CHICKPEA EGUSI

Time: 40 minutes

- 3 1/2 ounces whole egusi seeds

- 3 medium onions

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1 scotch bonnet pepper

- 3 cloves of garlic

- 3 teaspoons salt

- 3/4 pound plum tomatoes

- 1 tablespoon tomato paste

- 1/2 teaspoon dark brown sugar

- 2 teaspoons black pepper

- 1 teaspoon hot paprika

- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

- Scant 1 cup vegetable stock or water

- 1 large red bell pepper

- 1/2 pound baby plum tomatoes

- 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

- 10 ounces baby spinach

- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

2. Roast the egusi seeds on the middle rack of the oven for 12 minutes, turning once. The egusi should be crunchy and some will have taken on a golden brown color. Remove from the oven and grind half the seeds with a pestle and mortar. Leave the rest whole and set all the seeds aside. 

3. To make the base sauce, finely dice the onions and, in a large frying pan, gently fry in the oil for 5 minutes over medium heat. Seed and finely dice the scotch bonnet pepper. Chop the garlic and crush to a paste with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add both to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes over low heat. 

4. Chop the tomatoes and add to the pan with the tomato paste and dark brown sugar. Stir and taste. It should have a pleasant sweetness from the tomatoes, onions, and sugar, with a spicy undercurrent from the scotch bonnet pepper. Add the black pepper, paprikas, and the other 2 teaspoons of salt. 

6. Rinse the bell pepper, then remove the stem and seeds. Cut it into 1/4-inch squares. Quarter the baby plum tomatoes. 

7. Then add the chickpeas, bell pepper, and baby plum tomatoes to the base and simmer for a final 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the spinach and the extra virgin olive oil. Serve just as the spinach begins to wilt, and scatter the reserved whole egusi seeds on top. 

Enjoy your cooking with your loved one

Sumber buku: Duval timothy; Folayemi brown; & Jacob fodio todd, Food from across africa, May 2016