poet Homer mentioned a kind of blood sausage in the Odyssey, Epicharmus wrote a comedy titled The Sausage, and Aristophanes’ play The Knights is about a sausage vendor who is elected leader. Evidence suggests that sausages were already popular both among the ancient Greeks and Romans, and most likely with the various tribes occupying the larger part of Europe.

The most famous sausage in ancient Italy was from Lucania (modern Basilicata) and was called lucanica, a name which lives on in a variety of modern sausages in the Mediterranean. During the reign of the Roman emperor Nero, sausages were associated with the Lupercalia festival. Early in the 10th century during the Byzantine Empire, Leo VI the Wise outlawed the production of blood sausages following cases of food poisoning.

Traditionally, sausage casings were made of the cleaned intestines, or stomachs in the case of haggis and other traditional puddings. Today, however, natural casings are often replaced by collagen, cellulose, or even plastic casings, especially in the case of industrially manufactured sausages.

A sausage consists of meat cut into pieces or ground, mixed with other ingredients, and filled into a casing. Ingredients may include a cheap starch filler such as breadcrumbs, seasoning and flavourings such as spices, and sometimes others such as apple and leek.

The meat may be from any animal, but is often pork, beef, or veal. The lean meat-to-fat ratio depends upon the style and producer. The meat content as labelled may exceed 100%; which happens when the weight of meat exceeds the total weight of the sausage after it has been made, sometimes including a drying process which reduces water content.

Toulouse sausages date back at least 250 years and are a primary ingredient in the most famous dish of Toulouse – cassoulet! At some point, this recipe will appear on TFD, but until then – these delicious sausages are amongst the easiest to make by a neophyte as there is no fermentation, smoking or other advanced techniques.

My version adheres very closely to the classic recipe, but I do add some red wine of the region, some garlic (which many Toulouse sausage recipes have in them) and some Epices Rabelais, a unique and secret spice mix from France that gives my version a unique savor. I have gratefully cribbed sausage stuffing instructions from cliffordawright.com. The recipe does call for a few unusual ingredients (only unusual if you’ve never made your own sausage!) such as potassium nitrate, dextrose, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and Cochineal.

This last ingredient is particularly unique – Cochineal is a totally natural red dye made from – wait for it – a beetle! Don’t be grossed out, Starbucks uses it in several of their drinks and it’s a lot better than the chemical horror of artificial dyes!. Leave it out if you’re suitably horrified, but you’re missing out.

Citizens, grab yourself a sausage maker and stuffer and give these a try! Be advised this recipe makes A LOT of sausages – just freeze them and/or give them to your closest friends!

In the meantime, I wish both France and Croatia bon chance! 😀

Battle on – The Generalissimo

The Hirshon French Toulouse Sausage – Saucisse de Toulouse

Ingredients

75% good lean pork, such as shoulder and 25% hard pork fat (e.g., unsalted, skinned fat back) totaling 10kg combined
150 g fine sea salt
5 g potassium nitrate
20 g dextrose
"carmine de cochenille" - use variable amounts to achieve the pink or red color you're looking for
3 g ascorbic acid
25 g freshly-ground black pepper - Tellicherry or Kampot strongly preferred
3 g freshly-ground allspice
2 g Epices Rabelais - optional but strongly recommended. For the classic recipe, replace with allspice
20 g garlic, crushed into a paste and mixed with ½ cup dry red wine - Vin de Cahors strongly preferred. If unavailable, use a good Argentinean Malbec

Instructions

Chill the meat and fat very thoroughly. Break the meat down by grinding it with a 16mm or larger plate. [You could also cut it into chunks your meat grinder can easily handle.]
Combine the meat chunks with the seasonings and diced fatback (except the red wine/garlic mix and cochineal.)
Pass the mixture through a meat grinder fitted with an 8 or 10mm plate. [if you are making this at home you should make sure the seasonings are well dispersed throughout the meat after the grinding.
Add red wine/garlic mix and cochineal to taste. This can be done by mixing with your hands, in food-safe latex or surgical gloves to avoid contamination.
Stuff immediately into pork casings 32-35mm in diameter - make portions 10-15 centimeters long.
Open one end of the hog casing, fit it over the faucet in your kitchen sink, and place the remainder of the casing in a medium-size bowl in the sink. Turn the water on gently to wash out the casings. The casings are sold cleaned; you are merely washing away preserving salts and residue. Now you are ready to start stuffing.
Affix one end of the casing over the funnel attached to the sausage stuffing attachment of a stand mixer or meat grinder. Push the entirety of the casing onto the length of the funnel (it will contract and fit fine), leaving about 2 inches dangling from the end. Tie this end in a double knot.
Turn the grinder or mixer on and as the sausage stuffing begins to flow into the casing, it will push the casing off the funnel. Have a large bowl or platter ready to catch the sausages. Twist or tie off with kitchen twine to make links, or leave to make several very long sausages. Do not overstuff the sausage; otherwise it will burst, either then and there or during cooking.
Also be careful that the sausage stuffing enters the casing continuously and evenly and that no air bubbles develop. If air bubbles do occur, it is better either to cut the sausage at that point and start a new one by tying the end off, or to prick the air bubbles with a toothpick.
Refrigerate the sausage for 24 to 48 hours before cooking or freezing. The sausages can be divided into portions of different or the same weights and frozen for later use in freezer bags for 2 to 4 months. To cook, place the sausages in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and just, as the water begins to bubble, reduce the heat to below a boil and poach the sausages for 10 minutes, if grilling or frying, or 40 minutes, if serving them boiled.

https://www.thefooddictator.com/the-hirshon-french-toulouse-sausage-saucisse-de-toulouse/

Ino Kuvačić’s Croatian Black Squid Ink Risotto – Crni Rižot

July 11, 2018 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

Crni Rižot Image Used Under Creative Commons License From total-croatia-news.com

Citizens, today is a legendary day in World Cup football (soccer) history – the tiny nation of Croatia beat the powerhouse that is England in a nerve-shredding matchup that now has the entire world rooting for the underdog (except France and the former French colonies, who will be their final opponent).

To celebrate – allow me to share a legendary Croatian recipe with you: black risotto with seafood! Black risotto is found in Spain as well, but the Croatian version is far less well known and is just as delicious (and has a strong Italian influence as well.

As noted on total-croatia-sailing.com:

Black risotto can be found in various forms (or recipes) in many Mediterranean destinations. In Spain, it is known as ‘arroz negro’ which is more along the lines of a seafood paella. It is the signature dish in Venice, known as ‘risotto nero di seppia’ and this is most likely how it reached Croatia, as the Venetians had a heavy presence along the Dalmatian coast from the 14th – 17th century. And, today, you will find it on the menu of most every restaurant along the coast.

Regardless of where it first originated, trying this dish is a must in Croatia.

I must admit, when I first came to Croatia I was living and working here for five months and it took me almost just as long to try this dish. The colour really did put me off. I wonder if it instinctive or subconscious – name another food or category of food that we eat which is black…

When I finally mustered the courage to try crni rižot, I was more than pleasantly surprised. The risotto itself was perfectly al dente and creamy (as a good risotto should be), the sepia and calamari were tender and I was left with a rich taste in my mouth of garlic and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on… the best word I can think of to describe the dish is ‘moreish’, it keeps you coming back.

It maybe goes without saying, that the risotto gets its deep black colour from squid ink – or sepia to be exact (from the cuttlefish family). I have since learned that cuttlefish ink, is the reason for the rich umami (savoury) flavour thanks to the high glutamic acid present. Another point of interest (for food or health buffs) is that squid ink isn’t just for show, it is rich in antioxidants and iron.

Like any good dish, everyone has their own recipe and competition between family members or friends isn’t unheard of. After travelling around the Adriatic and working closely with various chefs I can say, that my father-in-law still makes the best black risotto I have ever tried. I don’t know his secret, but my suspicions tell me it is something to do with the amount of vino he uses.

The best thing about this dish, is unlike Soparnik and Brač vitalac, which you maybe wouldn’t feel so confident undertaking in your own kitchen; crni rižot follows the basic principles of any good risotto – short-grain white rice, onions, parsley, olive oil, garlic, white wine, seasoning, fish or vegetable stock and a knob of butter to enhance the creamy texture at the end; and, of course, the cleaned squid, calamari or cuttlefish.

The main difference between this and a normal risotto is the preparation and cooking of the calamari and cuttlefish. You begin with sautéing the onions in oil, as usual, then you add the squid for around 15 minutes, followed by the garlic, parsley, seasoning, wine and enough water to cover the squid, cook until the squid is soft. Then, your typical risotto recipe takes over – add the rice, the cuttlefish ink and slowly ladle in hot stock, stirring until it is absorbed.

I think this is why a good risotto is so good. It really is made with love. So many dishes we cook these days can be made quickly or left on the stove or in the oven with minimum attendance. You cannot do this with a risotto, it requires patience, attention and that extra bit of love (or vino like my father-in-law).

So, if you are travelling here, please try this dish at least once or if you are adventurous – try your hand at cooking it. Only one word of warning though – when it comes to eating, don’t order it on a first-date, make sure you are in the company of friends because you will be left with a charming black smile afterwards!

My Citizens, this exemplary recipe by Chef Ino Kuvačić is superb and cannot be improved upon (except as noted by my very optional tweaks) – I hope you enjoy it! 😀

Battle on – The Generalissimo

Ino Kuvačić’s Croatian Black Squid Ink Risotto – Crni Rižot

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chopped garlic
100 milliliters (3 ½ fluid ounces) extra-virgin olive oil
200 grams (7 ounces) brown onions, chopped
1 kilogram (2 pounds 3 ounces) cuttlefish
1 tablespoon tomato paste (concentrated purée)
100 milliliters (3 ½ fluid ounces) white wine
600 milliliters (20 ½ fluid ounces / 2 ½ cups)
fish stock or water (TFD would use shrimp stock or fish stock for depth of flavor)
½ tablespoon cuttlefish ink (see method)
300 grams (10 ½ ounces) risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly-grated parmesan cheese to garnish (TFD addition)

Instructions

In a frying pan over high heat, sauté the chopped garlic in a little olive oil for a few seconds, making sure it does not burn. Add the onion, reduce the heat to low, and sauté until golden and transparent, approximately 10–15 minutes. (It’s important to sauté the garlic before the onion as this will help to release its aroma.)
Before cleaning out the inside and bones of the cuttlefish, carefully remove the silver sac of ink from the middle of the cuttlefish, making sure not to break it, and set it aside. Cut the cuttlefish into 1 centimeter (½ inch) cubes.
Add the diced cuttlefish to the sautéed garlic and onion and season well with salt and pepper. Sauté the cuttlefish until all the liquid that has been released has evaporated and the cuttlefish starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, caramelising slightly.
Add the tomato paste and cook for a few seconds, then add the white wine and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Add the fish stock or water, ½ tablespoon of the cuttlefish ink, and adjust the seasoning. Leave to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the rice and cook for 16 minutes, stirring the risotto constantly until it is done (the rice should be cooked but still slightly firm). If the risotto is too thick, you can add some more fish stock and olive oil at the end. Add more seasoning if needed and serve immediately, with TFD’s strongly suggested freshly-grated parmesan cheese, and be lavish about it!
Excerpted with permission from Dalmatia by Ino Kuvačić, published by Hardie Grant Books May 2017, RRP $40.00 hardcover

https://www.thefooddictator.com/ino-kuvacics-croatian-black-squid-ink-risotto-crni-rizot/