2017 New Year's Dinner "UMOJA"

Kwanzaa, the seventh day wouldn't be "Imani" without a Sunday dinner for the beginning of a new year. So even though I didn't have guests, I prepared dinner to share the blessing for 2017.

Menu

Red Moscato Wine

Chicken Shrimp Gumbo

Black-eyed Peas in Sweet Meat

Akara

Plantain

Jollof Rice

Mustard/Collard Mixed Greens

Sweet Potato Pie

Strawberry Caramel Cream Cake

Frances Guichard's place setting for Christmas Dinner.

 The Guichards shared a lovely Christmas dinner for family and friends at the gallery. I asked Frances to BYOB her own bowl to fetch the gumbo I was sharing for the New Year.

Christmas Dinner at Gallery Guichard 2016

I made my Chicken Seafood Gumbo but added sweetmeat (smoked). I used Louisiana Cajun Etouffee Base, browned with a cube of butter and 2 cups of water. I boiled the shrimp shells, added a concentrated seafood base, crab boil, and Old Bay seasoning, and added two cups of broth to the etouffee base.

After boiling sweet meat until it was tender, I chopped and deboned the heart and returned to the pot. Next, I bought a rotisserie chicken from Mariano's instead of a fresh one, boiled it down, and deboned it.

I used the sweetmeat in my black-eyed peas to have a smoky-tasting pot liquor, and with the other half of the black-eyed peas, I made Akara fritters. This year I used dried beans instead of fresh black-eyed peas. I added my onions, garlic, eggs, and a little flour to hold them together and fried them in vegetable oil until brown on both sides.

I just love good plantain. I had one sitting for a week, so it would be nice, sweet, and suitable for browning in butter, oil, and sprinkling brown sugar cinnamon.

Heat peanut oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter begins to sizzle. Gently toss plantain slices with brown sugar, then place into the hot oil. Fry until the plantains turn golden brown, then turn over and continue frying until they have caramelized, about 2 minutes per side.

Uncle Ben's boiled brown rice in a bag came in handy and was suitable for easy clean-up. I added Joloff rice seasoning, which has that west African spice taste.

Jollof rice, also called Benachin, is a one-pot dish popular in many West African countries. It is the progenitor of the Louisianian dish jambalaya. Jollof rice can be served with any kind of meat or chicken.