Ethiopia- The Cradle of Civilization

'This trip to Ethiopia had a more diverse range of flavor all around the platter...'

Last Sunday we all took a trip to Ethiopia that included a lentil, meat, vegetable, and chicken course along with the traditional bread of injera (100% teff flour). Hubby and I enjoyed the meal and a movie on our last voyage, but this trip to the 'horn' region of Africa we are taking along a few other passengers...













'Company sat around the coffee table and drank wine while my Open Mic friend, Dennis (right) entertained us with his guitar...I told him he had to work for food'!


This week's menu involves a few 'out of the ordinary' recipes I made in the restaurant years ago, and a few things of 'my own' creative side of eating. If you read the history below, like us influences of different cultures reached the area, and that includes their love of 'heat' in many of the dishes. The injera this trip is a blend of brown rice flour (2/3) and teff (1/3) blended with distilled water and let sit with a starter or yeast packet for a few days. Also, Joie de Vivre @ An Amateur Gourmets Guide is not feeling well, so let's give her a big shout out to get well, so she can make the trip next time















'Samosa look more like lumpia's since I ran out of time to properly wrap them...as most know Indian samosa are triangle shaped'

Lentil Salad (Yemiser Selatta) Samosa

1/2 lb. dried green lentils (munng beans)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 onion finely chopped
salt/pepper to taste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ginger

Rinse the lentils under running water in a sieve. Then drop them into boiling water—enough to cover by 2 inches, and simmer the lentils for 30 minutes, or until tender, and only adding more water if needed.

Combine the vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper, and mix well. Add the lentils and add equal amount of the chili potatoes. Place egg roll wrapper in folded hand and make a cone, adding a heaping tablespoon of mixture into the wrapper, wipe with egg wash, and seal. Drop in oil and cook until golden brown. Serve with berbere (Ethiopian hot sauce).

This was one of our popular appetizers at Red Sea. The addition of the vinegar and potatoes, along with the berbere make it a unique take on the Indian Samosa. I also saved some lentils for eating with the injera, and the vinegar gives it a sour taste, but still nice and different contrast with the rest of the dishes.

'Eggplant (below) and vegetable berbere is just above'

Eggplant Salad

2 eggplants, peeled, diced
Salt, Pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cup cooked black-eyed peas (since I was serving lentils I opted to leave this out)

Place the diced eggplant in a bowl. Mix the salt and lemon juice together and pour over the eggplants. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle on the oil and toss well. Gently stir in the garlic and beans. Season with black pepper.














'Chili potatoes and green lentils just above...'

Chili Potatoes (Indian Curried Potatoes)

Boil 4 medium white potatoes, medium cube; until just tender

1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste

Heat oil in pan and add onions, when begins to appear tender add seasonings and remove from heat. Add tomato paste and toss in potatoes; cover and let meld.














'Raw meat (grass feed fillet here) is one of the countries dishes...Kifto, tartare steak marinated in lemon, oil, hot pepper, and paprika...'

HISTORY: If you read about the country or remember the focus has been more commonly associated with political theme and drought. Gastronomy had never crossed my mind until I ate at my first Ethiopian restaurant... As with its cuisine remaining pure and untouched for centuries, landlocked Ethiopia lies somewhat separate from Mother Africa. To the north is Eritrea, which has been in an on-again, off-again war with Ethiopia since gaining its independence from the larger country in 1991.

Ethiopia's other borders include Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan and can be easily drawn along an encircling rim of high mountain peaks—some of them reaching over 15,000 feet. Transportation is difficult in this terrain, which is why Ethiopia has maintained its purity—relatively uninfluenced by neighboring countries and their invasions over the centuries.

Since the 1400's, traders have introduced some non-indigenous ingredients that have added to what we now know of as authentic Ethiopian cuisine. From Portugal came chile peppers, and from the Orient—ginger. India played a part in North African trade as well, introducing exotic spices. However, gastronomic influences are not altogether obvious in Ethiopian cuisine because it is so different from all others.

Almost half of Ethiopia's population are Christians, who live in Northern Ethiopia. In the south Muslim factions predominate. Vegetarian dishes are not only a must for the Muslims, but are also popular among Ethiopia's Christian population, who respect nearly 200 fasting days a year (chicken, meat, and dairy products are not allowed).

'Tuna Tartare is one of my favorites, so consider it 'E'...not 'thiopian'...

Lets travel to Africa!

'The food is served on baskets or large platters covered in their traditional bread and eating utensil, injera. Sitting in this communal way...good conversation is carried on while picking up small amounts of foods to eat'

Having received a cookbook of the Swahili culture then longing for one of my favorite cuisines from Ethiopia I decided it is time to take a trip back and create some of my favorite dishes. First, we will visit the horn of Africa where the Ethiopian country takes up more space than my beloved home state, Texas!

A few weeks ago I went to a New Brunswick, NJ restaurant Makedas, and in that post talk about working for the Red Sea restaurant in St Louis. That is where I learned many Ethiopian cooking secrets, but also realized after researching, the owner who was Ethiopian had mingled dishes together to save time. Actually it was much better than what I experienced at Makedas, and it did save time.

Get your passport out and find out how simple the food preparation can really be, and will start with a few staples of their cooking. Joie de vivre @ An amateur gourmets guide has also signed up to take this journey with me and I hope you check out what she has made...









'my first batch I used a recipe of corn/teff flour, and we did not care for that flavor, as well as it was a bit stiff after sitting- injera should be sponge like in between a crepe and pancake size'

Injera is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten. This makes teff ill-suited for making raised bread, however injera still takes advantage of the special properties of yeast. A short period of fermentation gives it an airy, bubbly texture, and also a slightly sour taste.

I had made a sour-dough starter which was needed for one of the recipes I found, but you can simply mix the teff with water, salt, mix well and let sit for up to three days. If you want to keep this starter going, then you just add a third of the mixture into a new batch of teff, and the yeast will keep going...each day you use this up...repeat. I found recipes that said you can add other flours, so next time I am going to try one with potato or rice flour, and found no starter was needed at all.














'I strain it through a moist paper towel to remove milk solids and return onions, etc into pot for vegetables'

Neter Kiba (above- seasoned Ethiopian butter). Basically you take a few pounds of chopped onions, 2 cups of butter, small amounts of garlic, turmeric, ginger, and slow cook it for 2-3 hours and then strain. When it slowly begins to heat you are making clarified butter, and it will keep for a long period of time if you skim the milk solids from the top (great for seasoning many sauted vegetables). Turmeric does stain, so be care I spilled some on the counter and it let a nice yellow reminder! (Bleach will take this off, but clothes are another story!)

Lemony Lentils are a staple in the Ethiopian diet and you make them with the Neter Kiba and a few other ingredients- lemon, chopped onions, garlic and cook them into a paste. The restaurant I worked for added chicken thighs and legs simmering until the meat is ready to fall off the bone. My Doro Aleche (non-spicy) will consist of split skin-less chicken breast...for my dislike of dark meat (I know how un-American or even southern of me!).









'A good glass of wine, pop in 'Australia'...sit back and enjoy!'


The Doro Watt (spicy) dishes contain smoked chili powder mixture called Berbere (Ethiopian hotsauce). You will see Puree of Lamb Maschii (upper right) and Vegetable Stew Aleche (upper left) on the plate. I find I have to have spicy foods almost at each meal, 'Some Like It Hot'...















'I promise you will be full and no worries about making too much injera for everyone...'

Get Ready for another day in Ethiopia next Sunday...and check out the two post before this if you had a lazy weekend and need to catch up...I made Brie, Scallop, and Figgy Focaccia and Brunch for everyone!

Email me if anyone wants these easy recipes, I always figure out shortcuts and it all tasted so good...elizabeth@cookappeal.com