Key Ingredient: Cream

Modern life has a lot to answer for. Due to our obsession with weight and health, cream, salt and butter have pretty much been demonized. This is a shame because, in moderation, they really bring food alive – salt especially. My argument is – cut out all the process rubbish in your diet, cook from scratch with vegetables, meat and grains and you never have to worry about too much salt.

As for cream, it is a wonderful ingredient – any sauce you make with wine and cream is sure to impress. Yes, it has cholesterol in it but it also has fat soluble vitamin D in at as well, and I am not suggesting you eat it everyday. I feel exonerated in my use of cream because I use scant amounts, and I am a female who doesn't drink milk in tea or coffee so think it is a good way to keep my bones healthy and stave off osteoporosis in the future!

Try:

• Melting good quality chocolate with a small pat of butter and whisking into cream,chill and you have chocolate ganache
  


• After cooking meat in a pan, deglazing you pan with wine, reduce, add a swirl of cream and you have an instant sauce accompaniment
  


• Melting a blue cheese like gorgonzola in some cream for a sauce for pasta or steak
  


• Puree rip fruit and whip through double (heavy cream) with sugar to taste for a luxuriant but vitamin packed dessert
  


• Mix some cream through sautéed white cabbage that was fried with garlic and spritzed with lemon juice – mix through pasta or as a great side dish

Spaghetti with Easy Meatballs

We had a friend over for dinner and to show off our new Tv by watching some American football. Well, they watched and I fell asleep! I had been busy all day and decided on this low maintenance dish made extra special by the addition of wine and cream. Add some dried herbs if you want, I didn't have any. Make sure the sausages are cold when you make the meatballs, they are easier to handle.

Serves 3

6 pork sausages
Large onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic sliced
1 tablespoon of oil
A large glass of red wine
1 tin of tomatoes
Salt
Sugar
450 grams of spaghetti
3 dessertspoons of cream

Soften the onions and garlic over a moderate heat.

Take a sausage, squeeze a third of the meat from the case, it should be kind of ball shaped, but you can mould it a bit with your hand and drop it into the frying pan

Repeat with the rest of the sausages

Cook until sealed though not necessarily brown on all sides

Add the wine and reduce for about five minutes

Add the tomatoes and break them down with a spoon

Add salt, about half a teaspoon, but taste carefully, some tinned tomatoes are saltier than others.
Add a scant half teaspoon of sugar.

Simmer gently for about 40 minutes until you have a thick, rich sauce and tender meatballs.

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of well salted water.

Divide the spaghetti into three dishes

Add the meatballs and sauce (there should be six, good size balls per dish)

Spoon over a little cream and serve.

*When I made this, I think the meatballs were a bit too big, they should be bitesized.*

Key Ingredient: Lemons

I use lemons like a condiment, squeezing them into food whenever I feel it needs a lift. If you do this, it never tastes lemony, simply adds a bit more depth to a ho hum dish. I especially like it with cheese sauces. Try it with salads as well, or in curry. I am lucky that lemons are plentiful here, and the new season isn't far off.

For a quick pasta dish,

Mix grated pecorino or parmesan and an egg into just cooked spaghetti. Finish off with some cooked chopped spinach and as much lemon juice as you like.Delicious.

Project Zam-Cuisine

Moving back to Zambia has had many challenges (failing to find decent cheese being one of my biggest). Due to the vicious visa circle of not having a work permit and not having a job to sponsor because I don't have a work permit, I am 'enjoying' an extended break. I have found it difficult not to feel lazy because my husband is the only one earning, but have to accept that many people would kill for the opportunity to take some time off.

Instead of moping, I am using the time to develop my cooking and crafting skills. So far I have been decorating our house (see my blog: For the Love of) and working on new recipes so that my breadwinning husband is well fed – and myself too of course!

I have become addicted to the food programs that are on all day on TV and I have been researching and trying pick up new tips and ideas for using local ingredients. After some exploring I have found fresh herbs, great vegetables and fruit, spices and meat all plentiful and nearby. My search for cheese that is good and not hideously expensive continues.

My first project is to develop a method for making delicious ice-cream using local ingredients. So stay tuned for the results.

Zebra Crossing Cafe in Lusaka

This cafe is in a really great compound that has a craft shop and other shops and it's just minutes from my house.

I am addicted to their iced tea, I'm not sure how they do it, but it has a minty flavour that's really lovely.

Anyway I had lunch there - a really nice mushroom tart and my friend had a great pumpkin salad. The portions are a bit small, but the staff are very welcoming. It's also nice to find a place that doesn't something different.

A Perfect Tomato Sandwich

I used to hate uncooked tomatoes. Then I realized that I just hated cold, unripe, tasteless and watery tomatoes. When I moved to Italy soon changed my opinion face I was with tiny pomodorini bursting with flavour. On my return to the UK my love affair with the tomato ended – why? Because most of the tomatoes available in shops were from Spain, Holland even Israel, meaning that with the intense farming and refrigeration you end up with perfect looking tomatoes all year round and zero flavour. The thing is, tomatoes are not that difficult to grow, but we have become so insistent on having every ingredient possible available all year round that we are sacrificing on quality.

Now I am in Zambia and local tomatoes, farmed non intensively and locally are bursting with delicious, acid-sweetness. Juice from the tomato is think and red not thin and watery. Perfect for a fresh, healthy and irresistible tomato sandwich.

To make the perfect tomato sandwich, try following my method and see what you think.

• Use locally produced tomatoes that are deep red and really soft.
  


• The tomato should be room temperature; I keep my toms in the fridge but bring one or two out before I use them and allow them to lose that horrible bland chill
  


• Thinly slice the tomato with a serrated knife on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the water, remove seeds if the tomato is particularly watery, or you plan to eat the sandwich later (Eg. In a packed lunch)
  


• Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise onto a hotdog/burger bun, crusty cob or roll. This bread is dense so absorbs additional moisture without going pappy – white is best because it is slightly sweet and brings out the flavour of the toms
  


• Put your slices of tomato onto the bread and sprinkle with salt
  


• Shred some basil leaves and add, don't be stingy
  


• Drizzle a very small amount of olive oil over
  


• Serve.
  

Coriander (cilantro) and Lemon rice

Although maize is the staple in Zambia, rice is also cultivated here in places like Chama and Mongu, where they get more rain. I love the local rice, it is very fragrant and quite sticky. I know I should eat brown, and I do quite often, but white is still my favourite.

The rice here is packaged and shipped in less time so still is full of taste and fragrance when it's cooked.

By simply salting the water when it comes to the boil the rice becomes wonderfully fragrant and tasty, but here's another way of serving rice, especially if you find your rice is lacking in deptrh. Luckily, most lemons bought here are not waxed – thank goodness, but if you're buying from a supermarket, make sure they are unwaxed. If you're not sure run your nail firmly along the skin without piercing it to see if you can gather any of the wax or not.

This makes enough for about 3 – 4 people and is really good with fajitas or chili con carne

• A large bunch of coriander
  


• The rind of a lemon - unwaxed
  


• 2 coffee mugs of your favourite rice
  


• Salt
  

To cook the rice, either rinse the grains first if you don't like your rice too sticky – until the water is clear

Add the rice to the pan with twice the amount of water.

Bring to the boil. Add salt – half a teaspoon or thereabouts as well as the coriander and lemon rind.

Stir once with a fork then cover and turn off the heat

Wait for rice to absorb all the water.

Check for seasoning and serve.

*Try also adding dried rosemary to the water when cooking, about 2 teaspoons*

Chickpeas with mint and chili

I love markets. The energy, the assault on the senses, voices shouting, the colour bursts of the produce, the smells. I was excited then by the prospect of the Tuesday Market here in Lusaka. It is held weekly (I don't need to tell you the day) in a covered area of some church grounds. It was crowded and noisy and had a remarkable variety of produce. I was most excited by the fresh herbs I found – coriander (cilantro), mint and even dill! All priced at less than 10p for a bunch. I bought tomatoes deep red bursting full of juice and tasting sunny, crisp peppers and more. The market was full of buyers of many races all stocking up on everything from fresh peas to the massive spikey jack fruit that taste sweet and fragrant (a little like custard apples) and look like grotesque, overgrown sea urchins. I have never seen them growing in Zambia so assume they were brought down from Tanzania.

The market also sold spices and pulses and I bought a massive bag of chickpeas for very cheap. Along with the mint I made this delicious dish which we ate with rice but you could also eat with chapattis, on baked potatoes or cold in wraps with some salad. It's versatile and healthy as it can be eaten hot or cold. Make a large amount and keep it in the fridge or freeze it. How much chili you use depends on the potency of your chilis and how spicy you like it. Start of one or two (especially if they bigger as they tend to be milder) and add more if you like extra kick. The heat of the chili with the mint and yoghurt is incredibly seductive. If freezing or planning to reheat, add the yoghurt when serving, separately as it doesn't do well when reheated or frozen.

This makes enough for 4 greedy people.

• 350g of chickpeas
  



• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
  



• A large onion, sliced
  



• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced
  



• 2 large, very ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
  



• 1 large potato cut into 2 cm slices or you can use small new ones. Try to get waxy potatoes as they hold their shape better when they are cooked
  



• Two teaspoons of medium curry powder
  



• 1 -2 large dried chilies
  



• 1 heaped teaspoon of garam masala
  



• 2 teaspoons of vegetable powder or half a stock cube
  



• 2 teaspoons of tomato puree
  



• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint
  



• Several dessertspoons of natural yoghurt to drizzle before serving
  



• Salt
  

First cook the chickpeas in a coverd pan after soaking them overnight.

After they are soft but still hold their shape (about 30 – 40 minutes) drain half of the water away, add a teaspoon of salt , stir well and set to one side.

In a deep frying pan or wide bottomed saucepan, fry the onions on a medium heat until they start to colour and add the garlic.

After a minute or so add the potatoes and fry for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, chili (broken into pieces), curry powder and garam masala and a pinch of salt

Cook until the tomatoes start to break down.

Add the chickpeas in the water you saved, and the vegetable powder or stock cube.

Cover and simmer slowly until the potatoes are soft all the way through but still hold their shape (about 20 minutes)

Add the chopped mint and tomato puree and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Check for seasoning.

Before serving spoon some yoghurt on top (1-2 dessertspoons) and remove the chili pieces.

Orecchiette Zambian Style

It's funny the things you find in supermarkets here. You cannot imagine how excited I was to find orecchiette. For those of you unfamiliar, this is a type of pasta native to the Puglia region of southern Italy and means 'little ears'. It's quite a dense and creamy pasta when cooked and is traditionally served with broccoli sprouts or 'cime di rapa'.

Cime di rapa isn't available here, but another, similar green vegetable 'rape' is. As you can see, it's a lot like spring greens or kale. It has an irony, mustardy taste and is a common dish here. You can use in salads as well, though I doubt many Zambians ever eat it raw.

For this quick pasta dish, simply cook the orecchiette in lots of well-salted water while you fry a little garlic in oil (preferably olive). Add to this a finely sliced tomato (I use a cheese grater) which you fry until it starts to soften, then add a good handful of slice rape – it shrinks like spinach so add quite a bit, season with salt. Wilt in the pan, conserve some of the water from the pasta to add when draining and add to the rape, you can spritz with some lemon juice for a bit of a kick, but it isn't essential. Return the pasta to the pan and add the vegetables, add pecorino or parmesan if you have it, but it's good without too. Enjoy!

Aubergines

Vegetables are plentiful and cheap here and I am happy to finally buy aubergines again. I didn't in the UK very often because they were expensive. Aubergines are so versatile and because of the porous flesh, are great to marinate. I marinated these slices in a store bought marinade, which was really a waste of time and should have kept to my own concoctions.

Try:

White miso paste, dashi, rice vinegar and spring onions.

Ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey , sesame oil and five spice powder.

Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and parsley.

I haven't given measurements as I usually just keep adding until I get the taste I want. You can slice the aubergines lengthways and marinate them in larger slices, or cut them small like I did here. Then, either grill, roast or fry.

Zam - Eats

Lunch Idea

Making lunch isn't easy these days, sandwiches are not cheap to make. Nice bread costs a lot more as does cheese, ham etc. cooking is often easier, hence this concoction which was really tasty. I don't have a very catchy name for it, but it took just a few minutes to make as I had cooked the lentils the day before. The lentils I used are green, they cook quite quickly I did soak them in water for about 30 minutes first but doubt I really needed to. After cooking 250g of lentils in unsalted water for about 20 – 30 minutes, drain and return to the saucepan. While still hot add salt, a good slug of olive oil, the juice of a lemon and small slivers of garlic. Replace the lid on the saucepan and leave to steep for a couple of hours.

The lentils can then be used in salads, added to other dishes or used for the recipe below.

• Sausage with lentils and cabbage for 1.
  


• 1 dessertspoon of olive oil or vegetable oil
  


• 1 sausage
  


• 1 handful of shredded cabbage
  


• About 50 grams of cooked lentils.
  

Remove the skins from the sausages.

Heat the oil in a wide bottomed saucepan and add the sausage meat, break it down with a fork.

When browned, add the cabbage and fry for a minute.

Add the lentils cover and cook until the cabbage is wilted.

Taste for seasoning (the lentils will have salt and lemon already) if necessary add some salt and more lemon juice.

Learning to Cook in Zambia – again!

Mykitchen, for the moment.

Coming back to Zambia has required a re-awakening of my culinary memory. A trip through the main supermarket here revealed what I had forgotten: if you want Western food, be prepared to pay Western prices. Tinned goods, which in the UK are seen as basics are luxuries here, a tin of tomatoes costs over £1 as opposed to as little as 9p back home. So we need to reassess our eating habits a little, pasta, rice and potatoes are fine so that's a good base to start from.

Another problem is that we are in temporary accommodation, so as you can see from the picture, my cooking area is rather basic. I have two cooking rings but no surfaces to speak of or an oven and not cooking utensils, those soufflés and roast dinners are on hold for the moment!

My next aim is to start frequenting the 'Tuesday' market where fruits and vegetables are cheap and plentiful – so I hear. There is a large Indian-Zambian community throughout Zambia and therefore spices are plentiful and cheap as they come from neighbouring Tanzania.

When I lived here before we were not in the capital so my diet was much more traditionally Zambian, meaning – nshima, staple starch eaten here made from maize. It has little nutritional value but fills you up quite efficiently. Ironically now we are in capital, nshima is harder to come by as Lusaka is more cosmopolitan. If you do want nshima, it is quite expensive because many restaurants cater to tourists.

There is however an array of restaurants serving Western style food and also Indian and Chinese restaurants. Again though, prices are about the same as in the UK, fine if you're on an ex-pat wage, but the average Zambian wage is ...