A Memorable Christmas with Jollof, Berber Buns, Malva Pudding and more...
Merry Christmas Darlings!
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MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING!
Thank you for your support and for being part of the most wonderful memories this year. I wish you a wonderful Christmas. However you choose to spend it, I hope you find peace, joy and happiness in all things.
Christmas, this year is going to be rather interesting. Unconventional, which perhaps is rather conventional for me. It is my favourite time of the year with all the unique celebrations and feelings that the season bestows upon us. Christmas is a special time of reflection and a very important religious celebration for me as a Catholic. I love every bit of it, from the wonderful carols to the joyous mass in the church and of course the food! The all-important Christmas Food. Which is always a much-enjoyed responsibility.
But this year I fear I may not enjoy Christmas like I am used to. Struck down with a terrible cold, and after such a strenuous few years I really need to rest and rejuvenate. Although I feel miserable being ill, what a fantastic year it has been. There are a lot of great memories to hold on to including Christmas feasts shared with you in person and virtually. Once I’m better I’ll be cooking Berber Buns, Berbere Chicken Stew, Jollof, Christmas Pudding Puff Puffs, Malva Pudding and more. If you have a copy of AFRICANA do give these a whirl I will also include links to some recipes such as Yassa Roast, Spiced Apple Cake and more from our archives.
A Festive Supperclub in Bath
I fell in love with Bath the first time I visited the city in October. It is where Bridgerton was filmed! With beauty in every corner as you walk through the cobblestoned streets. An entire newsletter needs to be dedicated to that first visit. Perhaps as part of my best of 2022 throwbacks. I was there as part of my book tour, cooking in one of the most enchanting and well-respected bookstores in the country, Topping & Co. In just a few days I made so many great friends, and just like that, we planned a fabulous supper in December. And so for the second time, I visited Bath, this time at Christmas, to host a festive feast at the beautiful Berdoulat. An emporium of interiors, books and more, which you must visit when you find yourself in Bath. Watch a little snippet here.
We feasted on Smoky Jollof topped with roasted shallots & red peppers, Pumpkin Peppersoup with Plantain Chips & Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Aubergine Yassa & Poulet Yassa, with caramelised onions and paprika for some smoky warmth. Both are topped with pomegranate jewels.
For the salad, we served Christmas on a plate! Slow-roasted Carrots with orange, ginger and fennel seeds. I promise you. With the fragrant zest and juice of fresh oranges, simmering away with fennel seeds and ginger, this dish is Christmas on a plate.
And for pudding! Malva pudding of course. Our South African knockout dessert always hits the spot!
Here is the recipe for my Sticky Apricot ‘Malva’ Pudding. Typically behind the paywall for paid members but lifted for Christmas so that if you do not have a copy of the Africana cookbook you can also try it.
Our Festive Virtual Cooking Class
Thanks to all who attended our festive cookery class a few Sundays ago. It was one of the most fulfilling classes I have ever taught. 12-year-old baking enthusiast, Tristan joined us to cook with his mum. For the past year, he has been enduring a rough time undergoing treatment for leukaemia. Cooking and baking make him happy and so his mum thought he would enjoy our Berber Buns making class. This was a class, especially for Cook With Lerato subscribers where we cooked recipes from AFRICANA.
Check out Tris’s Instagram page to follow his journey and his love for baking.
We made Berber Buns - one of my favourite bakes from AFRICANA. Crusty rolls filled with headily spiced kefta (spiced mince) served with a bewitching Smoky Tomato & Date Jam which you have to try. The smoky Uda pods in this jam adds an enchanting layer to the different flavours in this jam. And what a triumph it was for Tris. When he was diagnosed with leukaemia, he was also diagnosed as gluten intolerant and so for his buns, Tris and his mum used gluten-free flour and added about a tablespoon of yoghurt to their dough. Although I haven’t tried this yet, they were very happy with the result of their bun. Some of us filled ours with minced lamb and others with mushrooms.
These buns have been all the rage at our events and supper clubs this season. And they are excellent treats for parties including the festive season. Enjoy them with Smoky Tomato & Date Jam. Watch how I make them here.
Although I claim not to love baking, I used to own a pizzeria in Abuja, which is the capital of Nigeria. It was my very first business after studying economics at university in London. And in running a pizzeria I learnt many tricks to the trade in baking and the business of food. I have been of service to food lovers for a very long time, and perhaps this is why hosting my events and supper clubs is like second nature. While running a pizzeria, I also discovered the secret to richer-tasting yeasted bread by using a slow-rise method. The dough for my Berber buns recipe is essentially pizza dough with a mix of semolina flour for a lovely crust.
My Berber Buns in Africana are inspired by the Berber Pizza, typically stuffed with minced lamb or vegetables cooked in ras el hanout, rolled flat and baked in a sand pit or mud oven in the Sahara.
Cook’s Tip: Leaving the dough to rise for an hour or more until doubled in size is excellent depending on how warm your kitchen is. To speed things up in my cold kitchen I heat my oven to 180 degrees (fan oven) for a few minutes, open it and place the covered dough inside or on the oven door. Make sure to oil the bowl to prevent any sticking and oil the top of the dough to avoid a crusty top layer.
For even better-flavoured bread, as we did in my pizzeria, you can leave the dough to rise slowly in the fridge overnight. It may sound counterproductive for yeasted dough, but the slower the process, the richer the bread. Just don’t overdo it or you will ruin the dough.
Here are more recipes to try this festive season. Happy holidays and lots of love.
Lerato
(please excuse any typos. I managed to write this while on night nurse. I even misspelt my name at first. yikes!)
~ Stuffed Squash with Spiced Barley & Chickpeas
~ Elevate your Christmas Roast with Yassa Roast Chicken
~ Spiced Apple Pudding - Christmas pudding for Christmas pudding haters
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