ethiopian feast

Besides being delicious, Ethiopian food is easy to make and inexpensive. The following three recipes were adapted from "Vegetarian Ethiopian Feast" on thriftyfun.com. Jenna and I ate these dishes with Ethiopian bread called injera. Injera is made with teff and tastes like spongy sourdough bread. I bought the injera at Kukulu Market in uptown. The dark injera has more teff than the lighter colored injera.

gomen (collared greens)

1 bunch collard greens, tough stems removed and chopped

1 medium onion, diced

1 T niter kibeh (recipe below) or olive oil or butter

Heat pan to medium and add nitter kibeh. Add onions. Cook until translucent. Add collared greens and cook until bright and softened.

miser wat (spicy red lentil stew)

4 T olive oil
1 T garlic, chopped
1 T fresh ginger, minced
2 T berbere (recipe below)
2 cups onion (one large onion or two small onions)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups split red lentils
6 cups water or vegetable broth
1/2 c red wine
1 t salt

Saute the onions in the olive oil, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute. Add the berbere and saute for a few minutes more, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. The onions should start to caramelize Mix in the tomatoes and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add the lentils, salt, red wine, and the vegetable stock or water and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook uncovered until the lentils are cooked. About an hour.

lima beans

1.5 - 2 c lima beans

3 c water or vegetable broth

2 large onions, chopped

1 T oil or niter kibeh

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T curry powder

1/2 cabbage chopped

salt to taste

Saute the garlic and onions in the oil or niter kibeh until onions are translucent. Add the curry powder. Add cabbage, lima beans and water or broth. Cook until the lima beans are soft and the liquid has reduced.

Note, I forgot to buy cabbage, and the beans turned out well without it!

Serve with injera and wine.

niter kibeh

1 pound margarine
4 T. onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 T garlic, finely chopped or pressed
2 t fresh ginger, scraped and finely grated or minced
1/2 t turmeric
4 green cardamom pods, crushed (or 2/3 t cardamom powder)
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves (or 1/4 t ground)
1/8 t ground nutmeg

Melt margarine over low heat. Once melted, add the seasonings. Cook on low heat for 20-30 minutes until flavors are melded. This was quite tasty - Jenna's favorite part of the meal.

berbere

1/2 c ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/3 c paprika

1 t seasoned salt

1 t poultry seasoning
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t ground fenugreek
1/2 t ground cardamom seeds
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t ground cloves
1/8 t ground allspice

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a cake pan, mix the spices well (be careful not to inhale). Roast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent scorching. Watch carefully, and stir the spices more often during the last 10 minutes. Cool and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.

I bought this premixed at Kukulu Market. Its a very nice and unique mix that brightens up dishes nicely.