An Italian Easter

In thinking about my Easter dinner I decided to pick a country and cook something from that country. In Italy, Easter is a big deal, since 90 percent of the country are Roman Catholic. But they do not celebrate the same way everywhere and the boot-shaped country has its own set of traditions around one of Christianity’s biggest holidays.

Here are some things you should know about Easter in Italy. The Easter bunny does not exist in Italy, so there are no chocolate bunnies begging to be bitten off. In Italy it is all about the eggs, the symbol of rebirth and renewal. The Italians do go all out for the chocolate eggs, which can range from tiny solid ones to beautifully wrapped foot-high hollow eggs, which hide a gift inside. Most chocolate shops in Italy will custom stuff a chocolate egg. The customer brings the gift to the shop---anything from an engagement ring to black lace lingerie---and wait for the chocolate to be enclosed within the two halves of the chocolate egg.

A popular expression throughout Italy goes like this, “Spend Christmas with your family, but Easter with whomever you want.” No Italian would want to miss his or her nonna’s Easter feast, but Italians use the holiday to reach out to friends, too, for a coffee or a glass of wine.

Colomba is the word for dove and also the name of a dove-shaped yeast cake traditionally served at Easter. It is studded with candied orange peel, then topped with almonds and a sprinkling of sugar to form a crisp, nutty crust. Myth goes that the city of Milan was defending itself against invading forces on Easter Day in 1176. Just when the Milanese seemed destined to lose the battle, three doves flew over the city. Soon after, the battle shifted and invaders were vanquished. Legend holds that after the victory the Milanese celebrated by eating cakes shaped like their savior doves.

Another traditional Easter dessert that is popular in Naples and southern Italy is pastiera, a ricotta and whole-grain pie with a mouthwatering aroma so distinctive, that any blindfolded Neapolitian could instantly identify it. Pasteira is considered by many to be one of Italy’s most important desserts. It is prepared in special pans, whose edges angle out slightly. The pie is often given as a gift and always in the pan it was baked in because of its fragile pastry. The pie needs to rest for two days for the flavors to meld, so it is finished on Good Friday so that is will be ready for Easter.

Scoppio de Carro, which translates as the “Exploding of the Cart,” is an unusual custom in Florence. A huge, decorated wagon filled with fireworks is pulled by white oxen through Florence to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in the city’s historic center. Near the end of the Easter mass, the Archbishop sends a dove-shaped rocket (a symbol of the Holy Spirit) into the cart to ignite the fireworks. If everything goes as smoothly and spectacularly as planned, it is considered an omen of good luck for the year.

The day after Easter is Italy is known as La Pasquetta or (Angel’s Monday). It is a national holiday with everything closed. The Italians go on a picnic that day, often their first outdoor excursion since the start of winter.

Typical foods in the picnic basket include raw fava beans eaten with pecorino cheese as well as salami, bread, and other cheeses.

It is traditional to serve dishes that contain eggs like this egg-rich easy-to-make baked pasta. This is the dish I chose to cook since it seemed delicious and would be great for an Easter buffet or just a simple Easter meal instead of the traditional ham and all the sides. We enjoyed it also for breakfast.

Pretty Easter Pasta Pie (Crostata di tagliolini)

Serves 8

Olive oil

1 small onion, minced

2 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, minced

8 ounces baby peas

12 ounces fresh mushrooms, any type, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

½ cup homemade breadcrumbs, toasted

7 tablespoons butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milk, warmed

1 pound tagliolini, or other thin egg noodles

½ cup chicken or beef stock

½ cup grated parmesan

12 ounces burrata or mozzarella cheese, diced

8 ounces thinly sliced ham, cut into strips

In a small pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and pancetta until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the peas and a few tablespoons of water, and cook until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set aside in a bowl.

In the same pan, heat 2 more tablespoons oil over high heat. Cook the mushrooms and garlic for a minute or two, until tender. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter as 8-9 inch nonstick spring form pan and dust it with breadcrumbs.

In another small pot, make béchamel: Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat, stir in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until smooth. Add the milk and bring it to a boil, stirring until thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Boil the pasta in salted water for 3 minutes less than the package directs. Drain and toss with the stock.

Layer the bottom of the prepared baking pan with one third of the pasta. Dot with one third of the béchamel, sprinkle it with 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons Parmesan, scatter on the pea mixture, then scatter on one third of the diced cheese. Spread out a second level layer of pasta, dot with one third of the béchamel, sprinkle with 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons Parmesan, and scatter all the mushrooms, ham and remaining diced cheese. Top with the remaining pasta and any unabsorbed remaining stock, dressing down to compact the layers. Dot the top with the remaining béchamel, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and remaining butter, very thinly sliced.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until the pie is set and golden. Let is rest until it comes to room temperature before slicing.

Happy Easter!

My husband doused his liberally with Tabasco, not Italian but he liked it.

Miss Ella

I have just finished reading a great book about Ella Brennan called “Miss Ella.” She is of course the Ella Brennan who as an 18 year old worked in her brother’s bar and spent her professional life in the restaurant business with her crowning achievement being Commander’s Palace restaurant. We ate at Commander’s Palace just a few Sunday’s ago and it meant more to me after reading her book.

Miss Ella trained at the school of hard knocks in Depression-era New Orleans and viewed herself as “a little sawed off kid” from a nondescript restaurant in the French Quarter. And yet, Ella Brennan with the support of a colorful, industrious---and sometimes contentious---Irish family, an insatiable desire for learning, and hurricane-strength will, blossomed into one of America’s most celebrated restauranteurs.

Her career began in the 1940s and still she was considered a pioneer of the modern American food movement, fostered the careers of chefs such as Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse, and befriended many Hollywood stars, and became the matriarch of a bountiful family of restauranteurs.

There are too many good stories in the book to repeat here, but this woman was something else. Her brother Owen, who was 15 years older was the first Brennan to own a restaurant. It was called The Ole Absinthe House on Bourbon Street. Ella began working for him, and one morning he came waltzing in and said he was having a dinner honoring his friend Richard, who had just been appointed the chairman of the new vice commission. He wanted Ella to create a new dessert to honor him. She was taken aback that she had to do it that day, but she looked around at all the bananas in the kitchen and she thought everyone loved bananas and they were cheap. Ella’s mother would sauté them with butter and brown sugar. She also knew that everyone loved the baked Alaska at Antoine’s and love seeing it flamed, so she decided to sauté her bananas in butter and brown sugar and add some cinnamon and flame it and pour over ice cream, and yes, that night Ella showed off her dessert to Mr. Foster. Bananas Foster was born.

Ella was also the reason the jazz brunch was created. She said, “I don’t want a restaurant where a jazz band can’t come marching through.” The secret of her success is that she lets people feel important and you are greeted when you enter her restaurant. There is a rule that a BOD (Brennan on Duty) must be at any Brennan restaurant at all times. Commander’s Palace is where you come to have fun. Everyone is part of the party.

The last chapter is about the “saloon” in the sky. Her brother Owen loved the word saloon. In his mind, it was a gathering place for interesting people who were just enjoying themselves. Ella’s picture of the saloon in the sky will be food—New Orleans food; eggs and sautéed bananas for sure. Maybe Jamie Shannon is riding his motorcycle in and out of the kitchen, waving to Paul Prudhomme. Louie Armstrong will be playing, “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans”, one more time. There will be after dinner drinks. She will have a stinger or two. She will not be sitting on a stool telling people what to do. She will be just having a good time. There is no BOD in the saloon in the sky. In the saloon in the sky, nobody works. You just enjoy.

Ella and her sister Dottie live in a house next door to Commander’s Palace. They call over to Commander’s every night and tell Tory McPhail, the current chef, what they want for dinner. Mr. McPhail stops whatever he is doing to give “room service” for the queens. They even send the dishes back to be washed. So as Ella would say about her life, “Lucky, Lucky Me”.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the food of New Orleans and the Brennan family. I found it a delicious read!

 

A recipe for any occasion that is always good!

From the Commander’s Palace New Orleans Cookbook, by Ella and Dick Brennan

Bananas Foster

Serves 2

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons bananas liqueur

3 ounces light or dark rum

1 ½ cups French Vanilla Ice Cream

Melt butter in a flat chafing dish or skillet. Add brown sugar and stir until sugar is melted. Add bananas and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Pour bananas liqueur and rum over bananas, shake pan to distribute the liquid, and flame. Baste bananas with the flaming sauce until flames die out.

Serve immediately over the ice cream.

 

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

 

 

 

Southwest Eats

On our trips out west we always stop at two of our favorite restaurants. Andele, in Las Cruses, New Mexico, is special because of its posole. Always spicy and delicious. La Gloria, in San Antonio, is great for tacos, ceviche, and Mexican pizza. This time we added Hugo’s in Houston which serves really good Mexican food. In the summer they serve squash blossoms on their menu, which I have talked about before.

On returning home I saw that some of my favorite cooking magazines were featuring Mexican cooking which shows that Mexican food is still popular and the magazines are always trying new ways with tacos and Mexican pizza. ‘Fine Cooking Magazine,’ added kimchi to their tacos and this added a tangy, spicy flavor for some flank steak tacos. A take on Mexican pizza was the use of chicken thighs cooked in a slow cooker. These recipes are good and you should add them to your list of Mexican recipes.

 

‘Fine Cooking Magazine’ April/May 2017

Korean Flank Steak Tacos

Serves 4

2 Tbs. rice vinegar

¾ tsp. Asian (toasted) sesame oil

1 tsp. plus ½ tsp. granulated sugar

Kosher salt

½ medium English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ¼ lb. beef flank steak, cut with the grain into 3-inch-wide pieces

Vegetable oil, for the grill

8 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed

1 cup prepared cabbage kimchi, coarsely chopped (in most grocery stores these days)

Chopped fresh cilantro for serving (We have lots that self-seed in the garden this time of year.)

Whisk the vinegar, sesame oil, ½ tsp. of the sugar, and ¼ tsp. of the salt in a medium bowl until the sugar and salt are mostly dissolved. Add the cucumber and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the soy sauce, ginger, the remaining 1 tsp. sugar, and ¼ tsp. black pepper in a small bowl to combine. Brush the steak on both sides with the soy sauce mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Prepare a medium-high (400°F to 475°F) gas or charcoal grill fire. Oil the grill grate with the vegetable oil and grill the steak, turning once, until medium rare (130°F), 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the steak thinly against the grain. Serve in the tortillas with the cucumbers and kimchi. Top with the cilantro if you like.

Tlayuda: A Mexican Pizza

Serves 4

4 chicken boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. chili flakes

1 tsp. cayenne

½ cup salsa

6 small corn tortillas

1 ½ cup refried black beans

½ cup Queso fresco

½ cup Oaxaca cheese (similar to mozzarella)

Shredded lettuce

Guacamole for topping

Add the chicken thighs, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili flakes, cayenne and salsa in a slow cooker. Cove with the lid and turn heat to high and let cook for 5-6 hours until the chicken is easily shredded. Shred the chicken with two forks and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Evenly spread some of the refried black beans on top of each tortilla. Add the shredded chicken. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes until the tortilla is slightly crisp. Add the cheese, lettuce, and guacamole on top.

 

 

The Wedding

The wedding was beautiful, but as my husband is always saying, “Aren’t all weddings beautiful?” But it was our only daughter so it made it especially beautiful.

What a lovely day in Tucson! The sky was pristine blue, the weather was 88 and no rain in sight since after all it is the desert. All guests arrived on schedule which was a blessing. The Arizona Inn is a lovely place to have a wedding but the flowers and grounds were especially lovely on this weekend.

Our rehearsal on the Friday night before began at 5PM and it only took a few minutes. When you have only one matron-of-honor and one best man there is not much to rehearse! My daughter wanted a small intimate wedding with no dancing and so all we had were about 50 people. The rehearsal party went to dine at “feast” one of the restaurants I have talked about before when writing of Tucson. The chef had made a limited menu so all could be served in a timely manner and we could go on to the cocktail party where all the other guests were. I would have to say the food was not that great but this restaurant can be hit or miss. The chef tries new things every month and sometimes it does not work. After the meal we all went downtown to a special room behind a restaurant and had drinks of choice (there were lots of craft beers to choose from) and some more appetizers. I was full from the “feast” meal and did not eat anymore.

The morning of the wedding we did some sightseeing and since all seemed to be organized we did not start getting dressed until around 4PM. Now the moment came to put on my red dress and my husband had to make the sash into a rose. We had to replay the video from Singapore, but he got it right the second time. Ha! I had delayed getting my dress for the wedding and we were coming down to the line and I couldn’t seem to find what I wanted. Then in Singapore we found this Chinese shop and bought the red silk dress!

We all went outside to take i-phone photos and see the other guests. I saw my daughter for the first time in her wedding dress and I do believe I have never seen her look more beautiful. She also seemed very, very happy. What more can a mother ask??

After the ceremony and pictures we had drinks and appetizers at the bar before dinner.

 

Our daughter and husband had gotten the Arizona Inn to concoct a signature cocktail for their wedding and it was a prickly-pear margarita (lovely thought for the desert and very pretty and pink).

 

My husband and I were the host for the sit-down dinner and so he gave a toast and the feast began. The meal was lovely and service was excellent. Everyone had a wedge salad with blue cheese, pancetta, and small tomatoes.

 

The main course was a choice of chicken in a cheese sauce and a salmon with a lemon cream sauce. The salmon had black rice with broccoli and served with onions and cucumbers over the salmon. The salmon portion was very large so that one could not eat all of it. I will give this recipe below since that is what I ate and it was delicious.

 

For dessert we had the wedding cake. It had three layers and the one slice I had was so moist and the icing creamy and luscious. Each layer had a different flavor (since that is what they do now days). The flowers on the cake were succulents as were the rest of the flower decorations and even the bridal bouquet (with some roses).

The music for the dinner was a piano and a violin. All just background music, but before it was over my daughter and I had a dance with father and husband. We had made it!

 

Baked Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce

From the Arizona Inn

Servings: 4 to 6 people

2 to 3 lb. salmon fillet

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. olive oil for drizzling salmon

1 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped, to garnish

Sliced thin small red onions and cucumbers to garnish

For the lemon cream sauce:

1 small onion or 2 medium shallots, super finely diced (about ¼ cup diced)

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 medium or 1 large lemon)

¼ cup dry white wine (such as chardonnay or pinot grigio)

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup (8 Tbsp.) cold butter cut into 8 pieces

Instructions:

Line baking sheet with foil or parchment. Arrange salmon skin-side-down, season with salt and pepper and drizzle the tops with oil. Bake uncovered at 425 for 10-15 minutes (depending on thickness of salmon) or until salmon is cooked through.

In a small sauce pan, combine ¼ cup finely diced onion, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup wine and simmer over medium heat until reduced to a thick mixture (7-8 min).

Whisk in ½ cup cream and as soon as it comes to a simmer, reduce to low heat and slowly whisk in the 8 Tbsp. butter, one tablespoon at a time (whisking constantly). Add ¼ tsp. salt to taste and remove from heat. Cover with a lid to keep warm until ready to serve.

Plate salmon and pour sauce over and garnish with parsley, onions and cucumbers.

 

 

Asparagus

Asparagus is a sure sign of spring. We have been eating it here lately, mostly grilled since grilling really brings out the flavor. Just trim the asparagus and get rid of the woody stems and put a little olive oil on the bunch of asparagus and grill for 3-4 minutes and you have a delicious dish. Add some sea salt when finished. When I eat asparagus I know I am eating a green plant, it just tastes like one. It has an almost grassy taste, but some other words to describe it would be rich, sweet, intense, and sharp.

Many people on the other hand do not like asparagus because of its disgusting smell and taste. But the benefits of eating asparagus should make you change your mind. It is a rich source of folate and vitamin K. Folate helps to get rid of the problem of anemia. Vitamin K is found to play a role in regulating the process of blood coagulation. Gastrointestinal tract and colon problems respond well if you consume asparagus regularly. Regular intake of asparagus helps to reduce cholesterol levels. And lastly, eat it while it is in season. It tends to be cheaper.

We have been trying to grow asparagus for years but our production is low. So we supplement with the store-bought this time of year.

Three pointers for making the most of asparagus are:

Size matters: Thin stalks are best blanched or served raw. Thicker stalks are good for roasting or grilling.

Trim wisely: Line up asparagus on a cutting board, and slice where the stalks start to turn woody. And don’t bother peeling them--it’s usually unnecessary.

Storage smarts: Asparagus is technically a lily, so treat spears like fresh flowers. Stand them up in a glass of water, and place in the refrigerator.

I decided to kick up my asparagus a little and add another seasonal ingredient namely, crawfish. This dish is so attractive and have so many fresh ingredients that you cannot go wrong. Great for a salad for a party or for some special guests.

 

Taken from Dig It from Chef John Folse.

Asparagus and Crawfish Pasta Salad

Serves 8 and prep time 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh asparagus

1 pound crawfish tails

1 pound bow tie pasta

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Salt and black pepper to taste

Granulated garlic to taste

1 shallot, peeled and minced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon, grated

2 tbsps. Creole mustard

2 tbsps. minced dill

1 cup frozen tiny green peas

¼ cup sliced olives

16 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

8 ounces crumbled goat cheese

In a large skillet, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus tips and sauté 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add crawfish tails and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Season lightly using salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Set aside and keep warm.

In a stockpot over medium-high heat, bring 3-4 inches lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook 10-12 minutes or until al dente. While pasta is cooking, make vinaigrette. In a large glass bowl, add shallot, minced garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and mustard, whisking to blend well. Add dill then slowly drizzle in remaining ¼ cup olive oil, whisking oil to form an emulsion. Season lightly with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. When pasta is done, drain well and then return to pot over low heat. Add vinaigrette and peas, stirring to coat well. Cook 2-3 minutes or until peas are thoroughly heated, stirring often. Add crawfish mixture, olives and tomato halves to pasta, tossing to mix well.

Adjust seasonings to taste using salt, pepper and granulated garlic. To serve, place an equal portion of pasta salad in center of each serving plate and top with an equal amount of goat cheese. Serve hot. And we enjoyed it cold the next day as well. I think it would be a nice salad without the pasta. We have been on a diet recently trying to cut way back on sugar and carbs. And this salad without the pasta would fit the bill.

 

Bellamy Mansion

The Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington, North Carolina hosted an ‘Antiquity Dinner’ the end of February. Now this was a fundraiser and I usually do not do fundraisers but this one sounded interesting. The event featured a five-course dinner themed on local ingredients and historic recipes from the museum archives.

The Bellamy Mansion was built in 1859 by Dr. John Dillard Bellamy, a physician with extensive landholdings and slaves and also a director of the bank and the railroad. The house has been a Wilmington landmark ever since. It is a two story frame building set on a raised basement and topped by a cupula and surrounded by a porch on three sides with colossal Corinthian columns. It flaunts itself on the northeast corner of Market Street and Fifth Avenue, where a large fountain sets at the intersection of these two major streets in downtown Wilmington. As the grandest house in Wilmington it became headquarters for the federal forces after Wilmington fell in 1865, the last remaining port of the Confederacy.

In the 1870’s and 1880’s the house was frequently visited by Tommy Wilson (the future President Woodrow Wilson who lived in the Presbyterian manse a few blocks away). Tommy Wilson was a good friend of John Bellamy, Jr. who later became a US Congressman.

The family remained in residence until the mid-20^th century and later the house was turned over to Preservation North Carolina which maintains it today as a museum.

The idea behind the Antiquity Dinner, according to Gareth Evans, the director, was to use archived recipes and period foodways to create a new take on historic foods. By definition the foods are local, sustainable and fresh because that is what would have gone into the majority of the historic recipes.

Events such as this give an insight into how a household like this operated. The enslaved people had to prepare food for 20 people repeatedly during any given day. It was very hard work, of course. The foods made then: cornbread, collards, Hoppin’ John, pinto beans, grits and all the rest of classic Southern recipes often came from this period and remain with us still. Because the food at the Bellamy site was prepared by enslaved people for a wealthy, white family, Evans said the meals often varied in content and style of preparation. There were likely African influences and undoubtedly an abundance of local produce, fish, poultry and meats. There might also have been hard-to-find foods that came in via the port, which only a wealthy family could afford.

The chefs selected to prepare the dinner were Dean Neff and Lydia Clopton of Pin Point restaurant in Wilmington. Dean Neff is perhaps the most innovative chef in Wilmington at the moment and his restaurant is not to be missed. Lydia Clopton is the pastry chef and her dessert was wonderful.

Highlights of the menu were: Pre-dinner vintage cocktails and hors d’oeuvres: Baked Masonboro (the local sound) oysters with shrimp and palm oil (This was delicious.), seared yellowfin tuna with radish, citrus, and benne seeds.

First course: Peanut Soup with whipped coconut and harissa (Peanut soup had been used early in America but the adding of coconut and harissa is a modern take.).

Second Course: Local lettuces with poached pears, marinated fresh farm cheese, toasted pecans, and honey-apple-sumac vinaigrette (This was very good.).

Third course: Berkshire pork belly, Anson Mills 20^th century stewed oats, apple, and toasted peanut milk (so you see the use of pork here with oats instead of perhaps grits). I found the taste of the oats a little strange and would have chosen grits over the oats.

Fourth course: Duck breast with seared turnips, salted fatback, green onion, and charred turnip top middlins risotto. Middlins or brokens are the 30% of rice that is broken during processing. They can be purchased from Anson Mills as rice grits. They say they now purposely break rice to keep up with the demand from chefs for the middlins.

Fifth course: Dessert was Coconut cake with Pawpaw Syllabub (delicious).

All of these courses were served with a small glass of wine to match the course. Thirty people were served but it was an intimate and wonderful evening.

I did not get the recipes for this dinner but found some that would be very close to the food served. Since I liked the soup very much I am giving the recipe for it.

 

North African Peanut Soup

Serves 10

2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. peanut oil, divided

1 Tbsp. Madras Curry

2 medium onions, sliced (about 4 cups)

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 large sweet potatoes or yams (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into chunks

2 cups chicken broth

1 can (28 oz.) low-sodium whole tomatoes, drained and quartered

1 pound ground turkey

Sea salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

¼-1/2 tsp. harissa or to taste

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup coconut milk

Heat 2 Tbsp. of peanut oil in a pot. Over medium-high heat, add the curry and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add onion and minced garlic, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

Stir in sweet potatoes, chicken broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Heat remaining teaspoon of peanut oil and add turkey and cook, stirring to break up clumps, until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Drain excess fat.

Add harissa, peanut butter and coconut milk. Stir, and simmer and additional 20 minutes.