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Bowl Leader
Beninoise Sardine Pate Baguette (Breakfast Sandwich of Benin)
While I was in the West Coast of Africa, I can immediately tell the difference between a Francophone and an English speaking country. Benin is a Francophone country situated between Togo and Nigeria. It is not far from Ghana yet there is a big difference in culture. The streets of Cotonou, Benin’s largest city, and Porto Novo, the capital, were congested with scooters zipping up and down just like France. You can also notice the French influence in Beninoise food. Baguettes are ubiquitous, they use a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits, salad cream (aka Mayo) and flavors are much more complex which I enjoyed.
I stayed in Benin with a family in Cotonou during Christmas break. They fed me well. I noticed what kept coming up on the menu were sardine baguettes with salad, what they refer to as mixed vegetables.
Mornings I would be greeted by the matriarch with a cheerful, “Bonjour!”, as I would sit down for breakfast of sardine baguette sandwiches and hot Milo, a malt beverage.
I recreated this delicious sandwich with my own twist. I sautéed onions, garlic, Serrano peppers, ginger, canned sardines in tomato sauce with a dash of African hot chili powder in olive oil. I took it off the heat, squeezed lemon juice, added fresh dill, parsley, and a knob of butter. I mashed it into a pate and set aside to cool.
Once cooled, I spread the pate on one slice of homemade Dutch Crunch ciabatta and topped it with a “salad” of tomato slices, cucumbers, shallots, fresh parsley leaves. I dressed the salad with salt, pepper, and dashes of red wine vinegar. The sandwich was then topped off with a Dutch Crunch slice smeared with mashed avocado.
My husband loved it! He said they sure know how to make a sandwich and that I should open a deli and call it “The Beninoise”!
From @tinyhappykitchen on Instagram
This looks delicious! I love sardines and would never have thought to do this. Making it for lunch today!
Bowl Leader
It’s delicious!