Doing research for my recent Sesame WFD reminded me that I don’t know very much about Middle Eastern or African food; I’ll be informing myself and you for the next several months.
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Ethiopia is in a part of the world most Americans tend to ignore, but it’s a big country, the second-most populous in Africa, it has ancient and fascinating history, and it has a distinctive cuisine. The blog I borrowed these recipes from calls Ethiopian and Indian the world’s two great vegetarian cuisines, and I won’t argue.
Like Indian food, Ethiopian food is based on complex blends of many spices. Some of the same spices are common, including cardamom, cumin, fenugreek, and turmeric. Also like Indian food is the use of clarified butter as a common cooking fat. Unlike any Indian recipes I’ve seen, Ethiopians combined the two ideas.
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Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Spiced Clarified Butter)
from The Daring Gourmet — about 2 cups
This is the foundation of the recipe below, and of many other Ethiopian dishes.
The Daring Gourmet has detailed instructions with lots of pictures, and also a discussion of the very hard to find authentic spices that I left out. If you don’t have an Indian market nearby for things like black cardamom and fenugreek you can buy Niter Kibbeh online.
1 pound unsalted butter, cubed
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3 BLACK cardamom pods (not the green cardamom variety)
3 whole cloves
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Toast the whole spices over medium heat in a dry skillet for a few minutes until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch the spices or they will become bitter.
Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring it to an extremely low simmer. Continue to simmer over low for at least one hour or up to 90 minutes. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE BUTTER. If it burns it will be bitter and there is no salvaging it.
Pour everything through cheesecloth. (No need to skim off the foam, everything will be removed during straining.) Pour the niter kibbeh into a jar, let it cool, and cover so that it is airtight. You can store it at room temp for several months or even longer in the fridge (it will be hard in the fridge, let it come to room temp for easy scooping). Makes about 2 cups.
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It’s an unusual, pungent aroma, and your kitchen will smell like an Indian restaurant.
Gomen (Ethiopian Greens)
from The Daring Gourmet — serves 4
3 tablespoons niter kibbeh (plus an extra tablespoon for later)
1 large yellow onion , halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic , minced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bunch collard greens (about 12 ounces) , washed, thick stems removed, roughly chopped (can also use kale or swiss chard)
Heat niter kibbeh in a pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the collard greens and another tablespoon of niter kibbeh and cook until the collards turn bright green and are wilted but still a slightly crispy, 5-7 minutes. Add more spices and/or niter kibbeh to taste.
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I cooked this Friday so I could take the pictures. The spices are less powerful than I expected, probably because with so many flavors, nothing stands out. The spice blend brings out the funkiness of the greens (I used kale).
The final installment of my subscription package included this nice artisan pasta. Isn’t it pretty? Every shape of pasta has its ideal use, and I was not at all surprised that the maker describes this one as “delicious with a thick cheese sauce… or baked in a casserole”. In other words, good old American Mac + Cheese, which I will do with Bechamel sauce and sharp Cheddar and Gruyere. It’s time to start grating cheese. I already made Red Cabbage Salad to go with it.
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What’s for dinner at your place? Maybe you could write it up for WFD?