Day 63 - Ghana (Africa) - Avocado with Groundnut Dressing, Cous-Cous Salad and Traditional Fried Fish - up Next, Germany

Back to cooking around the world, after cooking on Martha's Vineyard for my brother's wedding this weekend.

And, before I get into the Ghanaian meal I made tonight, I just gotta post a couple of pictures of the wedding cake I made for him - A beautiful lemon pound cake with lemon curd and butter cream filling - 10 layers, 5 tiers and a lot of help from my trusted and wonderful family friend, Joy and my step Dad and structural engineer, Michael. Love you both!

Now, onto the beautiful country of Ghana and the meal...Ghana is officially known as The Republic of Ghana, the name meaning "The Warrior King".

Located in Western Africa, and formally known as the Gold Coast, Ghana's trade flourished under Portuguese and British Rule. Ghana won it's independence from the UK in 1957. A fact many may not know is that Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa and is home to La Volta, the world's largest artificial lake.

Avocados, ground peanuts, cinnamon, chili, paprika, chives and lime juice

Cous Cous, black beans, corn, tomatoes, lemon juice and cilantro

Mash ginger and red chili peppers in mortar and pestle to make paste

Cut slits in Talapia and stuff with ginger and peppers paste - Kit the cat is diggin' this meal

The meal - finished off with sweet plantains

Recipes

Avocados with Groundnut Dressing

• 2 Avocados - ripe but firm
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. shelled groundnuts or peanuts
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• Chili powder to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh chives, to garnish

1. Peel the avocados; cut out the pit and cut into cubes
2. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside
3. Grind the peanuts roughly with a rolling pin for a few seconds
4. Mix the peanuts and spices well
5. Sprinkle over the avocados with chives
6. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Cous-Cous Salad

• 1 16 -oz box of Cous-Cous
• 1 Can of black beans
• 1 Can of whole kernel corn (I used frozen)
• 1-2 Tomatoes, diced
• 1 Tbsp. cilantro
• 1/4 Cup lime juice

Cook cous-cous as directed. Transfer to a large bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix together. Adjust seasoning according to taste.

Traditional Fried Fish

• 4 fillets of talapia, salmon or snapper
• 3 Tbsp. peeled and mashed fresh ginger
• 2 Fresh red chilies, mashed into a pulp
• 1 tsp. salt
• oil for frying

1. Cut 2 gashes in each fillet and and stuff some of the filling into the slits.
2. Rub any remaining paste on the fish
3. Heat oil and fry fish on both sides until golden brown
4. Remove from the oil and drain

Final Assessment: This was a great meal. Light and full of heat and flavor. I added the plantains as a final touch just because they looked good at the market today.

Why do YOU bake, Kate McDermott?

Photo credit: Kelly Cline
Let me just say I am in awe of bakers. And pie? That's like the holy grail. There are so many opportunities for failure and I have personally experienced most of them. Kate McDermott is not only a pie goddess, but on her blog, The Art of the Pie, she shares the secrets of pie baking in a way that makes you feel like you can do it too! She's encouraging, detailed, warm and wise. Some day I hope to be in Seattle to take one of her award-winning classes.

I love to bake and can't remember a time in my life I didn’t.  As a little girl, I took great delight in making mud-pies in the backyard. This may have been the first step on the path to becoming a pie maker.

I bake because I like to put simple ingredients in a beautiful bowl, turn them into something delicious, give it away and see the happy smile on someone else’s face. There’s nothing like sharing a freshly baked pie with friends and family.

I bake when I am happy and I bake when I am sad.

I bake because when life gives you lemons, it’s a good idea to make a Shaker lemon pie.

But most of all, I bake because it is a way for me to express love. 

This post is part of a series, to read the rest, click on the label marked "Why?"