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Tales by Oritsegbemi Emmanuel Jakpa With the spliced rhythm of tribal Africa, with the pulse, and raw hide cloak of riddles, with the drizzling monsoon on lemon grass, with the serene river songs of the canaries, with the dim light of the oil lamps, I reflect on the times when under the tropical moon fierce [...]
Consider this the sequel to the LA Times’s Lemon List ’100 things to do with a Meyer Lemon’, essential reading for Meyer Lemon buffs. Like me. Indeed one can find a multitude of ways to worship the Meyer. Below are 34 35 of my absolute favourite ways. Live with Meyer Lemons, in your fridge. Deep freezer. [...]
I’ve been away in Edinburgh, where love has taken me by surprise. For love has a way of doing that, doesn’t it? Be it love for a man, your child and even a city. All my life, I’ve dreamt of loving only a handful of cities –Tokyo in the spring when the cherry blossoms perfume [...]
Consider this the sequel to the LA Times’s Lemon List ’100 things to do with a Meyer Lemon’, essential reading for Meyer Lemon buffs. Like me. Indeed one can find a multitude of ways to worship the Meyer. Below are 34 of my absolute favourite ways. Live with Meyer Lemons, in your fridge. Deep freezer. [...]
Do you sense it as well? This grasping at straws. The Meyers are leaving me be. And I sit here, moaning the end of a season, a friendship….a love affair even, …..with Meyers, my Meyers. The strawberries are no better. They’ve turned an insipid colour that I won’t dignify by calling red. For these bear [...]
There’s only one thing better than home-made butter and that one thing would be beurre noisette. Otherwise known as brown butter. When it becomes beurre noisette et citron, brown butter with lemon, then you know you’re on to a good thing. I say that with supreme confidence for this bright, citrusy liquid is perfect for many [...]
I’d like to welcome my dear friend Deepa of Paticheri who is a dedicated follower of Meyers, like some people I know! Deepa has done so much to bring my love of Meyers to life, showing me how to grow Meyers from seed and providing the sprouted seeds for my planting. In addition, I absolutely adore her [...]
We all are replicas of other people, living in some other place. With similar thoughts. And wonders….and even actions. Take Janet and I – twins in our desire for Meyer Lemon Caramel. One afternoon, I sat at my office desk. I’m not sure what prompted me, but thoughts of golden, citrus-flavoured caramel were swirling around in [...]
I think of how I first came to Meyer Lemons and it was the memory of a recipe I read. A recipe with 6 ingredients (including a tart shell) and only 3 steps to make. It is called ‘Lazy Mary’s Lemon Tart’. It took me 15 months to get my hands on Meyers but I [...]
Or Meyer Lemon Cinnamon roll, inside-out. Because that’s essentially what it is, a cinnamon roll that wears its fragrant sugar crystals on it sleeve, and chest. Not hidden, not tucked into a pinwheel to be seen in hints, but no, a roll that is bold. Courageous, one that sends cinnamon well before it, not just [...]
The early morning walk up the canyon is done slowly. The path looks deceptively gentle, but as we climb, knees bent, hands free and backs laden with backpacks, the ground before us rises steeply…. This is Utah. The hills of Utah. I’m out seeing Geology but taking in scents. Scents of the valleys, scents of [...]
I’d like to welcome my dear friend Velva, of Tomatoes on the Vine who took me up on my challenge of writing about the joys and challenges of having tons of Meyer Lemons in my post on Wara, Nigerian cheese curds. Velva shares her passion for food, gardening and travel on her blog with delicious and food [...]
Oh the Meyer Lemon. One fruit but a many-splendid one. Full of tastes from bitter to sweet and floral. This recipe plays on the lemony bitterness of our beloved Meyer, enhanced by the smokiness of the grill. Perfectly paired with pan-fried white fish fillets and sauteed potatoes. An easily accomplished weeknight dinner. It all began with [...]
I have a list fetish. I feed it in my ever-present notebook. Shopping lists, reading lists, lists of places to see, people to write to and on and on. When you combine both, you end up with a bucket list. Not for everything but for ‘big’ occasions. Like I had for my first New York trip. At the [...]
There were 34 Meyer lemons sitting in two boxes There were 34 Meyer lemons sitting in two boxes And then 4 lemons went to the friend down the road then there were 30 Meyer lemons sitting in two boxes Then 2 went in a pie The leftover pie (too sweet) went into some ice [...]
If four-leaf clovers are the plants of luck Then four-leaf clover rolls are the breads of good fortune Full of Guinness goodness, and the nuttiness of dark rye Sweetened with maple, brown sugar Softened with milk and eggs These are the perfect celebration of Paddy (Paddy, a word in Nigeria which means friend) [...]
Guinness on my mind. For I am seeking ‘things I have in common with….’ The Irish. You know, in honour of Paddy. And his day. And one of those things would be Guinness. (PS: Dark chocolate and coffee lovers will adore this sauce. More on that later) And Nigeria would be the first country outside [...]
The first rains have begun, jerking me out of my bed in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. Windows are hurriedly shut while thunder pounds the skies with no desire to let up. This is Nigeria. And the rains are almost always knocking at the door. I’m not opposed for the rains bring goodness, by the [...]
I know a place inspired by a library book my 5-year old brought home: I know a place by Karen Ackerman I know a place where vanilla and cloves meet And embrace with warm, heady scents. Where citrus and nuts mingle in a pungent dance, Where ginger and cardamom, black pepper and coriander come alive [...]
Interesting things happen every day. So began my Friday, last Friday. I was chatting online with a colleague about a shared responsibility we have, and when we were done, I left my desk to another building. On my return, I saw she’d sent me a link – I had absolutely no idea what it was [...]
I’ve been searching for the easiest way to turn out sticks of beautiful bread in the manner of le Francais. For I equate French breads with a gorgeous tan, exterior; a soft, chewy interior and well developed flavour. Pain a l’ Ancienne. Bread made in the ‘old-fashioned way’. t6p says: They might look like a true baguette [...]
I’ve always loved tea, but never considered it more than a drink, hot or cold. Recently, that has changed. And two things have done that for me: a book – ‘The Art of Blending by Lior Lev Sercarz’ which has nothing to do with tea, and everything to do with spices and one man’s passion; [...]
I love the very idea of combining fruit and savoury flavours, especially in the way Asian cuisine knows how. I’ve watched Luke Nguyen cook with ingredients that are tropical, easy to find in Nigeria, and cook with them in a way so different, so foreign in that appealing way that ‘exotica’ can be and very [...]
My friends are the other children my mother didn’t have. In fact, in the course of my young life, I have chosen turned to them many a time…over the children of my mother’s womb. But now I am old and grey, and both have a place in my heart. I am thankful for my friends, [...]
Wara, a place in Kwara state, Nigeria: 8°25’60″ N; 4°27’0″ E and 305m above sea level. Wara, food. Poor man’s cheese aka Nigerian Tofu, made from soya beans. Wara, food. From Kwara state, fresh cottage cheese/curds made from milk. And currently formerly in my possession. —–00000—– My cheese curds arrived half way between saying goodbye to neig
Some day soon, I’ll have a record that’s complete. I’ll know exactly when to lie in wait for mangoes, buy the best pineapples and feast on Ube, with corn. This is the start of that catalogue. The Nigerian climate, like most tropical countries consists of seasons, rainy and dry. Obviously, there are differences from north to [...]
I like it when this happens, when a surprise visit to Food 52 brings up my recipe on the front page! Along with a super gorgeous photo of the recipe. Thanks Jenny, Mondays rock because of you! X X X
I met Chris at work, shortly after we moved back to Nigeria in 2011. He had come to Port Harcourt from Lagos, where he worked to give a lecture to our team. We introduced ourselves, and once we’d figured out our origins, I quizzed him about Pierogis for he is Polish, and he asked me about [...]
My phrase for the year 2013 is ‘peace in fulfillment’. I will: Go to church and take my children to church. Get ‘serious’ about food. Really serious. Continue to build on the great things we’ve accomplished as a family on eating balanced diets. Read. Write. Go to bed early. Be comfortable with spontaneity. Continue to trust myself. [...]
When I watched Justin serve up fried fish bones, in ‘The Next Food Network Star’, I cringed. ‘Another one of those recipes’. Someone was bound to write an open letter to the world about how fried fish bones make you a star. Or how instagram makes you the photographer of the year. Warner is referring [...]
Neighbours. They’re the angels next door – not quite family, mostly friends and altogether special people, without wings. The ones God uses to teach us, to give us salt and sugar when we run out, to learn new dishes and how to hold a pencil correctly, share stories, talk about life and growing children, about [...]
‘Make a gingerbread house. In February. Or at Easter. Whatever happens, before Christmas 2012!’ Well, we didn’t make it before Christmas 2012, but we certainly did it before January the first, 2013. I think it crowned the year for my entire family – as in husband, myself and the children as we built the gingerbread house from [...]
…And a few more. Happy New Year (English). Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar (Dutch). Bonne année (French). Have a wonderful ones dear friends. I hope 2013 brings us closer, forges new relationships and sees us fulfilled. I’m drawing up my resolutions, which must include partying. As in hosting more parties, and get-togethers with families and friends. And so [...]
Bacon jam. Because of left-over bacon, from our Christmas bacon-bird, which led me on a path that has seen bread pudding and finally has ended up here – as Bacon Jam. Most of the versions I read about had maple syrup in the mix so mine progressed to Maple Bacon Jam. And finally, because I’ve [...]
I can’t say that the thought of warm bread pudding brought comfort to me on a freezing cold day. No I can’t in the 26 degree centigrade heat that has enveloped me in sunshine and a gentle breeze since my return home two nights ago. Its harmattan season. I’ve swapped cold American nights for windy [...]
Nigerian salad. An oxymoron. One I think about, sitting in the lounge and waiting for the boarding announcement for I am well and truly on my way home. Home to Nigeria. To my husband, and children and the December heat. To a Christmas feast, of gifts and presents and maybe even food, which may not be [...]
Here’s an update on a Nigerian classic: Stir-fried Jollof rice. And this isn’t to buck tradition – this is about how travel shapes who we are, opens up our eyes to new possibilities and redefines our boundaries. For Nigerian Jollof is typically ‘stewed’, not stir-fried or oven-baked. Right now, Nigerians the world over are planning [...]
I know, tinned foods aren’t virtuous, especially from ‘self-proclaimed’ foodies. Mind you, that’s not me talking, that’s the ‘Voice of the world’. Because I know better. I know that virtue can be earned in a myriad of ways: fresh, frozen and canned. Like everything else, they have their time and place, their season. Take tinned [...]
At Norma’s Mesa, there is love and friendship and absolutely gorgeous food at Norma’s table. At Norma’s table, the lights of Manhattan twinkle and twinkle, stunning guests, at Norma’s table. At Norma’s table, there’s laughter, lots and lots of it. There’s wit too, the reason for the laughter, at Norma’s Mesa. —–00000—– I burst
Its been years since I went to a Thrift store. OK, only a year or two. I had to redress that and what better place to do it ladies & gentlemen than in the great city of New York? Like I’ve said before, eternal gratitude goes to Anna Hezel of Cup & Hammer, and Food52 for making me cotton [...]
Good evening, America. Looked what heaven sent, right before Christmas. The day began like any other winter morning in the city. Leaves whitened with frost stayed still as yellow school buses coasted streets and avenues. Pigeons and children, hatted and mitted, school bags on backs, went on the sidewalks as winter’s sun cast its coppery glow [...]
I am on the train to Grand Central, refreshed by winter’s air and shine. Heading to Kalustyan’s for Lunch. Its amazing how I’m loving the cold. When we moved away from The Netherlands, my husband and I agreed there would be no more winter holidays, no snow, no ice….no freezing cold. At least for the next [...]
Meet Cucumber, the fruit and the vegetable. At least in Nigeria, it is. On the right fork where Old Aba road meets the Aba expressway in my city of Port Harcourt, women sit on wooden stools and chairs, selling wares. These squat seats, close to the ground keeps them close to their planks full of cucumber [...]
New York. Fruitcake. Me. I’m in New York. Again. I arrived via Paris a few days ago. Via Paris because if you had a choice to transit through a European city, you too would choose Paris over Frankfurt. Even over Amsterdam. Just for some great, if rubbery airplane bread. And wonderful cheeses. And Fromage Frais. [...]
It took me many years to understand the meaning of ‘Thrift’. For some reason, I always thought it was positively linked to ‘Spendthrift’. Not negatively. Alas, I was wrong. thrifty |'?rifte| adjective ( thriftier , thriftiest ) 1 (of a person or their behavior) using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully. See note [...]
Emergence suggests a state of transition, a trajectory of becoming. It is antithetical to structural or static approaches. Santo saw emergence nestled between the Daikon and the baguette of the banh mi sandwich; GastronomyatBU blog. No one told me. About Stinky Daikon. Durian……I’ve heard about …..being banned from airports and hotel rooms but never, ever, have I come [...]
Northerners in Nigeria are famous for many things, culinary-wise: they are tray-bearers of dates, kolanuts and alligator pepper; suya merchants of everything from meat kebabs to jerky-style beef kilishi and pounded, shredded Dambu Nama as well as wonderful drink makers. Sometimes I wonder what the repertoire of Nigerian drinks would be like without our North. [...]
I have reasons to be thankful, even if I am a desperado. Desperate to be American, in part…..purely to eat Turkey, or Turducken. Ok….we’ll have to settle on chicken. I am thankful for food on our table. Simple, fancy, tasty and homemade. Eaten with people to love. That I love. Thanksgiving on the third Sunday [...]
‘Af’ago k’eyin aparo, ohun oju wa l’oju ri (Yoruba language)’ ‘He who packs pheasants egg with the local bird cage (made with a mesh of raffia palms, and having large holes), will find what he has been searching for. Translation: The man who doesn’t listen to advice will lose out for the bird cage referred to in [...]
