Practical West African cookery

Pigeons or ducks can be cooked in the same manner, allowing less time for pigeons and more for duck. Poulet Cocotte (II). 1 fowl. | pint stock. 1 tablespoon butter, lard or ground nut oil. 10 young green onions (if not available, onion cut in medium pieces). 1 teacup of tumuku, risga or sweet potatoes, cut in one inch squares. 1 tatassa. 1 clove. 1 piece of lime peel. 2 berkono or a pinch of pepper. 1 teaspoon salt. (1 teaspoon parsley and dried thyme). Fresh young carrots, turnips and French beans make this dish much better and if they are obtainable do not use the tumuku, risga or sweet potatoes. 1. Put in the native pot a tablespoon butter. When quite hot and singing, put in the fowl whole, keep it on a brisk fire, turning the fowl with a fork so that it gets nicely browned all over. When this is done take it out of the pot. If you have been using oil, pour it away, if butter or lard let it remain. Put in half the vegetables (carrots and turnips if large cut in dice) putting at the bottom those that are the longest to cook, then return the fowl and put the rest of the vegetables on top with the salt, pepper, lime peel, cloves and herbs, and pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, keeping the pot covered, then let it simmer very gently for an hour. The goodness of the dish depends on the slow cooking. When done, the fowl can be taken out, carved and replaced in the pot (leaving out the carcase). Serve in the pot in which it was cooked. Poulet Bordeaux (II). 1 fowl. 1 teacup stock. 1 tablespoon flour. 2 tablespoon ground nut oil or olive oil. (If no oil, butter or lard can be used. One tablespoon will be sufficient). J teacup claret. 1 clove. 2 berkono. A pinch of salt and pepper. (Parsley). 1. Cut the raw fowl as for a fricassee, 2. Put the ground nut oil in the flat saucepan. When hot and beginning to sing, put in your pieces of fowl and the liver ; keep turniug with a fork till they are cooked and nicely browned on all sides. This will take eight to ten minutes. Remove the pieces one by one, leaving the oil in the saucepan. Put the cooked pieces between two plates to keep hot. 3. Cut the onion in four, lengthways, toss it in the oil, add the flour, stir quickly till the oil and flour form a deep brown paste, then slowly pour in the stock being careful to keep the paste smooth. Add the claret and berkono, bring to the boil ; move it aside and let it simmer for a good half hour. The sauce ought then to be reduced to a small teacupful. 4. Put the pieces of fowl back into the saucepan and warm them up thoroughly in the sauce. 5. Pry in a little oil two slices of bread cut in half and about a quarter of an inch thick. Take the pieces of fowl out of the saucepan, place them on a dish, dip the fried bread into the sauce, arrange it round the fowl and finally pour over the sauce. Note — Three tablespoons sherry or two tablespoons port can be used instead of claret. Pigeons are very good done in the same way, but must be fried whole or cut in two. Half a teaspoon Lemco to a teacup of boiling water can be used instead of stock. Chicken or Mutton Pilaff (11). 1 fowl. 3 tablespoons rice. 1 teacup ground nut oil. 1 tablespoon butter or lard. 1$ pints boiling water. 1 onion. 1 pinch nutmeg. 1. Put the whole fowl 1 pinch red pepper. 6 cloves.