In This Installment:
Yassa Sauce
Recipe: African Salmon Baked in Foil Packs
Scratch Semolina Radiatori Pasta
Yassa Sauce from West Africa (via North Carolina)
Full disclosure: this is NOT the first time this producthas appeared on our shelves, but it’s been a while since it has. It’s also the second product from the same maker that I’ve featured in subsequent clubs because I’ve always loved it and I still think it’s special enough to feature. Why did it disappear from our shelves? The short answer is: the maker wasn’t happy with her production partner and it took a few years to find one she liked. Hopefully it never goes way, ever again.
Jainaba Jeng was born in The Gambia, a small country in West Africa. Her options for higher education were limited, so she moved to Nova Scotia for school and then eventually to Raleigh, North Carolina where her sister lived. Since the political climate was rough in The Gambia, she stayed in the States and pursued her career in International Relations.
But her passion was cooking and especially cooking the flavors and dishes she left behind in Africa. On the side, during weekends, whenever there was an opportunity to cook, Jainaba was there. Eventually, and with a lot of encouragement, she took her love of cooking and culture to the next level and started her own business on the side, Kitchens of Africa.
Her business is still young and small, but Jainaba’s dream of sharing the flavors of Africa with an American audience is becoming a reality. The Yassa sauce is Jainaba’s favorite and great with chicken. It’s a blend of fresh ginger, garlic, caramelized onions and more. It’s smoky because of paprika with a little heat behind it thanks to Dijon mustard in the mix. In short, it’s a whole lotta flavor in a jar. A quick way to enjoy truly exotic flavors.
There are lots of delicious ways to utilize Yassa Sauce. Here’s one I really enjoy from Jainaba’s own list of recipes on her website.
African Salmon Baked in Foil Packs
Ingredients:
1 jar Yassa simmer sauce
1 medium yellow onion sliced
2 tomatoes sliced
4 (6 oz each) Salmon fillets (can substitute with redsnapper)
1-2 habanero peppers finely chopped
½ tsp salt or 1 small bouillon cube crushed
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 400°.
2. Arrange four 12×12-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil on work surface.
3. Divide the onion slices evenly into four; place each in a layer in center of foil.
4. Repeat the same process with the tomatoes reserving 4 of the slices.
5. Place a salmon fillet, skin side down on top of the tomatoes. Top each of the salmon fillets with a slice of the remaining tomatoes. Sprinkle with equal amounts of the habanero peppers and bouillon cube or salt.
6. Wrap the ends of the foil to form a spiral shape.
7. Spoon equal amounts of Yassa sauce and lime juice over the tomato and salmon.
8. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish, tomato and onion mixture, covering completely; seal the
packets closed. Place the foil packet on a large and heavy baking sheet.
9. Repeat until all of the salmon have been individually wrapped in foil and placed on the baking sheet.
10. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 20-25 minutes (you may also cook it outside on the grill).
11. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates.
Serves Four
Scratch Semolina Rigiatori Pasta from Virginia
Thirty years ago, it was nearly impossible to find an American pasta producer worth their salt. Today, we’ve seen such an explosion in all sorts of artists in food production that finding a pasta you like can be relatively easy.
Heck, one of my favorite pasta producers is just up the road from Ann Arbor in Dexter, Michigan. (Carosello Pasta—you can find it on our website.)
Scratch Pasta was founded by Chef Stephanie Fees. She spent time cooking in New York City, as well as the Greenbrier, before returning to her hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia to cook there. She began to really focus on pasta in all its glorious forms and traveled to a “pasta school” in Chiavari, Italy to learn and absorb every trick and process she could and bring the experience back to Virginia.
Back in Virginia she opened a pasta shop and started supplying her hometown with delicious fresh made noodles and shapes. Air-dried pasta (this box) came next and with it distribution to speciality retailers like myself. We’ve been sharing this pasta (and a few of Stephanie’s other flavors) in our Warehouse Shop here in Ann Arbor and it’s been really popular. That’s why I’m sharing it with you!
Made from only semolina wheat flour and water, the dough is extruded through bronze dies to get their wavy, circular shape. The bronze dies are key because the give the finished pasta a roughly texture that’s better at holding onto sauces.
Given the season, I recommend turning this pasta into a salad with fresh veggies from the market. But around my house the kids just like it straight up with their favorite sauce. Enjoy.