Cocina Del Mundo Herbs & Spices

Opening your eyes to the world's kitchen!

Add to grilled meats; add 1 tsp. to rice, stew, soup, marinades and couscous.  Sauté with olive oil and vegetables for an exotic side dish.  Very earthy flavor, great on red meat.

Sahara Spice Rub

Senegalese Spice Rub

Senegal is located on the west of the African continent. The Senegalese landscape consists mainly of the rolling sandy plains of the western Sahel which rise to foothills in the southeast.  Two spices are commonly used in African cuisine; cumin and coriander.  Most recipes from this region use very hot chili peppers.

Senegalese markets are full of tropical fruits and vegetables. Peanuts are the main crop of Senegal and everywhere the aroma of roasted peanuts permeates the air. Seafood is the part of the diet. The meats eaten less frequently are beef, lamb, and chicken. You'll find no pork, as many Senegalese are Muslims. The influence of French food in Senegal is unmistakable, yet Senegalese food has a quality of its own, with dishes from many other parts of the world and other parts of Africa incorporated into the cuisine. Rice is the main starch, with the Couscous of northern Africa also being a great favorite.

My first encounter with Senegalese cuisine was a recipe for soup which I would like to share with you because it remains one of my favorites to this day.

 

Senegalese Chicken Soup

1 gallon chicken stock or vegetable stock

6 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 quarts diced tomatoes

2 onions minced

1 cup minced garlic

1/2 cup minced serrano

1 cup olive oil

1 cup peanut butter

3 T. coriander

2 T. salt

1 tsp fresh cracked pepper

-Sauté onion, tomato, garlic, serrano, and spices in olive oil until onions are translucent.  Add remaining ingredients, stir, and then cook 25 minutes on medium.  Garnish bowls of soup with fresh chopped cilantro and sour cream.

Foods to eat with Senegalese Spice Rub:

Apples, beans, beef, beets, breads, carrots, cheese, chicken, corn, couscous, cucumbers, eggs, fish, fruit, greens, ham, lamb, onions, pasta, pears, peas, potatoes, sweet potato, pumpkin, rice, salmon, seafood, soup and stews, spinach, squash, tomatoes, and vegetables of all sorts.

Marinades:

-1 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup orange juice, 2 T worcestershire, 3 T. spice.  Add salt to taste.  Good with everything!!!

-1 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 2 T. soy sauce, 1 T. spice.  Add salt to taste.  Use on seafood.

-1 cup red wine, 1 cup olive oil, 1 T. Tabasco, 2 T. spice.  Add salt to taste.  Use with red meat or pork.

1 Dark beer, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 T. spice.  Add salt to taste.  Good with dark meats and game.

 

Senegalese Salsa

3 cups chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup onion

2 T. spice

1/2 tsp. white vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

-Stir together and let sit  for one hour before eating.

Senegalese Rice

3 cups cooked rice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tomato minced

1 cup chopped mango

1 tsp fresh chopped cilantro

2 T. spice

-Stir together ingredients.  Best served with seafood or chicken.

Price: $3.50/2 oz. cellophane packet

Sahara Spice Rub

This is one of the first spice rubs I made up.  I have used this for years to season beef and pork before grilling, smothering the meat in peppers.  Peppers add tremendous flavor to anything they are grilled with, the same goes for onions.  The best healthy way to make a meal out of this is the crock pot; beef roast, chopped peppers and onions, and whole baby red potatoes.  Add one can of fat free beef broth and 2 T. Sahara.  Cook all day on LOW.  It is amazing.  Sahara is salt free, so it is great for low salt diets.  Which means all the salt addicts will need to add this.

Foods to eat with Sahara:

Beans, beef, beets, savory breads (especially brown breads), carrots, celery, cheese, chicken, chili, chocolate, cucumbers, eggplant, goose, lamb, meatloaf, mushrooms, onions, olives, pears, peas, peppers of all sorts, pork, potatoes, rice, salmon, stews, stuffing, and tomatoes.

 

Sahara Spice Recipes

Spiced Mushroom Alfredo

2 c. sliced mushrooms

1 onion chopped

1 T. minced garlic

1 c. beef broth

1 T. Sahara spice

½ c. lemon juice

½ jar Alfredo sauce

2 T. white wine

Cooked fettuccini for 4

-Combine all ingredients except noodles and Alfredo sauce in sauté pan.  Turn heat to high, cook until onions become soft.  Add Alfredo sauce, bring to boil.  Turn down to simmer and cook for 10 minutes stirring often.  Stir into noodles.  Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Spiced sweet potato

3 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 onion chopped

5 T butter, melted

½ c. brown sugar

1 T. salt

1 T. Sahara spice

- Stir together ingredients, place in a casserole dish.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  May require more cooking time, depending on how soft you like sweet potatoes.

Lamb Roast

1 lamb roast

1 onion chopped

2 c. chopped carrots

6 baby red potatoes, quartered

1 c. red wine

2 T. Sahara spice

½ c. olive oil

1 lemon cut in slices

-Coat lamb in olive oil and 1 T. spice.

Place lamb in broiler pan with lid.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  Ready remaining ingredients.  Circle lamb with veggies.  Lay out lemon slices over lamb and veggies. Pour red wine and 1 c. water around lamb.  Bake uncovered for 1 hour.  Check lamb’s tenderness.  May require more cooking time.  If more time needed, do so covered with lid.

Sahara

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Home e-mail: kristinabeckons@aol.com

185 Hwy 965 NE Suite 3

North Liberty, Iowa 52317

Between Curves and Sheer Encounters in Liberty Plaza

 

Senegalese Spice Rub

Made to rub on chicken, lamb, or seafood.  Add to chopped tomatoes for unusual salsa.  Contains chopped peanuts and jalapeño.