Category: main dish

Stove Top Two Cheese Sorghum Crust Pineapple Pizza + Video

~ Sophie ~ 4 Comments

Loaded pineapple pizza with sorghum crust and a finishing of Edam and Colby cheeses.

I have been on a bushera kick lately mostly because I have found out there is the chilled packaged version which is so refreshing in this endless heat. I especially love the sour and slightly sweet taste that it has and was surprised to find out, from a friend I was talking to, that traditionally bushera is sweetened with sorghum. So much to learn.

I have been experimenting with bread a lot lately. Some have come out amazing and some still need to be worked on. But one thing I have found quite exciting to work with is sorghum. In fact, this whole pizza idea started with sorghum bread.  Growing up, I fed on a lot of sorghum, so I’ve been told. My parents pride themselves in always telling me that sorghum brought me up. And now that I am old enough to actually tell the difference from millet and the nutritional value it has, making pizza was just perfect: Combining something nutritious with something widely loved.

So here is the breakdown of this pizza. First off, a soft sorghum pizza dough with a crunchy bottom; home-made tomato/pasta/pizza sauce that is irresistible; crunchy green pepper, mushrooms, onions, sweet and slightly tangy pineapple bits. And what is pizza without cheese? Finish off with Edam and Colby. With friends over at Paramount Dairies, I bring you this pizza with these two special hard cheeses. And the best part is that you do not have to have an oven to make this one. Keep scrolling to see video.

Observations

  1. The milk has to be warm so the yeast can rise.
  2. Using milk will soften the dough since sorghum alone hardens the bread
  3. Keep half a cup of warm milk near in case the dough needs more liquid.
  4. Use a ripe pineapple for topping to add a slightly tangy and sweet taste
  5. You can use any sauce you desire although I used the same sauce I made for the cheesy meatballs because it adds richness to the pizza.
  6. Grate a generous amount of cheese on your pizza

What you will need: 

Pizza Dough

1 C. Sorghum Flour

3 C.  Baking flour

½ C. Warm milk

¼ C. Oil

¼ C. Sugar

1 Tsp. Salt

2 ½ Tsp. Yeast

 

Sauce

20 Tomatoes

3 Medium onions, finely chopped

4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon coriander

½ Tsp. cinnamon

1 C. Tomato sauce/ketchup

4 Tbsp. Grated Colby

1/8 C. Sugar

2 Tbsp. Cooking oil

1 Tsp. Mild Chilli oil (optional)

Salt

Pizza Toppings

2 C. Pineapple, finely cubed

3 C. Homemade sauce

2 C. Mushrooms, boiled/sautéed

Paramount Edam and Colby cheese

1 ½ C. Green pepper, thinly sliced

1 C. Onions, finely sliced

Parsley and or coriander for garnish (optional)

Method

Pizza Dough

In a bowl, add milk and sugar and stir till the sugar is dissolved. Add yeast and stir well. Cover the bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, sift the baking (wheat) and sorghum flours and mix well with hands or a fork.  Add in salt and mix.  Once the yeast has risen (turned frothy), add in the oil and mix with a fork. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour and mix till non sticky dough is formed. Cover dough in the bowl with a damp towel/cloth and set aside in a fairly warm place. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.

Once the dough has risen, punch it so it goes back to its original size. On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 10 seconds. After kneading, divide the dough into 4 equal parts.  On a floured surface, still, roll out each piece of dough to at most the thickness of half an inch.  Let the pizza dough rise for another 15-20 minutes.

On a stove with medium heat, place a pan (preferably non-stick) and cover it so it can get hot. Place the first pizza dough into the pan and cover and let it slowly bake for around 6-8 minutes. Flip it and let the other side bake for the same time too. Remove from fire and repeat the process till all the pizza dough is done.

Sauce

Wash the tomatoes and then peel them. Cut into quarters then set aside. Put a saucepan on medium heat and add the oil. Let it get hot then add the garlic. Wait for the garlic to slightly turn brown then add the onions. Stir well. After two minutes, add the quartered tomatoes. And stir them well. Add chili oil. Cover the pan and let the tomatoes cook. After about 5 minutes, remove the lid and stir the tomatoes. Add the coriander and salt. Stir then cover again and let the tomatoes simmer in their juices. After about two minutes, when the tomatoes are starting to soften, use the flat back of a wooden spoon or the bottom side of a plastic cup (feel free to improvise. Anything that can mash the tomatoes will work.) to mash them while stirring occasionally. When all the tomatoes are mashed and a thick-like soup consistency is formed, add the ketchup/tomato sauce, cinnamon and sugar. Stir well and place the lid back on. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the grated Colby and stir well. Remove from fire.

Assembling

Spread enough sauce on the pizza dough. Add green pepper then mushrooms.  Add onions and pineapple. Grate Edam onto the pizza. Add a generous amount of Colby. On a stove with medium heat, place the pan used to bake the dough. Cover it so it can get hot. Place the first pizza into the pan and cover and let it slowly bake for another 6-8 minutes. Pour a tablespoon of water in the middle of the pizza to add moisture so the cheese can easily melt and the pizza can retain moisture.  Remove from fire and repeat the process till all the 4 pizzas are done.  Garnish with Parsley and or coriander. Serve hot.

Have you tried bushera? What other ways do  you prepare and eat sorghum? Leave a comment below.

🙂

Sophie

 

 

This post is made possible by Paramount Dairies. You can find Paramount Edam and Colby cheese and other cheese products in major supermarkets in Kampala.

Nile Perch Burgers with Sliced Jack Cheese + Video

~ Sophie ~ 11 Comments

Juicy Nile Perch Burgers with sliced Jack cheese, pickled onions and herbed yoghurt.

Two Nile perch recipes in one month? Well, it is because I cannot get over  the fleshy and goodness of the fish. There is comfort food and then there is  ‘crave-food’ (I just made that up). Although these foods can be interchangeable, I personally think burgers fall in the ‘crave-food category.  In the ideal world, burgers would be served for every meal. Sadly that does not happen . That  is why this once in a while burger is the BURGER that you should absolutely try out. With my friends over at Paramount Dairies, I bring you this juicy fully flavored Nile perch burger with Sliced Jack Cheese which adds a rich savory cheesy taste to the whole combo. To fully comprehend the flavors that are at work here, I will explain each layer one by one.

First there are these patties that have fleshy Nile perch as the foundation, a mix of grated vegetables and spices, and some plain yoghurt to enhance the flavor and keep them moist.

Onions pickled in vinegar add a sour sweet taste and crunchy feel to the burger and some red juicy tomatoes.

Then there is the herbed yoghurt that has smokey coriander and thyme. Best part is you can flavor it anyway you want. I find coriander to go well with fish.

Buttered whole wheat buns that a toasted to add a crunch to the burger. And of course the cheese. Jack cheese is awesome because not only is it delicious (you can eat it as is) but it melts well and it is already pre-sliced which is so convenient.

Observations:

  1. Use plain yoghurt as it is easy to flavor however you want
  2. To pickle the onions, you will need to thinly slice then and soak them in vinegar for about 20-30 minute or until they turn a bright purple color and are softened through.
  3. To make herbed yoghurt,  thinly chop all the herbs and add them to  the yoghurt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Since the plain yoghurt is a bit sour, salt it generously to reduce the sourness.
  4. To get the Nile perch fillet, boil fresh Nile perch with garlic and ginger(for flavor) for about 10 minutes or until the flesh is soft to the touch.

Watch the video for a tutorial on how to make the Nile perch patties and how to assemble the burger.

What you will need:

Burger

Whole wheat buns

Butter/Margarine

Nile Perch fillet

Sliced Jack cheese

Fully ripe and juicy tomatoes

Pickled Onions

Herbed yoghurt

Nile Perch Patties

2 C. Boiled Nile perch fillet

½ C. Grated Carrot

1Tsp. Grated Ginger

1Tsp. Garlic, finely chopped/Garlic powder

¼ C. Green pepper, finely chopped

2 Large Eggs

2 Tbsp. Plain yoghurt

¼ Tsp Black pepper, ground

¼ C. Wheat flour

¼ C Dehydrated Soy meat, ground/Breadcrumbs

Salt to taste

Cooking oil

Method

Nile Perch Patties

In a bowl, combine all ingredinets starting form the first to the last while mixing well.  Once all the ingredients are incoporated, Uusing your hands, for the patties according to your desired thicknes and the size of the buns. Place on a plastic surface. This prevents them from sticking. Cling film will work well.  Heat a not stick pan and a dd alittle oil. Place the patties in the pan and let them cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Once they have turned golden brown, Remove from fire. Repeat the same till the mixture is done. Makes  about 8 patties.

Assembling

Cut the buns into two horizontally. Spread a generous amount of butter/margarine. Toast the buns till moist inside and crispy on the sides. Spread the herbed yoghurt on the bottom part of the bun. Next place the tomatoes, the Nile perch patties, the pickled onions and finally top with sliced jack. Top with the other piece of the bun(the top part should be hot enough to melt the cheese a little).  Serve with your favorite drink.

🙂

Sophie

This post is made possible by Paramount Dairies. You can find Paramount Sliced Jack and other cheese products in major supermarkets in Kampala.

Nile Perch Groundnut Stew + Featuring On CNN African Voices

~ Sophie ~ 11 Comments

Scorching sun, dusty roads and paths, bags heavy with produce, stained faux marble counter tops, the struggle of cutting vegetables with a filleting knife, droopy eyes,  a million plus one thoughts in my head,  and the looming massive camera and lighting equipment. This was the situation we had when this stew was made. If you haven’t already guessed, this is the stew that I cooked in the CNN African Voices feature. It was hard for me to keep this as a secret from you guys because I wanted to see how you’d react when taken by surprise! Did I do well? I was overwhelmed by the response I got from all over the world. It truly is a humbling experience. All this would not have been possible without you reading this little corner. I am so grateful for all of you and hope you stay a little longer. And while you do, I hope you benefit from it too. Since I have calmed down from hyperventilating (A.K.A excitement and anxiety), I can now share this simple and easy to pull off stew.

When ever I am travelling back  and forth from the city, there are two specific places where we pass where fish is being sold. And by fish I don’t mean your typical palm-sized tilapia that costs 3000 to 4000 shillings (Now that I think about it, palms do vary in size, Oh well…), I mean Nile perch. Some days there will be a huge crowd waiting to buy the famed Nile perch (Mputa) because the size can vary from a palm’s length to larger than life. Yes they are that big. I remember once passing by in a taxi and straining my neck because the size of the perch was unbelievably large. The great thing is that right next to the fish mongers, there will be street cooks cooking up a storm of aromatic food but mostly fish (so just imagine passing by on an empty stomach). Because where fresh fish that good being sold, fried fish will be found too and boy is it good. Then there are days when the perch is scarce, so scarce that the only one available is cut into pieces and then each piece is sold at a price. Such are the seasons of Nile perch. Nevertheless, Nile perch is good (for a lack of a better word really!) and every Ugandan will tell you so. Because the fish is so fleshy and aromatic, we have a stew we pride ourselves in making. This stew consists of a thick groundnut paste, Nile perch, some vegetables and seasoning.

RECIPE COMING SOON

 

🙂

Sophie