Recipe: Green Ghanaian Spinach Stew

Green Ghanaian Spinach Stew

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• simmer :

  to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.

• stir :

  to mix together two or more ingredients with a spoon or spatula, usually in a circle pattern, or figure eight, or in whatever direction you like!

History of Stew!

• Humans have been making stew since ancient times! Food historians say there is evidence of a stew made in Japan sometime during the Jōmon period (14,000-300 BCE). Tribes from the Amazon Rainforest used turtle shells to cook stew over a fire. Other cultures used the shells of mollusks to boil their stew.
• A stew is a combination of solid foods, usually tough meats and vegetables, cooked on the stove or in the oven in a liquid, like water or stock, sometimes with added wine, at low temperature for one to three hours. The meat becomes tender, and gravy is created due to the slow cooking process, making the stew thick and hearty.
• Brown stews are made with seared red meat, browned and diced vegetables, browned flour, brown stock, and sometimes red wine. The diced vegetables are called a "mirepoix" (MEER-pwah), part of French cuisine, typically consisting of carrots, celery, and onions. A stew may also include legumes, noodles, rice, or potatoes.
• White stews can be called "blanquettes" or "fricassées" and consist of lightly seared but not browned lamb, poultry, or veal cooked in a white stock. Diced, braised vegetables with light color, like celery, cucumber, green lettuce, parsnips, or potatoes may be added. 
• Many countries have stews in their cuisine. France has "beef bourguignon" or "beef Burgundy," a dish of beef stewed in burgundy wine. They also have a fish stew called "bouillabaisse." Vietnam has "bo kho," a richly-seasoned beef stew. "Feijoada" is a bean, beef, and pork stew from Brazil and Portugal. "Főzelék" is a thick vegetable soup from Hungary. South India has a stew made with lentils and vegetables called "sambar."
• What's the difference between soup and stew? Soups are typically cooked in less time and are thinner in consistency than thick stews.

Let's Learn About Ghana!

• The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It is bordered on the north by Burkina Faso, on the east by Togo, on the south by the Gulf of Guinea and the South Atlantic Ocean, and on the west by Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). It is about 470 miles north of the equator.
• Ghana was the first African country to gain its independence from its British colonial government. It became the Dominion of Ghana in March 1957. Until 1960, it was a British Commonwealth. In July 1960, it became an independent republic.
• Ghana's total area is 93,000 square miles, a little smaller than the state of Oregon. Its population is over 35 million. In comparison, Oregon's population is over 4.2 million.  
• There are over 70 ethnic groups in the country, and about 80 languages are spoken. The Akan people are the largest group at 45 percent, and the Akan (or Twi) language is the most spoken. English is the official language and is considered the lingua franca or bridge language (bridges the communication gap to unite the country). 
• The government of Ghana is a unitary presidential republic, with a president, vice-president, and parliament. 
• Accra is Ghana's capital and largest city. The currency is the cedi.  
• The geography of Ghana is primarily grasslands, coastal shrublands, and forests. It has several rivers. The White Volta and Black Volta rivers flow into Lake Volta, the largest artificial reservoir in the world. The reservoir was formed by the creation of the hydroelectric Akosombo Dam in 1965. 
• Lake Bosumtwi is a crater lake and the only natural lake in Ghana, believed to have been formed by a meteor.
• Ghana has a tropical climate with a wet season and a dry season. 
• Industries in the country that contribute to the economy are agriculture, manufacturing, technology, petroleum and gas, mining, and tourism.
• Ghana has a child labor problem. Statistics vary on the percentage (from 4 percent to 22 percent) of working children ages 5 to 14. Many of these kids work with their families in agriculture, fishing, and mining. 
• Traditional music and dances in Ghana vary by ethnic group. The "seperew" is an Akan harp-lute musical instrument. The "gyil" is a xylophone-type instrument made of wood and gourds used by the Dagara people in Ghana and other Gur-speaking regions in West Africa. 
• The Adowa is a traditional dance of the Akan people, and the Agbadza and Borborbor are dances of the Ewe people.  
• The musical genre, Afro-jazz, was invented by a musician from Accra. Guy Warren of Ghana (also known as Kofi Ghanaba) created it to reunite African-American jazz with its African roots. 
• Ghanaian textiles also vary by ethnic group. "Kente" cloth, worn initially as a long toga by the Akan, Asante, and Ewe people, has become fashionable in other parts of the world. It is made of hand-woven, brightly-colored strips of silk and cotton.
• Association football (soccer) is the most-watched and played sport in the country. 
• Cuisine in Ghana may vary depending on the region. It frequently makes use of the crops grown in the country, including cashew, cassava, cocoa, maize, palm oil, pineapple, rice, taro, tomato, and yam. 
• Several starchy foods are staples in Ghanaian cuisine. These may include beans, cassava, cocoyam (taro), maize (corn), millet, plantain, rice, sweet potato, and yam.
• Soups and stews are regularly served. They consist of various vegetables, legumes, fish, poultry, and meat. Tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers are common ingredients. 
• Traditional dishes may include grilled tilapia fish, peanut soup, and Jollof rice. Fufu (sticky dough made of cassava and plantain) or banku (dough made from maize and cassava) are often served with other dishes. 
• A popular Ghanaian hot pepper sauce or condiment, called "shito" (SHEE-toh), is served with fish, meat, rice, or swallow dishes (dumplings made with maize or maize and cassava dough). Shito is made with chili peppers, dried fish, dried shrimp, vegetable oil, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, onions, and other spices. 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Ghana?

• The school year in Ghana runs from September to August. Kids start school in kindergarten, which lasts two years (ages 4 to 6). Then, they attend primary school for six years, junior secondary school for three years, and senior secondary school for three years. All public and private school students have to wear uniforms. 
• The sports Ghanaian kids may play include football (soccer), athletics (track and field), badminton, basketball, handball, swimming, and table tennis.
• Kids may enjoy going to beaches with their families or the more than 30 castles and forts in Ghana, which often have museums inside.
• Accra Park is an amusement and theme park in the capital city. 
• Families may visit the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra, which has a museum with artifacts related to Ghana's independence, a presidential library, a mausoleum for Ghana's first president, a gift shop, and a restaurant. 
• Mole National Park, in Ghana's northwest in the Savannah region, is home to mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, butterfly, and plant species. Mammals include several varieties of antelopes, buffalo, elephants, hippos, hyenas, jackals, leopards, patas and green monkeys, warthogs, and defassa waterbuck. Lions are present in the park but are rarely seen. 
• Kakum National Park in southern Ghana has the Kakum Canopy Walkway, a series of seven hanging bridges (1,080 feet long) at a height of 130 to 160 feet in the forest canopy. The walkaway allows visitors the chance to see plants and animals they would not be able to see otherwise.
• Several waterfalls draw visitors, including the Kintampo waterfalls with three main drops, the longest being 82 feet long. The Wli waterfalls are the tallest in Ghana and West Africa at over 262 feet.
• Breakfast for kids in Ghana usually consists of porridge, like "koko" (made from millet) or "tom brown" (made from peanuts, soybeans, and corn). Koko is also a street or snack food. They may have eggs with "waakye" (rice and bean dish) on the side.
• Kids like to eat plantain chips for a snack. They may also enjoy "nkatie" cake (peanut brittle-type candy made with only finely chopped peanuts and sugar) or "kube" cake (coconut ball-shaped candy made with shredded coconut, sugar, and sometimes lemon juice or water). 
• A traditional Ghanaian dessert is "awiesu," a deep-fried treat made from cornmeal, water, roasted peanuts, sugar, nutmeg, salt, and sometimes powdered milk.