My father-in-law likes to go all-out in typical Texan bigger-is-better style.  Sometimes this means having an air-hockey table in our living room with the legs chopped off just right, making it the perfect height for his grandson.  Sometimes this means buying an enormous citrus juicer so he can subsist on ceviche with ease.

I guess we have different ideas on “going all-out,” but here I am, with a state-fair-reminiscent citrus juicer staring at me, so I drink.  And here are a few of the refreshing summer drinks we have been enjoying. With ease.

watermelon agua fresca with lime:  Scoop watermelon flesh (seeds and all) into a blender.  Pulse a few times, then blend until just liquified, pushing down the solids as necessary.  Strain out seeds and excess pulp with a fine mesh strainer.  Add lime juice to taste, and optionally, sweeten with agave nectar or sugar.

lemonade with chia seeds:  Add a tablespoon of chia seeds (found in health food stores) to unchilled lemonade.  Let sit until the seeds have become gelatinous. Chill.  Serve with a straws - almost bubble-tea style.

sorrel mint bissap with lime:  inspired by Yolele!: Recipes from the Heart of Senegal by Pierre Thiam.  Make flor de Jamaica from Hibiscus (sorrel) flowers: In a saucepan place about two cups of hibiscus flowers,  add water until just covered.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down heat, add a handful of mint leaves and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, let cool.  Strain hibiscus and mint leaves, add lime to taste, dilute with cold water (to taste) and chill.

Next up: my lemonbalm plant is getting bigger and I’ll be steeping lemonbalm leaves in hot water, chilling and using it as a base for lemonade.

While I was in Ghana at 16 years of age, I was served many sandwiches filled with an African brand of Spam. Luckily(?) for those three weeks, I had packed 5 BOXES of breakfast bars in my suitcase.

During the last week, my traveling companions and I convinced our hosts to prepare a traditional Ghanaian meal. Ten years later, I was pregnant and craving something like corn, but sour. After a couple of days I realized I wanted that traditional meal in Africa: fish and kenkey (fermented white corn) served on a banana leaf with tomatoes and onions. Thinking I was out of luck, I let my craving go. But then a couple of weeks ago, I visited Baobab African Grocery in Indianapolis, where I found the fermented corn flour to make Kenkey, along with fonio.

Making kenkey from the pre-fermented flour couldn’t be easier. This was the quickest and most satisfying meal I’ve made in a long time. That said, it has a certain exotic taste that may take a few bites to get used to. And the kenkey really must be served with the fish, tomatoes and onion, dipping it in the juices as you go. Oh my, please dig in. This is comfort food at it’s most comforting.

Ghanain kenkey with fish, tomatoes, onion and lime
Serves 3-4

kenkey
2 cups kenkey flour
5 1/2 cups water
several pinches of salt

Mix ingredients together in a bowl and wisk until smooth. Pour in a saucpan and cook over medium-high heat. The kenkey will need to thicken considerablly, to the consistency of very thick mashed potatoes. You’ll need to stir it constantly toward the end. This takes about 15 minutes, but look more at the progress than the clock. It may seem inconcievable at this point that you could form them into balls. Don’t worry. Add more salt to taste and turn off the heat. Prepare the fish. When the kenkey has cooled a little, form into rounds a little bigger than golf balls, using wet hands if necessary.

fish
1 lb. tilapia fillets or other white fish
flour to coat fish (for GF use chickpea flour)
salt and pepper
oil
2 onions, sliced, not too thinly
2 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 limes

Heat the oil in a cast iron pan over fairly high heat- the thinner the fillets, the higher the heat. You want the exterior to brown by the time the fish is cooked through. Rinse and pat the fish dry. Season the flour with salt and pepper, and dredge the fish in the flour mixture. Fry the fish in batches until golden brown and still very tender. The fish is done just before it flakes, not after.
When the last piece of fish in done, remove from the pan. Add more oil and/or turn down the head to medium high if neccesary. Add the onions. When they have wilted, add the tomatoes and cook until the onions are still a bit crunchy, but translucent and the tomatoes are juicy. Add the fish back to the pan to re-warm and squeeze the juice of one lime over the whole dish. Cut the other lime(s) into wedges and use to garnish. Serve the fish with the kenkey, using the kenkey to sop up the juices.

This dish may not look like much, but it delivers.  With each bite it endears itself more, until you’ll wonder how you ever lived without fonio, a tiny whole grain from Africa.  I was skeptical of this simple recipe.  But the fonio and peanuts blended together to a nutty toothsome texture.  The eggplant went silky smooth and melded with slices of okra and the broth is tart and suprisingly flavorful.  There’s supposed to be some spice to this dish, but I left out so my kids (ok, and I) could eat it.

You might have a hard time finding fonio, but it’s worth a look.  I couldn’t find anyplace online to buy it, so I thought I was out of luck, but my in-laws took me to a Mexican restaurant which happened to be next door to Baobab African Grocery in Indianapolis.  Sure enough, they had it, along with kenkey flour, which you’ll hear about soon.  I couldn’t stop talking about it on the way home, to the point where my enthusiasm began to be met with awkward silence.

When you find fonio, try Pierre Thiam’s Sesame Fonio too, or check out his cookbook Yolele!: Recipes from the Heart of Senegal.  It’s the best cookbook I’ve seen that focuses on a Sub-Saharan African cuisine.  Not to mention the photography by Adam Bartos, which alone makes for a worthy purchase.

Steamed Fonio and Crushed Peanuts with Spicy Eggplant (Djouka de Fonio)
Reprinted with permission from Yolele!: Recipes from the Heart of Senegal by Pierre Thiam
Published by Lake Isle Press

1 cup raw shelled peanuts
1 cup fonio
1 tablespoon salt dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup finely sliced okra
1/2 cup water
2 large eggplants, cut into 3-inch chunks
1 habanero pepper
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white vinegar

SERVES 4

1.  Finely crush the peanuts using a food processor.
2.  Place the fonio in the top of a steamer lined with cheesecloth.  (MM NOTE: I lined the top of a rice cooker and added a little cooking time to the end).  Set over simmering water, cover, and steam the fonio 10 minutes.  Drizzle with salted water, using a fork to fluff.  Steam 5 more minutes.  With the fonio still in the basket, top with the ground peanuts and return to steam for another 10 minutes, until well moistened.
3.  Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer and cook okra, 15 to 20 minutes.  Combine okra with fonio mixture.  Set aside, covered, to keep warm.
4.  Place the eggplants and habanero pepper in a small pot with just enough water to cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until the eggplants are soft, 15 minutes.
5.  Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook until the onions are soft, 5 minutes.  Add the eggplant and habanero along with their cooking liquid.  Stir in the vinegar.
6.  Serve the fonio on a platter with the eggplant mixture on top.  For a less-spicy version, omit the habanero.