The Mafe Factor is born!

 I guess I knew picking a blog name would be pretty hard, but it surprised me nonetheless that I spent about a week making this decision. I guess it's a little like naming a child; you realize that, while your decision may not truly be final and that there are legal recourses one can take to change a name, it is not socially acceptable to flip flop about name decisions. There are, of course, those that do choose to change their mind about these things, but I believe one generally must fall into the category of either a) a disgraced business or b) famous person.

Adjou and a particularly spectacular platter she created

So what is Mafe? Mafe is a Senegalese peanut butter stew that is made with root vegetables and tomatoes and served on top of cous cous or white rice on a large communal platter that everyone eats off of together with their hands. I chose Mafe as my namesake because it is my favorite Senegalese dish to make, and because overall I loved the food experience of eating off of a communal plate, something we would frown upon in the US because of our accute germaphobia. But hey, when in Rome I hope we all find it in ourselves to acquire a few Roman germs.

The Mafe Factor has a second source of origin in another great food adventure I once had. There is a cafe in Ithaca, New York called the Mate Factor which is run by a religious cult called the Twelve Tribes who live in a large communal house in downtown Ithaca, and run both the cafe as well as a farm where they grew most of their produce. They have open Sabbath dinners on Fridays at which they invite the entire community to join them, but very few Ithacans take part except the homeless. However, I convinced my college roommate to tag along with me and we attended one Friday Sabbath dinner at that big house on 3rd Street. While the experience was in many ways socially discomforting, the food was incredible, the people were well-meaning and kind, and the dancing afterwards was surprisingly fun. When I moved to Colorado I discovered that the Twelve Tribes had another Mate Factor in Manitou Springs, and just seeing the sign brought back such crisp memories of fresh greens and thick hearty bread, that it was all I could do not to drool on the sidewalk.

Aminata, Mina, and I enjoy our mafe

And so, let the Mafe Factor be defined as the secret ingredient that the story of a dish adds to the actual taste of the food. It's the spice of memory. In recognition of these food adventures of the past, I will begin with a recipe for Senegalese mafe the way my host sister Adjou taught me to make it. I implore you to make this a food adventure for yourself. Take out that platter you sometime put deviled eggs or chopped veggies on when you have parties. Cover it with white rice or cous cous and then pour your stew into the center. Invite your bravest and most adventurous friends over for dinner, and "Lekka" Senegalese style.

Mafe with Beef, Lamb, or Vegetarian (don't tell my host family I'm allowing this)
3 tbsp oil (olive oil or vegetable)
1/2 pound chopped beef, lamb, or halved mushrooms
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 med potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
5 brussel sprouts, quartered
(Other vegetables to add or substitute for those listed: green beans, cassava root, cabbage, eggplant)
1 med onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 green pepper, minced (optional)
salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste
1 28 ounce can diced or pureed tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes, pureed
14 ounces of water (fill up tomato can halway again, or use about 2 cups)
1/2  cup good natural peanut butter (no more than 2 ingredients)


Sautee meat or mushrooms in oil until browned (about 5 minutes), add all root vegetables and brussel sprouts or cabbage and cook for another 10 minutes. Take the minced onion, garlic and green pepper and mix them together. If you can, it is good to mash them, but I generally just mince them all at once to get a good mix. Add these to the pot along with the salt, peppers, tomatoes, water, and peanut butter. Mix well and bring to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, turn down to low and then cook until veggies are soft.


Serve platter style or in individual bowls with rice or cous cous.
Lekka bu bakk samay xarits! (Eat well my friends)