DOCSLIB.ORG

The Peace Corps, Sierra Leone, and Me

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Peace Corps, Sierra Leone, and Me The Peace Corps, Sierra Leone, and Me: fifty years later Norman Tyler Copyright 2015, Norman Tyler All rights reserved For permission to reproduce selections from this book, contact the author at [email protected] 2 Table of Contents ! Introduction!......................................................................................................................!5! The$trip$over!...................................................................................................................!16! Our$two#year%tour%begins!...........................................................................................!23! Finally,(an(extended(vacation!..................................................................................!134! Returning)to)Sierra)Leone!........................................................................................!157! Post#Tour!.......................................................................................................................!179! Postscript!.......................................................................................................................!184! End$Notes!.......................................................................................................................!191! ! 3 Sidebars! The origins of the Peace Corps 7 Applying to the Peace Corps 9 Peace Corps training 11 Brief history of Sierra Leone up to my arrival in 1964 20 Sierra Leone's rainy season 46 Sierra Leone's government structure 52 Poro Secret Society 54 Diamond mining in Sierra Leone 77 The use of the Krio language 78 Our 1960s attitude about pets 83 WAWA: West Africa Wins Again 105 Country cloth blankets 110 One PVC's perspective on being a Rural Development Specialist 112 Cinva-Ram blocks 113 Our pets 119 Eating and meals 131 Norm's simple recipe for Granat (Peanut) stew 132 Status of Cameroons in 1965 143 Jeff Mareck's trip around Africa 145 Brief history of Sierra Leone since my departure in 1966 182 4 Introduction This is the story of a naive nineteen-year-old kid from Michigan who joined the Peace Corps in 1964. Enthused by the challenge from President John F. Kennedy for international service, I applied to the Peace Corps in 1963 and accepted a placement the next year for a Rural Development Program in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Throughout my two-year tour I kept a diary of daily activities, occasionally expanding comments into personal reflections on my role in this unfamiliar culture. Reading the diary served as a reminder of the many challenging, but ultimately rewarding, experiences I had that gradually changed me and my entire perspective on life. The two years as a Volunteer in Sierra Leone have had a profound impact on who I am fifty years later. The following pages represent my daily thoughts as a young man who had little knowledge of, but great curiosity about, the world outside the borders of Michigan. Diary entries are quite regular in the first year, and become less frequent during the second year, when much of the newness of things had worn off; they have been abridged to better keep the reader's interest. Interspersed are sections from letters home to Mom and Dad (Norma and Charles Tyler). The letters were thoughtfully preserved by them and given to me upon my return to Michigan. Also included in the narrative are "sidebars" describing in more detail relevant information; they provide context for the diary entries. Most of the photos are my own. Others are credited to Mike Bradbury, my Volunteer housemate for the two years. Images may be poor quality by today's standards, since some of the film deteriorated in the tropical climate, but enough detail remains to give a visual image of our experiences. I lived in the town of Kenema, upcountry in eastern Sierra Leone. For most of that time I lived with fellow Volunteers Mike Bradbury and Joe Sharp. After reviewing the diary entries, I found the great preponderance of the narrative was about projects for which I had primary responsibility, rather than other volunteers. It will be left to them to tell their own stories. Although our relationships as housemates were sometimes strained during our two years, as would be expected under the stress of living in such a foreign environment, I have continued to keep a friendship with Mike, and have had occasional contact with Joe, over the past fifty years. When I decided in 2015 to convert the handwritten entries to digital format, it was the first time I had read the diary since leaving Sierra Leone. I originally intended to record this manuscript as a memoir for my wife, Ilene, our two sons and daughter-in-law, and other close relatives. However, readers who reviewed it as a manuscript encouraged its publication, since they indicated my experiences in those two years would be of interest to a larger audience. The Peace Corps was largelgy responsible for changing me into a lifelong community advocate, a perspective carried throughout my professional career, providing motivation to work on community issues and, in a typical 1960s kind of way, change the world for the better. It is difficult to underestimate the influence the Peace Corps experience had in influencing my life since then. I continued to participate directly with the agency for a number of years, first as a trainer for new Peace Corps Volunteers, next serving with my new wife, Ilene, as VISTA program volunteers in Baltimore, followed by a period of recruiting new volunteers for Peace Corps and VISTA.1 As described in the Epilogue, the two of us have stayed involved as community advocates wherever we 5 have lived and worked over five decades. But the root of this involvement was in 1964 when I received the acceptance letter inviting me to become a Peace Corps Volunteer. 6 The origins of the Peace Corps The idea of an international volunteer corps was initiated by John F. Kennedy during his presidential campaign in 1960. He first proposed the concept in a late-night speech on the steps of the Michigan Union at The University of Michigan. Soon after his election, he followed through on the idea and the Peace Corps was established through an Executive Order and authorized by Congress in September 1961. The first director of the Peace Corps was R. Sargent Shriver, the president's brother-in-law, who was given full responsibility for development of its policies. Just as America's early pioneers developed the wilderness by spreading out across the land, the idealistic basis of the Peace Corps was that American volunteers would spread out across the world and help develop "Third World" countries. A Peace Corps recruiting brochure stressed that "the volunteer must be prepared to live a pioneer life."2 The first volunteers were placed in Africa. It was a strange view most Americans had of the "Dark Continent" at that time; it was seen as an almost mythical place. Robert Coughlan described Africa when writing for Life magazine in 1959: "It is the black Africa of apes and ivory, of Stanley and Livingston, of crocodile and lion, and of 125 million people still living in or at the edge of savagery." He wrote, "almost all Africans were quite primitive," suffering from the "inertia of eons of ignorance." For Coughlan, Americans had a role to help Africans "explode out of the Stone Age into the modern world."3 The challenge of the Peace Corps was to bring a better understanding between Americans and other peoples of the world and reduce such misunderstandings of other cultures. The Peace Corps was established on three primary purposes—to provide technical assistance to other countries, to help people outside the United States understand American culture, and to help Americans to understand the cultures of other countries. The Peace Corps would only place volunteers in countries where they had been requested, and only in programs the host country had described, so volunteers should feel welcomed upon arrival. Because the policies of the new agency were amorphous at the beginning, the ideal Volunteer was seen as a recent graduate with a B.A. Generalist degree able to adapt to do almost anything, since "... nobody knew exactly what they were training the volunteers for."4 The Peace Corps idea caught on quickly, especially among younger Americans. Shriver and his staff conceptualized how "... a cadre of new pioneers would help cure a malaise among the American youth of the 1960s."5 Within two years over 7,300 Volunteers had been placed in 44 countries. Policies regarding volunteer placement have remained largely unchanged over the years. Volunteers typically serve for two years. The Peace Corps provides them with housing and a living stipend to cover food and incidentals—allowing them to live similarly to the people in their community. The minimum age for service is 18; there is no upper age limit. The health, safety, and security of volunteers are the Peace Corps’ highest priorities, and most volunteers recognized medical care as one of the most satisfying aspects of their experience. The agency has stayed true to its original goals. Over the decades other countries have been concerned about America's military and economic dominance and hegemony, and anti-American sentiment often causes international friction. However, over the years the Peace Corps has steered 7 clear of major political and diplomatic conflicts. It is a testament to the underlying idea of volunteer service that in the 54 years of its existence, over 220,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in 140 countries; currently there are over 6,800 Volunteers
Load more

Recommended publications
  • DETOX LENTIL SOUP Wild Rice Soup Sweet Potato Peanut Stew Beef Stew
    DETOX LENTIL SOUP wild rice soup Freeze together: freeze together: 2 cups chopped , fresh or frozen butternut squash 3 cups mirepoix, fresh or frozen 2 cups , fresh or frozen mirepoix 8 ounces mushrooms, fresh or frozen 1-2 cups chopped , fresh or frozen potatoes 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup uncooked brown lentils 1 cup uncooked wild rice 3 cloves , minced garlic 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon (more to taste) salt 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning 4-5 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1 lb. chicken breasts (optional) add after cooking: add after cooking: 1/4 cup olive oil 6 tablespoons 1-2 cups kale, finely chopped butter 1/2 cup flour Instant Pot: 1 1/2 cups whole milk From frozen, 15 minutes on high pressure + 10 Instant Pot: minutes natural release. From frozen, 30 minutes on high pressure + 10 slow cooker: minutes natural release. From frozen, 6 hours on high. slow cooker: final step: From frozen, 4 hours on high. Stir in olive oil and kale. (In the Instant Pot, the final step: vegetables should break down enough to make it Melt butter, whisk in flour, whisk in milk until creamy! In the slow cooker, blend a little bit of the creamy and thick. Add to the soup. Add extra water soup with the olive oil to make a creamy base.) to thin to desired consistency. Finish with lemon juice or red wine vinegar. sweet potato peanut stew beef stew freeze together: freeze together: 2 lbs. beef chuck, fat trimmed, cut in 3 cups chopped sweet potatoes, fresh or frozen small-ish pieces 2 jalapeños, minced 1 medium onion, sliced thinly half of an onion, chopped 6 stalks celery, sliced diagonally 4 cloves garlic, minced 6 carrots, sliced diagonally 1 teaspoon curry powder 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 cans tomato juice (about 1 cup) 1 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes 1 14-ounce can coconut milk This recipe works best when divided between two 7-cup glass containers, or stored in a plastic bag.
    [Show full text]
  • P​Eanut​ B​Utter​ S​Tew
    R​ECIPE ​ C​OMPLIMENTS ​ ​OF ​ L​ES ​ D​ELICES ​ D​E ​ A​WA,​ LLC P​EANUT ​ B​UTTER ​ S​TEW Ingredients (serves 4) ● 1 whole chicken (4 to 5 pounds) ● 3 tomatoes skin on, cut into medium pieces ● 10 garlic cloves ● Black pepper ● 1 root of ginger ● Garlic salt ● 4 chicken bouillon cubes or maggi ● Salt seasoning (vegetarian option) ● Paprika ● 1 whole habanero pepper ● Parsley (optional) ● 1 jar organic peanut butter (with ● Salt and pepper to taste the oil on top) ● 4 cups of jasmine rice (optional, to ● 2 tablespoons tomato paste serve on the side) ● 2 medium onions For Vegetarians: ​Omit the chicken and chicken bouillon. In its place, substitute: ● 1/2 Cabbage ● 4 Carrots ● 1 small eggplant Nut Allergies:​ ​Omit the peanut butter using almond butter, cashew butter or sunbutter. Even a mix of tahini with any of these butters would be delicious Peanut Butter Stew Cooking Instructions: 1. Preheat your oven at 375 F. 2. Cut your chicken into pieces, trim of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin 3. Blend some garlic, parsley and ginger. Add in a bouillon stock or 2, black pepper, paprika and salt. 4. Marinade the chicken with the paste and reserve RECIPE BROUGHT TO YOU BY: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 5. Once the oven is ready, put your chicken in a baking pan and place it in. 6. Dice your onions and cut up the tomatoes 7. Grate the ginger and chop the garlic 8. Spoon your peanut butter and place it in a medium size bowl 9. Add in some water and mix until you get a thick consistency 10.
    [Show full text]
  • LESSON 5: Tubers and Mashes
    LESSON 5: Tubers and Mashes Lesson 5 brings a new concept to the nutritional landscape: tubers. Various mashes and dough made from tubers, root vegetables and starchy fruits, like breadfruit and plantains, are staples in African heritage cuisine. Like pasta in the Mediterranean, tubers and mashes act as vehicles for heaps of nutritious vegetables, sauces, stews, herbs and spices poured on top. As students begin to rethink their plate, featuring plant-based foods as their main courses, tubers make for a hearty, healthy, satisfying ingredient. Oldways Tip #1: Alleviate fears about peanut butter stew. Understandably, many Americans are skeptical about using peanut butter in a vegetable recipe. The Senegalese Sweet Potato Peanut Stew (Mafe) is actually the program’s highest rated recipe by students. Let your students know this ahead of time, to excite their positive expectations. Peanuts have been used in culinary traditions for millennia, from African peanut stews to Asian peanut sauces, like those featured in Pad Thai. Oldways Tip #2: Bring in other tubers to show students. Use page 127 in your Teacher’s Curriculum to help you find different varieties of tubers, either at a conventional or ethnic grocery store, to show your students. You can also send your students on a scavenger hunt, asking them to seek out and bring in tubers to class. Cassava, taro root and plantains are becoming more widely available in commercial grocery stores. Walking through page 127 with these ingredients on hand, for students to hold in their hands and examine, will make for an even richer discussion. Class Extra: If available near you, consider serving raw jicama slices as a class snack for this lesson.
    [Show full text]
  • The Two Faces of Ghana
    August 9, 2009 The Two Faces of Ghana By LABAN CARRICK HILL AT midday, the heat was so palpable that it had its own color, a pulsing, iridescent yellow. I paused at a tiny market stall and bought a peeled and sliced half pineapple — sweet and juicy, not like the tart pineapples in the markets at home in Vermont. Then I stopped a young woman carrying a tray of hard-boiled eggs on her head. She took the tray down, knelt and, with a plastic bag over her hand, peeled and salted the egg for me. To complete my meal, I bought a tiny sachet of filtered water from a small boy carrying a bucket of them on his head. I was in the Kotokuruba Market in Cape Coast, a city of about 82,000 people in the West African nation of Ghana, on a Wednesday morning last summer. The market rocked with music, from hip-hop, pulsing from loudspeakers, to tribal drumming. Honking taxis fought pedestrians for space. The stalls seemed to sell just about anything — machetes and huge cast-iron cooking pots, pirated DVDs and homemade slingshots. A blacksmith worked a piece of iron over an open-air hearth; I picked up one of his earlier creations: a gangkogui, which is an elongated cowbell, the kind used as percussive accompaniment in drumming ceremonies. Its forged and hammered metal had been wrought into elegant, almost arabesque, curves. At every turn I was met with a friendly “Akwaaba!” which means “welcome.” Small children shouted, “How are you, Obruni?” In Fante, the local language, obruni is the word for “white person.” In one of the market aisles, a woman dressed in a colorful batik dress with an infant tied to her back offered mortars and pestles for making fufu, an African staple of pounded cassava and unripe plantain.
    [Show full text]
  • Favourite Food and Recipes of Ghana
    Favourite Food of Ghana Fufu – a mixture of cassava and yams or plantain which is boiled and then pounded into a sticky dumpling. The dumpling is boiled and served with soup or stew. Adua froi - black bean stew which contains vegetables, meat or fish Groundnut stew – (peanut stew) which contains vegetables, meat or fish Palm oil soup - which contains vegetables, meat or fish Corn – roasted or boiled on the cob. Kernels can also be ground into flour and made into kenkey and banku dumplings Kontumire - a green leafy vegetable similar to spinach. It is mixed with palm oil to make a stew and served with slices of boiled plantain. Fried or boiled plantain (a type of banana) Rice Favourite Recipes from Ghana Hot Plantain Crisps - a Snack or Appetizer 4 plantains (should be firm) 4 tsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper Oil for frying 1. Cut plantain 1/2-inch thick. 2. Sprinkle lemon juice over the pieces, stirring to moisten. 3. In a separate bowl, combine the ginger and pepper. 4. Roll plantain pieces a few at a time in the spice mixture to coat surfaces. 5. Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a heavy skillet until a test piece of plantain sputters, then transfer plantain slices to the skillet. 6. Fry until outsides are crisp and golden. 7. With a slotted spoon, remove plantains to paper towel. Serve hot. Tatale (Ghanaian Plantain Cakes) - a Snack or Appetizer 2 over-ripe medium plantains (black and soft) 1 small onion, finely chopped or grated 25 to 50 g (1 to 2 oz) self-raising flour 5 ml (1 tsp) palm oil Optional: salt and hot pepper to taste oil, for frying 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Quarterly Publication of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor
    VOLUMEVOLUME XVI, XXIX, NUMBER NUMBER 4 4 FALL FALL 2000 2013 Quarterly Publication of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor “Preparing Couscous”, a watercolor by Moroccan chef and painter Mohammed Ben Ali R’bati (1861‐1936), appears to depict a memory from his childhood. Image from Daniel Rondeau, Abderrahman Slaoui, and Nicole de Pontcharra, Mohammed Ben Ali R’bati: Un Peintre à Tanger en 1900 (Éditions Malika, 2000) REPAST VOLUME XXIX, NUMBER 4 FALL 2013 IN MEMORIAM: HAZEL PROCTOR We were saddened to hear of the passing of former CHAA member Hazel Proctor, 91. She died on August 25 at Arbor Hospice following a short illness. She and her second husband, Jay Carp, joined CHAA in 2003 and remained members until 2005, when she moved to Milan, MI. She is survived by Jay and by two of her three sons, two grandchildren, and two great- grandchildren. Born in a ranch house on the outskirts of Austin, TX, Hazel Peabody Proctor, whose nickname was “Scoop”, eventually made her way to the Upper Midwest and became a leading businesswoman in Ann Arbor. One of her local companies was Proctor Publications, LLC, a longtime area publisher of fiction and nonfiction that Hazel and her eldest son, Don, co- founded and directed. (Since 2003 it has been a ISSN 1552-8863 subsidiary of Publishing Ventures, Inc.) One of its Published quarterly by the food-related releases was Marzella Leib’s Recipes of Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor (CHAA) the Old German Restaurant and Other Traditional German Recipes (2000). That book has helped carry http://www.culinaryhistoriansannarbor.org on the legacy of Ann Arbor’s “Old G” restaurant, An archive is available at http://cooks.aadl.org/cooks/repast where the German-born Leib was a waitress for many years.
    [Show full text]
  • Benin Customs and Cuisine May 2018
    Benin Customs and Cuisine May 2018 Local Cuisine of Benin The Batonga Foundation’s staff in Cotonou, Benin compiled this list of dishes, which are all uniquely Beninese and West African: Le Mantindjan: Mantindjan, which means “Sauce when there is no more room,” originates in southern Benin. This sauce is often cooked “as a sign of love from a wife to her spouse.” This thick sauce is a mix of multiple meats and cheeses that “your pantry no longer has room for.” The sauce can be eaten on a corn paste, a cassava paste, or amalla (yam chips). Le BlocOtto: Prepared with cow feet, the BlocOtto is a sauce which is eaten on many different pastes, such as corn or cassava pastes. Easier to prepare than many sauces, this cow’s feet sauce is incredibly popular across Benin. Le Dakouin: A dish typical in southern Benin made with cassava accompanied by fried tomatoes and fish sauce. Le Agoun: Crushed yam with peanut sauce, served with bush meat or cheese. Le Piron: Cassava paste accompanied by pork juice L’Ablo: cake or paste made from rice with cooked vegetables accompanied by a seasoned fried fish. Atassi: a mixture of seasoned rice and beans with fried tomatoes and hot chilis, from northern Benin. It can be accompanied by “Peul cheese,” meat, or fried fish. Le Toubani: Prepared in northern Benin, toubani is made from bean flour or cassava flour (the flavor is lighter and sweeter when made with cassava flour). It must be consumed warm and is accompanied by dried peppers and oil.
    [Show full text]
  • Cotton Recipes
    M Cotton recipes See how organic cotton tastes Pestizid Aktions-Netzwerk e.V. (PAN Germany) Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Founded in 1982, the Pesticide Action Network is an international coalition of over 600 citizen groups in more than 60 countries working to oppose the misuse of pesticides and to promote sustainable agriculture and ecologically sound pest management. The brochure was supported by The content presented herein is within the responsibility of PAN Germany and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of any of the donors. Imprint Pestizid Aktions-Netzwerk e.V. (PAN Germany), 2006 Nernstweg 32, 22765 Hamburg, Germany Tel. ++49 (0)40 - 399.19.10.0 Fax: ++49 (0)40 - 390.75.20 Email: [email protected] Homepage: www.pan-germany.org and www.OrganicCottonEurope.net Authors: Susan Haffmans, Norbert Reintjes, with contributions from Saro Ratter Editor: Alexandra Perschau Layout: Alexandra Perschau, Reginald Bruhn Photos: Title: Helvetas Mali on the other pages: Helvetas Mali, Lichtschatz Projekte , Saro Ratter, Remei AG and PAN Germany Cotton recipes – see how organic cotton tastes 3 Contents Introduction................................................................................................................................................ 4 Background information - Cotton economy ............................................................................................. 4 Organic cotton – a successful system with high diversity
    [Show full text]
  • Recipe, Episode 612
    “The Local Buy” Recipe, Episode 612 Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew Adapted from From My Bowl https://frommybowl.com/sweet-potato-peanut-stew/ Ingredients 2 tablespoons oil (olive, vegetable, or canola) or ghee 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced 1 onion, diced (red, white, or yellow) 1 teaspoon dried powdered ginger 1 tablespoon curry powder ½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 6 ounce can tomato paste 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes with juice 1/3 cup of peanut butter 2-3 large sweet potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes 1 ½ cups dried red lentils 3 cups of vegetable broth or water 1 bunch of chard, kale, collards, or other leafy greens, de-stemmed and chopped Yields 8-10 servings. Directions 1. Chop the garlic, onion, sweet potatoes, and greens. 2. Mix together the dry spices in a small bowl. 3. Heat up a large pot on medium. When it gets hot, add the oil and let it heat up for a minute or so. Be careful not to heat the oil too much or it will smoke. 4. Add the onion and garlic to the hot oil. Cook for about 7 minutes until the onion softens and you can start to see browning of both the onion and garlic. 5. Add the spices to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes until you can smell the spices. 6. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes with their juice, and peanut butter. Stir all ingredients until they are evenly mixed together. 7. Put the sweet potatoes, lentils, and broth or water into the pot.
    [Show full text]
  • OLDWAYS AFRICANA SOUP in STORIES Edited by Stephanie Y
    OASIS OLDWAYS AFRICANA SOUP IN STORIES Edited by Stephanie Y. Evans with Sade Anderson & Johnisha Levi A DISCUSSION OF BLACK WOMEN’S FOODWAYS autumn. a bonfire of leaves. morning peels us toward pomegranate festivals. and in the evening i bring you soup cooled by my laughter. ~Sonia Sanchez OASIS OLDWAYS AFRICANA SOUP IN STORIES “Cooking empowers us to choose what we want for ourselves and our families.” - Oldways, A Taste of African Heritage Cooking Program "Diabetes is not part of African-Americans' heritage. Neither is heart disease. What is in your heritage is a healthy heart, a strong body, extraordinary energy, vibrant and delicious foods, and a long healthy life." - Oldways, African Heritage and Health Program Oldways African Heritage & Health oldwayspt.org/programs/african-heritage-health Stephanie Y. Evans www.professorevans.net 2016 © Stephanie Y. Evans and Oldways Individual stories and recipes © contributors Header photo credit: Selas Kidane All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, printed, distributed, or transmitted in any form without written permission of the publisher. Electronic links to publication sources and not for profit sharing of complete publication document are encouraged. OASIS: Oldways Africana Soup in Stories is a collection of life stories and recipes. The publisher is not attempting to make any factual claims or offer health advice with content provided by contributing authors. The views and content expressed—and the recipes and photos in this work—are solely those of authors and do not reflect the views of the publisher; therefore, the publisher disclaims any responsibility held by authors. 1 Page A DISCUSSION OF BLACK WOMEN’S FOODWAYS OASIS gathers culturally-informed soup recipes to expand nutritional knowledge and discussions of Black women’s wellness.
    [Show full text]
  • West African-Inspired Peanut Stew
    West African-Inspired Peanut Stew Recipe from budgetbytes.com Ingredients • 1 Tbsp olive oil • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes • 4 cloves garlic • One 6 oz. can tomato paste • 1/4 tsp ground ginger • 1/2 cup natural style peanut butter • 1 sweet potato • 6 cups vegetable broth • 1 medium onion • 1/2 bunch collard greens (4-6 cups chopped) • 1 tsp cumin Directions Yield: 9 cup Serving Size: 1.5 cups Total Cost: $6.38 Serving Cost: $1.06 1. Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Sauté the onion, ginger, and garlic in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion becomes soft and translucent. 2. While the onion, ginger, and garlic are sautéing, dice the sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes. Add the sweet potato cubes, cumin, and red pepper to the pot and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes. 3. Add the tomato paste, peanut butter, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir until the peanut butter and tomato paste have mostly dissolved into the broth. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high. Allow the stew to come up to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft. 4. Once the stew has simmered until the sweet potatoes are very soft, stir in the collard greens. Let the stew simmer for about 5 minutes more, then begin to smash the sweet potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken the stew.
    [Show full text]
  • Out of Africa SC•91 Supplement
    Out of Africa SC•91 Supplement heavy pot over low to moderate heat. Tip in the chopped onion, garlic, and chile pepper, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent. Add the pieces of lamb and sauté these for 5 minutes, turning them with a spatula. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover the pot, and Homemade Peanut Oil slow cook for half an hour. Check the meat once or twice during this time and stir in a few spoonfuls of the stock From The Gold Coast Cookery Book (1933) if it is cooking dry. This recipe is included because you, like me, may have • At the end of the half hour of cooking, strain the stock wondered how you might make peanut oil at home. The (discarding the bones) and pour it into the pot with the following method was contributed by “Miss Spears,” and lamb. Drain the soaking black-eyed peas and add these while the idea is clear enough, I’m not sure how smooth to the pot as well, followed by the tomato paste, thyme, the sailing will be if you try to follow her instructions. allspice, black pepper, the remaining teaspoon of salt, and hot pepper sauce. Continue cooking until the beans 6 pounds raw peanuts • cold water are tender but not mushy. • Pound the raw peanuts, then grind them into coarse 4 Add the squash cubes and simmer until these, too, are meal and divide the result into two buckets. tender, about 15 minutes. Serve with rice. • Gradually stir cold water into the buckets until both * COOK’S NOTE: WINTER SQUASH.
    [Show full text]