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Maya Angelou's Jollof Rice

Source of Recipe

Wal-Mart (Black History Month Celebrity Recipes)


Recipe Introduction

Maya Angelou is hailed as a great poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil rights activist, producer and director. She is one of the greatest voices of contemporary literature. She has authored twelve best-selling novels and books of poetry. In 1981, Dr. Angelou was appointed a lifetime position as the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University. In 1993, she became only the second poet in U. S. History to have the honor of writing and reciting original work at the Presidential Inauguration. Influences: “My hometown of Stamps, Arkansas played a big part in my development and my grandmother, Mrs. Flowers, helped make me who I am today.” “Jollof Rice is a Ghanean dish. There are many variations of this dish, but it typically includes rice, tomatoes, onion and red pepper. It brings back fond memories of the time I spent living in Ghana.”

List of Ingredients

2 to 4 hot dried red chili peppers
2 tbsp. peanut oil
3 cups uncooked long grain rice
1 (14-oz.) can beef consommé
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 cups diced fully cooked ham (1 lb.)
2 (141/2-oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 hard cooked eggs,
peeled and halved
1/4 cup chopped parsley


Recipe

1. Soak peppers in 3 tablespoons hot water; set aside. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add 3/4 cup of the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add remaining rice, consommé and 3 cups water. Lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.

2. In a 10-inch skillet heat 1/4 cup oil. Add onion and cook until tender. Stir in ham, undrained tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain off 1 cup liquid and reserve.

3. Drain peppers; reserve liquid. Discard seeds and chop peppers, if desired. Add ham-tomato mixture, reserved pepper liquid and chopped peppers to rice. Stir well. Cover and cook until tomato mixture is absorbed, about 3 minutes. (If rice is too dry, add a bit of reserved liquid.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. To serve, butter a 10- to 12-cup mixing bowl. Arrange eggs, cut side down, in bottom of bowl. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Add rice mixture, packing firmly. Let stand 10 minutes before unmolding onto a serving plate.

YIELD: 6 Servings