Kenyan Irio Cakes With Tomato Spinach

Ingredients:

Irio Cakes

2 large baking potatoes

Kenyan Irio Cakes

250 gram (2 cup) sweet corn, from can or frozen

1 can cooked red kidney beans, drained

2 spring onion, finely chopped

cornmeal

Tomato Spinach

1 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 tomatoes, skinned and seeded

450 gram (1 pound) spinach

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt to taste

Instructions:

Pierce the skin of potatoes and place them in a 200C (390F) oven. Bake for one hour or until skewer goes in without any resistance. Remove from oven and let cool.

Halve the potatoes and scoop the flesh out into a large mixing bowl.

Reduce oven heat to 180C (350F).

Add the drained beans, sweetcorn, and spring onion to the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Using a potato masher mash the ingredients together. The sweetcorn and most beans will remain intact while the potato will turn into a mash. The whole mixture should come nicely together.

Place some cornmeal in a shallow bowl (or a plate). Divide the mixture into equal portions and make cakes, 6 for a starter portion and 4 for a main dish.

Roll each cake in the cornmeal and place on a baking sheet lined with a grease proof (baking) paper. Bake for 30 minutes or until they start to brown. Turn them half way through. You could also fry these cakes if you wish.

While the cakes are baking prepare the spinach. If using mature spinach remove the stalks, wash thoroughly and cut up, I used large scissors to cut up the spinach.

In a large saucepan heat the oil, add the spices and cook till they start to pop, take care they do not burn them.

Chop up the tomatoes and add them to the spices together with 2 tablespoon of water. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes soften.

Add the spinach to the tomatoes, season with salt then cover with lid and cook on low heat for 10min or until the spinach is very tender (if using baby spinach reduce the cooking time). Add the lemon juice.

Serve the cakes on top of a spinach mound.

- Inspired by the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Serving size: 4-6

Prep time: 45 minutes + baking time