Discovering Fonio

Jollof Fonio | Dara O’Brien, Lake Isle Press

By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press

I grew up in a meat and potatoes household. Except I wouldn’t eat potatoes. I wouldn’t eat veggies or fish, either. Or basically anything but elbow macaroni with butter and a little tomato sauce, grape jelly sandwiches on white bread with the crusts cut off, chicken, and red meat (well-done). Chocolate milk only, no plain. I was also very partial to Hostess Twinkies.

As I got older, my parents tried to improve my diet. Eventually there was a showdown: when I was in the fourth grade my father insisted I eat rice. I refused. He banished me from the dining table to the kitchen and told me to stay there until I ate the rice. We had no table or chair in the kitchen. I sat on the floor with my plate of rice before me. I didn’t eat it.

Finally it became clear even to me that being a picky eater was just not a good thing. And I was tired of being food-shamed (“You don’t eat peaches? Are you serious?”). So I forced myself to broaden my palate but stayed very much in the land of the bland.

Then I moved to New York City, where being an unadventurous eater is just too ignorant to be tolerated. There’s a wide world of food here, you know? Bye-Bye Chef Boyardee; hello Lidia Bastianich.

I recently started work here at Lake Isle Press. Since most of our cookbooks are specialized around a particular cuisine or ingredient that may not be in the regular rotation for many home cooks, seemed like an ideal opportunity to up my cooking game.

I’ve made it my mission to cook from our cookbooks at least once a week. I decided to choose recipes that have an ingredient or combination of ingredients or a technique I have never tried.

My first new ingredient: fonio.
It’s an ancient grain that’s largely unknown in most of the world, but fonio has been a staple of the West African diet for centuries. It’s the main ingredient of Lake Isle’s ”The Fonio Cookbook,” by Pierre Thiam. (Pierre is a chef, author, social activist and co-founder of Yolélé Foods, importer of fonio. Here’s a link to his TED Talk about fonio’s potential to change the world.)

I had never heard of fonio. It’s a kind of millet, something like a cross between quinoa, which I have never tried (I know, don’t say it) and couscous, which I’ve had on a few occasions and cooked once or twice.

Fonio is gluten-free and low on the glycemic scale. I have some gluten-sensitive people in my life, so I thought I’d give it a try. Pierre promises that fonio is easy to cook, good on its own or mixed with just about anything. Time to find out.

Most of Pierre’s recipes call for cooked fonio, and he offers two ways to prepare it: steaming (with two variations) and stovetop. I tried the stovetop method: add fonio to boiling water, cover and simmer for five minutes, then turn off the heat and leave it covered for two minutes more. Fluff it with a fork and go. Super easy. (Confession: I forgot to rinse before cooking. But I used Yolélé Fonio, and according to their web site, rinsing is not necessary.)

It’s got a really delicate texture, and a light, nutty taste, and can be used in a lot of different ways. One of the most basic is to make a Jollof.

Jollof is a West African dish, basically a tomato rice. It’s hugely popular throughout the region; different countries make it different ways, and have a rivalry over whose version is best. Pierre has a recipe for a Jollof Fonio (scroll down for it) that’s easy to follow and uses few ingredients, all pantry staples. I didn’t have any vegetable broth in my pantry, though, but since I freeze veggie scraps for just such a purpose, I whipped up a broth and made the Jollof.

I made it twice. The first time I didn’t really see the tomato paste turn dark as the recipe says. I kept heating and stirring, then finally surrendered and folded in the cooked fonio. It was good, but I thought it was a little oily. Then I realized my mistake. I wanted to cut the recipe in half, and used only two cups of cooked fonio. But I forgot to half the oily tomato broth and made it as specified for four cups cooked fonio. Oops.

When I tried the second time, I saw the subtle change of color for the tomato paste, and used only half of it for the Jollof (yes, I also made the same mistake again). Success. It’s delicate and tomato-tangy, not at all oily.

I tried the Jollof on its own, then a few other ways: as a side for pork with sweet chili sauce and roasted cauliflower. Nice combination. Then with a cumin-spiced red bean chili. I wondered if the Jollof would stand up to the sauce and veggies, and it did. I could taste it, and feel its texture, but it blended more seamlessly with the chili than the brown rice I usually serve it with. (Yes, I now eat rice. All kinds. Thank you.) I liked the difference. I also tried it mixed into scrambled eggs and scallions. Thumbs up.

I know I still have a lot of catching up to do in my journey with food and cooking. I’m glad to now add fonio to my repertoire.

But I still won’t eat olives or shrimp. And don’t even ask me about mushrooms.  Or sushi.

It’s one day, and one dish, at a time. Stay tuned.

JOLLOF FONIO
Click here to print recipe

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups cooked fonio

SERVES 4

PREPARATION
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and tomato paste and reduce the heat to low. Stir gently with
a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes, until the paste is dark red but not burnt. If necessary, add a little water or some of the vegetable broth to avoid scorching.

2. Stir in the vegetable broth and season with the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the oil rises to the surface, another 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Fold in the cooked fonio until well combined. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Reprinted from The Fonio Cookbook by Pierre Thiam, Lake Isle Press, 2019

Note: Fonio is available at select grocers including Whole Foods nationwide. You can order Yolélé Fonio through Amazon.

A taste of days gone by | Dara O’Brien, Lake Isle Press

I was tired of being
food-shamed.
(“You don’t eat peaches?
Are you serious?”)

Cooked Fonio | Dara O’Brien, Lake Isle Press