Rwanda

 Welcome to Rwanda!  Rwanda is known as the Land of a Thousand Hills because it has many mountains.  Rwanda is Africa's second most populated country, with about 219 people per square mile.  In 1994, they had a genocide that saw around 800,000 people killed in 100 days.  Also, fascinating, since 2018, Rwanda has been using drones to deliver blood and medical supplies to remote areas.  Doctors order these materials by text!  According to Google, the population of Rwanda is 14.28 million people, and the capital is Kigali.  Their national dish is...

Brochettes!

These are goat skewers!  You would think that living in a farming area, I would be able to find goat fairly easily.  Nope.  So, we traded goat for sheep (sounds like I'm playing a game...).  To go with the brochettes, we made igisafuiya, which is a chicken-based stew.  Seemed like fairly straightforward dishes to make.  Here's what we did!

BROCHETTES

1 lb goat meat or beef cut into 1-inch cubes (I used lamb)

1 onion, quartered

5 tomatoes, quartered

1/2 small can of tomato sauce

1/2 onion diced

2 tbsp vegetable bullion 

3 jalapenos

Avocado oil

Salt, to taste

1. 1.  Put the tomatoes, 1/2 onion, jalapenos, and tomato sauce into a food processor and blend until saucy and a little bit chunky.
2. 2.  Reserve half of the sauce for dipping.
3. 3.  Put half the sauce in a bowl and add the lamb and quartered onions (separate the layers of the onion) and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.
4. 4.  Form the brochettes by alternately threading meat and 2 to 3 pieces of onion onto a skewer.
5. 5.  Heat the grill and lay the skewer on the grill.
6. 6.  Brush the sauce on all sides of the brochettes, adding more of the sauce as you turn them. 
7. 7.  Cook until cooked through, and enjoy with extra sauce.

(Source: Brochettes)

IGISAFUIYA

4 chicken thighs

2 onions, chopped

2 leeks (white and green parts), thinly sliced

4 green bell peppers, seeded and cut

4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced

5 celery stalks, chopped

4 plantains, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and then cut in half

10 oz. spinach

3 tbsp tomato paste

4 tbsp avocado oil

1 hot pepper

1. 1.  In a pot with hot oil, sear chicken over medium-high heat to color on all sides.
2. 2.  Remove thighs from the pot and set aside.
3. 3.  Add onion, leeks and peppers.
4. 4.  Let this cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. 5.  Add the tomatoes, celery and tomato paste and mix well. 
6. 6.  Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
7. 7.  Cover with water, add salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. 
8. 8.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.
9. 9.  Add the plantains, cover them with the spinach and put the chicken back on top. 
10. 10.  Add water if necessary so that the plantains are fully submerged.
11. 11.  Cover, add the whole hot pepper, and simmer over low heat for about 25 minutes. 

(Source: Igisafuiya)

The verdict?  The brochettes were very good.  We really enjoyed the skewers. I don't think the marinade did much, but it was a great dipping sauce.  The sauce was spicy, but a good amount of spice.  I think it would be really good on chips or eggs.  The lamb was tender, but a little bit gamey (the sauce helped with the gaminess too).  The Igisafuiya was interesting.  It didn't have much flavor at all, so it needed quite a bit of salt.  However, the more you ate the stew, the more it grew on you.  As leftovers, I found myself thinking the same thing: that it was very plain, but the more I ate, the better it tasted.  All in all, a good meal, but not fantastic.

  

ME

Taste of Brochettes (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 4

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Brochettes (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 3

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

ME

Taste of Igisafuiya (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Igisafuiya (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

Hope you join us next time in Albania!