My friend Iba has a big, deep voice, a wide smile, a laugh that fills a room, and a hundred stories to tell. His enthusiasm for food from all over the world is downright inspiring. He knows a lot about food history and has cooked in kitchens in Paris, New York, and now in Austin. His juice bar JuJu Juice has scores of customers who love his fresh-pressed juices and homemade nut milks, and that they're served up a generous helping of warmth and light at JuJu's window. At Cazamance, his trailer serving dishes inspired by his native Senegal and his travels near and far, he loves to create traditional dishes that are lightened up and brightened with fresh greens and handmade sauces, like this Bunny Chow, born of South African bar food. It's a dish that's far greater than the sum of its parts--exotically spiced, texturally exciting, and deeply satisfying. Read on for the recipe, and if you want to get to know Iba better (or already love him), click here to join us at my place for a class he's teaching on Friday evening!
Bunny Chow
1 pound lamb sausage
1 loaf rustic sourdough
1 cucumber, sliced thin
5 oz baby spinach, washed and spun dry
homemade ketchup (recipe below)
Sriracha sour cream (recipe below)
Homemade Ketchup:
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 poblano pepper or 1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
1 t cumin
1 t paprika
salt & pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
2-3 sprigs thyme
2 T brown sugar
1/2 c water
Sriracha Sour Cream:
1 c sour cream
2 T Sriracha (or more to taste)
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane or finely minced
cayenne, to taste
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and drizzle in a thin coating of olive oil. Add lamb sausages and cook, turning frequently until they begin to brown. Add a splash of water, cover the pan, and lower the heat to medium low. Cook until sausages are cooked through, then remove from heat and set aside, covered.
Meanwhile, make ketchup. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add sliced onion and garlic and saute until onion begins to soften (do not let the onion brown). Add remaining ingredients and bring to a high simmer. Cover the pot and lower the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until tomatoes have broken down and saucy. Keep warm.
For Sriracha sour cream, whisk ingredients together in a small bowl.
To assemble bunny chow, cut sourdough crosswise into thick slices and remove some of the interior bread with your fingers to create a cavity. Fill with cooked sausage, spinach, and cucumber, then top with a big spoonful of warm ketchup and a generous dollop of Sriracha sour cream.
