Efo Riro With Kale And Whitefish Recipes

EFO RIRO WITH KALE AND WHITEFISH

Steps:

• Purée onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, chile, and garlic in a blender, adding up to ¼ cup water as needed, until smooth. Set purée aside.
• Place bitter leaf in a small bowl and pour in hot water to cover. Let sit until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain and finely chop.
• Meanwhile, toss fish with Old Bay seasoning in a large bowl to evenly coat. Pour vegetable oil into a large deep saucepan or medium Dutch oven to come ¼" up sides and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches, arrange fish in a single layer and fry, turning halfway through, until golden, 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Pour oil out from pan and wipe out. Heat olive oil in same saucepan over medium-high. Add tomato paste, thyme, garam masala, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant and tomato paste is slightly darkened in color, about 1 minute. Stir in reserved purée, scraping up any browned bits, then add bitter leaf, shrimp cube, dried shrimp, and irú. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat so stew is at a simmer and add kale by the handful, stir to wilt slightly before adding more. Once all of the kale has been added, cook (without stirring) until tender, about 5 minutes. Gently fold in fried fish, being careful not to break up too much.
• Serve with yams or rice alongside.

EFO RIRO (STEWED AMARANTH GREENS)

Steps:

• Combine all the obe ata ingredients except the canola oil in a blender and purée on high until smooth, working in batches if needed. The liquid from the can of tomatoes should suffice, but you can add up to 1/4 cup of water if necessary to get the purée going. (You should have about 3 cups of purée.)
• Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add the purée and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced by about a third of its original volume, 18 to 20 minutes. (It should make about 2 cups.)
• Meanwhile, if using fresh greens, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high and prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. (You can skip this blanching step if using frozen spinach.) Pick the leaves off the bunch of amaranth greens, if using, and discard the tough stems. Once the water is boiling, blanch the leaves until bright green and just tender, about 2 minutes. (You can work in batches if necessary.) Cool greens immediately by transferring to the ice bath using a slotted spoon.
• In a large, deep skillet or sauté pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high. Sauté the onion and bell pepper until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the dried crayfish, fermented locust beans and turmeric. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute, lowering the heat if necessary to avoid scorching.
• Stir in the obe ata and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and stir in the red palm oil. Cook for 1 more minute.
• Remove the greens from the ice bath and squeeze out as much water as you can. (You want the greens to be as dry as possible so you don't dilute the vibrant flavors of the sauce.) If using frozen greens, squeeze out any excess liquid before using.
• Add the greens to the skillet and stir to coat with the sauce. Gently stir in the flaked fish. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the greens and fish are warmed through, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.