Practical West African cookery

1 small handful of freshly roasted and peeled ground nuts. (1 tablespoon currants if available). (having put aside the liver), the onion, cloves, black pepper and salt into the boiling water, F as soon as tender take the fowl out of the water, cut the legs and wings each in two pieces and put them and the breast between two plates to keep hot. 2. Break up the carcase and return it with the trimmings to the pot. Boil again till the water is reduced to a breakfast-cupful, strain and set aside. 3. Put the ground nut oil on the fire, when boiling put in the rice and fry to a light gold, tossing all the time. Pour off the ground nut oil (which can be used again). 4. Put the strained breakfastcupful stock in a clean saucepan, add the rice and keep simmering gently till the rice has nearly absorbed the stock ; add the pieces of fowl, the butter, nutmeg, red pepper, roasted ground nuts (and currants if available), let it cook gently for a few more minutes and serve very hot. Note. — Fried onions served round as a garnish is an improvement. Pieces of cooked mutton can be treated in the same way, boiling the rice in some stock made with the mutton bones. Rolled Fowl. (II). 1 fowl. 1 tablespoon white bread crumbs. 1 egg. 1 tablespoon butter, lard or oil. 1 dessertspoon flour. A small piece of onion . ^ teaspoon salt. £ teaspoon pepper. (6 olives and teaspoon chopped parsley if available). 1. Carve the legs, wings and breast off a raw fowl, carefully cut out the bones from the legs and wings, put the four pieces on the board and beat them as flat as possible. 2. Mince the breast and mix with it the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, the beaten egg and the onion minced (also the olives stoned and minced, and the chopped parsley). 3. Spread this mixture in the middle of the four pieces of fowl, roll them, and tie each piece round with thread. Roll them in a little flour. 4. Put the butter in the flat saucepan, when quite hot put in the rolls of fowl and cook them slowly, moving the saucepan so that they do not brown too quickly. A tomato sauce (see index) served with them, or a poivrade sauce (see index), is an improvement, or the rolled pieces of fowl can be dished on mashed yam or sweet potatoes or spinach. Chicken Fritters. (II). The wings and breast of a roast fowl. 1 small teacup batter. 1 breakfast cup ground nut oil. A pinch of salt and pepper. 1. Prepare the batter (see index) ; this should be done about two hours in advance if possible. 2. Neatly cut the wings and breast making six pieces, removing skin and bone. (The legs can be put aside to be devilled for the next day’s breakfast). Dust them with salt and pepper and roll them lightly in a little flour spread on the board. 3. Heat the oil in the flat saucepan ; there must be enough oil to cover the fritters. When the oil has ceased to bubble, test it by throwing in a little piece of bread. If you hear the little sizzling sound of frying, the fat is ready.