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

[miss marmelstein]

As I said, I only know him through Chopped. But thanks for the recipe, I'm going to check it out. You can buy lingonberry through Ikea but I've found it at ordinary supermarkets on occasion.

[miss marmelstein]

Thanks. I’ll be the oldest in the class. I have to survive the math course which I’m really crummy at.

[Yaelle]

I love this thread. It always gives me ideas. I’d love to make some African food.

I would love to make injera. I have teff flour because we make yummy teff brownies. Gluten free and so good.

I only went to an (sub Saharan) African restaurant once and it was Father’s Day, just me and my brother and our Dad who was just starting to get Alzheimer’s. He passed last month and I remember how much he loved trying new foods. Thanks for this.

I want to make some lemon marmelade; I have everything except the jars. Probably target has them.

[Yaelle]

I just saw that movie last week with Mom. So unrealistic but fun. Love the hotel guy who takes Julia Roberts under his wing.

[Yaelle]

I remember Marcus from The Taste. I loved that show!

[Jamestown1630]

That sounds wonderful. My husband has always wanted to go to culinary school, just for the experience. He’s very into the technical aspects of cooking.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

Very nice site; bookmarked!

The great thing about cooking today is that so many “unusual” ingredients that may never be in your local stores can be purchased online and received within a couple of days - often very reasonably.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

A little bowl of fenugreek in your pantry makes the whole kitchen smell nice - if you like that smell.

-JT

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Actually it is very good food.

[Jamestown1630]

Please post your brownie recipe!

I’d also like to find a good recipe for the whole-grain teff, which I ordered mistakenly a while back and now don’t know what to do with.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

Your photographs are fantastic, and you live in a beautiful place.

-JT

[pugmama]

I have never liked the grams vs ounces thing anyway.
I think you will be just fine Ms. M. How awesome that you are following a dream.
When we lived in Northern CA, I took classes from the California Culinary Academy both in SF and Napa Valley. It was so much fun!

One of their cookbooks is still available at

http://www.hamiltonbook.com/cooking-at-the-academy

It is a gem, published in 1991. I so loved to cook from this book.

People still tell me how much they loved the Bouquet salad with herbed cheese custard timbales. The presentation was just fabulous. Food is always visual!

[MtnClimber]

Thank you very much!

[Yaelle]

I did the year at a major hotel kitchen apprenticeship to prepare for going to a culinary academy...... And married a chef instead.... Bummer. Lol.

(He moved me to Switzerland and we had a good marriage for a long while, and a wonderful son.... )

[miss marmelstein]

Thank you for kind thoughts!

I think we will concentrate on how many Tomato Surprises do you make for 1,000 people. Considering I barely passed high school algebra, I’m nervous.

The dept. seems heavily invested in catering careers. I’m not necessarily hoping to get a job out of this - just want to do it. I’m looking around for secondhand textbooks - the one I have to buy is absurdly priced at $200! I mean, the kids who go to culinary school are not rich kids. Well, they go the CIA, maybe and your great school in California. (I love vocational schools. I used to attend a working-class art school and loved the kids.)

[miss marmelstein]

Last time I made blood orange marmalade, I overcooked it and it literally turned to glue. I could not move it from the jar and it bent the spoon!

Where I live, we have an H Mart which is like a Korean Whole Foods. It was the only place to buy blood oranges this spring and it has the most amazing assortment of fruits and vegetables. I recently bought a dragon fruit and am figuring out what to do with it. People compare it to Kiwi which is not a positive in my book.

[Yaelle]

Here are the teff brownies. These are really good.

1 c teff
1/4 c ground hazelnuts
5 tbsp cocoa
1 stick plus 2 tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
1tsp vanilla
Bunch o choc chips (a couple handfuls)
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter a brownie pan. (If your pan isn’t nonstick you can also line it with parchment and butter the parchment too)

Melt butter with cocoa in micro. Into mixing bowl, Beat in sugar, then eggs.  Then vanilla.  Then teff.  Then mix in ground hazelnuts and choc chips.

Into a square brownie pan.

Bake for 20-25 mins.

They can break up a bit the first day because there is no gluten to hold them together. But you’re about to eat that broken brownie right this second anyway, right, and it’s going to get all broken up anyway in your mouth, isn’t it?? Be decent and get a plate under them as these will drop crumbs right to your floor...

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Does everyone here know the secret of cutting brownies in the pan when they are still warm? Because I lived (cough cough large number) years without knowing it til last year!! Cut your warm brownies with a plastic picnic knife and it actually works!

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[ameribbean expat]

Doro Wat is good stuff.

[Yaelle]

You are hot stuff. The only Thai I’ve ever made is pad Thai. So I am bowing to you!

Here in SoCal its dreary and cool and rainy. I’m pretty happy about it!

[Yaelle]

“Blue Parrot” is a gay bar. Lol.