‘A whole bunch of goodness’: Chef Alexander Smalls talks about new cookbook of African home cooking

Alexander Smalls grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina — in Gullah Geechee country off the state’s coast — where inhabitants may be the closest descendants, culturally, to the African continent in the US.

For Smalls, that’s where his lifelong interest in food took hold — “understanding the power of food and the presence, the legacy, the history that food provided us as essentially African people in America.”

Smalls, a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, helped curate the new cookbook, “The Contemporary African Kitchen,” which will be released on Oct. 15. 

The book highlights leading chefs from African countries who share recipes and reflections connected to their home-cooking traditions. Although the book focuses on regions in Africa to showcase different flavor profiles, spices are a heavy influence throughout the continent.

“You’re going to run into things like ginger, Cuban condiment, palm oil, sesame oil, all kinds of chilies and saffron, nutmeg, turmeric,” Smalls said. “These are bright flavors that excite the palate.” 

Okra and an array of greens are also commonly used in grilling and stewing. 

“Africans love one-pot meals, you know, throwing a whole bunch of goodness in a pot.”   

One such recipe in the book strikes a personal chord for Smalls: the shrimp stew, from contributor Agness Colley. 

“The whole idea of the smell of it conjures up images of my dad making this dish as a boy in South Carolina,” he said, adding that it was served during the holidays or on special Sundays. 

He said he felt as if he, too, could’ve written Colley’s opening paragraph.

“It is wrapped in those memories, generational memories,” he said. “That, essentially, is what African cooking is all about. They told the stories in their lives through their food. And their food became the foundation of their cultural experience.”  

Colley’s recipe in the book for shrimp stew is below.

Adapted from “The Contemporary African Kitchen” by Alexander Smalls, with Nina Oduro. This recipe is from contributor Agness Colley. 

(Phaidon, US $49.95, 2024)

Photography by: Beatriz da Costa 

Page: 222

The smell of this dish marked my childhood, its incredible flavors filling our house as it was being cooked. It brings back many fond memories, especially since it was a meal that was served for festive occasions. Even my parents have stories of eating the dish during the holiday season in Togo when they were growing up. Back then, the dish was vegetarian; now it is common to see this stew made with shrimp (prawns) or other fish and meat. 

Shrimp stew 

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• 12 tiger shrimp (prawns) 

• juice of 1 lime

• 4 garden eggs (African eggplants/aubergines), halved

• 2 corn cobs, each cut into 4 pieces 

• 1 small cassava 

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (purée) 

• 1 large white onion, roughly chopped 

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and chopped

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoon allspice

• 4 large tomatoes, chopped

• 1 fresh green chili or jalapeño

• 2 tablespoons palm oil

• salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the shrimp (prawns) by removing and setting aside the heads and shells, then set the shrimp aside in the lime juice. Place the garden eggs (African eggplants/aubergines) and corn pieces in a bowl, cover with water and set aside. Peel the cassava, then cut it into thick slices and place in a bowl of cold water to prevent it from oxidizing. 

Combine the tomato paste, onion, garlic, bell pepper, spices and salt in a blender. Add the tomatoes and blend until they form a purée.

Heat a medium, stovetop-safe casserole (or Dutch oven), pour in the palm oil, then add the shrimp carcasses and heads. Stir and gently crush the carcasses and heads for 1–2 minutes, keeping them intact. Pour in 2 cups (16 fl oz/475 ml) of water and stir to loosen the bits at the bottom of the pan. Pour in the purée, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, add the whole green chili, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove and discard the carcasses and heads, then add the cassava and corn and cook for 15 minutes on high heat. Add the eggplants and shrimp. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Add salt and simmer for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, and the vegetables and shrimp are well coated. 

Serve on deep plates. First place the vegetables and cassava on the plate, then arrange 3 shrimp on top, and finish with the sauce.

Excerpted from The Contemporary African Kitchen © 2024 by Alexander Smalls, with Nina Oduro. Photography © 2024 by Beatriz da Costa. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.