Sweet Salone: Recipes from the Heart of Sierra Leone

Bradford, who was born and raised in the melting pot of Freetown, Sierra Leone, and now runs the U.K. catering company Shwen Shwen, debuts with an appetizing collection that skillfully presents classic dishes alongside Bradford’s own “Afro-fusion” inventions. Dividing entrees into two chapters keeps the traditional (including pemahun, a savory rice-based breakfast dish with dried smoked fish) delineated from the newfangled (stewed root vegetables topped with mackerel and sweet potato shoestring fries). A waste not/want not ethos runs throughout, as in a recipe for fish balls that calls for peanut butter to stretch a small amount of fish to feed a crowd. Desserts aren’t common in Sierra Leone, but Bradford’s selection includes ice cream flavored by the moringa plant, aka the “drumstick tree,” and a butter cake that she remembers making with her family as a child using an empty can as a pan and an “improvised” outdoor oven. Bradford patiently explains ingredients that will be less familiar to Western audiences (and provides tips for sourcing them). Intermittent essays on such topics as visiting her great-grandmother’s village and the communal cooking of celebratory feasts add context and charm. Confidently mixing the old with the new, Bradford ushers readers into a fascinating culinary world. (July)