Book of Days Tales

The 2^nd Wednesday in March is Decoration Day in Liberia, a vague holdover of similar celebrations in the US, although they are normally part of Confederate festivities in the South honoring the dead of the Civil War. Descendants of former slaves honor their dead ancestors in similar fashion, viz, cleaning their graves and decorating them with flowers.

Jollof rice is a staple in Liberia and makes a simple, but tasty, dish:

Ingredients

½ cup vegetable oil
1 lb chicken, shrimp, fish or other meat
3-4 cups water or stock
½ cup onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup green or red pepper, finely chopped
2 cups long grain rice
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 16 oz can tomatoes, diced
2 peeled and chopped carrots
1 cup green beans
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 Tbsp salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. thyme
1 tsp. crushed red pepper or fresh chiles
½ tsp. ground ginger or allspice
Vegetable options: you can also add any or all of the following: mushrooms, eggplant, squash

Instructions

In a skillet, sauté the chicken, meat or fish in ¼ cup vegetable oil. Remove from the heat and set aside in a larger pot.

Add 2-3 cups of stock or water to the chicken and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the onion, and green or red pepper until soft in oil, 4-5 min; add the garlic and sauté 1-2 min longer.

Stir the rice into the onions and peppers, then add the tomato paste, stirring to coat the rice and give it a reddish hue. Add the chopped tomatoes and let them cook down for several minutes. Pour this mixture over the chicken, add the carrots, green beans, cabbage and spices. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve on a platter, garnish with sliced hard-boiled egg, cilantro or parsley.