Guest Blogger: Sister #3-GLEE does Africa
This particular evening my dinner club decided to forgo a movie for more visiting time and we decided to visit Africa. Our post dinner activity included doing some shopping from a selection of hand crafted items from a number of African locations. An acquaintance of one of the GLEE girls is a missionary who brings items to Canada to
sell and then returns with the proceeds to the woman who made the item.
Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera that evening so can’t share a photo of the amazing peanut soup or our fantastic main of ground nut stew served with couscous, flat bread and all the accouterments, but it was all delish! We finished the evening with milk tart made from the recipe that my niece Bekah brought back from her time in Africa.
I was on appetizers and decided to do try two recipes I found on my favorite website www.epicurious.com Shrimp charmoula and Tunisian tuna and egg turnover also known a “brik”. Two delicious appetizers I would likely never have tried if it were not for the need to provide something African for this event. The shrimp was than any preparation of shrimp I have had before. The recipe was really easy and I made it ahead of time. I will certainly make it again.
I thought it would be fun to have an interactive component to the evening so decided to show my friends how to make the turnovers so they would be hot and yummy and I wouldn’t be stuck in the kitchen while they were all enjoying cocktails. So I set up an electric fry pan on the kitchen island and gathered my students around me. Each woman made her own turnover, or two and a good time was had by all. If I were to make these again I would most certainly do it as a hands-on activity for my guests.
- 1 (6-ounce) can tuna, drained
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1½ tablespoons drained capers, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon water
- About 3 cups vegetable oil
- 6 (8-inch-square) spring-roll wrappers
- 6 whole eggs (preferably medium)
- Special equipment: a deep-fat thermometer; 2 pastry brushes
- Accompaniment: lemon wedges
- Mash together tuna, scallions, parsley, capers, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl until tuna is broken up and mixture is combined well.
- Stir together egg white and water in a cup with a fork.
- Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 200°F.
- Heat ½ inch vegetable oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet until it registers 350°F on thermometer.
- While vegetable oil is heating, arrange 2 spring-roll wrappers on a work surface and brush centers lightly with olive oil (do not oil edges). Leaving a 1-inch border all around, put 2 tablespoons tuna mixture near lower right corner of 1 wrapper and form mixture into a ring (about ½ inch high and 3 inches in diameter) to contain egg.
- Repeat procedure with other wrapper. Brush edges of both wrappers with egg white mixture (use separate brushes for oil and for egg white), then break an egg inside each "ring" and season eggs lightly with salt and pepper. Fold top left corner of each wrapper over egg to form a triangle and press edges together to seal.
- Immediately lift 1 brik gently by tip of triangle and lower into oil, keeping long side of triangle in center of skillet. Repeat with second brik and fry briks, lapping oil over exposed wrappers with a metal spatula, until undersides are golden, about 1 minute. Flip each brik over sideways with aid of 2 metal spatulas, so long side of each triangle stays in center, then continue to fry, lapping exposed wrapper with oil, until wrapper is golden and egg is cooked but yolk is still runny, about 1 minute more. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then put on a baking sheet and keep warm in oven while making remaining briks.
- Make more briks in same manner (using a second baking sheet for keeping last batches warm). Return oil to 350°F between batches.
- Serve briks warm.
- Cooks' notes: To take the temperature of a shallow amount of oil with a flat-framed metal deep-fat thermometer, put bulb of thermometer in skillet and turn thermometer facedown, resting other end (not plastic handle) against rim of skillet. Check temperature frequently. ·Tuna mixture can be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered. ·Each brik must be fried shortly after cracking egg onto wrapper so wrapper does not become too soggy to lift.
Kath’s quote: “Serenely full, the epicure would say, Fate cannot harm me, I have dined today.”- Sydney Smith
Love-that is all.
