![\"Atti\u00e9k\u00e9](\"https:\/\/fnerk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/20201212_172317-1-rotated.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOn the right is a pepper that we’ve been looking for for ages – a Scotch Bonnet.\u00a0 Habaneros make perfectly acceptable substitutes, and that’s what we’ve been doing, but because they’re common in both African and Caribbean cuisines, this makes something like the eighth recipe we’ve done that calls for them.<\/p>\n
We finally found a source in the same small African grocer that provided the cassava leaves for Congo two weeks ago.\u00a0 And bonus – they had the national dish of C\u00f4te d’Ivoire: Atti\u00e9k\u00e9!<\/em>\u00a0 Atti\u00e9k\u00e9 is so iconic to this country that there’s been a recent move to have it designated a DOP (protected name), like Prosciutto di Parma. (Did you know that if it’s not actually from Parma, then it’s just sparkling ham?)<\/p>\n At any rate, what IS Atti\u00e9k\u00e9?\u00a0 It’s couscous, but instead of being made of… (Google, Google, Google) seminola flour like regular couscous, it’s made of cassava starch.\u00a0 This gives it a pleasantly sour bite, and is without question my favorite thing I’ve eaten so far that is made of cassava.<\/p>\n But just because it’s the national dish, doesn’t mean that it is dinner by itself.\u00a0 As a main dish, we made a chicken stew called Kedjenu.\u00a0<\/em>And here is where I failed you, dear readers, in the photography department.<\/p>\n We bought an entire chicken.\u00a0 Whole.\u00a0 This is not a thing we normally do, and would have made a lovely photograph, don’t you think?<\/p>\n Anyway, here’s a picture of all the ingredients in the pot, sadly taken AFTER I dismantled the chicken.<\/p>\n <\/a>Turns out, there’s nothing terribly unusual here: chicken, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, bell pepper, white and green onions, and one of them there Scotch bonnets.\u00a0 Take note – that’s a ratio of ONE Scotch bonnet to ONE entire chicken.<\/p>\n Kedjenou (probably) literally means “shaken”, so the idea is that you’d put all these ingredients into a tightly sealed, heavy pot, and then instead of opening it and letting all the moisture escape, you’d shake the pot periodically during cooking.\u00a0 And that’s what we did – this Dutch oven is pretty heavy and has a tight fitting lid, so a quick stir, and then everything just went in the oven for an hour.\u00a0 Easy.<\/p>\n The atti\u00e9k\u00e9 was even simpler.\u00a0 This dried version (you can also get it frozen) just required a 1:1 ratio with water and a quick zap in the microwave.\u00a0 That’s probably not the most traditional method, but it’s what the box said to do, and who am I to argue with packaging?\u00a0 (The box also said this product really was made in C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, so bonus authenticity points there.)<\/p>\n After a while, the kitchen smells amazing, and out comes the stew:<\/p>\n The paprika and tomatoes have turned the sauce a lovely red color.\u00a0 Here’s the whole package:<\/p>\n I like to think we’re getting better at the food porn here.<\/p>\n This dish was delicious, and the chicken was extremely moist after being sealed in the pot the whole time.\u00a0 It was also SPICY. Scotch bonnets are not fooling around y’all. (And since we both love spicy food, that’s fine with us!)<\/p>\n Not every one of these international meals has to be a big project!\u00a0 This one was simplicity itself, and could easily be made on a weeknight.\u00a0 There’s no rule that says you couldn’t just buy a package of chicken parts if you didn’t want to bother slicing it up yourself.\u00a0 And while atti\u00e9k\u00e9 may be a bit challenging to find, it would also work just fine with rice or standard couscous.\u00a0 (That said, since WE know where to find it, we’ll be making it more in the future.)<\/p>\n With the holidays coming up, we may defer our next country until Christmas itself, since we have a real expert advising us on our next entry – Croatia!<\/p>\n Recipe: This week we return to west Africa, and the country of Ivory Coast, or C\u00f4te d’Ivoire.\u00a0 (That diacritical is going to give me fits.) And for some reason, we’ll be using the local name for the alphabetization.\u00a0 We’re still not … Continue reading <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\nKedjenou<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"