A Culinary Trip to Ethiopia Continued

For the past few weeks, Chef E from Cook Appeal and I have been traveling virtually through the cuisine of Ethiopia. I was so honored this week to play host to a real Ethiopian at my Friday feast! My neighbors adopted a little girl from Ethiopia about a year ago. Here she is sitting at my kitchen table enjoying....macaroni and cheese. Don't you just love her pudgy, pudgy hands? I tore off some injera for her and she looked at it like it was not edible. I thought it was quite cute that while her parents and my husband and I feasted on dishes from Ethiopia, she was happily munching on the mac and cheese I made for all the kiddos.

For our culinary tour this week, I decided on making Doro We't, a spicy chicken and egg dish, as well as Ye'atakilt Alich'a, which is a vegetable stew.  Also, as a bonus, my little friend's father prepared Yemisir Alich'a which is mild lentil sauce served with pita chips or injera.

The Doro We't.  You can just see how spicy and rich the sauce is.

Doro We't by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

6 lbs. chicken parts

3 sticks unsalted butter

3 lbs. red onions, chopped

2 tsp. garlic powder

4 heaping Tbls. berbere (recipe here)

9 oz. tomato paste

3 c. chicken stock

10 hard boiled eggs, peeled and slightly scored

1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1.  In a large Dutch oven on the stovetop, melt the butter.  Add the onions to the melted butter and saute over medium heat until translucent, about 5-10 minutes.  

2.  Meanwhile, remove the skin from the chicken parts and score the meat slightly to allow the sauce to penetrate once they are added to the pot.

3.  To the onions, add the garlic powder, berbere, tomato paste and the black pepper.  Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the chicken pieces to the sauce one piece at a time, stirring between each addition to make sure that each piece of chicken is covered in sauce.

4.  Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees.

5.  Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the oven for 4 hours.

6.  Thirty minutes before serving, add the hard boiled eggs to the sauce to warm.

7.  Serve Doro We't with injera (recipe here) and eat it with your hands.

Ye'atakilt Alich'a (Vegetable Stew)

Ye'atakilt Alich'a (Vegetable Stew) adapted from Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by D.J. Mesfin

Ingredients:

3 sticks butter

1 1/2 c. red onions, chopped

6 medium potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into large bite sized pieces

5 large carrots, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

6 oz. tomato paste

1 small green cabbage, cored and chopped into large chunks

6 medium Anaheim chilies, seeded and sliced into long, skinny strips

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 c. chicken stock

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1.  In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent 5-10 minutes. 

2.  Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir.  

3.  Cover the Dutch oven and place in a 275 degree oven for 3-4 hours until all of the vegetables are tender and are browning.

4.  Stir the Ye'atakilt Alich'a to combine and serve with injera.

Our special treat, Yemisir Alich'a (Mild Split Lentil Sauce)

Yemisir Alich'a (Mild Split Lentil Sauce) adapted from Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by D.J. Mesfin

Ingredients:

2 c. lentils

6 c. water

2 c. chopped onions

2 c. butter

1 Tbls. ginger

1 tsp. chopped garlic

1/3 c. berere

Directions:

1.  Bring water to boil in a large stockpot.

2.  Pick through the lentils and remove any rocks.  Boil the lentils in the water for 5 minutes.

3.  In another pot, melt the butter and add the onions.  Cook until the onions are translucent but not browning, 5-10 minutes.  Add the lentils and the water to the onions.  Add the spices.  Simmer for 20 minutes until the mixture is thick and the lentils are soft.  Serve with injera.

I've so enjoyed this culinary tour of Ethiopia.  The dishes are rustic and although they are not quick and easy to make, they are SO WORTH IT!  Thank you Chef E for suggesting we do this!  Don't forget to check out the amazing Ethiopian dishes at Cook Appeal.  Chef E used to work at an Ethiopian restaurant and goes all out for her meals.

Moroccan Minestrone

If you all are anything like me (cookbook collectors), you have more cookbooks than you know what to do with.  Most of my cookbooks actually sit idle on the shelf as I tend to pull out my favorites time and time again.  They do not get jealous, they sit patiently, waiting for their day in the sun.  Last year I was browsing the Notre Dame bookstore, I was there for my sister's graduation, and picked up Whole Food by Jude Blereau.  It looked really good but ended up as one of those patiently waiting books on my bookshelf.  For kicks, I decided to pick it up recently as I was looking for a fun way to use up chickpeas.  I came upon this wonderfully flavored stew.  I'm not sure why I was so surprised that this recipe was wonderful.  After all, something attracted me to this book in the first place, I guess I had just forgotten it with the thrill of finding some other book to distract me.  This book deserves to be one of my favorites though.  You go book, have your day in the sun and SHINE!

Moroccan Minestrone adapted from Whole Foods by Jude Blereau

Ingredients

1 c. dried chickpeas, soaked overnight

olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 celery stalks, finely sliced

2 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. turmeric

1 Tbls. chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 c. dried Puy lentils

14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes

3 Tbls. tomato paste

2 quarts chicken stock

Cooked brown rice, to serve

Directions:

1.  If you have a pressure cooker, place the soaked beans in it with enough water to cover.  Bring to pressure and cook beans until soft, 30 minutes.  If you don't have a pressure cooker, place the beans in a pot with enough water to cover.  Bring the water to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer and partially cover.  Check the beans periodically to make sure they are still covered with water and cook until soft 1-2 hours.  You will end up with about 3 c. of cooked beans either way.

2.  Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.  Saute the onions and the celery in the olive oil until they are softened and starting to brown.  Add the ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and the cilantro and cook, while stirring, for another minute.

3.  Add the lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, tomato paste and stock.  Cook over medium heat for 45-60 minutes until the lentils are soft.  Adjust the seasonings.  

4.  If desired, serve over cooked brown rice.

Potage of Lentils

This soup is YUMMY!  The lemon juice in it gives a hint of springtime flavor.  I adapted this recipe from 400 Soups by Anne Sheasby.  She says this soup is sometimes referred to as Esau's soup.  Esau was Issac's first born son in the Bible and thus entitled to Issac's possessions and land as his birthright.  The story goes that Esau went hunting and returned ravenous from the trip to find his younger brother Jacob making a pot of delicious smelling soup.  Esau trades his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of Jacob's soup.  I'm not sure this soup is worthy of trading in one's birthright, but it is darn-right yummy and filling.  The soup, like so many others, was even more yummy the next day for lunch.  I'm sending this over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sunday round-up.  Enjoy!

Potage of Lentils adapted from 400 Soups by Anne Sheasby

Ingredients:

3 Tbls. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 celery sticks, chopped

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 potato, peeled and diced

1 c. red lentils, rinsed

4 cups chicken stock 

2 bay leaves

1 large lemon, quartered

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Tabasco sauce, to finish

salt and pepper to taste

lemon slices and chopped parsely to finish

Directions:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped onion and saute until onion is slightly translucent.  Add the celery, garlic and the potato.  Cook for a few minutes until beginning to soften.

2.  Add the lentils and the stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.  Cook for about 30 minutes until the potato and lentils are tender.

3.  Add the bay leaves.  Squeeze 2 of the lemon quarters into the juice and drop them into the soup.  Cook the soup for an additional 10 minutes.

4.  Remove the bay leaves and the lemon quarters.  Squeeze the additional 2 lemon quarters into the soup.

5.  Puree in batches in the blender or use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth.

6.  Add the cumin and stir through.  Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

7.  To serve:  ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and Tabasco.  Garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley.  *Note*  Please don't give away your birthright while this is cooking!  :)

Trip and Food photos from Santa Fe, NM

First of all, I want to give a big thank you to all of you for reading my blog!  I was able to post every day in February and your lovely comments kept me motivated!  I had so much fun doing it, I plan to post every day in March as well.  It wasn't easy towards the end as I was actually in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a few days last week.  Thanks to the feature on Blogger that allows you to post things in the future, I was able to meet my goal.  I'm feeling a little rusty as I type this.  It's been a few days (for me) since I've posted, but I thought you'd enjoy some pictures of Santa Fe.  It was so good for me to get away.  My hubby had a work conference so I was able to spend some quality girl time with myself (the kids were at grandma's) walking around the Plaza in Santa Fe and getting a massage and facial at the spa at our hotel.  Jealous?  I haven't even gotten to the food part yet!

My first morning in Santa Fe, I wandered.  I happened across the state capitol building.  It isn't much to look at from the outside, but I took a little tour and it is quite large inside.  They were having "Las Vegas, New Mexico" days in the lobby, so the place was just jammed pack with police, firefighters, school principals, etc. all from Las Vegas, New Mexico.  In addition to that, they were having some tribute to soldiers from the Vietnam War, so retired veterans were all around as well as members of the Lyons Club.  After my little tour, my tour guide was preparing to show 120 elementary school kids around.  I would not want to trade jobs with her!

San Miguel Church, just off of the Plaza, is the oldest church in the U.S.A.  There is evidence in the foundation of it being built on an Indian temple site from the 1300's.

The outside of San Miguel Church

The inside of San Miguel Church

I cannot remember the name of this church right now (San Lorenzo?).  It's claim to fame is this "miraculous" staircase.  It's miraculous because it defies the laws of physics by making two complete revolutions without any external supports.  I thought it was miraculous that they actually got $3.00 from me to come see the darn staircase!

Okay, enough of the travel shots.  I know what you're really interested in seeing...the FOOD!

My first breakfast in Santa Fe.  This was a little shop right off of the Plaza that I happened to wander into.  They made all of their pastries and breads on site.  I steered clear of the pastries in favor of their crepes though.  I actually went back there with my hubby our last morning in town as well!

The animal breads...aren't they cute?!  I wouldn't want to eat them for fear of ruining them!

More animal breads

My first breakfast in Santa Fe, a mushroom, chicken, and spinach crepe.  Less than half was plenty and the waitress was very good at refilling my coffee.

My last breakfast in Santa Fe at the same creperie.  A chorizo, egg, and cheese crepe.  Again, less than half was plenty.

This is me and hubby standing outside of Bert's La Taqueria on one of his lunch breaks from the conference.  We stumbled across this restaurant on the backside of a church a few blocks from our hotel and it ended up being my favorite restaurant of the trip.  We sat next to a pair of fellow foodies (unfortunately the only other people in the restaurant) who took our picture.

I'm not even sure what this is!  I ordered some local specialty off of the menu that they were almost out of.  They had a little bit left which they shared with us.  There were beans and green peppers in it, stewed a long time, and it had a wonderful smokey flavor.

Hubby and I shared so this is a combination of the fish, beef and pork tortillas.  My mouth is watering just remembering this dish!

Friday night dinner was at a restaurant called the Pink Adobe.  Very cute atmosphere.  We sat in this little room next to a fireplace where the waitress would put another log on the fire every time she passed.

We shared the crab enchilada.  Yes, this is the portion that has already been halved!

The Pink Adobe is famous for its apple pie.  We had to taste it.  The rum sauce it is floating in was fabulous.

Saturday morning we again stumbled across this restaurant, Tia Sophias, off of the Plaza.  There was a little bit of a wait so I casually started chatting with someone waiting next to me.  "Have you been here before?" I ask.  "Oh yes," was the reply, "I come here every week.  In fact, I've been here twice this week!"  How can you go wrong with an endorsement like that!  We got there at a good time as this place soon became packed with locals.  We were seated relatively quickly, oh it was so good.

My breakfast, the huevos rancheros with rice and beans.  The beans were a PERFECT accompaniment to the eggs.  The green chili sauce was spicy and delicious.

Lunch was just okay at someplace called The Burrito Bar (?).  Actually if we had been in town here we would have considered it exceptional, but in comparison to all of the excellent restaurants we ate at, it was my least favorite.  A chicken and avocado burrito with green chili on top.

Our final dinner in Santa Fe was at a place called The Bull Pen off of the Plaza.  Hubby and I split again (yes, this is the half portion that has already been split!) a steak with sauteed mushroom, crispy onions, and green chili floating in a pool of sizzling butter.  We split a loaded baked potato and a side of au gratin spinach (which was more like a little bit of spinach floating in a pool of melted, gooey cheddar cheese)

Santa Fe was beyond fun for me to go to.  Reliving the trip through food, I already feel myself going back to "vacation mode" and relaxing.  I would totally recommend going if you are able. Now I need to get out my Rick Bayless cookbook and start trying to recreate some of these dishes!  

Tuscan Style Chickpea Soup

As a result of trying to eat more "French" I have been eating my main meal at lunch with a smaller dinner in the evening.  Sunday afternoon, I made a very gooey macaroni and cheese for lunch and the whole wheat pane di como from yesterday's post with this simple soup for dinner.  I have to say, this was one of the best soups I have had in a while (If I do say so myself).  I'm submitting this one to Deb over at Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sunday event.  Enjoy!

Tuscan Style Chickpea Soup by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

3 1/2 c. dried chickpeas, soaked overnight

8 c. chicken stock, plus 1 c. water (or 9 c. chicken stock, I just had 2 quarts on hand)

1/4 c. olive oil

1 lb. small potatoes cut into bite sized pieces

10 oz. bag pre-washed spinach leaves

1 lb. cooked polish sausage cut into soup sized chunks

salt and pepper.

Directions:

1.  Drain the chickpeas, place in a large pot, cover with fresh water, place over high heat and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to low, cover the pot partially, and simmer the beans for 1 hour until cooked.

2.  Place the chicken stock and water into a large soup pot.  Add the cooked chickpeas, potatoes and the olive oil.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked.  

3.  Add the spinach and the polish sausage and cook for 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Taco Soup

My diabolical plan to set myself up with leftovers for an easy weekend of cooking is complete.  Mwah ha ha haaaa....  Last night we had taco soup made in the crock pot and it was quite tasty if I do say so myself.  We have enough of this soup leftover for one more dinner and a few lunches.  I love planned leftovers.  Not only is it economical, but I know that I can just kick my feet up this weekend, rely on the microwave to heat things up, spend time with the boys, and have the only dinner dishes be our plates and bowls.  Ahhhh....

A disclaimer:  my oldest didn't LOVE this soup, but he ate it because it had sour cream and cheese on top.  My youngest contented himself with the tortilla chips and little sips of soup when prodded.  So this may not be a kid favorite yet (although one would sure think it was).  However I loved it and would call it a winner myself, my husband loved it too.  Try it and let me know what you think!

Taco Soup by Joie de vivre

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 envelope dry taco seasoning

2 16oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 16oz. can of corn, drained

2 quarts of tomato juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

black pepper according to taste

tortilla chips, optional

shredded cheddar cheese, optional

sour cream, optional

1.  Brown the meat and onions in a skillet until onions are slightly brown (the meat doesn't need to be cooked completely).  Drain and add to the slow cooker insert.

2.  Add taco seasoning, black beans, corn, tomato juice, sugar, salt and black pepper to the slow cooker insert and give everything a stir.

3.  Cook on Low in your slow cooker for 6 hours.

4.  Ladle into soup bowls and top servings with crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream if desired.

The Giant

I first saw a Hubbard squash at our farmers market two autumns ago.  It's sheer enormity motivated my astonished question to the farmer, "What is that!?"  "A Hubbard squash, it's sweet," was the reply.  I thanked her for her answer but left without the Hubbard squash because 1. I wasn't sure I could carry that bad boy, 2.  If I could carry it, I knew that I would never be able to cut into it without cutting off a finger, and 3.  Even if I was able to cut into it without maiming myself, there was no way it was going to fit in my oven.

Our CSA box this week contained about a fifth of what had to be an enormous Hubbard squash placed in a plastic bag (Fortunately, our farmer, almost sensing my anxiety about the size of Hubbard squashes, had cut it for us.  Thanks Alan).  I had no idea what to do with it but knew I had to cook it quickly lest it mold.  Two nights ago I placed it in the oven to roast slowly for an hour and a half and scooped out the meat with the intention of finding something to make with it.  I happened upon this soup creation which was quite tasty.  The cinnamon and the cumin pair beautifully together and really complimented the sweet flesh of the Hubbard.  If you don't have access to a Hubbard squash, I'm sure you could substitute any number of the fabulous members of the cucurbita family on the market now.  By the way, the latin name for Hubbard squash is cucurbita maxima.  I find this a very fitting name for this giant.

Winter Squash and Pinto Bean Soup by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbls. olive oil

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 garlic clove, minced

3-4 cups cooked squash (if you are making this with raw squash, cut into small cubes and increase the cooking time so that the squash is fully cooked)

3 cups chicken broth

1 (15oz.) can of whole tomatoes with the juice, crushed

1 (15oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Saute the onion in the olive oil until slightly browned.  Place the sauteed onion in the insert of a slow cooker.  Add the cumin, salt, cinnamon, garlic, squash and chicken broth to the slow cooker and cover.  Cook on Low heat for 3-4 hours.  Puree soup until smooth with your hand blender.  Add the crushed tomatoes and the pinto beans to the pureed soup and cook on High for 1 hour until heated through and bubbling.

Camping food Part II

Perhaps my penchant for eating good food has gone too far (or maybe, not far enough?).  On my last blog post, I had a friend ask where I bought the freeze-dried salmon.  Blech!  When I say we eat fancy when were camping that means no freeze-dried foods!   (I must confess though that for the second morning of our camping, I did plan a cold cereal day.)  I think the secret to eating well while camping is just advanced preparation and a good storage technique for cold foods.  That being said, our most recent camping adventure sported this menu:

Friday night:  Black bean salad, Grilled Steak tacos with salsa and guacamole.  Roasted marshmallows  (pictured above sans marshmallows, served with a glass of red wine (don't tell the camp host!))

Saturday:  Breakfast:  Egg and cheese sandwiches

   Lunch:  Hot dogs, chips, birthday cupcakes, leftover black bean salad

   Dinner:  Beer marinated pork shish kabobs with zucchini, squash and red onion, crusty bread, White beans with chanterelle mushrooms

Sunday morning:  Cold cereal with rice milk.

My advanced preparation consisted of making the black bean salad, marinating the steak for the tacos, pre-cutting the cheese and wrapping up the eggs for the egg and cheese sandwiches, marinating and cutting the pork and veggies for the shish kabobs and putting all the ingredients together for the white beans with chanterelle mushrooms.  I then packed everything in the cooler starting with Sunday's breakfast items on the bottom and ending with Friday's dinner items on the top.  The beer marinated pork shish kabobs was definitely my favorite meal and the white beans with chanterelle mushrooms smelled as heavenly while cooking as they tasted.  Here are some of the recipes to try on your next camping adventure.

Black bean salad  adapted from Campfire cuisine:  Gourmet recipes for the great outdoors by Robin Donovan

Juice of 3 limes

2 Tbs. honey

1 Tbs. ground cumin

1 Tbs. ground coriander

1 Tbs. dried oregano

2 14.5 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 green bell peppers

6 green onions, thinly sliced.

Mix the lime juice, honey, cumin, coriander and oregano in a large ziplock bag until well combined.  Add the beans, diced pepper and onion and toss until well combined.  Close this ziplock and then put this ziplock into another one to get it ready for the ice chest!

Red wine Marinade for steak taken from Campfire Cuisine:  Gourmet recipes for the Great Outdoors by Robin Donovan

Juice of 3 limes

1/2 cup red wine

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbs. dried oregano

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large ziplock, drop in the steak, seal the bag making sure to get most of the air out.  Put this bag into another bag to ready steak for the ice chest.

Grilled Steak tacos by Joie de vivre

After your coals have gotten hot, put the steak on the grill and grill on each side for about 7 minutes, remove steak to a plate and loosely cover with foil for a few minutes.  Thinly slice steak, put into a tortilla with guacamole and salsa.  Wrap up and enjoy!

Beer-Marinated Pork and Veggie Kabobs adapted from Campfire Cuisine:  Gourmet recipes for the great outdoors by Robin Donovan

For the marinade:

1 1/2 cups water

1 bottle beer

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbs. dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs. course salt

1 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and mix.

Add to marinade

1 1/2 lb. pork loin cut into 2 inch chunks

Shake bag to combine.  Seal well removing as much air as possible and put this ziplock into another ziplock to ready meat for ice chest.  Once ready to cook kabobs, thread meat chunks onto skewers with cut onion, zucchini, squash, etc that has been drizzled with olive oil.  Put on grill over hot coals!

White beans with Chanterelle Mushrooms taken from Campfire Cuisine:  Gourmet recipes for the Great Outdoors by Robin Donovan

2 14.5 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 lb. chanterelles, sliced

1 small red onion, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 Tbs. chopped thyme

1/2 tsp. salt.

Olive oil spray

Heavy duty foil.

Mix beans, mushrooms, onion, olive oil, thyme and salt in a ziplock bag.  Seal, removing as much air as possible.  Seal this ziplock into another ziplock to ready beans for the ice chest.  When ready to cook, make a foil packet by taking a long piece of foil, folding it in half, and then crimping the two sides.  Spray the inside of the foil packet with the olive oil spray and put the bean mixture in.  Crimp the remaining side of the foil packet to seal leaving enough room for steam to circulate.  Put the packet over hot coals for 20 minutes.  

My weakness and laziness in camping is definitely breakfast foods (I think it's the lack of coffee so early in the morning) so for my next post, I'm going to be researching and trying some out.  Bonne chance with the camping food and let me know if you try anything!