Lesson 2: Piece of Bread (A)
Handout 4

Sample Recipes


African Green Pepper and Spinach


1 medium onion; chopped
1 medium green pepper; chopped
1 tbs. oil
1 medium tomato; chopped
1 lb. fresh spinach; stems removed
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. peanut butter


Cook and stir onion and green pepper in oil in 3-quart saucepan until onion is tender. Add tomato and spinach. Cover and simmer until spinach is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and peanut butter. Heat just until hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Betty Crocker Regional and International Recipes



African Vegetable Stew


1 onion (very large) chopped
1 Swiss chard bunch
1 can garbanzo beans (known also as chickpeas)

1/2 c raisins
1/2 c rice, raw
2 yams
Several fresh tomatoes (or large can)
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tabasco sauce, to taste


Fry onion, garlic and white stems of chard until barely limp. Add chopped greens and fry a bit. Peel the yams or scrub them well with a vegetable brush, then slice them into thick slices. Add garbanzo beans, raisins, yams, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook a couple of minutes.

Make a well in the center of the mixture in the pot. Put the rice in the well and pat it down until it is wet. Cover and cook until rice is done, about 25 minutes. Add Tabasco sauce to taste.

Yield: 4 servings



African Tomato-Avocado-Buttermilk Soup


3 lbs. tomatoes, peeled and seeded
2 tbs. tomato paste
1 c. buttermilk
1 tbs. olive oil
1 avocado, mashed to a puree
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs. finely minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot pepper sauce
Garnish: 1 cucumber (peeled, seeded, and diced), sour cream, plain yogurt, or creme fraiche


Puree tomatoes in a food processor or food mill, then press through a sieve to remove seeds. In a large mixing bowl, beat the pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, buttermilk, and oil. Toss pureed avocado with 1 tablespoon lemon juice to hold the color. Add the avocado, remaining lemon juice, and parsley to the tomato mixture; stir to mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a generous number of drops of hot pepper sauce. Refrigerate several hours before serving.

At serving time, taste soup for seasonings. Ladle into individual bowl and have guest garnish their portions with cucumber and sour cream. Pass hot pepper sauce around to add more piquancy.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.



Benne Cakes


Oil to grease a cookie sheet
1 cup finely packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemo juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted sesame seeds


Preheat the oven to 325°. Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Mix together the brown sugar and butter, and beat until they are creamy. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and sesame seeds. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are browned. Enjoy!

Benne cakes are a food from West Africa. Benne means sesame seeds. The sesame seeds are eaten for good luck. This treat is still eaten in some parts of the American South.

Recipe by Harper Collins