Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

I worked for several years in a large office that included many people who were originally from other countries. We had people from India, the Philippines, China, Korea, and Africa; and our office potlucks were amazing.

I first tasted Ethiopian food at one of those parties, when a young woman made 'Siga Wot', a spicy beef stew; and 'Injera', the spongy, fermented sourdough bread that is used to scoop up other foods, and sometimes used as a sort of 'plate'.

To make Siga Wot, you must first have Berbere, a spicy seasoning used in many Ethiopian dishes. There are many slightly different versions of it - some include Fenugreek, which I'm not crazy about and leave out. (I believe that Berbere may be the same type of seasoning that shows up in many Ethiopian recipes as "chow".)

Here is the Epicurious recipe for Berbere:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/ethiopian-spice-mix-berbere-104015

And here is a recipe for the Siga Wot (there are many versions, just as with any of our classic American dishes; this is just one):

http://www.african-food-recipes.com/ethiopian-siga-wat.html

The narration of the following video appears to be in Amharic, but it gives you an idea of the technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR5o0lpI-bw

This is best served with real Injera; I haven't made the bread myself yet, but we were recently in a local Seventh Day Adventist shop and they had Teff flour, so I bought some and will try making it soon. (Be sure that you get Teff *flour*, and not the whole grain. The grain (the plant is actually a grass) is so fine that you would have difficulty trying to grind it into flour. The brand we purchased is Bob's Red Mill; but it is also sold in bulk in health food stores.

Here is the Exploratorium's recipe for Injera; it's a recipe that uses some whole wheat flour, which many Ethiopians who have come to America have adapted to include, probably because until very recently Teff was not widely available in the US, and mixing it with other flour made the Teff that they did have go further. But you can also find recipes made entirely of Teff; which is what I'm going to try.

https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/bread/recipe-injera.html

Lastly, one of the most fascinating things to me about Ethiopia is Lalibela, and its rock-cut churches:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalibela

-JT

[little jeremiah]

Thank you. When I read up the thread that teff is gluten free, then I figure it can’t be related to wheat.

[miss marmelstein]

Yes. Cocoa it is. That powdery stuff makes the brownies crackle on top.

I like simple food and brownies are so simple to make. I idolize the writer Laurie Colwin whose books I treasure. Everything she made before her untimely death was simple and to the point. Even if you like more adventurous cooking, her prose is beautiful and her ideas on home cooking are truthful and real.

[Jamestown1630]

She looks like a very interesting author, thanks for the tip. I know I have some of her recipes filed away, but have never read any of her books.

-JT

[miss marmelstein]

For those who don’t want to make naan on their own, avoid, at all costs, the stuff that sits next to Pepperidge farm bread or hangs out at your local gourmet deli. You want frozen naan made by the Deep Company in Jersey City. Excellent stuff and you’ll never do back.

[Jamestown1630]

I think one thing I loved about that great hummus I used to get in DC was that they served it with Naan, not Pita; the Naan doesn’t compete with the hummus the way Pita does.

[miss marmelstein]

Her recipes are iffy except for her very simple cakes and brownies and Jalapeno creamed spinach. But her books, Home Cooking and More Home Cooking are absolute classics of the genre. Of course, she was a New Yorker coming of age during the 1980s as was I so I am partial. She was a contributor to Gourmet Magazine and when she died in her sleep at 49 years of age, the readers went into mourning.

For the felicity of her prose, her Jewish humor and her love of cooking, I highly recommend her books. Her novels ain’t bad either.

[little jeremiah]

I live way, way out in the boondocks and the one grocery store within 10 miles is so horrible we try to never go there. So we have to drive one hour. I make just about everything at home. I should re-check naan recipes.

[miss marmelstein]

I make a hummus from Ina Garten that uses canned chick peas. I grind it up with bottled red roasted sweet peppers and smear it on crackers. Not bad. (I don’t think I’ve ever real hummus not having travelled to the mid east or Israel.)

[miss marmelstein]

You are Laura on Little House on the Prairie! I would imagine making naan at home is not too difficult - just may take a lot of time to get it right. Just avoid the stuff they sell at supermarkets - it’s awful.

[Liz]

I never had indigenous Ethiopian food there, or in a restaurant here......but I do know the troubled African nation is always in political turmoil....and was once occupied by Italy for five years. In Italy, you sometimes see Ethiopians in markets and restaurants. So I'm sure Ethiopian food was influnced by Italian food. This is my contribution to the Ethiopian thread.

SICILIAN ORANGE AND OLIVE SALAD

You need: •4 peeled/sliced oranges • small red onion, finely sliced •12 oil-cured black olives, pitted •A small bunch of radishes, finely sliced •4 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped •Dried oregano ••1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil •2 tablespoons red wine vinegar •Sea salt and pepper

METHOD Gently toss peeled orange slices, onion, olives, radishes, and anchovies with the oil, vinegar, and oregano. S/p. SERVE.

[Liz]

I never had indigenous Ethiopian food there, or in a restaurant here......but I do know the troubled African nation is always in political turmoil....and was once occupied by Italy for five years. In Italy, you sometimes see Ethiopians in markets and restaurants. So I'm sure Ethiopian food was influnced by Italian food. This is my contribution to the Ethiopian thread.

SICILIAN ORANGE AND OLIVE SALAD

You need: •4 peeled/sliced oranges • small red onion, finely sliced •12 oil-cured black olives, pitted •A small bunch of radishes, finely sliced •4 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped •Dried oregano ••1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil •2 tablespoons red wine vinegar •Sea salt and pepper

METHOD Gently toss peeled orange slices, onion, olives, radishes, and anchovies with the oil, vinegar, and oregano. S/p. SERVE.

[Yaelle]

I don’t have a preferred. If possible I won’t choose a Hershey but even they can’t mess up cocoa powder too much.

[Yaelle]

This recipe I stole from a book doesn’t seem to tell how much it makes. Only three lbs of lemons.

It doesn’t have pectin.

[little jeremiah]

I loved those books as a child - read them over and over and over.

Naan is VERY easy. So easy! It’s much easier with a gas stove, or at least the option of a flame. When I make them I make a lot as DH loves bread of all kinds (well, all except store bought!) and then we have enough for the next day. I only use organic flour and I think that is important not just for health but taste, and fresh whole wheat flour too.

[little jeremiah]

I’ve made marmalade with and without pectin. I’m a seat of the pants canner and preserves maker...

[leaning conservative]

Was that your first time seeing it? Nice that you saw it w/ your mom ; ) Hector Elizondo was great in it too. I loved how he took her under his wing. Yes, completely unrealistic, but loads of fun & a great story!

[Yaelle]

Hector Elizondo. Yes, he was great. He was great in Tortilla Soup too, which I also haven’t seen in years.

[Top of Heap]

I though all posts went thru a vetting process.

[leaning conservative]

The most shocking day was the day they ended the great GOURMET. Why???? I always use unsweetened chocolate blocks in my brownies. I always keep Hershey or Toll House cocoa on hand as a standby.

Congrats on cooking school! What an adventure awaits.....

[Jamestown1630]

That is beautiful!