Gabon - 11th December 2002

From an email I wrote to followers in Italy:

If you thought I got bored of cooking.... think again!

Last week I couldn't organize a dinner particularly given the fact that Eric was sick so we consumed most of our meals on the sofa under blankets!

But finally last night I managed to prepare a dinner with recipes from Gabon.  For those unsure where Gabon is, it is a nation in West Africa bordered by Cameroon on the south and by Congo on the left well, I didn't know either were exactly it was).

It was not an easy feat to find recipes... at the end I had to look in French! Thankfully Eric had bought a culinary French-English dictionary when we went on a culinary vacation in a villa in Avignon last June. 

Once the recipes were found though it was time to find the ingredients.... also not an easy thing! But I manage so please see the menu below and the scores by Eric. We hadn't invited anyone to dinner (too risky!)

Starter:
Gari aux crevettes - Tapioca flour with shrimp: 5.  Despite the flavor was good, it was too floury and gooey.  Perhaps I should have cooked it for longer and according to Eric I should have removed the shrimp skins (I told him he's lazy!)

Main Course:
Quasi Poule Nyembwe (almost Nyembwe chicken) served with boiled rice: 8.5.  I called it "almost" because it turns out that nyembwe is palm butter and I simply couldn't find it anywhere so I used coconut milk instead...not exactly the same thing but given that Eric gave it a highs core, it was a good choice.

Dessert: Farine de Manioc Grille (grilled tapioca): 4.  I think there were issues with the recipe. I'm sure Eric would have given even a lower score if it hadn't been that this is served with boiled eggs and olives (and he likes both of those).  The dish itself was really gummy. 

We accompanied the dinner with a bottle of Windmill Estate - Zinfandel Old Vines 2001 (California).  It's a good, inexpensive wine, about $10. 

This is all.  Next time it's Haiti

Stay Tuned