A Culinary Trip to Ethiopia

Sorry for the blurry steam pic everyone.  I was too excited to dig into this to be patient for nice plating.  :(

The good news is that for the next couple Sundays, Chef E from Cook Appeal and I will be traveling to Ethiopia to explore some of that region's culinary treasures.  Chef E used to cook in an Ethiopian restaurant so I can't wait to sample what she has on the menu.  As for me, I'm merely an Ethiopian food lover.

My first experience with it was at a restaurant in Berkeley, CA called The Blue Nile.  The restaurant ambiance was intimate and cozy and I immediately felt relaxed.  I was served this food that looked nothing like anything I had ever eaten before along with wafer-thin, spongey injera.  I loved the process of tearing the injera into little strips which were then used to scoop up some of the luscious dishes to eat with my hands.

I was currently living closer to Sacramento at the time, so a weekly pilgrimage to the Blue Nile was out of the question.  Imagine my delight when my husband and I stumbled upon a little hole in the wall Ethiopian restaurant in Sacramento.  All good things must come to an end however, and we ended up moving to Southeast, WA where the most "ethnic" food available to us is in the form of P.F. Changs (and that has only come just recently)

I started my quest at the public library to find a way to make Ethiopian food at home and happened upon an old cookbook called The Africa News Cookbook.  This cookbook has been westernized to approximate some of the authentic ingredients one would use in true Ethiopian cooking with things we can readily find here.  Although the recipes aren't truly authentic, they are tasty and gave me hope.  (I loved the book so much, I eventually bought it on eBay!)

Last year, my neighbors adopted a little girl from Ethiopia.  I was talking to them about making Ethiopian food for them and a few other neighbors as a benefit to their adoption agency while they gave a little slide show of their experiences.  She was so excited that I was thinking of this, that she bought me a very authentic Ethiopian cookbook titled Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by D.J. Mesfin.  

The recipes that follow come from both of my books.  Two days later, my house still smells amazing from all of the heavy spices used in the cooking.  If you are interested in more Ethiopian dishes, tune in the next couple Sundays as Chef E and I explore the food of Ethiopia more!

Ye'abesha Gomen (Collard Greens) adapted heavily from Exotic Ethiopian Cooking

Ingredients:

8 oz. unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1 lb. collard greens, washed and chopped into bite sized pieces

10 oz. spinach leaves, washed

1 c. red onions, chopped

4 medium Anaheim chilies, seeded and cut into long, thin strips

2 c. water

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

salt to taste

Directions:

1.  Fill a large pot with water, boil, and then add the collard greens.  Boil for about 10 minutes, until soft.  Drain and set aside.

2.  In a large pot, melt the butter.  Saute the onions until soft.  Add 2 c. water and bring to a boil.  Add the collards and the spinach.  Stir so that the spinach is covered with the onion/water solution.  Cover the pot and boil for 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted.  

3.  Add the Anaheim chili slices and boil the mixture until the water is mostly absorbed, and the Anaheim chili slices are soft, about 20-30 minutes.

Yeshimbra Assa (Chickpea Flour Cakes) adapted from Exotic Ethiopian Cooking

Ingredients:

2 c. chickpea flour

1 1/2 c. vegetable oil (divided)

2 c. water

2 c. red onions, chopped

1/2 c. berbere (recipe below)

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

salt to taste

Directions:

1.  In a medium sized bowl, add chickpea flour and 1/2 c. oil.  Rub with fingers until mixture is throughly mixed.  Take a walnut sized piece of dough and squeeze in fingers (like making a fist) to make a little "fish" shape.  Continue in this manner with the rest of the dough.  Place all of the little "fish" shapes onto a baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet in a 350 degree F. oven and cook chickpea shapes until starting to brown, about 30 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, heat a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add 1 c. oil to the pan.  Cook the onions until soft.  Add the water and cover until the mixture boils.  Add the berbere and mix.  Once boiling, turn off heat and set aside until chickpea shapes are finished cooking.

3.  When the chickpea shapes are browned, put the onion/spice mixture back over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Add the cardamom, ginger, garlic and salt and stir.  Gently add the chickpea shapes to the sauce and gently stir.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Easy Injera adapted from The Africa News Cookbook

Ingredients:

4 c. self-rising flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 c. club soda

4 c. water

Directions:

1.  In a very large bowl, mix together the flours and the baking powder.  Add the club soda, and the water and stir until a very thin batter is achieved.

2.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles off of the pan.

3.  Spoon some batter into the skillet (try 1/2 c. to start) and swirl the skillet quickly to spread the batter out.  

4.  Cook until the injera is dried and cooked on the top.  Do not flip.  If this one does not work out, you may need to add less batter so the injera is thinner on the pan.

5.  When cooked, remove the injera from the pan, place on a plate, and cover with a cloth while you are making the rest.  Stack the injera when others are cooked and continue to cover with the cloth until finished.

6.  Use bits of injera to scoop your food up with and eat it with your hands.

Berbere adapted from Africa News Cookbook

Makes about 1 1/2 c.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

2 Tbls. salt

1 1/4 c. cayenne pepper

1/2 c. paprika

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1.  Mix all of the ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Thank Goodness for Leftovers Soup

This week, I visited my local butcher who had some fabulous looking pork ribs for sale.  The woman helping me advised 3 pork ribs for a "very hungry man".  I guess I didn't trust her so I bought 7 pork ribs for the four of us because it's so hard to tell how large they are in the case.  It turns out that one pork rib would have sufficed per person, but that also meant I had leftovers!  I used the three extra cooked pork ribs to put together this quick soup.  I'm sending this over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her weekly Souper Sunday round-up!

Joie's Thank Goodness for Leftovers Soup or (Red Lentil, Spinach and Pork Rib Soup) by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

1/4 c. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

5 small carrots, peeled and chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 quarts of chicken or beef broth (I used a combination because that's what I had!)

2 c. red lentils

3 leftover country style pork ribs (or any kind of meat), chopped into bite sized pieces

10 oz. spinach leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat.

2.  Add the olive oil.  Saute the onions and the carrots in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, until the onion starts to brown.

3.  Add the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.

4.  Add the chicken or beef broth and bring to a boil.

5.  Stir in the red lentils, lower the heat to create a gentle simmer, partially cover the soup pot and cook until the lentils are soft, about 25 minutes.

6.  Stir in the cooked meat and cook for 5 minutes.

7.  Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, another 5-10 minutes.

8.  Adjust the seasonings and serve!

Love is Sweet and Sour Meatloaf

I know you're thinking, "Oh no she didn't!" and the answer would be, "Oh yes I did."

My husband's favorite dinner is meatloaf.  I hardly ever make this simple pleasure for him because I feel there are so many other worthy things to make.  For Valentines day however, I indulged him by making his favorite.  It was actually really yummy and my 5-year old loved it too.  I may have to start making it more often!  Served alongside is sauteed spinach with garlic (for which you can find a recipe here).  Enjoy!

Love is Sweet and Sour Meatloaf by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

1 package Lipton onion soup mix

1 c.  LaChoy rice noodles

1 c. seasoned bread crumbs

1/3 c. ketchup

2 eggs

2 1bs. ground beef

1/2 c. sweet and sour sauce

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together by squeezing with your hands, the onion soup mix, rice noodles, bread crumbs, ketchup, eggs, and ground beef.

3.  Spread and pat this mixture into a 9" x 13" baking pan.

4.  Pour 1/2 c. sweet and sour sauce on top and spread evenly.

5.   Place meatloaf in the oven and cook for 1 hour.

6.  If desired, use cookie cutters to cut meatloaf out in cute shapes.  (You know you want to)

Healthy Family Lunch

In my quest to be more French, I have been making a big Sunday lunch so, as a family, we can eat leisurely, spend time together, have fuller bellies, and then enjoy a small dinner later on.  However, Sundays are the earliest day of the week for me as I need to prep my Sunday school classroom and have choir practice all before our 8:30 am church service.  That means if I want to have a nice lunch prepared, I need to pull out my trusty crock pot.  This past Sunday I made Apple-Cranberry Pork Roast that I adapted from my new favorite cookbook, Fix it and Forget it:  Big Cookbook.  I threw everything in the crock pot at 6:30 am, right before I ate breakfast, and it was ready to go for lunch at 12:30 pm!  Right before serving, I quickly sauteed some spinach and garlic for a healthy side dish.  I am sending this recipe over to Michelle at What's Cooking for her Healthy Family Dinners which is the January theme for Monthly Mingle.  Isn't the picture pretty too?  Another one of my hubby's.  Enjoy!

Apple-Cranberry Pork Roast with Homemade Apple-Cranberry Sauce by Joie de vivre.  Adapted from Fix it and Forget it:  Big Cookbook

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork tenderloin

2 Tbls. olive oil

3 c. low sugar apple juice

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped, or just chopped if you like a more rustic applesauce with the peels

1 c. frozen cranberries

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1.  Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil and brown the pork tenderloin on all sides.

2.  Add the pork tenderloin to the insert of a 4-5 quart crock pot.  Add all the other ingredients.

3.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

4.  Remove pork tenderloin and let rest 5 minutes on a cutting board before cutting.

5.  Remove apples and cranberries to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

6.  Mash apples and cranberries adding liquid from the crock pot as necessary to achieve desired consistency.

7.  Serve apple-cranberry sauce alongside sliced pork.

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic by Joie de vivre

Ingredients:

10 oz. spinach, washed and dried

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1-2 Tbls. olive oil

balsamic vinegar.

Directions:

1.  Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and saute garlic for about 30 seconds. 

2.  Add the spinach and stir with tongs until completely covered with oil.  Cover the pot for 2-3 minutes to let the spinach wilt.

3.  Remove the spinach and sprinkle lightly with balsamic vinegar.

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.