Merci

It’s been 3 months since I last posted. I’ve been working my little socks off and the heartbreaking consequence has made me a stranger to my own kitchen. I miss both my virtual and tangible cucinas.

Today is my last day at work before the holidays. In 2 days I’ll be checking into CDG Roissy and boarding a 24-hour flight to Sydney for 3 weeks of festive merriment, sun-kissed tan lines and a rustic wedding in the Blue Mountains. Truth be told, I’d already spiritually absconded from the office weeks ago; so while I sit at my desk, mentally packing my suitcase, I thought I’d take a moment to decompress and dedicate a post to my first ever Thanksgiving.

As a 90′s adolescent, Thanksgiving was always a vague North American concept – along with Prom queens and Spring Break – that I’d seen on shows like Fresh Prince and My So Called Life. However, to actually indulge in the real pecan pies and marshmallow roasted sweet potatoes was an experience I’ll cherish! My lovely friend, Christina, invited me to her 3rd annual Thanksgiving dinner here in Paris, a tradition that she created along with a bunch of intercontinental buds.

I’ll start by saying that with everything from the food, to the digs, to the Salon du Vin wine, our host truely out did herself. Not to mention the fact that she was catering for a mere 25 guests who would appear eager and ravenous to give thanks. I arrived in the afternoon to join the other sous-chefs in the kitchen enjoying a tipple of festive red, and for the next few hours I was in bliss… chopping, stirring, peeling and basting while sweet music filled the slick MTV-Cribs-style apartment she had borrowed for the occasion.

With 2 turkeys in the oven, the rest of the menu unfolded with hints of cranberry, fruity stuffing, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, grated pumpkin fritters and a plethora of sweet potatoes – baked… roasted… grilled… mashed or spiced up with cinnamon and nutmeg as the heart of a velvety pie.

…which brings me onto dessert, to which there was an entire banquet dedicated. Most people had contributed wine or pudding and so once the devoured turkeys had been banished to the kitchen, out came a carnival of pies, cheese cakes, tarts, crumbles and, one of my personal favourites, pumpkin flavoured macarons! Oh la la!

      

It was a beautiful soirée, and I left feeling like a bit of a stuffed turkey myself but extremely thankful for laughter, music and food, glorious food!

What’s playing today?

Parting Ways by Cody ChestnuTT.

What a beautiful lyric…

“May you be blessed with good drink and food, and may your tongue be covered with a garment of good news.”

La Cucina Naija

Naija is a word we Nigerians guard jealously… It is about the food, the flamboyant dressing, the mannerisms, the boisterous – some say loud – interaction among complete strangers who on meeting immediately feel bonded by their “Naija-ness”. - Bilkisu Labaran

For a long time, it’s been my dream to create my own petite cucina (little restaurant). It would be an intimate space with delicious soul food, beautiful art on the walls, records playing nonstop and a little stage to welcome visiting musicians. I realise that this will take a lot of time and work but I’ve been brought up to dream big, and so to this particular vision, I am hopelessly devoted.

So, in light of spring arriving and new ventures blossoming over various parts of my life, I decided to launch the first step towards my cucina, and find out whether it’s something I could do well and really enjoy. Last weekend I turned my living room in to a pop-up pseudo restaurant and invited 8 guests to taste a 3-course West African inspired feast.

Tailoring my menu around Nigerian cuisine might have something to do with the fact that I’ve just finished re-reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel, Purple Hibiscus, and needed to satisfy a serious craving for moi-moi, egusi soup, jollof rice and all things Naija! But I also think that it’s time to put African food on the map as I find it to be wildly under-represented compared to other types of world cuisine. In Paris alone there are plenty of wonderful restaurants hidden all over the city, as I revealed in an article for Vingt Paris last year.

My preparation began on Friday evening after a trip to the Goutte d’or, a neighbourhood in the 18^th arrondissement that also goes by the name of “Little Africa.” I came home with a basketful of essentials – okra, plantains, black-eyed beans, chilli, Maggi and palm oil. While I soaked my beans (the star ingredient of my Akara starter), I got to work on my Chin-Chin Cheesecake dessert. I put a Nigerian twist on a classic lemon cheesecake recipe by making the biscuit base out of speculoos biscuits and chin-chin – a Nigerian crunchy sweet snack. It was a bit of a gamble but the spicy cinnamon in the speculoos was a perfect match for the chin-chin’s nutmeg flavours and, to balance out the sweetness, I decided to make quite a sharp cheesecake topping with very little sugar and lots of fresh lemon juice and zest. My cake chilled in the fridge overnight alongside some individual little cheesecake pots I’d made “in case of incase-ities” (Amina-ism).

Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early and head straight to the Marché d’Aligre in my neighbourhood for some fresh berries, garden herbs and a little bouquet of pink roses for my table setting. I also paid a visit to the butcher for some chicken thighs to go in the main course of Groundnut Stew, a spicy peanut-based dish for which I used my big sister’s secret recipe. While my stew was bubbling away, I made a hot pepper sauce of roasted bell peppers, tomatoes, coriander and chilli to serve with my starter. Akara are black-eyed bean fritters that are very popular from Nigeria to Sierra Leone.  I prepared a light carrot and courgette salad to add an extra splash of colour, and fried the Akara when my guests arrived so that they were warm and crispy. After the starter, I steamed some rice and garden peas and fried up the dodo (sliced plantain) to serve with the main course.

Akara with pepper salsa and a spring salad

Groundut stew & Dodo

I admit there were some timing issues with all the shallow frying before each course, so I might have to consider investing in a fryer for the next round. I also slightly underestimated my guest’s chilli pepper tolerance as I could have done with spicing up my Akara a little more. That said, it was quite an international party of diners, from Canada to Australia and America to Finland, all of whom had never before tasted West African cooking. I’m delighted to say that the food was a success, perhaps the biggest hit of the night being the cheesecake finale…

Chin-Chin cheesecake with rasberry & lime coulis

The wine selection also went down a treat. I’d visited wine store, La Dernière Goutte, in the 6^th (by the same owners of Cosi, a lovely little café I used to work at) and they suggested a Sauvignon Blanc and a Languedoc that paired up perfectly with my menu.

All in all, it was a superb evening with wonderful company and lots of laughter. And now that I’ve had a taste for it, I can’t wait to plan the next Cucina Naija!

Where?

My petite cucina – and a special thank you to princess Jenny Zeng Zeng for her lovely photos.

What’s playing today?

Just when I think I’ve narrowed down my favourite Nina Simone record, another one resurfaces and slaps me in the face ♥

“I want a little sugar in my bowl… I need a little sweetness down in my soul”

Hail HAIM!

I heard this song for the first time today, and it felt like a fanfare for the arrival of summer. If I had on Dorothy’s ruby slippers, I would have clicked my heels three times and magic-ed myself back to my cherry red car sitting in my mama’s driveway in London. She may be a rusty antique automobile but she’s my rusty antique, and on days like today I wish I could hop in the driver’s seat and cruise around with the title track of this Haim EP resounding from her stereo.

Haim are a sisterhood trio of musicians from LA, and I’m more than happy to join the hordes of rave reviews on this one. For me, it conjures up MJ’s Wanna be Startin’ Somethin’ and a touch of Debbie Harry swagger from the Blondie video for Rapture.

Nevertheless, I hope you’ll agree that it’s the perfect summer soundtrack. I can’t wait to hear more from these ladies.

What’s playing today?

Forever by Haim

Is your love big enough?

I heard some exciting music on the banks of Canal Saint Martin last night. The venue was the graffiti-coated Point Ephémère, and the songstress was fellow Londoner, Lianne La Havas. I bought the tickets months ago after seeing her performance on Later…with Jools Holland, and was delighted to discover that her special guest performer was Marques Toliver, who I posted back in summer 2011.

Toliver managed to deliver a set that was laid back and intense at the same time. His voice is a powerhouse in itself but coupled with those supreme violin skills, it’s difficult to tell which is the accompaniment. During his final song, he had the audience snap our fingers to create the illusion of rain drops – it was quite charming.

Miss La Havas kept the same relaxed intimacy with the crowd when she took to the stage and opened with an acoustic rendition of No Room For Doubt. Song after song, her vocals were so flawless you’d have thought she was recording tracks in a studio booth.

It soon becomes clear that La Havas is the genuine article – just as sweet and coy as the black lace tutu frock she was wearing. Mid set she declared, “You’re just all so lovely,” before resuming loving plucks of her electric guitar.

Like her English contemporaries Amy and Adele, a lot of the lyrics are inspired by an ex-boyfriend; Lianne joked about how song titles like Forget and Gone so aptly reveal the fate of that relationship. And if the crowd’s reaction was anything to go by, her debut album might be in for similar praise as Back to Black or 21.

The obvious (lazy) comparison here would be Corinne Bailey Rae, but I think there’s an almost charcoal quality to Lianne’s voice that adds a more soulful and fresh dimension to her sound. This came out in abundance when she performed a deluxe cover of Jill Scott’s He Loves Me. And for her final offering, she was joined on stage by Mr Toliver who sung back-up to a secret new release, Is Your Love Big Enough?, which I believe is the title track of her debut album.

Who?

Lianne La Havas and Marques Toliver

Where?

Le Point Ephémère

What’s playing today?

Here’s our girl performing Is Your Love Big Enough?

I had a recording of the Jill Scott cover but I cant seem to upload it, which is also a real shame because I had managed to catch the guy who stood next to me and repeatedly chimed in with out of tune and out of synch harmonies. I think he fancied himself as the ‘Pips’ to Lianne’s ‘Gladys Knight’ – there’s always one!

Magic in the Marais

A Sunday afternoon stroll through the Marais is always quite delightful, but yesterday there was an extra special guest strutting the cobled streets of Rue des Rosiers. Sporting some fetching giraffe print overalls, this fella was a one of a kind one-man band: harmonica, acoustic guitar and a bass drum mounted on his back with a beater tied to the foot pedal. All that was missing was a pair of cymbals strapped between his knees.

It was great to see. Not only because the music was curiously catchy, but also because he was beaming the most infectious smile I’ve ever seen. Châpeau.

What’s playing today?

Sadly there wasn’t enough time to get a decent recording of this guy but here is a performance by John Martyn – I think this was recorded about 20 years after the original release but I love the more gravelly vocal here.

Thank you for the music

It was only a couple of weeks ago that we bid farewell to Etta James, and now another extraordinary voice has passed. When I was growing up, Whitney Houston was the ultimate role model. To echo a Nina Simone song,  she was young, black and exceptionally gifted.

Sure she may have made some questionable choices but I’m a little tired of all the condemnatory articles chronicling her ‘fall from grace’ as though it undoes all that she achieved in her ‘glory days’. It reminds me of the days following Amy Winehouse’s death, when people were so quick to portray her short-lived life as a cautionary tale. Of course it’s tragic, but aren’t you missing what’s most important here? These artists shared their genius, whether it was an octave-defying vocal or lyrics that make your heart weep (Love is a Losing Game).

In a 2010 interview with Harper’s Bazaar magazine, Amy was asked if she had any unfulfilled ambitions. Her response was “If I died tomorrow, I would be a happy girl.“Happy because she had acheived more than most by age of 27? Happy because she is credited for rejuvenating British music? Happy because she would leave a legacy of some of the most original and  mesmerising music of all time? Rather than discuss drug addiction and wasted talents, why not simply express thanks to these remarkable women.

What’s playing today?

One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston

Matriarch of the Blues

Today we lost one of my favourite singers of all time; the original Rock & Roll defender and Blues luminary, Etta James. I remember finding her records when I was little, and wondering how much bleach it would take to turn me into a blond bombshell too. Then when I actually listened to them, I dont think I knew quite what to do with the sheer force that came out of the speakers.

Rest in peace Jamesetta

Far more than the voice behind those Diet Coke ads, she was fercious, potent and brilliant.

What’s playing today?

Here she is with legendary Blues pianist, Dr John.

Sous le ciel de Paris

This afternoon I took a stroll around the Île St Louis. It was a beautiful autumnal day and when my favourite Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong track shuffled into my headphones, I felt a shamlessly clichéd drop of Paris, je t’aime. I had to stop and take this photo.

Where?

Pont Saint Louis 75004 Paris

What’s playing today?

Can’t we be friends by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

Saba Saba Sunday

I recently wrote a piece on exploring African restos in Paris for Vingt Paris Magazine, at the end of which I declare the next destination on my hit list to be Moussa L’Africain at Porte de la Villette.

I don’t know why I waited so long to go, but I’m delighted to reveal that it was well worth the wait! Eager to hear the weekly live Saba Saba Orchestra, we booked for a Sunday evening and arrived as the band were warming up.

We started off at a table right next to the stage, but soon realising that we’d have to holler the conversation over heavy percussion and bass, we moved to a calmer spot at the front of the main restaurant. This turned out to be a stroke of luck as Moussa proposes 2 different dinner menus – diners in the main restaurant receive the full menu, while a more condensed version is issued to guests that come to hear the band.

Soya de bœuf aux épices des Pays Bantou d’Afrique central

With a few recommendations from our lovely Côte d’Ivoire waitress, we ordered a variety of dishes from Mali, Cameroon and Senegal. We started with spicy beef skewers, which in Nigeria we call suya – flame-grilled pieces of meat rubbed with an aromatic chilli powder. It may be a few years since I was last in Nigeria, but Moussa’s skewers tasted just as delicious and authentic as the suya I used to buy wrapped in newspaper from roadside vendors in Lagos.

Whereas I’ve grown up on West African cuisine, for my Australian chum Jane, this was a novel experience. As it turns out, the fact of being a novice or a connoisseur is quite irrelevant at Moussa L’Africain – we were both blown away by each fragrant clay pot dish that arrived.

Ndolé was perhaps my favourite – largely because it was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. It’s a speciality from Cameroon in which spinach, bitter leaf and peanuts are blended into a thick, almost creamy stew.

Ndolé au bœuf

We also tried the national dish of Senegal, Tiep Bon Dienn & riz wolof. It is a rice and white fish stew prepared with cassava root, carrot, African aubergine and fresh tomato – which gives the rice a red tint. It comes with a side of aloko, which is slices of fried plantain (a kind of savoury banana).

This maffé is a traditional dish from Mali and West Africa. It is made with peanut paste, stewed cabbage leaves, carrots and chunks of succulent smoked chicken.

Maffé au poulet fumé

After our meal, we relocated to the main stage room with a Flag (Côte d’Ivoire) beer in hand, and joined crowds of high-spirited locals amid the Saba Saba. A perfect way to spend a Sunday evening.

Where?

Moussa L’Africain – 27 Avenue Corentin Cariou 75019 Paris * Métro – Porte de la Villette

How much?

• Starters – between €6 and €12
• Mains – between €17 and €25
• They also do a selection of lunch menus for €9.50, €13.50 and €17.50

What’s playing today?

Be Your Man by Dipo

And now the final frame…Love is a losing game

I remember the first time I heard her. It was 2003 and, taking a study break from A-level French revision, I tuned into my beloved Later… with Jools Holland BBC TV show. In his quintessentially British way, Jools introduced Amy Winehouse to the stage for her TV debut. Effortlessly plucking away at her guitar, she delivered a very cool, very slick performance of Stronger Than Me. I was hooked.

As this was before the days of Spotify and YouTube, I scoured the shelves of my local record store until I found it – her debut album Frank. It’s a rare occurrence to listen to an entire record and discover that each track is even better than the preceding. The album dips into jazz, blues and soul yet her sound almost outsmarts any ideas of classification. Echoing the album title, her lyrics are honest, sincere and unashamedly candid. It was different to anything I’d heard before, and quite frankly the best 10 quid I’d ever spent.

A few weeks later I was listening to a radio interview and Amy’s familiar Camden accent revealed her to be a fellow north-Londoner. She discussed her influences – which stretch from Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaugh to Mos Def – and how she had started writing music because there was nothing current that she wanted to listen to. I wonder if she ever imagined that she would become a voice for our generation.

Frank soon became the soundtrack to one of the most exciting times in my life. When I listen to tracks like Fuck Me Pumps and Take The Box, they still take me back to the end of school, a summer romance, a Greek holiday with my best friends and finally moving away from home to embark on the wild life of a university student.

During my first week at uni, a chance meeting with Tyler James – the support act for Amy Winehouse’s first UK tour – resulted in a free ticket to her show at the Bristol Carling Academy. It was one of the finest gigs I have ever been to. Amy was gracious, unpretentious and sublimely soulful.

When Back to Black came out 2 years later, I remember thinking, “she’s done it again!” The world went mad for Amy Winehouse, and rightly so. This award-winning album was even more frank than its predecessor.

I truly believe that all the headlines and stories about Amy’s personal life are eclipsed by her irrefutable talent. Amy Winehouse was special, and I only wish that I could have heard more.

What’s playing today?

Love Is A Losing Game by Amy Winehouse