The 12 Weeks of Christmas: Week 7-Senegambia

The 12 Weeks of Christmas: Week 7-Senegambia

(Source: Britannica.com)

Senegal and The Gambia are technically two separate countries, but they are often referred to by the combined name of Senegambia. I was unsure at first about including these countries in this project, because they are majority Muslim nations. I didn't want to include nations that didn't generally celebrate Christmas in a Christmas project, as it seemed disrespectful. But then I found this, and it helped me decide to include them after all. 

I had two recipes picked out, but ended up only doing the entree and skipping the dessert. I just didn't have the energy for both. Tonight's dinner was a stew called Maafe.

It's a really easy recipe, but it does fit in well for this time of year with the sweet potato in it. It calls for beef, but I used chicken instead and I think it was just as good. Here are all the prepped ingredients. I put the pepper and bay leaf in cheesecloth so I could pull them out more easily after it was all cooked.

Here it is in action cooking on the stove!

And after you add all the other ingredients and wait for it to come to a boil. Cover it and just let it simmer for about an hour. It's so easy!

The only ingredient I was missing was the eggplant, but other than that, it's all there. I also used chicken broth powder instead of bouillon cubes but that worked just as well. Here's the finished product, served over cooked white rice. This was a really filling dish and I can tell that the flavors will be even more amazing tomorrow. The spice comes through and the flavors blend well together. If you've never used peanut butter in savory applications like this, I highly recommend it. It really works well in dishes like this.

One day I might try the dessert I had picked out because it did look really tasty. I need to explore West African food more because I love it every time I try it. If you have never tried West African food, give this dish a try. It's perfect for this time of year and is very easy to make!