Music and Food
I was attending Nhemamusasa North , a wonderful Zimbabwean music camp. The camp was held at O.U.R. ECO Village near Shawnigan Lake. Nhemamusasa North was organized by music teacher, Ted Wright. I took marimba lessons from Ted last year. He is infinitely patient and can get even the musically challenged like myself to play. He is a versitle teacher and teaches marimba, mbira, chipendani and gumboot dancing at Bopoma in Victoria BC and in the Cowichan area.
The music, the instructors, the participants, and the setting were magical and to round it all off we were fed royally. While the instructors filled our spirits with beautiful melodies the cooks filled our bellies with delicious and nutritious food. Much of the food we were given came directly from the large organic garden on site. We were treated to roasted purple potatoes, an assortment of vegetable dishes, potato salads made with new potatoes, spanakopita, rice, bean dishes, couscous, salads, fresh wholesome breads, roast chicken, tofu and terrific muffins, cakes and much more.
There were many great dishes and I have chosen four to write about. Marisa, Jan and Ann, the gifted cooks, were generous with their time and told me how they made these dishes.
Squash Flowers Stuffed with Cheese and Garlic
Marisa gave me instructions for these.
Pick squash or zucchini flowers. Wash carefully and remove any rough bits.
Add a bit of pressed garlic into each flower. I tried this recipe with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic.
Cut mozzarella cheese into thin wedges just long enough to fit in each flower.
Roll in beaten egg. Roll in flour.
Fry in hot oil, turning to brown all sides.
Serve warm while the cheese is soft.
These are wonderful to look at and delicious to eat.
Vegetable - Walnut Dip
This is a green bean pâté that was made from fresh organic green beans. The recipe was in a well used copy of the Moosewood Cookbook (1992) . The description in the books suggests that the Pâté tastes like chopped liver but I found the taste to resemble an avocado guacamole. I liked the substantial texture and delicate flavour of this dish.
Following is the recipe from the book.
30 minutes to prepare
serves 6
1 T vegetable oil
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c minced onion
1/2/ t salt
1 - 2 T white wine or 2 t fresh lemon juice
1 - 2 T Mayonnaise
1/2 c chopped fresh green beans
black pepper to taste
2 hard boiled eggs (yokes may be omitted)
handful of parsley
Heat oil in a small skillet. Add onion and salt, and sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the onion begins to brown.
Add the green beans, and sauté until they are tender (another 8- 10 minutes.)
Combine everything in a blender or food processor and grind into a uniform paste. This pâté can be used as sandwich spread or spread on crackers or used as a dip for veggies .
Mbira Orchestra
The Mbira is like a finger marimba or a thumb piano and has a sound like drops of rain falling on a harp. In the picture the mbira has been placed in a large bowl-like gourd that causes the sound to resonate and gives it more volume.
Some of the music is available at the following sites:
Mbira dzeMuninga CD's : www.dzemuninga.com
The special guest instructors were from Zimbabwe and the cooks wanted to make something that would be familiar to them so they used coconut. They made several bean dishes and my favourite was the one with coconut milk. I love beans.
Jan's Beans in Coconut Milk
kidney or pinto beans
1 onion
1 tomato
1 can of coconut milk
salt to taste
This was a simple dish but the coconut milk made it special.
I don't have the amounts. It would depend on how much you want to make. At the camp they made a huge pot of beans and served it with rice and a dish of chard cooked in peanut sauce. Hmmmm.
Cook kidney or pinto beans until they begin to soften. Sauté an onion and a diced tomato and add to the beans. Pour in a can of coconut milk and continue to cook until beans are soft and ready to serve. There were no spices added so that the coconut flavour would not be hidden.
yams
hazelnuts
paprika or chipotle powder
The amounts at the camp were huge but at home use as much as you would like for a side dish.
Peel yams. Slice and brush with oil.
Add 1 cup hazelnuts
Put yams and nuts into a roasting pan. Sprinkle with paprika if you want a mild flavour or chipotle powder if you want some spice.
I roasted 2 yams for 50 minutes at 350 F or 180 C.
If you roast them longer the yams get sweeter but watch that you don't burn the nuts.Two yams will make a side dish for 4-6 guests.
Bliss
The music pushed the stresses of daily life away and the good food and fresh air rejuvenated the body.
It was an invigorating and restful time.
While I cooked and ate at home, I played a CD by the guest musicians. The marimba and mbira music made for a total experience.
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