Passport & Plate - Guinea Fowl Paella

toseetheworld — Thu, 5 Mar 2015 23:11:16 GMT

Ingredients
500 g guinea fowl breasts,
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
500 ml stock from the guinea fowl bones
200 g long-grain rice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp turmeric
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
1 red bell pepper,
250 g black-eyed peas or any beans or peas

How to prepare this recipe
Preparation
Cut guinea fowl breasts into 3 cm strips.
Chopped onion
Minced garlic cloves
De-seeded red bell paper and cut into strips.
Prepare stock from guinea fowl bones
Cooking
1) Heat the oil in a pan and cook fowl strips untill they are almost done. Remove the meat and set aside.
2) fry the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion has softened
3) add the rice and fry for a few minutes.
4) After add the stock, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and turmeric.
5) Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
6) Add the tinned tomatoes, bell pepper and beans. Stir, cover, and simmer for 5 more minutes, until the rice is tender.
7) Add the meat, cook for a few minutes to heat the meat then serve.

P.S. I used chicken instead guinea fowl

The story behind this recipe
This story happened in Bioko island, Equatorial Guinea. I was there for work – photographed local people, animals and local life in small island. I rented a room in one house for several days. Next day I came home from walk around Malabo and found there my landlady cooked dinner. She lives alone because her husband was dead two years ago and three boys moved to the continent for work. She invited me to seat and chat with her. I was so excited about that! I asked her about what is she cooking. “It’s traditional Guinea’s dish – Guinea fowl paella!” I know that Equatorial Guinea was influenced by Spain but I’ve never thought that these two culturas are so similar. But there is one question – fowls? “Wait a minute, young lady! Where are you thinking you are now? Do you think we have a plenty chickens here? It’s so small island! When my boys lived with me I could just said them – we’ll have a paella today, bring me some fowls. And they took not money but weapons for hunting. You know what – yes, we took some cultural elements from Spain but we did our best for made this guinea. The main idea of traditional, national food – you can prepare this without money and help. Becouse your country feeds you! Do Spanish make their paella themselvs? But we can! Our paella is sincere, it has a soul. We hunt our food, we have all ingredients! What is your national dish in Russia? In Africa we understand one thing – if your land doesn’t protect you, nobody can. What’s why I live here all my life. I was on the continent that’s why I’m pretty sure that our world based not on tortoises. And becouse I’m a teacher at school. But my island, my Bioko island is my home. My boys moved but my dead girl, my only girl is still here, my husband, my parents. They are around me, my memories. Your homeland is more than you think.” We share paella on dinner – it was so tasty and sincere.

Photos: Passport & Plate - Chicken wings in sour-sweet sauce

toseetheworld — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 04:47:00 GMT

Ingredients
Chicken wings
Adjika (is Caucasian hot, spicy but subtly flavoured dip, based on red hot papper)
Honey
Salt, black paper

How to prepare this recipe
1) Wash chicken wings and leave them to dry
2) In a deep dish adjika and honey are mixed in equal proportions (for 20 wings – 8 spoons of adjika and 8 of honey)
3) Wings are rubbed with salt and pepper and then dip them in sauce
4) Heat oven to 250 degrees
5) Put paper on oven pan. Put wings on this paper. The remaining sauce is poured on top of the wings.
6) Keep in the oven 200 degrees for half an hour before the formation of crust.

The story behind this recipe
Story of this recipe started in Urals, Russia. I had crazy childhood – 5 days a week I went to normal school and 6 to ballet. That’s why from the beginning of summer holidays I was sent to Bashkiria, my uncle’s village. For my rehabilitation different things were used and my aunt Rose created a lot of ways to feed almost absent body. We spoke about food for hours. Once I heard something strange – sour-sweet sauce. I asked to explain me how food can be sweet and sour at the same time. Next day the answer was prepared for me. There were chicken wings in sour-sweet souse on the table. My genius aunt made sauce from assistant things – adjika which everybody has in Russian houses and honey which we had a lot because my uncle is a beekeeper. As for wings… it was a hint that one day I will dance Swan Queen. Sense of humor in our family can be sold with honey.
After years I didn’t dance Swan Queen because of trauma. I entered to University and for writing my research work I went to Ireland for three months. In the end of this scholarship I decided to celebrate Hanukkah with my friends who came to Dublin for the same program. And what did I need to cook? It was first thought – chicken wings – simple for cooking and 100% tasty. It was an imposing evening – we just were together far away from our homeland. And everybody loves my wings. After coming back to Russia I started to cook it for my family and friends on different holidays and parties. One friend of mine who tries to be a vegetarian eats these chicken wings tens. And this joke was born – it was parts of animals that they can live he eats.
This dish traveled from Urals till Ireland, was in Mexico and Israel, connected two different parts of my life. It was made how explanation to poor child that sour and sweet at the same time – it’s tasty. It was made for seeing smile on lovely face. It was made special for me and now I share this piece of me, my life, my story and my love with persons I love and care.

wonder

Passport & Plate - Guinea Fowl Paella

Photos: Passport & Plate - Chicken wings in sour-sweet sauce