That solves it then. I did wonder, because many of the African/ Caribbean shops here sell both and they are quite obviously different. But then I was puzzled how an African vegetable became part of the Thanksgiving tradition. Now I know it's really a sweet potato (indiginous to the Americas) I will sleep more soundly.

Was talking to my bro about this the other day.
He told me his story of loading up his plate (so says my SIL - he maintains he only had three) with roast potatoes, only to find it was plantain. Very disappointed. He was much more suspicious at buffets after that.

That would startle. 'Course, fried plantain would be a decidedly guy-starch. Once you're set to expect banana, not potato flavors.

Yebbut, Ste - like me - is well aware that banana is the fruit of the devil. Everything about it makes us gag.

Mystifying, except in point of an allergy. What sort of bananas would they be afflicting you with, there in Buckinghamshire?

Grim ones. That smell and taste and look like bananas!

Anyone have a good onion marmalade recipe?
I'm not looking to put any aside, just as an accompaniment for Mum's birthday dinner.
She mentioned the other day that she adores it. I want to do a proper 3 course meal that I know she will enjoy. I have to practice the souffles though, as she's not a big sweet potato fan. I might end up with some sort of puff pastry tart.

Sweet Potato and Cheshire Cheese Souffle with a rocket garnish and Red Onion Marmalade

Chicken Roulade Stuffed with Ham and a Cider Cream Sauce
(new potatoes and seasonal veg - I'll see what's around)

Baileys Chocolate Raspberry Torte
(really a one layer chocolate cake topped with Baileys cream and raspberries)

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1/3 c butter
1-1/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c buttermilk
1/3 c applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/4 c flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1tsp salt ( omitted )
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 c shredded zucchini
2 oz semi sweet chocolate melted ( I substituted coco powder with appropriate amounts of oil and sugar to make it sweet and oily)
confectioners sugar for sprinkling on top

bake 30-35 min @ 350

A new to me recipe and it tastes great although I actually prefer zucchini bread without chocolate.

Went to Clodfobble's cooking blog. She made chocolate chip cookies last month.

The Recipe, sí mismo:

2 1/2 C [592ml-- eh, 600] Almond Flour
1/2 tsp [2.5ml] Baking Soda
1/2 tsp [2.5ml] Salt
1 TBSP [15ml] Vanilla Extract, liquid or powdered
1/2 C [118ml] Grapeseed Oil, or other veg. oil
1/2 C [118ml] Agave Nectar/Sweetener, or Honey for a honeyed flavor
Chocolate chunks/chips, to taste, in enough quantity to make the cookie dough look like a Dalmatian, about 1/2 C [118ml].

1. Mix dry ingredients together, mix wet ingredients together in another bowl.
2. Mix wet with dry, stirring very well. Add in the Chocolate chunks and stir in. 'Fobble used no-dairy organic chocolate bar.
3. Drop on cookie sheet by spoonfuls. Depending on size of spoon, 'Fobble says you might get anywhere from 12 to 30 cookies.
4. Bake at 350F until golden brown. Large cookies take about 12-15 mins, smaller cookies 7-10.

Crossposted from Indian Food 101
 

Military Pickle

Woot! Dead-tree comes through where the 'Net forbore to tread! The Kenya Cookery Book and Household Guide, 1928 (twelfth ed., 1958) has this for

Military Pickle (and remarks)

1 marrow, fair sized (zucchini or other long squash)
1 lb (500g) cauliflower florets, left so you can appreciate that it's cauliflower
1 lb (500g) French beans (haricots? green beans? both?)
7 chile peppers (presumably fresh, green or ripe)
1 oz (30g) ginger, chopped fine or minced
1 1/4 C flour (the Brit-ism has it 1 breakfast cup, 1.2 C/284ml) -- scanted
1 cucumber
1 lb (500g) onions
1 lb (500g) sugar
2 quarts/up to 2.5L vinegar (conversion seems in error here, perhaps a maximum amount is intended to be given -- well, this ain't rocket surgery)
1 oz (30g) turmeric powder

salt to draw -- almost like brining
Chef knife, saucepan, jars/lids

Cut vegetables small, cover with the salt, leave for 12 hours then drain. Put veggies into saucepan, add vinegar, boil 6 min. Mix powdered ingredients to a smooth paste (in a little vinegar, I suppose) and add to veggies while they boil. Boil or simmer all together for 30 min at least, stirring frequently to prevent any burning.

Put into jars, put up as in canning: sterilization procedures and all. Apparently usable at once, no doubt some nuances come with ageing. Said to be damn fine with strong Cheddar... or say, Wensleydale, a crumbly, somewhat sour cheese in quite the English style.

I still keep imagining mechanized troops exercising on Salisbury Plain with their tanks and AFVs, pulling up for a lunch of rations adorned with Military Pickle, and enjoying a great boost of morale thereby.

Entelodont Stew
 

Crossposted from Nothingland:

Entelodont Stew with Wild Mushrooms, Chestnuts and Eohippus Sausage

Serves 6 [doubles easily?!]

Preparation time overnight
Cooking time over 2 hours

Ingredients
1.5kg/3lb 5oz boneless shoulder of entelodont or Paraceratherium neck,
For the marinade
2 bay leaves
4 large thyme sprigs
3 x 18cm/7in rosemary sprigs
1 fat celery stick, roughly chopped
300ml/10+ fl oz gusty red wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or the Corsican Niellucciu
8 cloves
2 medium onions, sliced
6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
12 black peppercorns
1 tbsp juniper berries, lightly crushed
For the stew
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
200g/7oz small Eohippus sausage, cut into 4-5mm/1/4"-thick slices
2 tsp tomato purée
2 tsp plain flour
100ml/3-4 fl oz red vermouth, such as the local Cap Corse
450ml/15-16 fl oz beef stock
50g/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
50g/2 oz chestnuts, cooked and peeled and vacuum-packed
1 tbsp butter
200g/7oz mixed wild mushrooms, including some chanterelles, wiped clean and sliced if large
salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful parsley, chopped, to garnish

Method
1. Cut the entelodont into 5cm/2in chunks and put the pieces of meat into a large bowl. Add all the ingredients for the marinade, mix together well, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours, stirring it occasionally.
2. The next day, set a colander over another clean bowl and tip in the marinated meat. Drain well and reserve the wine collected in the bowl.
3. Separate the meat from the rest of the marinade ingredients and set aside. Heat half the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and fry the meat in batches until it is browned all over. Season as you go and add a little more oil if needed.
4. Return all the meat to the casserole dish with a little more oil if necessary. Add the eohippus saussage and fry for a minute or two until lightly golden. Add the remaining marinade ingredients reserved in the colander and fry until soft and richly browned.
5. Stir in the tomato purée and fry for another minute. Stir in the flour followed by the red vermouth, the reserved wine from the marinade, beef stock, porcini mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and ten turns of the black pepper mill. Bring to the boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and leave to simmer gently for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
6. Add the chestnuts to the casserole, replace the cover and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until the meat is very tender.
7. Shortly before the stew is ready, heat the butter in a large frying pan, add the wild mushrooms and some salt and freshly ground black pepper and fry briskly over a high heat for 1-2 minutes. Stir them into the casserole, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Over fifty thousand views! Yay.

spicy lamb stew
 

2.5 lb leg of lamb cut into bites
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic chopped
1-2 tbsp harissa
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
6 anchovy filets, finely chopped
3 tbsp worchestershire
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
2 onions, finely chopped/diced
1 lb shelled fava beans (or sub. canellini beans)
1.5 lbs potatos, peeled and cut to bites
4 cups vegetable stock

Well mix cut lamb with oil, garlic, harissa, rosemary, anchovy, worchestershire, thyme, lemon juice, salt, pepper in a sealable container/plastic bag. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight in fridge.

preheat oven to 400F/200C. In large cast-iron casserole/dutch oven add lamb mixture and cook for about 10 minutes or until browned. add onions and cook for another 5.

Add the beans, potatos, and stock and bring to boil. Cover and transfer entire pot to the oven and let cook for 2 hours or until lamb is tender. check once while in the oven and if liquid is running low, add a bit of hot water or vegetable stock.


---
i made this last week and it was pretty good, though i think the rosemary upsets my stomach a bit. The original recipe called for fava beans but i substituted canellini beans as i couldn't find any favas anywhere. i used a full 2 tbsp of harissa, and i added a little extra lemon juice and worchestershire to the marinade. it's not terribly spicy overall, was very filling, and the lamb was extremely tender. takes a pretty darn big pot to fit it all. i used a big enamelled cast iron "dutch oven" thing and filled it to the brim.

the original recipe notes also to check it while in the oven once and top with water/stock if necessary, but that definitely wasn't a problem when i made it. it thickened nicely but didn't lose much volume at all.

overall verdict: tasty. :)

Mother little kitchen helpers... mostly battery powered. ;)

Quinoa Salad:

cook quinoa:
boil 1 cup washed quinoa in 2 cups water, reduce and simmer lidded for 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed, set aside to cool/dry

dice raw yellow squash, cukes, celery, red pepper.
halve some cherry tomatoes, mince a bit of fresh ginger

combine in large bowl with 1/2 can of chick peas, a shake of garlic salt, 1/2 can of black beans, a tsp of olive oil, and the juice from one lemon.

heat a skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil, and toss in the quinoa. add 2 tbps of horseradish, a couple splashes of balsalmic vinegar, some hot sauce and stir. add veggie mix, heat for 5 minutes,stirring, and remove to a bigger bowl. chill, serve cold.

i adapted this from a couple of different recipes, and it doesn't suck.

If you're strictly vegetarian, you might consider vegetable stock substituting for the water. If you're omnivorous, chicken stock gives a pilaf effect to quinoa.

I made another batch last night, but used 1/2 sesame oil in the saute pan and forgot the balsamic vinegar and the celery. Also used a LOT more hot sauce, and some garlic salt.

it's pretty good. the sesame oil really makes a difference.