tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82992464041981495692024-02-20T09:47:46.586-05:00A Faranje Cooks HabeshaA white (faranje) adoptive mother learns to cook authentic Ethiopian (habesha) food in an authentic manner.Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-2344152563309264892011-02-22T09:49:00.000-05:002011-02-22T09:49:24.995-05:00Iskunfur (Stuffed Tripe Stew)...revisited<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, wait, stay! I promise you it'll be okay this time (especially if you're vegetarian)! I know it wasn't pretty when I last made <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/04/iskunfur-stuffed-tripe-stew.html">iskunfur</a>. Frankly, there's no way it could have been and I had no intentions of ever going back there. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, the sauce was <i>good</i>. <i>Very, very good</i>. So good, I kept thinking about it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And at some point, the solution presented itself to my conscious:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's right...not only did I figure out how to make the not-so-edible edible (in my view -- the Ethiopians' view was that it was always edible) and make a dish that would work for the vegetarians in our midst, but I've also entered the world of fusion cuisine. Go me! I will be happy to take calls from Martha Stewart's people any time. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't change anything else in the recipe (though I do highly suggest using the rice, which is listed as "optional" in the recipe, as, otherwise, there really isn't much to put in the wontons). And I think that it would be the rare person who wouldn't think the wontons were more adorable than the tripe:</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wontons also worked beautifully (if you look carefully, you can see them poking out of the sauce):</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The injera was courtesy of my husband. It looks better than it was, but we plod on. I think he needs to do the absit step, but he doesn't understand what that does and, therefore, it must be a totally expendable step, despite the fact that people who successfully make injera on a daily basis seem to believe that it's a necessary part of the process. I also think we need to move away from an all-teff injera just because of the taste. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I apologize for the lack of pictures. I kind of threw this dinner together and just snapped these few pictures with my phone. When I make it again, I'll document it better!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-68312523544822961812011-01-27T11:56:00.000-05:002011-01-27T11:56:44.309-05:00Lemlem Zigin (Raw Beef in Spicey [sic] Sauce)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>"</i><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Lemlem Zigin</span><i> is a delicious meal for people who like their meat rare and at the same time favor the spicy sauce." </i>~ D. J. Mesfin, <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, p. 121</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If I were ever to write a children's book with a concept completely stolen from <a href="http://www.annadewdney.com/Annas_website/Home.html">someone else</a>, it would be titled <i>Llama Llama's Injera Drama</i>. It's like I've never, ever made a decent batch of injera in my life and I'm not understanding it! I know there's a learning curve, and I'm okay with that. But I seem to be encountering learning peaks and valleys. I know the adage "two steps forward, one step back"; it's just not a favorite of mine. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I had put some buckwheat injera mixture together to ferment a day or so before we were going to be making it, and I stuck to the recipe, rather than adding my husband's sourdough starter to the mix. After last week's <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2011/01/yenqulal-wet-egg-sauce.html">injera mess</a>, I thought it was time to get back to basics. However, I had never just used this basic recipe -- I had always added about 4 to 5 ounces of my husband's sourdough starter (his blog is <a href="http://unfortunateloaves.blogspot.com/">here</a>, but he isn't the best about updating it; just trust me when I say we are up to our necks in sourdough and bread around here). I don't know why I thought I should skip it this time, but I think it was a mistake. The morning of Ethiopian night, the dough smelled like something that had been partially digested and regurgitated. This may have been normal, as it happened to one of my husband's starters at one time (and we could smell it from upstairs); he mentioned something about a war between good bacteria and bad bacteria. In the end, his starter turned to the light and it stopped smelling like something had died. If I had left this injera starter alone for another day or so, it, too, might have turned for the better, but I needed something for dinner that night, so I turned to a new recipe that didn't require any sitting, a recipe taken from <a href="http://marcussamuelsson.com/">Marcus Samuelsson's</a> <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Cuisine-Discovery-Flavors/dp/0764569112">The Soul of a New Cuisine</a> </i>(there are two different links here; his name brings you to his website, while the book's link takes you to Amazon). While the process was more than approachable, the result was disappointing. I really think I need to move towards an injera with less teff; the more teff injera I make, the more I think I understand why our local Ethiopian restaurant's injera is more buckwheat than teff. Meanwhile, my husband has taken up the gauntlet and has started work on his own injera. Between the two of us, we have to meet with success! The other night, I was at a book discussion at the Ethiopians' school and was talking to a fellow committee member, who happens to be from Ethiopia; until then, I hadn't really had a chance to talk with her, so, as we talked, I seized my chance and asked what she does for injera. She smiled sheepishly and admitted that she brought injera back from Ethiopia with her after their every-other-year visits and, in between that, she brings it up from Washington, DC. She said she tried for years, but just gave up. That makes me feel a little better, but I still refuse to believe that I can't figure this out. Maybe I'm delusional. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Onto dinner! Tonight's dinner was a minimal-berbere-added dish: just one teaspoon instead of the usual 1/2 cup. I wasn't wild about it. It seems that, the more dishes I make from this book, the more I realize I prefer the berbere-intensive dishes. Considering that I don't really like spicy-hot foods, in general, this comes as a complete surprise. I can't tolerate cayenne or hot sauce or anything like that, but I sure love berbere!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I've photographed the cooking red onions so many times, I decided to try a different photo. I just love the contrast in colors here!!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KAca0CLxSvzAg0E3qQjBaVXXCta6OfqCNqAWY8Af1KpOOK_zTIVWkjiMuGqMprG17QIYzOoFF6oQsHv4StM_xHOBZEnh3PkSMfc3FF3eVza6Uaq-fqG4EPRcILFx5WTN9-YxYF63fjWK/s1600/Lemlem+Zigin+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KAca0CLxSvzAg0E3qQjBaVXXCta6OfqCNqAWY8Af1KpOOK_zTIVWkjiMuGqMprG17QIYzOoFF6oQsHv4StM_xHOBZEnh3PkSMfc3FF3eVza6Uaq-fqG4EPRcILFx5WTN9-YxYF63fjWK/s320/Lemlem+Zigin+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Red onions in a green bowl...is there anything prettier? Even with the chip on the rim?</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By now, I'm sure you know what is done to the onions: they're browned without grease or oil in a pan. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After the onions were done, some meat was added. At this point, the recipe called for "meat with bones". I hate meat with bones, so I just cut up some steak. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Then came the berbere, some red wine, and some <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/nitir-qibe-how-to-purify-butterherbed.html">nit'ir qibe</a>. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpg8K_Z9N3cmXcFqUCDFxFsn7g41R22hngcj-e5xBvwCdSXCkg0M6FkP5dpyHzODWyHQ8y4nRk6gCUXrZfI1_LJHRb_65DGvxVh8v0oRjl27CsTGfC8WLHn5CbnUleKwRBJQEj7qvoqJ2e/s1600/Lemlem+Zigin+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpg8K_Z9N3cmXcFqUCDFxFsn7g41R22hngcj-e5xBvwCdSXCkg0M6FkP5dpyHzODWyHQ8y4nRk6gCUXrZfI1_LJHRb_65DGvxVh8v0oRjl27CsTGfC8WLHn5CbnUleKwRBJQEj7qvoqJ2e/s320/Lemlem+Zigin+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">I love the color of nit'ir qibe!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The spices were simple: black pepper, garlic, ginger, and cardamom. I added some water after adding the spices and let the stew simmer for about 20 minutes. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once done, the hot (in temperature) sauce is supposed to be poured over raw ground beef so that it cooks a little, but remains quite rare. I would have loved to have done this, but I hadn't been able to get to Whole Foods for some very fresh ground beef and I didn't want to take a risk with supermarket (all right, I'll admit it, Aldi's) ground beef. Instead, I put the ground beef in and let it cook. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC_ynSOdJbMl_tccUEAsXDG34ALY6QKJfWw3ZHldw6pOwlIZimTCjbOHKshRCki1HnTwonhom7HhpwZcXjL8dK82fmOOzsXUGflS0SK3Ew7BkJHYwunJLSUSy8zrWyNx83Nrv1mIXdvQZ/s1600/Lemlem+Zigin+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUC_ynSOdJbMl_tccUEAsXDG34ALY6QKJfWw3ZHldw6pOwlIZimTCjbOHKshRCki1HnTwonhom7HhpwZcXjL8dK82fmOOzsXUGflS0SK3Ew7BkJHYwunJLSUSy8zrWyNx83Nrv1mIXdvQZ/s320/Lemlem+Zigin+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">the end result</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXs9bG0yz2LNylLBUH9ESa8fw9qhUsEJl5htv1SHCLis-3Vpecbtdvm_OE-Q4N6Zi-fWOIhYwX-OluzgapsMShDxZ0lRbd8XinP2mP37Z0GOoIQBzzJIm9-2tYYYXQUIcMkO6rUI1dd3cu/s1600/Lemlem+Zigin+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXs9bG0yz2LNylLBUH9ESa8fw9qhUsEJl5htv1SHCLis-3Vpecbtdvm_OE-Q4N6Zi-fWOIhYwX-OluzgapsMShDxZ0lRbd8XinP2mP37Z0GOoIQBzzJIm9-2tYYYXQUIcMkO6rUI1dd3cu/s320/Lemlem+Zigin+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">on the injera</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">And after uploading my pictures, I realize that the injera didn't look all that bad. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBtZvgefbUUOptpglxMe1_QJGd7YsnMlMTl0pWH8FsympYSW80cllzsDwGJAN_FUqcBqvM6Ox0BRa7MJ7EJgvlxNhgT1wX20LtZu7ie9_1olTxGs7OEgOjdiJXJ1lz0HhOE5l8bZ6yd7x/s1600/Lemlem+Zigin+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBtZvgefbUUOptpglxMe1_QJGd7YsnMlMTl0pWH8FsympYSW80cllzsDwGJAN_FUqcBqvM6Ox0BRa7MJ7EJgvlxNhgT1wX20LtZu7ie9_1olTxGs7OEgOjdiJXJ1lz0HhOE5l8bZ6yd7x/s320/Lemlem+Zigin+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">But the taste was lackluster and the texture wasn't exactly right, so the quest continues!</span></span><br />
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</span></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-5057000661518194522011-01-18T13:34:00.003-05:002011-01-18T15:46:10.531-05:00Yenqulal We't (Egg Sauce)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><i>"<b>Yenqulal We't</b> may be used as a substitute for meat stews for people who don't eat meat. When properly cooked, it can be much more delicious than meat stews." </i>~ D. J. Mesfin, <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, p. 144</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCatBf09-3bYqvC758Ebrc63kQAd4u557rEcUQIyCxlN6ncNEyD7FUakhu1ya1Vfv0SsJv92h-q0dOiGQ3jHLyXO31qNu4Bls-PESNKibpkHGLcZD2-nKXnlmPuXTSnDwojR3QhvqBELU3/s1600/Yenqulal+We%2527t+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCatBf09-3bYqvC758Ebrc63kQAd4u557rEcUQIyCxlN6ncNEyD7FUakhu1ya1Vfv0SsJv92h-q0dOiGQ3jHLyXO31qNu4Bls-PESNKibpkHGLcZD2-nKXnlmPuXTSnDwojR3QhvqBELU3/s320/Yenqulal+We%2527t+017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was all but an unmitigated disaster. Not because of the yenqulal, which came out perfectly, but because of injera drama. Perhaps I got a bit cocky. I have made several great batches of injera since the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/12/annual-connecticut-ethiopian-adoptive.html">CT families' Ethiopian holiday party</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">; indeed, I haven't had a flopper batch in the bunch! I even went to the Ethiopians' preschool to make injera, successfully, I might add! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXe4eAz44SYyEXQvY5baxsrYjzE1SKP8axMOhLMXDF2QnmIx2zQzPC94YlEhit0iQeNzzyrQo_lXNwDXsY_Jvcq0EuRRtZLA4UEN_Xp9GQ5pe7qmlwduPdlA4daFwxy-gECva4sBbkV6CX/s1600/167650_10150134403367049_649617048_7687302_8261139_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXe4eAz44SYyEXQvY5baxsrYjzE1SKP8axMOhLMXDF2QnmIx2zQzPC94YlEhit0iQeNzzyrQo_lXNwDXsY_Jvcq0EuRRtZLA4UEN_Xp9GQ5pe7qmlwduPdlA4daFwxy-gECva4sBbkV6CX/s320/167650_10150134403367049_649617048_7687302_8261139_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not professing achievement of injera perfection, mind you (though, according to a picture in one of the Ethiopian's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Family-Ethiopia-Families-Around-World/dp/0817249001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295373059&sr=8-1">books</a>, my <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/09/yetef-injera-day-3.html">first injera attempt</a> looked much closer to perfection than it did when compared to restaurant injera); I was just churning out perfectly good injera. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until Sunday night, when I made the yenqulal. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had such high hopes. Sunday morning, the dough was looking great!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKP5aZ1xMR8X1LpHkLphB0ZqjUEcTDF9r2sfbCo2PpsGCJG92nx5xsIyn9BIWyHXPTrIa2Hzn6tVLJ7RfcB5bzg_xd8pv3HYlxOzd2uu38czeDD3NudH0J1aTgpme6d_ER5gfOFrndflr/s1600/Yenqulal+We%2527t+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKP5aZ1xMR8X1LpHkLphB0ZqjUEcTDF9r2sfbCo2PpsGCJG92nx5xsIyn9BIWyHXPTrIa2Hzn6tVLJ7RfcB5bzg_xd8pv3HYlxOzd2uu38czeDD3NudH0J1aTgpme6d_ER5gfOFrndflr/s320/Yenqulal+We%2527t+001.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it smelled great, too. This time, I had made it with teff instead of buckwheat flour, as I had finally run into Whole Foods to grab some before the weekend. That seems to have been the downfall, as it was the only variable that I had changed. Whereas my buckwheat injera batches had been spongy, bubbly, and light, the teff injera was flat and rubbery. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was awful. I was more than a bit ticked. I tried running off a quick batch of batter using half teff and half buckwheat, which improved things somewhat, but I wasn't getting the great bubbles and as spongy a texture as I was looking for and it hadn't fermented, so it tasted like we were eating with bland pancakes. It was better than the 1/4 teff injera (in the injera recipe I've been using, from <i><a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/lucys-legacy-hidden-treasures-of.html">Lucy's Legacy</a></i>, there are 2 parts of self-rising flour, 1 part all-purpose flour, and 1 part teff flour), but it was still a huge disappointment. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But back to the yenqulal, which is really meant to be the subject of this post, not my miserable injera. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was a super-easy recipe and combined some of the best parts of one of my favorite dishes: the red sauce and the eggs from doro we't, except only egg yolks were used, and they were mashed. I'm not sure if it was "properly cooked" (as quoted at the top of this post), but it sure was tasty. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started with the onions:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQY7lrAPmU3XrDgUj7M3ueizOaFMVJKRXaWoBIrEuM3aLTPv36e37VEFvsH9nj9sC-n5icR4pSiNObSyb_cYUaP8SWxrQKVSqU9Gx09u4C94YwwVdDHI4gkMyrkMTBwHalh0fUGLwXGwN/s1600/Yenqulal+We%2527t+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQY7lrAPmU3XrDgUj7M3ueizOaFMVJKRXaWoBIrEuM3aLTPv36e37VEFvsH9nj9sC-n5icR4pSiNObSyb_cYUaP8SWxrQKVSqU9Gx09u4C94YwwVdDHI4gkMyrkMTBwHalh0fUGLwXGwN/s320/Yenqulal+We%2527t+003.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the onions were dry sauteeing, I also boiled the eggs:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the onions were browned, some water was added, then the berbere and the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/nitir-qibe-how-to-purify-butterherbed.html">nit'ir qibe</a>. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMM-QlzRMnv34twHS15wYc6pyXSeoJsZpviWYC5uns5O-rVlNSVyUwf2W3derWNuadMtw0CHPRIc5hBv2dYP-kK3f1ulFoQw43p3dR8DTLftg4dbF8oAI0oBz3u0KLDGd2Er5hJUPBkAy/s1600/Yenqulal+We%2527t+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMM-QlzRMnv34twHS15wYc6pyXSeoJsZpviWYC5uns5O-rVlNSVyUwf2W3derWNuadMtw0CHPRIc5hBv2dYP-kK3f1ulFoQw43p3dR8DTLftg4dbF8oAI0oBz3u0KLDGd2Er5hJUPBkAy/s320/Yenqulal+We%2527t+009.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this point, I let the yenqulal simmer while the eggs finished boiling. After they were done, I removed the yolks.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The yolks were mashed, some water was added to make a paste (though I was also cooking some minchet abish for my husband, who hates eggs, and my paste ended up being a bit lumpier than it probably should have due to my multitasking). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The paste was added to the berbere mixture, as was some red wine and the spices: ginger, black pepper, and salt:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's it! Aside from the berbere, there aren't even really any exotic ingredients in this dish, and it's pretty quick and easy to throw together. Though I think I'd like it a bit more with some whole hard-boiled eggs added to it, like in doro we't. And I'm going to have to start dialing back the the berbere a little bit because the current bag that we're using seems to run a lot hotter, measure for measure, than the earlier bags of berbere I had. Even my husband is asking for me to dial it back some, and he buys hot sauce by the gallon. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was the point where I started cooking the injera and realized that it was going to be a colossal failure, which really tainted my enjoyment of our little Ethiopian night. I'm going to go back to the buckwheat version and play some more with adding in teff. Or perhaps I'll try a different recipe altogether. </span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-35527578430949076372010-12-12T11:20:00.000-05:002010-12-12T11:20:45.391-05:00The Annual Connecticut Ethiopian Adoptive Families Holiday Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know, I know. Another new year is barreling towards us, gaining momentum, and I haven't been on here since September. Somehow, I truly thought that preschool was going to bring 12 extra hours a week into my life, but it didn't quite end up working out that way. Then the Ethiopians started ballet class, which led to the annual Nutcracker, with rehearsals and dress rehearsals enough to rival any professional production company out there. Sometimes it's all I can do to get a home-cooked meal on the table and avoid takeout! Our Ethiopian nights have sorely suffered. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, unlike Monday's dress rehearsal for The Nutcracker, our life here is not a dress rehearsal, but a work in progress, and I'll just keep getting back up on this horse! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tonight is the annual holiday party for our local Ethiopian families. I would be refused admission if I showed up without my doro we't, so I pulled that together last night and it's in the crockpot now. I somehow thought I had already documented my doro, but when I went to link to it, I see that I didn't. Ah well, I was charging the camera battery for tonight's performance anyway. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There had been discussion on our local listserv earlier this week about what I will call The Injera Situation. Our local Ethiopian restaurant is only open for dinner these days, which makes procuring injera extremely difficult. Still, I had hope. Last night, I thought to inquire as to The Injera Situation, only to receive the news that the situation wasn't good. Indeed, there was talk of pita bread and naan. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing against pita and naan...we're passionate consumers of both. But they're not injera. Not to mention that if the Ethiopians see naan, they're likely to start asking where the palak paneer is. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, with about 18 hours of lead time, I decided to try making <i>some</i> form of injera. I Google'd "quick injera" and found recipes that called for club soda and lemon juice. "Okay", I thought, swallowing a little bit of dignity. "It'll be better than no injera." Until I read through the recipes and found that they called for brushing the cooked injera with lemon juice to simulate the sourness. I couldn't do it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I seemed to remember what seemed like a relatively simple injera recipe in the cookbook I reviewed earlier, <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/lucys-legacy-hidden-treasures-of.html">"Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia - Recipes from Afar and Near"</a>. But I couldn't find the cookbook! I suspect it's somewhere in the detritus surrounding my husband's computer space, but I couldn't uncover it. I did, however, remember that, on my sidebar, I had a link to the <a href="http://ballerinabreath.blogspot.com/2010/03/adventure-in-cooking-ethiopian-food.html">recipe</a>!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tripled the amounts and used buckwheat flour in lieu of the teff flour (we couldn't get to Whole Foods last night). To this mixture, I then added some starter. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband, an avid amateur bread baker, has managed to not only attract wild yeast in our New England environs, but he has been farming and tending to it in a variety of starter mediums. He graciously allowed me to take a bit of his all-purpose starter, as long as I took "no more than 75 grams". I dutifully pulled out our digital scale and made sure to take only 74 grams (our scale only measures by even grams, and 76 grams would have been a breach of our complicated starter contract). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The mixture started forming bubbles almost immediately and I went to bed, heartened. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning, the batter looked great and had even started fermenting a bit, smelling less like plain flour and water. Again, I'm sorry for the lack of pictures. I'll be doing this again and promise to document it thoroughly!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A blog-less friend of mine (or I'd link to it), Kristen, had given me a <a href="http://www.lefsetime.com/store/template/product_detail.php?IID=91">Heritage Lefse Grill</a> and I was anxious to test it out. I know that, in my earlier <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/09/yetef-injera-day-3.html">injera post</a>, I had said that I wasn't entirely convinced that having this grill would make a difference and I still think it can be done on a stove in a regular pan, but I will say that I will no longer be trying that method. The grill is <i>fantastic</i>. Even heat, a huge cooking surface, and easily removed injera. She had given me the lid, too, which I tried, but I ended up not using it because I felt the condensation made the dough too damp. Plus, it was easier to see when the injera was done when I didn't use the lid. </span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The results were mixed, but definitely skewed towards success. I will be working with this recipe from here on out. It's much thicker and spongier than my earlier results and it looks and feels like injera. But, sadly, it needed to be fermented a lot longer; twelve hours is nowhere near long enough. This injera is quite bland. Dipped in a bit of doro (in that red crock-pot behind and to the right of the lefse grill), however, it was passable. Much more passable than my first injera attempt. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This recipe was also easy. I have to play with the mix/types of flours a bit until I get something I love, and I will have to play around with how long to ferment it, but it really was so easy that I feel confident in saying that we will be having Ethiopian again soon. </span></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-38833745596267426072010-09-27T18:35:00.000-04:002010-09-27T18:35:03.302-04:00Telba Fitfit (Flax Water Mixed with Injera)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"</span></span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Telba Fitfit</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> is a refreshing meal for a hot day or after fasting. May act as a mild laxative." ~ D. J. Mesfin, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, p .203</span></span></span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Don't get too excited about that injera -- I didn't make it!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's repast veered ever so slightly into the alternative medicine arena. :) I actually love flax seeds and we often use them on our cereal in the morning, so I had some in the freezer ready to go. Except I forgot that when I was out shopping and bought another package (Trader Joe's has them for an awesome price). <br />
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This was a simple and quick meal to make and interesting. It is served cold and that, combined with the presence of cinnamon, made me think that it would be a better breakfast meal than a dinner meal, despite the berbere included in it. <br />
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The first step was to take the flaxseeds:</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trader Joe's brand is <i>much</i> cheaper!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I poured them into a frying pan and toasted them, which smelled heavenly!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmjNApjKYoIjnrBdWwSvvX_DPQ4pCJ0Hd5zjlO5eCm9xhEUc7lKyDT1FQkFIZZQFa_DY1xHLx3069iMvhV5WR9jbXC7mk-7F6gjdOV23NGQXd7oznCc5YrAsDhk4-9FJc4kIy0TpXm8hV/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmjNApjKYoIjnrBdWwSvvX_DPQ4pCJ0Hd5zjlO5eCm9xhEUc7lKyDT1FQkFIZZQFa_DY1xHLx3069iMvhV5WR9jbXC7mk-7F6gjdOV23NGQXd7oznCc5YrAsDhk4-9FJc4kIy0TpXm8hV/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After toasting and letting them cool a bit, I threw them into the poor, abused coffee grinder:</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZ1SL3C3qMJ3JkCDL9_xkZQnRLEEuXK4BQhHTt9aimQZAnf9wU9MmRsoxkB0aGagEe1R7gR_Vii0-yrCZxYyOsHdU9twLBN_nku9QMZi1h03TdJAslE5sdiKviAlpxNNO9J2yGtAlVXcv/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZ1SL3C3qMJ3JkCDL9_xkZQnRLEEuXK4BQhHTt9aimQZAnf9wU9MmRsoxkB0aGagEe1R7gR_Vii0-yrCZxYyOsHdU9twLBN_nku9QMZi1h03TdJAslE5sdiKviAlpxNNO9J2yGtAlVXcv/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">prior to grinding...forgive the battle scars/stains</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkANKnXh9uuS1fJbvBNDcDxhM9bG6fVu_q7T7tWDcBuTLoAfUJQ4I9J2iCqfaQRlQFVJfcYq3LVEMEpFzta2NQMdvEhHRqzz7ZgsPZ9-XTbRCxl4nBfAbUQKP_GXfbMIAc1u8ZvB9Z6Pf2/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkANKnXh9uuS1fJbvBNDcDxhM9bG6fVu_q7T7tWDcBuTLoAfUJQ4I9J2iCqfaQRlQFVJfcYq3LVEMEpFzta2NQMdvEhHRqzz7ZgsPZ9-XTbRCxl4nBfAbUQKP_GXfbMIAc1u8ZvB9Z6Pf2/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">after grinding</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Those of you who are among my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Sheila.Turner.CMT">Facebook</a> coterie may have seen a status message last Friday bemoaning the fact that I failed to clean the grinder well enough after grinding the cardamom for the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/09/yesiga-tibs-meat-cooked-in-spice-and.html">yesiga t'ibs</a> last week. For the rest of you, what happened was that, Friday morning, I pulled out my brand new bag of <a href="http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=297155">Starbucks Ethiopian Limu</a> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">(sadly, they seem to have done away with the Sidama and replaced it with the Limu), put the beans in the inadequately cleaned grinder, brewed, and ended up with cardamom-laced coffee, which, alone, may have been not too bad, but I had also added some chocolate milk. It was a little too antiseptic-y and the two tastes together were not working for me!</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Once upon a time, I had had two coffee grinders and kept them for separate uses, but I burned one out grinding (human-grade) puppy food for the bird's food (I have a starling). I keep meaning to buy another one (I've decided that, in an ideal world, I should own three), but every time I'm in front of them in the store, I keep thinking I don't want to spend that whole $20 on them. The cardamom fiasco definitely changed my mind and I resolved to fix this...until I discovered I had a second grinder all along, hidden in the plastic bin in which I keep my Salad Shooter. So the cardamom grinder is now the official spice grinder (I labeled it and everything) and the other grinder will be my coffee grinder. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">After grinding, I added cinnamon (left), a meager teaspoon of berbere (right; usually measured in cups around here), and salt:</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VE5IT963GXT6M56SqHHakLUBAThs6VTL85Uwt-Cr85z7Acjgl3Gf5gtBHrNWa8w7h_GUAQYoRsN41xCJWxRyP0BP0_8mbpObTJASIHhd8-owafW6sXUEtjSxFXMel-aIJhyphenhyphen94T9gP3H_/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VE5IT963GXT6M56SqHHakLUBAThs6VTL85Uwt-Cr85z7Acjgl3Gf5gtBHrNWa8w7h_GUAQYoRsN41xCJWxRyP0BP0_8mbpObTJASIHhd8-owafW6sXUEtjSxFXMel-aIJhyphenhyphen94T9gP3H_/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5_kMld7tfgRmvPe2gZEf1GQA6AxqzaDBidFB1mW5sov3QSHxBQW7_avehfo7oAflCT7atO4CzgMohSt961_T1MLz-vi_yrLtlOcW97S33AIB_1Evq_6kPSLti-8deLgA-rPFx0ehE6_B/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5_kMld7tfgRmvPe2gZEf1GQA6AxqzaDBidFB1mW5sov3QSHxBQW7_avehfo7oAflCT7atO4CzgMohSt961_T1MLz-vi_yrLtlOcW97S33AIB_1Evq_6kPSLti-8deLgA-rPFx0ehE6_B/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then I added water:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDuhum3d3gUaCg-M5XmIZM0vf_4Kc6dTsqZZPhRBfabB0wbIALf49-OaZSDL29R3e1WExNsWovEwbkzL4bwn67AZPKOEhXIH6lLTJN6o7MiNpDxK6oz-gWR1ZXX4Y2nMWu4bgcOhwf4FJ/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDuhum3d3gUaCg-M5XmIZM0vf_4Kc6dTsqZZPhRBfabB0wbIALf49-OaZSDL29R3e1WExNsWovEwbkzL4bwn67AZPKOEhXIH6lLTJN6o7MiNpDxK6oz-gWR1ZXX4Y2nMWu4bgcOhwf4FJ/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And torn up bits injera:</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qPtAB7oTtFXeDIyAsWBm1zq9MEOX7jCSn_sFVQKwjQ9ayOb5ACEkG5C_85MBxhsv2kn_DLmaR2X7Ncxnal901R3tpBgtWHVSfuPtBfHUurbYdHG79r-m_juHYyItiyyOm-BE-5M1H66P/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_qPtAB7oTtFXeDIyAsWBm1zq9MEOX7jCSn_sFVQKwjQ9ayOb5ACEkG5C_85MBxhsv2kn_DLmaR2X7Ncxnal901R3tpBgtWHVSfuPtBfHUurbYdHG79r-m_juHYyItiyyOm-BE-5M1H66P/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH989JPHo589jdaa1zcyajAcwdGlXZcKNyRW9CETMwgishRaJUg37Ey9H6cF1QgbiAKcOcO6AT2ec0RYnR3JMHsnyz0lLgjjG6A03KJdz-W6Sm8Os9uyotATW2fbQtYnokEdkmAgUN2q4H/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH989JPHo589jdaa1zcyajAcwdGlXZcKNyRW9CETMwgishRaJUg37Ey9H6cF1QgbiAKcOcO6AT2ec0RYnR3JMHsnyz0lLgjjG6A03KJdz-W6Sm8Os9uyotATW2fbQtYnokEdkmAgUN2q4H/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I pulled the mail-order injera out of the freezer, since it lends itself quite well to fitfit. It was only as I was preparing this dish that I thought "hmm, perhaps I should have made some injera to use to <i>eat</i> the fitfit". Since injera is anything but a last minute chore, I decided to just use up the last of the mail-order injera. Microwaving it a little bit improved its texture quite a bit, though it still left an odd residue that kind of turns us off. </span></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The fitfit was placed in the refrigerator until dinner time. This was quite a filling dish and it seemed like we barely made a dent in it. As I mentioned above, it seems like it would be a great dish for breakfast or, as the book notes, a nice cold dinner on a hot summer's day. The cinnamon imparted a nice sweetness to it and the berbere was almost completely unnoticeable, while at the same time adding just a little something. It's not a meal that's going to make it into our regular rotation (my husband prefers meat and berbere), but it was nice to try something a little different! In researching this dish, I noticed it being offered as an appetizer on several Ethiopian restaurant menus, and I think that it would work perfectly in such a role. </span></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-51072112496433228172010-09-20T00:06:00.001-04:002010-09-20T00:17:27.847-04:00Yesiga T'ibs (Meat Cooked in Spice and Red Pepper)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"<b><i>Yesiga t'ibs</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> is prepared on all occasions. It is very delicious with injera or bread." ~ D. J. Mesfin, <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, p. 114</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD00jPDksEY57Irw4Iu3e6Ou2apLbhasdOgfODpRmqkhl4xKCoU8VQ29nhgauYNPouOLg38VvuOqF4NWLnRyN12j5zP4shWs2PR7wOm8i2YiJwKjrcugB2vBwLpedTp1rqve7K9nDm3khr/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD00jPDksEY57Irw4Iu3e6Ou2apLbhasdOgfODpRmqkhl4xKCoU8VQ29nhgauYNPouOLg38VvuOqF4NWLnRyN12j5zP4shWs2PR7wOm8i2YiJwKjrcugB2vBwLpedTp1rqve7K9nDm3khr/s320/029.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that's homemade injera there, baby</span></span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I put the t'ibs together this morning to throw into the crockpot, as I was also to be tackling injera today, which I figured could end up consuming a good amount of time (it did). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am going to right come out and say that I don't think that the proportions in this recipe are correct. Either that, or an ingredient is missing. Or I simply haven't a clue. But I'll get there in a moment. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I started as I usually start with an Ethiopian dish: I dry-sautéed a very large amount of red onions (after being quite thankful for my food processor):</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Oc_RyKp4Ur0boL_ePBzhBnxzG_a7PUopNT9WPU8lD_x5jXcHeolRjZj2rNTs10Nak3Iz1D1FrVgpT6WXvlmsxIY-3vIq5wKYwMFQvV2q2wMWRH1qaHJnCvfye0nFJ4S2eoEjjJ7xvkBT/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Oc_RyKp4Ur0boL_ePBzhBnxzG_a7PUopNT9WPU8lD_x5jXcHeolRjZj2rNTs10Nak3Iz1D1FrVgpT6WXvlmsxIY-3vIq5wKYwMFQvV2q2wMWRH1qaHJnCvfye0nFJ4S2eoEjjJ7xvkBT/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To that, I added 1/2 cup of <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/nitir-qibe-how-to-purify-butterherbed.html">nit'ir qibe</a> (I know I don't usually throw in too many measurements, as I wish to respect the author's copyright, but I'm giving some today because I really need help figuring out whether this recipe was correct or not). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgibDbV_0UL8HUsb6WH0RMzhveYTOadC38WUk6ucbZXvUErlHoeI7E8iOVpGNkCxhcfTARTqmDccbc2UKiriW-09_fRB93ZB6A45z5F1iMFpQNdxFBvyXd8MzXOT1vBlGe_bpjeuOekjTfU/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgibDbV_0UL8HUsb6WH0RMzhveYTOadC38WUk6ucbZXvUErlHoeI7E8iOVpGNkCxhcfTARTqmDccbc2UKiriW-09_fRB93ZB6A45z5F1iMFpQNdxFBvyXd8MzXOT1vBlGe_bpjeuOekjTfU/s320/002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So far, so good. Next, came 1 cup of berbere. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdYzO02qotJy0IAPvJ3HJQuxwiqT9EgPaEIK6d7sYL3sxYJndf303jH5wjc8K7sHkhZnusUmcnKOrdvFy3tzzErK2DBSGs2j0gCWyna_QxKRtiUXB-8hiVGZ7_dh-NtHESTjtPFIJl_Ix/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdYzO02qotJy0IAPvJ3HJQuxwiqT9EgPaEIK6d7sYL3sxYJndf303jH5wjc8K7sHkhZnusUmcnKOrdvFy3tzzErK2DBSGs2j0gCWyna_QxKRtiUXB-8hiVGZ7_dh-NtHESTjtPFIJl_Ix/s320/003.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Still within the realm of possibility, though it seemed like an awful lot of berbere for that amount of nit'ir qibe (in my doro we't, for instance, I use 2 cups of nit'ir qibe to one cup of berbere). I even had a bit of trouble incorporating the berbere into the nit'ir qibe and the onions. I thought "this can't be right" and looked at the recipe again. Oh, I had forgotten to add 1/2 cup of red wine. It still seemed like way too little liquid for the amount of berbere that I had in there, but I added the wine. It did help a bit:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5wfxuq0I-bsuOSYFcMWn7J1FmENwKRM394h5VZGVvwML5-4XigABySDwUnwHkvboNkEonBBqugE_EbsjKf0GA6eESpZZ5dnKigLwWmtmwoE3LUG1m9LsFcw3nu0HQjhC8rnCDgD68BWs/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL5wfxuq0I-bsuOSYFcMWn7J1FmENwKRM394h5VZGVvwML5-4XigABySDwUnwHkvboNkEonBBqugE_EbsjKf0GA6eESpZZ5dnKigLwWmtmwoE3LUG1m9LsFcw3nu0HQjhC8rnCDgD68BWs/s320/004.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But it was still quite thick. By now, I decided it really needed some more liquid, so I threw in another 1/2 cup of nit'ir qibe and added some water until it stopped looking so pasty. I didn't add a lot of water, just enough. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then I added the meat and cooked it for 15 minutes:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKw-5qSbxEyYCiBv6NogqTCRZaHnkiGRRNEYjKfqekF7_ngP9RRc0BAcWMCp_mZ8FnZy4eXZ7ukCyeWWr-qDosK-o7zq2IXyTZW2dQb4fKyq_FzqATAkg6UTXvNbosQmFSJedpY_FbE4To/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKw-5qSbxEyYCiBv6NogqTCRZaHnkiGRRNEYjKfqekF7_ngP9RRc0BAcWMCp_mZ8FnZy4eXZ7ukCyeWWr-qDosK-o7zq2IXyTZW2dQb4fKyq_FzqATAkg6UTXvNbosQmFSJedpY_FbE4To/s320/007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next came (clockwise from top) black pepper, salt, cardamom, and garlic powder:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXkVWRhLc4ka-frhDX3fhnmkk_0zuLa4eteUjzXGLdOCVgG6whXu3mSyDoslr2-YJAMPtFxrgisWsSPEjofX_icO7cG7LhEGfvTgpC2HQXx-L4aLpHqaO2vRbbwl4BC52zrZj2Y_0fZdX/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXkVWRhLc4ka-frhDX3fhnmkk_0zuLa4eteUjzXGLdOCVgG6whXu3mSyDoslr2-YJAMPtFxrgisWsSPEjofX_icO7cG7LhEGfvTgpC2HQXx-L4aLpHqaO2vRbbwl4BC52zrZj2Y_0fZdX/s320/008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I usually grind the cardamom whole, pods and all, in my coffee grinder, but, for some reason, this morning I was inspired to see how easy they were to open up. It turns out it was quite easy to get the seeds out and, in no time, I had the little cardamom carcasses to prove it:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzDOGQjtFjbITOKwp1uFDaleYGYe5J1GB2Ral1mDJxLrlI4bO7nuURsT5pXlbTiLdQpfvhGPzl8tubrLtoMXMHqLxiYPurBzLYi2Y6Qd4jyNbB8cwbsEClJ5kd1P8G79R8yr3jVweOC6V/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzDOGQjtFjbITOKwp1uFDaleYGYe5J1GB2Ral1mDJxLrlI4bO7nuURsT5pXlbTiLdQpfvhGPzl8tubrLtoMXMHqLxiYPurBzLYi2Y6Qd4jyNbB8cwbsEClJ5kd1P8G79R8yr3jVweOC6V/s320/014.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I still, however, threw the cardamom seeds into the coffee grinder. After adding the spices, I then put the t'ibs into the crockpot until we were ready for dinner:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPd6h6K0wX0eamomd5oE_rIdHzy4XGjfsLiAnEo_5QZvTXgZ-eC3pjWk6fMRh9_01B0GYiWv802XAVx1_1Xe6Uo3_0X6cICI282wbXGzOWcO0YJodFuVDUhQLAPwbWaHgisnZZKLiBJsT/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPd6h6K0wX0eamomd5oE_rIdHzy4XGjfsLiAnEo_5QZvTXgZ-eC3pjWk6fMRh9_01B0GYiWv802XAVx1_1Xe6Uo3_0X6cICI282wbXGzOWcO0YJodFuVDUhQLAPwbWaHgisnZZKLiBJsT/s320/009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD00jPDksEY57Irw4Iu3e6Ou2apLbhasdOgfODpRmqkhl4xKCoU8VQ29nhgauYNPouOLg38VvuOqF4NWLnRyN12j5zP4shWs2PR7wOm8i2YiJwKjrcugB2vBwLpedTp1rqve7K9nDm3khr/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD00jPDksEY57Irw4Iu3e6Ou2apLbhasdOgfODpRmqkhl4xKCoU8VQ29nhgauYNPouOLg38VvuOqF4NWLnRyN12j5zP4shWs2PR7wOm8i2YiJwKjrcugB2vBwLpedTp1rqve7K9nDm3khr/s320/029.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It looked good and smelled divine, but, sadly (at least it was sad for myself and the Ethiopians), it was <b>way</b> too spicy. And that was with the addition of the extra butter and some water (it was probably about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of water, not a huge amount). I cannot even imagine trying to eat this stuff full-test. It was <i>very</i> good, but I couldn't eat more than a few bites due to the heat. We weren't talking the lovely endorphin-rush heat of the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/09/this-is-what-house-should-smell-like.html">yesiga fitfit</a>, where it was hot, but you couldn't just resist taking another bite. This was painful all the way down and it remained painful for quite a while. My husband pronounced it the spiciest/hottest stuff he's ever eaten, and he'll use a half bottle of (very) hot sauce as a condiment for his lunch. He had to go outside to get some air and was pretty blissed out for the rest of the evening. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Does anyone know if the yesiga t'ibs is supposed to be basically berbere-coated beef with no sauce? Almost like an awaze paste? My husband even mentioned that it felt grainy. I never order yesiga t'ibs, I can't remember if my husband has ever ordered it before, and I'm having trouble finding pictures of it on the Internet. It seems that some of the other t'ibs recipes in the book include cups (like 6) of water, but not all t'ibs use the berbere and it's just very difficult to figure out if that's how it was <i>supposed</i> to be. After all, with water added, isn't it just <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/tibs-wet-fried-beef-stew.html">t'ibs w'et</a>? Though that beef is fried, not stewed. Arghh!! One of the hazards of learning a very foreign cuisine. I tried pulling out my <i>Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">circa </span></i>1966), but they don't cover Ethiopian cookery. Go figure.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For now, I added some more water and am letting it stay in the crockpot overnight so that my husband can bring it to work for his lunch. I probably won't be able to get it to my tolerance level, but I'd like to next time. I can handle the doro w'et with 1 cup of berbere, so I know that that alone is not the issue. This is the first time a recipe from this book has been too hot/spicy for me to eat. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Despite the thrill of feeling like I could eventually get a handle on the injera, I have to say that tonight's dinner was a bit disappointing as a whole. I haven't eaten so little of a dish since the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/04/iskunfur-stuffed-tripe-stew.html">iskunfur</a>, though I can't say that was because it was too spicy! :)</span></span></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-11078790306102598262010-09-19T23:05:00.001-04:002010-09-19T23:15:07.920-04:00Yet'ef Injera, day #3<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"<b><i>Yet'ef injera<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">is a soft, spongy, sour bread made from a rye like grain called t'ef which is grown in Ethiopia. A staple food, it is served with all kinds of dishes on any occasion and eaten with the fingers, and is usually served cold." ~ D. J. Mesfin, </span>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">, p. 79-80</span></span></i></b></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBgDWX7PNRrO3wKnQbfhmyew_SBYELcEYl7X4E6IWgf4098vt9kzX9JIhHsCx0uunh36Rc76FdvKUwIq8zIMX3y1kTQBiXI85RHc2mMdbAYSEg8eo4hXOBlSsIfrgv_5qGXZLPfIz-yd9/s1600/injera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBgDWX7PNRrO3wKnQbfhmyew_SBYELcEYl7X4E6IWgf4098vt9kzX9JIhHsCx0uunh36Rc76FdvKUwIq8zIMX3y1kTQBiXI85RHc2mMdbAYSEg8eo4hXOBlSsIfrgv_5qGXZLPfIz-yd9/s320/injera.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Houston, we have injera!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was not great injera (though the Ethiopians begged to differ), but I am excited about where the process took me. I learned </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a lot</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and I feel fairly confident that I have a decent foundation upon which to build. Lest you think I lead some sort of charmed life and was able to just churn out injera like scrambled eggs, let me introduce you to my first piece:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUTKmmS9oJ-5Kc-pci9xyjiDgAWH6EMftoc2Ku517OK5WejSe0BKgGtug6KZU4KRtmsxP9UsQlOMg68qEpD68HowfUFfBSPQoeZKrrdWwdQJCwMKGqOac9ePm4QeOfwmbty76cwhLQk9f/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUTKmmS9oJ-5Kc-pci9xyjiDgAWH6EMftoc2Ku517OK5WejSe0BKgGtug6KZU4KRtmsxP9UsQlOMg68qEpD68HowfUFfBSPQoeZKrrdWwdQJCwMKGqOac9ePm4QeOfwmbty76cwhLQk9f/s320/025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It eventually got better. (How could it get much worse, right?) But first things first. This morning, this is what greeted me in the injera pot:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaCroPkBTt-vX1RSHcuKogVwbfkFMWM_epInrwh4Kj2Tf7AcPvto84SoqwZpLwu-8sPubH_tTqIKf0VhZvJwZJxEqNZ-0Hupu7b4tIi5odu-uLiQi8zehxfaaW6OJyraWDHuyySBzcPf_/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzaCroPkBTt-vX1RSHcuKogVwbfkFMWM_epInrwh4Kj2Tf7AcPvto84SoqwZpLwu-8sPubH_tTqIKf0VhZvJwZJxEqNZ-0Hupu7b4tIi5odu-uLiQi8zehxfaaW6OJyraWDHuyySBzcPf_/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">See? Pretty nasty, huh? Though at least this wasn't black like it was yesterday morning. The batter was definitely smelling quite sour, too. The first order of business was to get rid of the water from the top of the batter. This was actually quite easy. I just tilted the pot and slowly poured it off until I got down to the batter. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCS2DfC9eGdJN75FCCypDeqQK-_ILsAb4T5D62WNE-bqgnw6OTYA0b2eqn4XY8Ie54vU2WvW7IByL_ONvlpMOqDhAJXeq1E19ckTpgeXUDPH08_dHAJQM739dzuNgg4msbfQhEW_7ZOheL/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCS2DfC9eGdJN75FCCypDeqQK-_ILsAb4T5D62WNE-bqgnw6OTYA0b2eqn4XY8Ie54vU2WvW7IByL_ONvlpMOqDhAJXeq1E19ckTpgeXUDPH08_dHAJQM739dzuNgg4msbfQhEW_7ZOheL/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then I took a cup of the batter, added it to a couple of cups of boiling water, and cooked until the mixture had thickened (this mixture is called "absit"), which didn't take long at all:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BICnOm_HBBDuQOpVmGDYeOZBHAtNHbteQhFP1MP2ZE0IEJ3-et60nM8Slnjace9c_Mr_F0ZrW2LngVy9p6siBN_6ITsqpKPCWKj2786cWphL7Ayq6M5wy5kdozr66cntgEGcBWRRhlR0/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5BICnOm_HBBDuQOpVmGDYeOZBHAtNHbteQhFP1MP2ZE0IEJ3-et60nM8Slnjace9c_Mr_F0ZrW2LngVy9p6siBN_6ITsqpKPCWKj2786cWphL7Ayq6M5wy5kdozr66cntgEGcBWRRhlR0/s320/013.JPG" width="320" /></span></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">absit bubbling away</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This was left to cool for a bit, doing some serious congealing as it did so:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGHZVcHEO8hvVQ0dzBIz44SbfrO-JkwdjuQrJKwd9VxGrEoEqEHi319N7B9aIWvmL-bQn4Ki8zOb34H_Ws4dGptsM-coexcT25YzzohA4YaUZov95J-zWm8ki3BafU74hfk9lsi41Ioho/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGHZVcHEO8hvVQ0dzBIz44SbfrO-JkwdjuQrJKwd9VxGrEoEqEHi319N7B9aIWvmL-bQn4Ki8zOb34H_Ws4dGptsM-coexcT25YzzohA4YaUZov95J-zWm8ki3BafU74hfk9lsi41Ioho/s320/015.JPG" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Once cool, the absit was then added back into the rest of the batter and "more water" was added; there were no measurements given for this amount at all, so I just kept adding water until I had a batter that looked good to me (I aimed for the consistency of a crepe batter and tested it by pouring it from a spoon). At this point, I did pull out the immersion blender and tackled the lumps that were present from the absit until I had a fairly smooth batter. I then whisked it a bit by hand; I don't know why. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Then, I let it sit for a bit to do a final rise. I was multitasking, so I'm not sure how long I left it. I made lunch, made the yesiga t'ibs and got it into the crockpot, made the Ethiopians' lunches for tomorrow (they'll be thrilled to learn that I later went back and stuck in some injera), consoled a playground injury, ate lunch, ran to the grocery store, and came back to this:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6LlvFQwiU8QbTtbfmr4Ww3g_Mawzdnqdg5mVzoh0VcX-DW94L5RpYVRss789tZk7cR__eCxkSUwTt4QOWyGsPwG-G7ipQaTW-n6bBAWtMSIKCrImUwXmusuv-_NZqRUsz2RjfA2I9sZZ/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6LlvFQwiU8QbTtbfmr4Ww3g_Mawzdnqdg5mVzoh0VcX-DW94L5RpYVRss789tZk7cR__eCxkSUwTt4QOWyGsPwG-G7ipQaTW-n6bBAWtMSIKCrImUwXmusuv-_NZqRUsz2RjfA2I9sZZ/s320/019.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"Double, double </span><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">toil</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> and </span><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">trouble</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">/Fire burn, and cauldron </span><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">bubble." ~ Shakespeare's <i>Macbeth</i></span></em></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwBtS8QZnCpknxdybXEzphE1mcimoggxO3PqVQinKtylIkp8azww6P0OKHKtfef1A1VAhB_OFgm0zJ6LB8ToA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I took some video to show that this was very actively bubbling...no cooking was involved at this point!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now it was time to cook the injera! I had read many times about folks not getting the pan hot enough, so I took my frying pan and set our glass cook-top to 8 (9 is the highest setting). Once water danced upon the surface of the skillet, I poured about 3/4 cup of batter into the pan and covered it (despite its pancake-like demeanor, you don't flip injera; the top gets cooked via the steam provided by a lid). I was excited to see the bubbles forming. It was looking like....injera! I dutifully set the timer and watched for the curling edges, which supposedly signaled done-ness. And, as you've already seen, I ended up with this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswTc2PuSPa0S5POEkusYXMvB62BtcdYq7ujTNrKpxAD4lylFNzPp1bhwcmUf6UqWzyYr6VYmzJ93GObbe6YNCj7_BEPHBp-e0RX8u5CjX4el7DsnBvOJJv9c0b8ABZhX2hDD6Rnh5EcIF/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswTc2PuSPa0S5POEkusYXMvB62BtcdYq7ujTNrKpxAD4lylFNzPp1bhwcmUf6UqWzyYr6VYmzJ93GObbe6YNCj7_BEPHBp-e0RX8u5CjX4el7DsnBvOJJv9c0b8ABZhX2hDD6Rnh5EcIF/s320/025.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">What you're looking at is a largely gooey mess. The bottom was nearly burning, yet there were pockets of raw batter. It stuck horribly (a common issue, I've heard). Thus started my quest to figure out what I was doing wrong. It turns out that there were a number of things going wrong and it took many, many more failed attempts before I started seeing progress. At first, I thought maybe I didn't have the heat up high enough, so I turned it up. That wasn't it. The bottom was still cooking pretty quickly and the edges were curling up, yet the top wasn't cooking. So I tried ditching the timer and leaving it in the pan until it looked like it was done:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjuD3yN_PLfJOqOX3ZGmPdk6ju9ekmKoxecRVsweAO54ipZ_N2nKuMi-8eB8nGj7ueNp1bX8WXDlRBy_ahe3DGU_fTpv3IIV1VSN1LwEH-GjFfWP_tGSjS6aWh4W7asU0C90WWZV6UMte/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjuD3yN_PLfJOqOX3ZGmPdk6ju9ekmKoxecRVsweAO54ipZ_N2nKuMi-8eB8nGj7ueNp1bX8WXDlRBy_ahe3DGU_fTpv3IIV1VSN1LwEH-GjFfWP_tGSjS6aWh4W7asU0C90WWZV6UMte/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nope, that wasn't it either. Yes, the top was done, but the bottom was burned and crunchy and crunchy injera isn't flexible, doesn't roll up well, and smells awful. So, in a completely counterintuitive move, I moved the heat down to 5, almost dead medium. <b>Eureka #1!</b> I had actually had the heat up way too high and the injera needed to cook at a more temperate heat in order to cook evenly. It wasn't an immediate success, and I have the botched injera in the wastebasket to prove it, but it quickly became evident that this was a key discovery. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At first, I was still having problems with goopiness. The edges would be curling, which I kept reading meant it was done, yet when I tried to remove it, there would be sticking on the bottom and uncooked batter on the top. I was diligent with the timer and I wasn't getting why it wasn't working. I finally decided to stop using the timer and let it cook a little bit longer. <b>Eureka #2!</b> <i>The batter <b>only</b> sticks on the bottom when it's <b>not</b> done</i>. I never used spray oil or anything like that in the pan; I remember reading that that only makes matters worse. That's not to say I wasn't sorely tempted at some points, but I resisted the urge and, sure enough, when an injera is done, it doesn't stick at all. Even a few seconds too early will result in sticking. When an injera is done, you should be able to pull it up by the edges with both hands, lift it up, and get it onto a plate without injury. If you're burning your fingers because it's too hot, it means there's still too much steam in the injera because it's still a bit too wet (even if it's not sticking on the bottom). Here you can see some perfectly curled edges:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKaEJ2rKmBcgf4T31feJ9D8VXrmTKMBwwukHtYk9a28Jtq1ZewoaRbvd8xThFckVsVLQrEUp_ThDR5FW65qS3AEQtmU-Uii_uasGowDa-jzpBthJ-Vf0knup4YavUWLJKoU0umSRo-O6d/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKaEJ2rKmBcgf4T31feJ9D8VXrmTKMBwwukHtYk9a28Jtq1ZewoaRbvd8xThFckVsVLQrEUp_ThDR5FW65qS3AEQtmU-Uii_uasGowDa-jzpBthJ-Vf0knup4YavUWLJKoU0umSRo-O6d/s320/027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Somewhere along the way, I also experimented with using a lot less batter than was called for and I started putting it into the pan differently. Originally, I was using the traditional technique of pouring the batter from a cup around the pan in a circle, moving from the outside in. It was just too much batter and it wasn't cooking well, even on the more moderate heat. What I started doing instead was using a ladle and pouring a much smaller amount of batter into the pan. I then lifted up the pan, tilted it, and moved it around so that I was increasing the area that the batter covered. I tilted and swirled the batter until it cooked enough to stop moving. I then replaced the pan and threw on the lid. This led to the best results. My injera was pitifully thin, but I am fairly certain that this was a function of making the batter too watery. I kept hoping that adding more batter would make a thicker injera, but it never quite worked out that way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once I had a good level of heat and the proper amount of batter, I found I was encountering another problem. With the lid on the pan for the entire time, I was getting condensation dropping from the lid onto the top of the injera, which would effectively dissolve the section upon which it landed. Removing the lid would allow it to re-cook, but then I was having to leave injera in too long just to fix a little area of an edge or two. I will admit that I tried flipping the injera a few times, hoping that I could just finish off the too-wet sections. It's what you do with pancakes, right? Well, I learned that injera batter is <i>not </i>pancake batter and flipping it doesn't work at all. I then tried just taking the lid off, but it was clear that the injera needed to be covered to cook properly, so, instead, at the first sign of a condensation drip, I tried cracking the lid and tilting slightly it towards a small, empty section of the pan (I wasn't making pan-sized injera by now so that I could test this technique). This was a good-enough fix, but I'd really like to try using a mesob cover or something that vents a bit better, while still providing enough steam. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I eventually found my groove and was able to churn out an impressive stack of injera, even as the Ethiopians kept coming in and asking for more:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEiM_5IdCjRFLl0SJxeS5-izLexNGBZ5pIb4R_-JOoks-KJwrM5NJIsYi6MrhByu_rtkG-4_wegmvCNLMXpu4qU8PnXZ7zOKTAYGdqIEXJiNz1hN0imjH4nSiau1B7t7VUkelmN0FCedw/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEiM_5IdCjRFLl0SJxeS5-izLexNGBZ5pIb4R_-JOoks-KJwrM5NJIsYi6MrhByu_rtkG-4_wegmvCNLMXpu4qU8PnXZ7zOKTAYGdqIEXJiNz1hN0imjH4nSiau1B7t7VUkelmN0FCedw/s320/028.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">This injera is made with 100% teff flour. The Ethiopians loved it, but my husband and I weren't enthralled. We ate it and it wasn't horrible, but we're used to the gorgeously pillowy injera offered by our local restaurant and it is that towards which I am aiming. Next time, I am planning on cutting the teff flour with buckwheat flour. I'm also going to use less water so that I can try to get a thicker injera and I may try cutting the fermentation by a day (this was very sour injera). However, I made sure to snag some starter from this batch because it just seemed appropriate to build upon the beginning batch! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wFd8XynvfqrzHVY_8Jz0g9Nk3-ThcgdcO8t6GEkCHzd8sBS0u7-vrJ2Ppqj-DRIzdIwoS2B8wk0uWiJarhvROgL46MitGk8xV8cwltt4B1_kCVxLfQeX8-21iwK9WypL3Ii8Vz4UP22_/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wFd8XynvfqrzHVY_8Jz0g9Nk3-ThcgdcO8t6GEkCHzd8sBS0u7-vrJ2Ppqj-DRIzdIwoS2B8wk0uWiJarhvROgL46MitGk8xV8cwltt4B1_kCVxLfQeX8-21iwK9WypL3Ii8Vz4UP22_/s320/030.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">the starter for next time</span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There will <i>definitely </i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">be more injera-making to come, and I look forward to getting it perfect some day! </span></i></div></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-62366122983500680172010-09-18T17:16:00.000-04:002010-09-18T17:16:21.425-04:00Yet'ef Injera, day #2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I thought I'd post a short update, since I'm sure everyone's at the edge of their seats. Today is day #2 of the injera batter. <a href="http://evoecoent.blogspot.com/">Jessica</a> helpfully commented yesterday that, with a sourdough batter, one should use glass or 100% stainless steel, as the batter can corrode any other vessel. I had forgotten all about my husband's stainless steel beer-brewing pot (which I had also used for the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/02/yebunna-tej-coffee-flavored-honey-wine.html">tej</a>), but as soon as I remembered it, I moved the batter over. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The batter was looking great yesterday! It had nearly filled the stew pot I had started with and was frothy and bubbly. Absolutely gorgeous!!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnEC4p9E2QvkWvpZG_Q_H4mfPymSB7t2EbpAdXMSeejbx3e4npSeyUiU9Up6hobo3T38jf06fhrcNjCj8Tsiqsq-AR1N4wvtzEjo-4iW2CF953cLpfOQabD6YGWDcxVdY6yNR1_MZDDyY/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnEC4p9E2QvkWvpZG_Q_H4mfPymSB7t2EbpAdXMSeejbx3e4npSeyUiU9Up6hobo3T38jf06fhrcNjCj8Tsiqsq-AR1N4wvtzEjo-4iW2CF953cLpfOQabD6YGWDcxVdY6yNR1_MZDDyY/s320/001.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">yesterday afternoon, before changing pots</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I stirred it yesterday because I couldn't help myself. I probably shouldn't have, but I was transferring it and disturbing it anyway. If this is going to be a fail, it will be much more interesting if I keep upping the number of variables so that I can't easily narrow down where things went wrong, right? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This morning, the stuff looked <i>nasty</i>. There was a layer of blackish liquid on the top and it looked completely inedible. It looked so nasty, in fact, that if I hadn't been warned that this would happen, I would have thrown the batter away. I should have taken a photo, but I guess I assumed it would continue looking that bad and that I'd have time to document it. Alas, when I went to look again, it was looking a little better. Still not as nice as it was yesterday, but the sickly black-green layer seemed to be less prominent:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIrLHNM4KiOONvTLKVMF9HRzwmgJ2_tjQBUhQvXdoRkFZWPd2A23DYoBiiJhVMbmz4Z5jxizzAydUPzUuMGrGkrZN_0gDqxu1Cb40AcB26JpR7Om1l-AlWUuTCgTO-bsjP5euicmg89wg/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIrLHNM4KiOONvTLKVMF9HRzwmgJ2_tjQBUhQvXdoRkFZWPd2A23DYoBiiJhVMbmz4Z5jxizzAydUPzUuMGrGkrZN_0gDqxu1Cb40AcB26JpR7Om1l-AlWUuTCgTO-bsjP5euicmg89wg/s320/002.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">how it's looking Saturday afternoon, after about 30 hours</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I wish I remembered where I had read about how awful it would look during the fermentation process, but I can't seem to find the source right this second. I suspect it was a little odd for my husband to hear me say this morning "it looks nasty....perfect!" </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I bought the steak for the t'ibs today (I'm not sure what it says about me that I have every other ingredient in the house except for the meat), so we're definitely moving forward with Ethiopian night tomorrow!! I only hope I can pull off the injera! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For tonight, though, it's homemade pizza with dough made by my husband and pepperoni artfully and thoughtfully arranged by the Ethiopians (at least the pepperoni that didn't make it into their mouths). </span></span></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-27397629658491036342010-09-17T09:17:00.000-04:002010-09-17T09:17:53.505-04:00Yet'ef Injera (Injera Made from T'ef)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiW20NrjvIylz419Zv4jOSuUGl4ipCCnvEGHd6-X2tmB2RKjyIsUd4ej-DfbId-XidhJ8F4uXyfwr4ot2Svabs5ZT_9ySThBrBP0gY2rm6XgBFSIiU3mZdCwCll2sAmMIxwPfKx8SuwsN/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiW20NrjvIylz419Zv4jOSuUGl4ipCCnvEGHd6-X2tmB2RKjyIsUd4ej-DfbId-XidhJ8F4uXyfwr4ot2Svabs5ZT_9ySThBrBP0gY2rm6XgBFSIiU3mZdCwCll2sAmMIxwPfKx8SuwsN/s320/013.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am getting serious here now. Earlier this year, my local Ethiopian restaurant cut their hours, which meant that I couldn't run in for some dinner injera at lunch time. Their dinner service doesn't start until about 5:30, and since we start bedtime routine at 6:30, that wasn't going to work either. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We tried the mail order injera and didn't like it (we only tried one place, but there is just something about fresh injera that makes us loathe to try another place). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet the Ethiopians </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">need</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> their injera. Heck, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> need my injera!!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ever since we first started the journey that led to the adoption of the Ethiopians and discovered the sheer euphoria that is berbere, I had been warned about the injera process. I was told it's impossible. I was told it's so hard that even Ethiopians buy it rather than make it. I was told it would be hopeless without some starter batter. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That may all end up being true, but we're not left with many other viable options at this point and I'm planning on making some yesiga t'ibs this weekend. I keep coming back to the realization that a lot of people <i>do</i> make injera and make it on a regular basis. Some even make it to sell to folks like me who have been too afraid to give it a go. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going to give it a good shot, keep an open mind, and go into this with the expectation that I will need to work through some trial and error, but I am also hoping that, eventually, I get to the point where I can place some reasonable facsimile of injera on the table. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This morning, my husband took the Ethiopians to school (they just started 3-day preschool last week, <i>sigh</i>; for their first packed school lunch, they asked for yesiga fitfit). I stayed home to wait for the plumber so that we can stop using our propane shower water pump to empty the tub and figured I may as well get started! I had purchased teff flour last Friday, knowing that I was going to be jumping into this sooner rather than later (my Whole Foods carries it; you can also find it on Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-24-Ounce-Packages/dp/B000EDI0X2">here</a>). Using the recipe in <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, one bag is the exact amount needed! </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7V8rkyinCTDXv0T8gV2m-qZwmr9WcwIVYSoa_G_m_fkXanA0ScSTHkjuwnhV0jnpDu-z6phna0PpvYK4P2Vrf7bv3pQh9s-qiC_f-tB1W4-rwCiHvkc_2PKVRRgE-C462H7kJoZVojLgY/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7V8rkyinCTDXv0T8gV2m-qZwmr9WcwIVYSoa_G_m_fkXanA0ScSTHkjuwnhV0jnpDu-z6phna0PpvYK4P2Vrf7bv3pQh9s-qiC_f-tB1W4-rwCiHvkc_2PKVRRgE-C462H7kJoZVojLgY/s320/007.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recipe is pretty straightforward. Take the teff:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqHwLuYhryMF75h-oPYzDOTicbYS7xbyayD1rA2RA_CG0bzZ6psACanGxi3PtQbBgRPwfNn4R8tHVLBqY48bkmap0B0V8mlYwbv40ozhpfd6at3xBUNQrOy1Bnp4UvQ4hCzb6hu7G2rpJ/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqHwLuYhryMF75h-oPYzDOTicbYS7xbyayD1rA2RA_CG0bzZ6psACanGxi3PtQbBgRPwfNn4R8tHVLBqY48bkmap0B0V8mlYwbv40ozhpfd6at3xBUNQrOy1Bnp4UvQ4hCzb6hu7G2rpJ/s320/008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Add water and stir:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSreiVhNcFRPdmPeEiDMQif-JpmZdVtt32yWtHdixBcSneEGMrCHunyrALOxqKJmZ-GT7WH2cvsfAzChTtbZGY8knNolLMcg1RW2nUYsAKjjQywk3rF4NG6Ivxs11_oHJ4liJNp7Abe9T/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSreiVhNcFRPdmPeEiDMQif-JpmZdVtt32yWtHdixBcSneEGMrCHunyrALOxqKJmZ-GT7WH2cvsfAzChTtbZGY8knNolLMcg1RW2nUYsAKjjQywk3rF4NG6Ivxs11_oHJ4liJNp7Abe9T/s320/009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The recipe mentioned mixing with one's hands to ensure that there were no lumps. I just used a spatula and decided that was good enough. I almost thought about using my immersion blender, but decided the batter looked pretty good without that intervention. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was thrilled to see yeast in the list of ingredients! I feared that this would be a recipe requiring "natural" fermentation: you set the pot out and hope some yeasty organisms decide to make it their new home; this is the fermentation method preferred for <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/02/yebunna-tej-coffee-flavored-honey-wine.html">tej</a>, yet it seems that this particular corner of New England doesn't lend itself all that well to natural fermentation. Not to worry, though, as yeast was the next addition:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-WHa5CFwQDwOS9uNXlgE6cn8YmD2tUMuR1aKSAhAfvpJ0UhkQ55J8xbjiNZct2E97R4VMqt4L9EtVa1LD59kcg5gWrj8I4CV1Wq2murgSs46TZxC0A6nA42vueTz6u-asYWgemnaYXqL/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT-WHa5CFwQDwOS9uNXlgE6cn8YmD2tUMuR1aKSAhAfvpJ0UhkQ55J8xbjiNZct2E97R4VMqt4L9EtVa1LD59kcg5gWrj8I4CV1Wq2murgSs46TZxC0A6nA42vueTz6u-asYWgemnaYXqL/s320/010.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I may have used a bit too much water; the recipe wasn't exactly clear on how much water to use when, and I had thrown the entire amount into the flour, forgetting that I needed a cup of water to dissolve the yeast. Later on in the recipe, there is a call for a further unidentified amount of water, so we shall see. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After dissolving the yeast, I dumped it into the flour-and-water mixture: </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczJemloYGhigTtk-0-BEkP_7HY9mflB78pJfe7SzV_1zqjNqfmyDxqIJxAWAohsVx2lOtqe2FRJNaYJ8V8A7i5HJIB6flX_u-OXtBHpNgCK7pTs1zZ7Zj10xCzs2VZyQgNC3mnCY2B7oI/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczJemloYGhigTtk-0-BEkP_7HY9mflB78pJfe7SzV_1zqjNqfmyDxqIJxAWAohsVx2lOtqe2FRJNaYJ8V8A7i5HJIB6flX_u-OXtBHpNgCK7pTs1zZ7Zj10xCzs2VZyQgNC3mnCY2B7oI/s320/012.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Perhaps I was just delusional, but I thought I saw bubbles start forming almost immediately! So I decided to check just now. In the time it took me to start this post, text with my husband about whether he remembered to give the Ethiopians' pictures to their teacher (their first homework assignment), drop a pewter mug on the computer tower causing said computer to spew out a blue screen of death and restart itself, and finish this post, this is what has happened:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEfDRAh_KypumMXuZ0MVN_MP6lb9rDQcUCSfq6vfvxzVPAq9yL7aHgPKjPyeD3KM3dsma5-73p_rMlNlr_gZ8PUYn3-2n0DtC8yrz-NvlGcSg1a9jm-LU8Qkvu0y5P-I-PiVOb1h3_VFQ/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEfDRAh_KypumMXuZ0MVN_MP6lb9rDQcUCSfq6vfvxzVPAq9yL7aHgPKjPyeD3KM3dsma5-73p_rMlNlr_gZ8PUYn3-2n0DtC8yrz-NvlGcSg1a9jm-LU8Qkvu0y5P-I-PiVOb1h3_VFQ/s320/014.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Even to my inexperienced eye, this looks good to me and I am hopeful. It also smells divine! For now, though, the lid goes on the pot and it sits on the counter until Sunday (the recipe suggests two to three days of fermentation). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Of course, the batter is just half of the equation. It sounds like actually cooking injera can be tough, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for now! Stay tuned....</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-796005508064441802010-09-05T18:20:00.001-04:002010-09-05T18:22:12.375-04:00This is What a House Should Smell Like!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMU251ymVsHmfkixfPkD-2g4m1qhHKI5f9Pfdgp-d17Zru00QxU1zkWPuKnsKuMIxcTqkg6P-jh5-mWfw7nr91fqjOENCwmnPZSNInqMBXNMaGWvUwK5VQy9UYq2FLpaj-nonS29_aQ2FU/s1600/dinner!+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMU251ymVsHmfkixfPkD-2g4m1qhHKI5f9Pfdgp-d17Zru00QxU1zkWPuKnsKuMIxcTqkg6P-jh5-mWfw7nr91fqjOENCwmnPZSNInqMBXNMaGWvUwK5VQy9UYq2FLpaj-nonS29_aQ2FU/s320/dinner!+003.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> ye'atakilt alich'a (top) and yesiga fitfit (bottom)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's been a great summer, but as Labor Day weekend churns its way inexorably towards Tuesday, I find myself with a chance to take some breaths! As my husband and I discussed the options for dinner tonight and looked over what we had in the freezer (a lovely, new, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">huge </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">chest freezer, thanks to my mom) and the refrigerator, I thought to myself "I could make a yesiga fitfit and ye'atakilt alich'a!" All right, what I actually said was "I could make yesiga and some of that cabbage and carrot stuff". (I know my yesiga.) Since things here have been so quiet, I thought I'd blog about it. It's not an official post or anything like that, so I'm not going to document the process, but I just thought I'd poke my head up out of the hole to prove that I'm still here. :)</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It turns out we actually needed to go out and purchase more potatoes and red onions and tomato paste, but everything else we had in the house. Yes, we are a household that has berbere and </span><a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/nitir-qibe-how-to-purify-butterherbed.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">qibe</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, but no potatoes. Alas, we are also a household that didn't have injera (except for the frozen stuff that we didn't like before, which lends itself well to fitfit). Enkutatash (the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enkutatash"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ethiopian New Year</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">) happens to be this Saturday, the 11th, and I've decided that injera will be our Ethiopian new year's resolution. Our local Ethiopian restaurant is now only open for dinner, after 5:30 p.m., which is too late to be of much use for us (I used to be able to pick up injera around lunchtime, but no more), and the mail-order injera currently in our freezer doesn't do it for us (it has an odd texture and breaks instead of being all flexible). So, 2003 (the Ethiopian calendar is 7 years behind ours) will be the Year of Injera. A friend has offered us an injera skillet, even!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I winged the fitfit. There is no recipe in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> for yesiga fitfit, but the fitfit part is the easiest of all: just add pieces of injera to the yesiga we't (or whatever we't you like; my personal favorite is doro fitfit). The berbere came courtesy of my friend, Amy, over at </span><a href="http://amyanddougsjourneytoethiopia.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Reimagining Our Lives</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. It's different from what we've been using in the past, but it still comes straight from Addis and it was some seriously good berbere. I'm starting to wonder exactly what is put in that homegrown stuff over there. Every single one of us can't stop moving our hands from our plate to our mouth. The Ethiopians are crying, panting, swigging milk, and taking bites of bread in between bites of the we't, yet I believe I served them fourths. The ye'atakilt? The alich'a? (alich'a is a mild stew; we't is the spicy stuff with berbere) They didn't even ask for seconds. They like it just fine and ate it, but there is just something about dishes with berbere. We are going to have to videotape it one of these times because it's like a comedy routine. You wouldn't think that somebody who appeared to be suffering that much would keep on eating that which is making them suffer, yet I understand it. It gets to me sometimes, too, but it's so good it's hard to stop!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Ethiopians forgave me for the lack of injera and used some of Daddy's homemade wheat buttermilk bread instead. Poor ND was so excited to have Ethiopian that she scooped up the all-but-bubbling we't and threw it in her mouth. :( She did something similar at </span><a href="http://www.meazaethiopiancuisine.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Meaza</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in Northern Virginia once, except that time she only burned her fingers a bit. We have made a mental note to remember to either tell her to let it cool or just hold off on serving her until things are manageable for her! After an ice pack to her tongue for a minute, she got right back up on that horse and dug in. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Ethiopians start preschool on Friday and have requested the yesiga fitfit for their first lunch. "Can we bring it in our lunchboxes?" they asked. I can just picture the scene now. Eleven soynut and jelly sandwiches (the school is a tree-nut-free zone) and 2 dishes of yesiga fitfit with buttermilk bread. I'm not sure I can explain it to their teachers...I'm fairly sure they'll think we're trying to torture them. We'll have to see if there is a microwave there when we go to orientation on Wednesday. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The start of preschool brings me about 12 extra hours of time a week and I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of this blog again. After all, it was a new year's resolution and Saturday marks the Ethiopian new year. It's a perfect transition!! Despite the fact, however, that it has been pointed out to me that I have approximately 13 hours of things-to-do planned for every 4-hour school day. </span></span><br />
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</span></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-72133294768058288792010-06-11T09:28:00.000-04:002010-06-11T09:28:45.141-04:00Ack!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq53vdVhnArBpX_fdM3uCsfXsiv2J0VjCrpXtDXqlIsWRJ8Mms6qpZNVA8RpsoqbwH7rP8ix9OfFXPcix1leeyt9_Riz0iLa_G1iBTXl9bK46LZihxO6P9-1BH-MSBTlvhCbDkTLC4muvX/s1600/PORBeach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq53vdVhnArBpX_fdM3uCsfXsiv2J0VjCrpXtDXqlIsWRJ8Mms6qpZNVA8RpsoqbwH7rP8ix9OfFXPcix1leeyt9_Riz0iLa_G1iBTXl9bK46LZihxO6P9-1BH-MSBTlvhCbDkTLC4muvX/s320/PORBeach.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>"our" beach at the Cape (it's a public beach, but we like to pretend it's ours )</i></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So things ended up getting a little crazy around here and I have dropped the proverbial ball. Alas, I am no <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Powell">Julie Powell</a>. She didn't have to contend with things like business trips and The Ethiopians' third birthday, their well-child doctor's visit, their first visit to the dentist, and boning up on defensive and offensive maneuvers in the quest to get spots in swimming lessons and drop-off day camp. It's cutthroat here. I've heard stories of mothers starting to arrive in the parking lot at like 2:30 a.m., glaring at each other through windshields, daring the others to make the first move. Not me. I like my sleep too much. Yet, I still got all the days in day camp that I wanted! All while one of The Ethiopians hung from my leg, loudly crying "but I don't WANT to go to day camp, it's yucky" (the person at the desk registering us seemed largely unfazed, fortunately). However, swim lessons is another story entirely and that sign-up isn't until tomorrow. We don't always get into swim lessons because I just can't take seriously the mental and physical training necessary to ensure successful registration. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Anyway, I figured I was going to have to take an informal sabbatical after Memorial Day, as our summers are insane, from Memorial Day to Labor Day: here for a week, there for a week, somewhere else for another week, on my dad's boat for a few days, <a href="http://www.falconridgefolk.com/">catching a few tunes</a> for a few more days, preschool orientation, spending time with family <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster,_Ma">here</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington,_va">here</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystic,_CT">here</a> (eventually ending up either <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_Island">here</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watch_Hill,_Rhode_Island">here</a>) and maybe <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethany_Beach,_DE">here</a>. All while slogging through the summer reading list for preschool; juggling day camp, swimming lessons, toddler baseball (we're looking forward to the sheer entertainment value this promises to present), and other myriad activities; and just enjoying the summer with the girls before they start preschool in the fall. Unfortunately, the insanity started a bit early this year. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That's not to say that I'm not going to be doing nothing entirely in terms of Ethiopian cookery (I have some things on the burner that require some nice hot, sunny days for drying things and I'm seriously considering buying <a href="http://www.mulumart.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=87&osCsid=3cc0427bfe3c564ee7ab79b1087426d4">this</a> with my birthday money), but I'm going to officially release myself from expectations. If I manage to make something over the summer, I'll report it on here!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Have a great summer and I promise to be back at it in the fall! </span></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-17377242610383588202010-04-20T19:10:00.000-04:002010-04-20T19:10:50.342-04:00Samma We't (Spinach-Like Plant Sauce "Nettle")<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"<b><i>Samma</i></b> is made on very rare occasions and only during Lent. It is made from a hairy, leafy shrub which grows wild and stings the skin when touched. Use of rubber or plastic gloves will prevent skin irritation. It looks like spinach after it has been cooked." ~ D. J. Mesfin, <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, p. 179</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">According to the random number generator, I was supposed to have made this dish back in February, but <a href="http://random.org/">random.org </a> failed to take into account the fact that stinging nettles are a very seasonal crop and aren't ready until late March/early April (and then their growing season is really only about a month long). </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Despite knowing exactly where I could find a lush, healthy <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=47b65b36-68b9-41d4-bb84-78df69e58cd8&log=y&decrypt=">wild crop</a> I decided to take the <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/fresh-stinging-nettles-C4244">easy way out</a>. Back in February, I signed up to receive an e-mail when the nettles came back into season, and I received that e-mail a couple of weeks ago or so. Last Monday, these were waiting for me on my doorstep! </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My original intent was to hold off until the weekend to make this dish, but by Thursday, I noted that the nettles were starting to wilt, so I steamed them up so that they would then keep a few more days until I could finish the dish. The book says to rub the leaves through a sieve, chop them, and put them into boiling water. I kind of did things a bit backwards and just steamed them to start. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPVKeS7fNLD1WaNjenvQAt1GszKy_JB-5MhDUveVpc1vb5Tm-of0ZT_v9Gt3N9Ki4nW4XPBc8GYFbJq4e1xMD3IwB1BDnL9IMidQXhcvc-erbIF5uPeugr9R37a1FonjOmGQMqsiwT1f-/s1600/Samma+We%27t+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPVKeS7fNLD1WaNjenvQAt1GszKy_JB-5MhDUveVpc1vb5Tm-of0ZT_v9Gt3N9Ki4nW4XPBc8GYFbJq4e1xMD3IwB1BDnL9IMidQXhcvc-erbIF5uPeugr9R37a1FonjOmGQMqsiwT1f-/s320/Samma+We%27t+004.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">two pounds is a <i>lot</i> of nettles</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Because these were very young nettles, I didn't notice any sting (and I do know what nettle stings feel like). I handled them with my bare hands without any problem. They steamed up well, just like spinach, and turned a most gorgeous dark shade of green. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_IyAc1g69D7WjySEFIlVFVLRk4WCWOnqkec09ClOE2I_B6nvubiFBGUhq_poaB-Wk2QAwM9yYF-E9Trjiet0ueYKiGmxiUDPE1sYwwKoiJG8Uh2RH2coSl303xhlIa33WrekWXGVb1Hl/s1600/Samma+We%27t+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_IyAc1g69D7WjySEFIlVFVLRk4WCWOnqkec09ClOE2I_B6nvubiFBGUhq_poaB-Wk2QAwM9yYF-E9Trjiet0ueYKiGmxiUDPE1sYwwKoiJG8Uh2RH2coSl303xhlIa33WrekWXGVb1Hl/s320/Samma+We%27t+006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">steamed and packaged for later</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I was ready to finish the dish, I put the cooked nettles into the food processor and chopped them up. I skipped the sieve part, largely because I wasn't sure what the purpose was. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHDi_TnEwXvwVQmn6b0hFXNAgNTh03cfq-2pH5jRH-B0Njv3NHh_yTx4OwH-PMIG__GmIE1t1PiZFAL7-K2heR3VavO3HDxBBd4txAvfjccYBDzzX7RRjDmYA1GJTwwbnRtC5JcQ2X92Z/s1600/Samma+We%27t+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHDi_TnEwXvwVQmn6b0hFXNAgNTh03cfq-2pH5jRH-B0Njv3NHh_yTx4OwH-PMIG__GmIE1t1PiZFAL7-K2heR3VavO3HDxBBd4txAvfjccYBDzzX7RRjDmYA1GJTwwbnRtC5JcQ2X92Z/s320/Samma+We%27t+008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Back into the big pot the nettles went (though it had decreased a great deal in bulk, there was still a sizable amount vegetable matter to be dealt with) and they were mixed with some barley flour:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyMKfYhyphenhyphen5-ZRwpItKVgoxm_e_L0PSli5ll2-_lEOeP_GNDQ2glMwRn23xVNG9nF3gDZiYoNPp1TnYIuOGAyLPan90coNiUSxwLZfEfFXl-bpQcULLE2OXg9JbxDy6yi-OxToihbBEeP_z/s1600/Samma+We%27t+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyMKfYhyphenhyphen5-ZRwpItKVgoxm_e_L0PSli5ll2-_lEOeP_GNDQ2glMwRn23xVNG9nF3gDZiYoNPp1TnYIuOGAyLPan90coNiUSxwLZfEfFXl-bpQcULLE2OXg9JbxDy6yi-OxToihbBEeP_z/s320/Samma+We%27t+009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then the instructions said to add a little warm water until the mixture became thin, so I started to do just that: </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWCgRyzUeLuxu_j0yMXX42yeZnjCFi9GjkYGMrlg1E7Q0eKN2uoGRyNycOjwxqm4ckO6i3sd7AkELtw57L1uDjcBpLbtsdD7OPOv-qJ8jThbKPJwHJAbE0HWNTCJaaZcfoSc2YbHbXvBE/s1600/Samma+We%27t+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWCgRyzUeLuxu_j0yMXX42yeZnjCFi9GjkYGMrlg1E7Q0eKN2uoGRyNycOjwxqm4ckO6i3sd7AkELtw57L1uDjcBpLbtsdD7OPOv-qJ8jThbKPJwHJAbE0HWNTCJaaZcfoSc2YbHbXvBE/s320/Samma+We%27t+010.JPG" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A minute or two into this process, I wondered to myself if there might have been a specific amount of water mentioned in the ingredient list, as I wasn't sure how "thin" I was supposed to get it. Sure enough, there was. I wasn't sure how much I had added before I realized this, so I just added the whole amount anyway, figuring I could always boil it down if I needed to. Some garlic was also added:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TaSz5Pk6Tqq-egq0u9rj6dVWWyccVU6smaGIF-n9VKuDTiFAS86CGQLuvfJa1RjLKRfO2K55BVfP3B5VO-Hw6p3jf_06PdzfoZUQyubmR-z7bVyHa2rU0mH_MqUIU1ZCvXsrJD6J-e5e/s1600/Samma+We%27t+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TaSz5Pk6Tqq-egq0u9rj6dVWWyccVU6smaGIF-n9VKuDTiFAS86CGQLuvfJa1RjLKRfO2K55BVfP3B5VO-Hw6p3jf_06PdzfoZUQyubmR-z7bVyHa2rU0mH_MqUIU1ZCvXsrJD6J-e5e/s320/Samma+We%27t+011.JPG" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The we't was cooked for about 15 minutes, after which salt was added. At this point, the instructions became a little unclear: "When done, add salt, remove from heat, pour into bowl and cook before serving". Wasn't I just cooking it? Perhaps it's a typo and was meant to be "cool"? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHCTMpQ82bJFnRUeWCWR_NozV2UyFiYcoZiNMeZBaOrtlOa-lwuvWZOCtwMUG68YlnAlxdm7JtmMO1E7TdqLJVoXuGowDfkutD1IomgC3dsbQZ19gchdBrYdBHRz6QiGBDMICtoxMNpbz/s1600/Samma+We%27t+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSHCTMpQ82bJFnRUeWCWR_NozV2UyFiYcoZiNMeZBaOrtlOa-lwuvWZOCtwMUG68YlnAlxdm7JtmMO1E7TdqLJVoXuGowDfkutD1IomgC3dsbQZ19gchdBrYdBHRz6QiGBDMICtoxMNpbz/s320/Samma+We%27t+012.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I chose to eat it hot and liked it. The flavor of the nettles is quite crisp; stronger than spinach, but not unpleasant, in my opinion, but I like wild greens (dandelion greens, burdock greens, miner's lettuce, really any greens, except for mustard and watercress). I've been eating it for lunch this week. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My husband refused to even taste it. The Ethiopians had a few bites the day I made it and take a bite or two when I'm having it for lunch, but they're not passionate about this dish, perhaps because it lacks berbere and wasn't served with injera. It's certainly not a vegetable aversion, as they were eating their weight in Brussels sprouts at lunch today. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you're not interested in working with the nettles, I saw it suggested somewhere on-line that you can try watercress instead, or, frankly, you can probably just make this with spinach. I do think that a stronger-tasting green, like watercress, will work better than mild spinach, however. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For the health benefits of nettles, and more nettle recipes, click <a href="http://www.wildhealthfood.com/the-benefits-of-eating-nettles">here</a>. </span></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-82972643210607116072010-04-12T17:04:00.000-04:002010-04-12T17:04:25.907-04:00Ye'assa T'ibs (Fried Fish)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ye'assa T'ibs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">, Ethiopian style, may also be prepared with whole fish. Cleaned inside and out with water and lemon and fried the same way coated with flour. Serve with a wedge of lemon." ~ D. J. Mesfin, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Exotic Ethiopian Cooking<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">, p. 156</span></span></span></i></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxn-_AdrCqt95d2_jIfD0iJ9S1n6KediY1Qu-tnGINSLdPR-tNmTMRBXftJDnOLyX7bxknhebPRJqP2IfIXQRZwYjQUuTOWQ-_kH-vpuEHrBctDZCOaM7AaS91td08Inl3PIHf-rk1v6L/s1600/Isfakun+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: auto;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxn-_AdrCqt95d2_jIfD0iJ9S1n6KediY1Qu-tnGINSLdPR-tNmTMRBXftJDnOLyX7bxknhebPRJqP2IfIXQRZwYjQUuTOWQ-_kH-vpuEHrBctDZCOaM7AaS91td08Inl3PIHf-rk1v6L/s1600/Isfakun+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxn-_AdrCqt95d2_jIfD0iJ9S1n6KediY1Qu-tnGINSLdPR-tNmTMRBXftJDnOLyX7bxknhebPRJqP2IfIXQRZwYjQUuTOWQ-_kH-vpuEHrBctDZCOaM7AaS91td08Inl3PIHf-rk1v6L/s320/Isfakun+028.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Ye'assa t'ibs on the right; the rest of the plate consists of <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/04/iskunfur-stuffed-tripe-stew.html">iskunfur</a>.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I present to you now an authentic Ethiopian dish that I think almost anyone would eat, except my brother or anyone allergic to fish. No, not the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/04/iskunfur-stuffed-tripe-stew.html">stuff</a> at the top of the plate (<i>definitely</i> not the stuff at the top of the plate; good luck finding anyone to eat that, save for my 2-year-olds). The stuff on the right. Where I grew up, we called that "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_fry">fish fry</a>" and <a href="http://www.tedsfishfry.net/">Ted's</a> was the place to get it. I know, I know, I forgot the wedge of lemon. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Amharic, it's called ye'assa t'ibs. And if there's anything the (my) Ethiopians like better than berbere, it's seafood. I come from New England stock and can think of few things better than a lobster bake on a beautiful summer evening. Chowder, lobster, clams, fish...pass them all, please! This is one of the great passions shared between myself and the Ethiopians; if I can manage to get any after they've finished eating it, that is. Despite their being from a landlocked country*, they have yet to meet a fish, a crustacean, or a mollusk that they don't like. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was going to be making ye'assa t'ibs anyway, but due to a business trip and <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/04/little-break-for-easter.html">Easter</a>, I had gotten a couple of weeks behind, so I decided to make the ye'assa t'ibs in conjunction with something that I knew wasn't going to go over quite as well: the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/04/iskunfur-stuffed-tripe-stew.html">iskunfur</a>. As it turned out, the ye'assa t'ibs were delicious with the sauce from the iskunfur, even if one didn't partake of the stuffed tripe itself. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ye'assa t'ibs is quick and easy to make, and you probably have all of the ingredients at hand: fish, flour, black pepper, salt, and oil! Nothing exotic and no need to stop by the Asian grocery! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you wanted to be most authentic, you could go with tilapia or catfish, species of which are found in the lakes of Ethiopia. I decided to go with cod, however. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You start by mixing the flour with the black pepper and the salt:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMa5bpEWHjelzGuKDD377XSbEVsND5LYZbIZQBJl6vB3TGLY4XiwL2fDFIraR4JllOC-RjEAngHigZskVlXnKGMXPlXf4VINXO1fMh1mYqLFx1fDe5Q4NLIEjD3X1xSZriWQ13aheVpni/s1600/Isfakun+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMa5bpEWHjelzGuKDD377XSbEVsND5LYZbIZQBJl6vB3TGLY4XiwL2fDFIraR4JllOC-RjEAngHigZskVlXnKGMXPlXf4VINXO1fMh1mYqLFx1fDe5Q4NLIEjD3X1xSZriWQ13aheVpni/s320/Isfakun+023.JPG" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Then you dredge the fish in the mixture. I usually like to use a big plastic bag for coating and dredging, but I happen to be all out, so I did it in a bowl.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByPmqXYH01B4ZdL6VbrnDnUsvu6rwSSgGUrx6tyrbvPHl7u0AT6HZviXm8Hpn6cPzeECktqayd0eAfKE_T8y_CEhx7XUf3YaCZ7xkMzmM30wGGgQ8391cQ9kYkyfSDkgHi23VyqGddtRN/s1600/Isfakun+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByPmqXYH01B4ZdL6VbrnDnUsvu6rwSSgGUrx6tyrbvPHl7u0AT6HZviXm8Hpn6cPzeECktqayd0eAfKE_T8y_CEhx7XUf3YaCZ7xkMzmM30wGGgQ8391cQ9kYkyfSDkgHi23VyqGddtRN/s320/Isfakun+024.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbg89deh_ILG79q6pBo0i8rQvmPSpG57rsiUmFHfppK7DVm1R0qY5ZEW8_eY_eyo2vyccS4sUZ5RxtMCOGTfCG_Zo2B_ixXZs2V-Ro9Nzu_hQmOFylH4BkfTBAJm_Fo7TrkfYgjYi8Obs/s1600/Isfakun+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbg89deh_ILG79q6pBo0i8rQvmPSpG57rsiUmFHfppK7DVm1R0qY5ZEW8_eY_eyo2vyccS4sUZ5RxtMCOGTfCG_Zo2B_ixXZs2V-Ro9Nzu_hQmOFylH4BkfTBAJm_Fo7TrkfYgjYi8Obs/s320/Isfakun+025.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">all dredged and waiting for the frying pan</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Heat up the oil and throw the fish in:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGzqjwP2PQSoa9U3tOysAuUf72QJX9VnuVYl1ItVZ9POaBM30aJsqVvO9BK3aesdaxroOyzdqrKt7maIdYKSrOLNH3QcJy91ThM2KVSGuifjk4na7QVHp5pBVtnUMQGdPIWMGBy3vfdpP/s1600/Isfakun+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGzqjwP2PQSoa9U3tOysAuUf72QJX9VnuVYl1ItVZ9POaBM30aJsqVvO9BK3aesdaxroOyzdqrKt7maIdYKSrOLNH3QcJy91ThM2KVSGuifjk4na7QVHp5pBVtnUMQGdPIWMGBy3vfdpP/s320/Isfakun+026.JPG" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And fry until it's nice and golden. That's it! See how easy that was? And it's authentic....or else it wouldn't be in the book! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I do have to admit that I had to resist the very real temptation to add some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartar_sauce">tartar sauce</a>. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~~~</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">* There are, however, beautiful lakes in Ethiopia that are fished and we even visited a fish market at Lake Awassa when we were there. Here are some pictures:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnEIujVfX-tcxuLMUzaybWQh_6TchRWOctLssw2Dcbw6cb41q12FvO8QqQ71CbcI-8EYV5jSWXKftZbCFSsMDboqHb40pQYheYleBDrV0_nSzvGDfVJWYF5Pw_Eut2T_anrCoIYRR5g_a/s1600/226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHnEIujVfX-tcxuLMUzaybWQh_6TchRWOctLssw2Dcbw6cb41q12FvO8QqQ71CbcI-8EYV5jSWXKftZbCFSsMDboqHb40pQYheYleBDrV0_nSzvGDfVJWYF5Pw_Eut2T_anrCoIYRR5g_a/s320/226.JPG" /></a></span></div><br />
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</div></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-32360553923214238032010-04-12T10:57:00.000-04:002010-04-12T10:57:28.439-04:00Iskunfur (Stuffed Tripe Stew)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"<b><i>Iskunfur</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> is a delicious sauce prepared for special occasions. It may be eaten with injera or bread as a main dish or served with rice and vegetables as a side dish." ~ D. J. Mesfin, <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, pp. 132-3</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc0k6Dg_gcgRQpjk029koy8S0s0Kzbv-UIJbgS6oSg8t-P5QWDHJnZPloCjtGmKNG-IK0TGwavLMAnENHKqzRzpTJYHZOCll-s0wCUqBn_hKh1rpXxUwYula7VbYITep9w4vlSO0apHJy/s1600/Isfakun+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc0k6Dg_gcgRQpjk029koy8S0s0Kzbv-UIJbgS6oSg8t-P5QWDHJnZPloCjtGmKNG-IK0TGwavLMAnENHKqzRzpTJYHZOCll-s0wCUqBn_hKh1rpXxUwYula7VbYITep9w4vlSO0apHJy/s320/Isfakun+028.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Iskunfur, top, with its sauce on the left; on the right is ye'assa t'ibs.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I dreaded this day. When I first looked through <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, I noticed there were a few recipes that involved offal. According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offal">Wikipedia</a>, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">People in some cultures shy away from offal as food, while others use it as everyday food, or even in delicacies that command a high price." Let me be perfectly clear that I am in firmly embedded in the first camp: those that "shy away from offal as food". Indeed, I actually shy away from it even when it's merely a concept. I don't even like trimming meat at home, though I do it. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I figured it would be inevitable, though, and, sure enough, suddenly page 132 was staring me in the face. What to do, what to do? I am fairly confident in believing that few, if any, of my followers would blame me if I just skipped a recipe, but I felt like to do so would be entering morally ambiguous territory. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Powell">Julie Powell</a> didn't skip over the less-appetizing recipes in<i> Mastering the Art of French Cooking</i>. Not only that, but she then moved on to write a book about butchering, which is is officially where any resemblance between us falls away. Far, far away. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">So, in the interest of full accountability, I bring you iskunfur, or stuffed tripe stew. While making this recipe, I had to totally dissociate myself from what I was handling, but if you're interested in details, you can head <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripe">here</a>. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The beginning of the recipe is quite familiar:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyiUBNm5tCk1MbNO9PcNN6GxYyi8A1EviQ25VAX9jADLXRzBYF8z2TwkAqIKGY04ohd9fJMdCKwTfOKzsIJqJSPqEvVyN8C940TZTKI6M9KJcFeenzQN_9xN0FS60FJ9DI4rdKpHuh0V_/s1600/Isfakun+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyiUBNm5tCk1MbNO9PcNN6GxYyi8A1EviQ25VAX9jADLXRzBYF8z2TwkAqIKGY04ohd9fJMdCKwTfOKzsIJqJSPqEvVyN8C940TZTKI6M9KJcFeenzQN_9xN0FS60FJ9DI4rdKpHuh0V_/s320/Isfakun+001.JPG" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i> </i>Cook the onions in a dry pan, then add the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/nitir-qibe-how-to-purify-butterherbed.html">nit'ir qibe</a> and berbere.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVNvB9mAiernE9xjuSnnkle_sBpmsFmDXzraU2RUgepo9XYoOwiveWaNwszIzJWrBk2kXQhSMNWKwFatVdOg-SCm4DQLzj83VwljUBGLL1UIFY5Io0aWBh1o7mzBIsbfMfEJIUvNzUSzN/s1600/Isfakun+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVNvB9mAiernE9xjuSnnkle_sBpmsFmDXzraU2RUgepo9XYoOwiveWaNwszIzJWrBk2kXQhSMNWKwFatVdOg-SCm4DQLzj83VwljUBGLL1UIFY5Io0aWBh1o7mzBIsbfMfEJIUvNzUSzN/s320/Isfakun+007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUHHKGcENlBQdaq-ApYdaO2WVm6ur1UMS_O45qsvoAVdugsAdjG5Zk1cz4wMMMsX_OxOzs0ORga9ohGQuvgTmO6_-Xj7ZAIG3IDdkJm-_sokxLNltFNO-mqAA4qmf4dIh_cQWvWBuZj2O/s1600/Isfakun+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUHHKGcENlBQdaq-ApYdaO2WVm6ur1UMS_O45qsvoAVdugsAdjG5Zk1cz4wMMMsX_OxOzs0ORga9ohGQuvgTmO6_-Xj7ZAIG3IDdkJm-_sokxLNltFNO-mqAA4qmf4dIh_cQWvWBuZj2O/s320/Isfakun+017.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I used one tablespoon less of butter than was called for in the recipe simply because the sauce called for one cup and the stuffing called for a tablespoon. I really hated to dig into a whole container (holding one cup) of nit'ir qibe just for one tablespoon, so I decided to just take it from the sauce's allotment. </span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To this was also added (clockwise from top) some false cardamom (black cardamom), ginger, black pepper, and garlic. </span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJpLXA8uOO2ddlDw6HpzZvKu1_wF8XzR_l2ZS-r9yotYwh7F4CmvaDIE44C32V8ohs52CAaUWQJ2LmKUpwOdSORmfa26CRuj1aTRmxJvPjIBj5IldeUE02hrf0qNHEJ3ROuZPIRTMrC7b/s1600/Isfakun+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJpLXA8uOO2ddlDw6HpzZvKu1_wF8XzR_l2ZS-r9yotYwh7F4CmvaDIE44C32V8ohs52CAaUWQJ2LmKUpwOdSORmfa26CRuj1aTRmxJvPjIBj5IldeUE02hrf0qNHEJ3ROuZPIRTMrC7b/s320/Isfakun+010.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_cardamom">False (black) cardamom</a> is an interesting creature and entirely different than the cardamom that you can find in your grocery store (which is green cardamom). Unlike the tiny, fingertip-sized green cardamom pods, false cardamom pods are about an inch long. They carry the strong scent of antiseptic (camphor some would say, but despite being a devotee of <a href="http://campho.com/">Campho-Phenique</a> as a child, I don't quite pick up the camphor notes). </span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4On1VmbO5Hh8X_IBofa6cemqaPQTJgKUIJYH5paCmNNM76655Bjsd4zCbgprA45CrJhwBxmBu48gyMJCkmpYv4Cai5W5NpWIEZ1Y1AyEhrMkMv2B8GAMPLMExbUD78Mcc-PevUYN0R4w/s1600/Isfakun+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4On1VmbO5Hh8X_IBofa6cemqaPQTJgKUIJYH5paCmNNM76655Bjsd4zCbgprA45CrJhwBxmBu48gyMJCkmpYv4Cai5W5NpWIEZ1Y1AyEhrMkMv2B8GAMPLMExbUD78Mcc-PevUYN0R4w/s320/Isfakun+044.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have to run them through my coffee grinder to get them into a powder form:</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdDRVt9boug8_2CpAx2mZN0aLfxTZZtpIOkWDCumpZIsKMbI_MHh7m4CNcfWZvHk6RUDsROrqHbumwCG80B4zsjMY919u-ZYnYDaLTq3IStrcdv6mypN2CfclxAM3Sb-be3CdBWPCufBZ/s1600/Isfakun+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdDRVt9boug8_2CpAx2mZN0aLfxTZZtpIOkWDCumpZIsKMbI_MHh7m4CNcfWZvHk6RUDsROrqHbumwCG80B4zsjMY919u-ZYnYDaLTq3IStrcdv6mypN2CfclxAM3Sb-be3CdBWPCufBZ/s320/Isfakun+009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After setting the sauce mixture aside, I assembled the stuffing for the tripe, which involved using one tablespoon of the nit'ir qibe, a small amount of chopped red onion, some more false cardamom, ginger, and black pepper, and some cooked rice. I cheated on the rice and used already cooked, frozen rice:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinrS23VzbQb1Xvl1ti1vpj6P4qu3n2kSbGRjQuThdBWKEKL14Lf5NCj1lXmgc8OKDFTWVItnhbH4T2QpwYT53RYAUD8uX-wGXEQOw-5ZdCYDdPCBWoxzxnQjUvue9wSxZ6ILeg-JPs30h/s1600/Isfakun+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinrS23VzbQb1Xvl1ti1vpj6P4qu3n2kSbGRjQuThdBWKEKL14Lf5NCj1lXmgc8OKDFTWVItnhbH4T2QpwYT53RYAUD8uX-wGXEQOw-5ZdCYDdPCBWoxzxnQjUvue9wSxZ6ILeg-JPs30h/s320/Isfakun+003.JPG" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This was all combined together, but it seems I neglected to snap a picture of it by itself in the bowl. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next, I finally had to confront the tripe. I'll understand if you need to leave now:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ysca89q4e6fzguypBmwEASvA2pwFNpKryXOHZQfh9stG5Z46CEBzuDHq_Nh7CwcWXQ9pzF1F-rb0X3weGv5vzXLmg5zbE3PHDCHMwSxtbt5B-rkdbTjqYRvKSfPlRrG-PWP_cQ3o4UfI/s1600/Isfakun+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ysca89q4e6fzguypBmwEASvA2pwFNpKryXOHZQfh9stG5Z46CEBzuDHq_Nh7CwcWXQ9pzF1F-rb0X3weGv5vzXLmg5zbE3PHDCHMwSxtbt5B-rkdbTjqYRvKSfPlRrG-PWP_cQ3o4UfI/s320/Isfakun+011.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had no idea Ethiopian cooking would involve geometry problems, but sometimes it does. For instance, I needed to cut 4- to 6-inch squares from something that most assuredly is <i>not</i> square. Or even regular in shape. I took out the ruler and measured 6 inches, but thought that was too big, so I elected to go with the 4-inch squares. I just used my scissors to cut the tripe into the squares. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeNL6fiz-q3dL-UIVtn0AdjFWpn3C_zAp0X837hrvdsK7oz6EGsHQWMrXjDNbKPD5cHuJkYQj0ICDNvPj6MAvykPoIhZGmZLq57S-KCCMUJOwNizcLjp2mpkO6TZgmuuc8slipSPq9vE3/s1600/Isfakun+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeNL6fiz-q3dL-UIVtn0AdjFWpn3C_zAp0X837hrvdsK7oz6EGsHQWMrXjDNbKPD5cHuJkYQj0ICDNvPj6MAvykPoIhZGmZLq57S-KCCMUJOwNizcLjp2mpkO6TZgmuuc8slipSPq9vE3/s320/Isfakun+012.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Into this, I put a tablespoon of the stuffing (now you can see what the stuffing looks like):</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4WYMFEvRt2tDv76nD_O17qoDHNeCxTn775hnKDh-8FLMhbgxCyv03nsR6_MuaaatkePFLQJuyvoLNSBMHCf6RNlRPOgPfpeOWg2NOjf7PwgvGqritFZJ1X6rxbJpqDvoc1tpU3omXFml/s1600/Isfakun+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4WYMFEvRt2tDv76nD_O17qoDHNeCxTn775hnKDh-8FLMhbgxCyv03nsR6_MuaaatkePFLQJuyvoLNSBMHCf6RNlRPOgPfpeOWg2NOjf7PwgvGqritFZJ1X6rxbJpqDvoc1tpU3omXFml/s320/Isfakun+014.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was then instructed to "sew them up with needle and thread". I was a bit uncertain as to what kind of thread to employ and what kind of <a href="http://www.sewdresses.com/sew-dresses/sewing-how-to-sewing-easy-sewing-stitches">stitch</a> (running? blanket? back?) and worried about how easy it would be to undo the thread so that it wouldn't be eaten (I <i>did</i> plan on trying some). I also didn't really want to be in such close, sustained contact with this stuff, so I opted for toothpicks, which did the job, even if they left a bit to be desired aesthetically.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9qBCk4c3RLm5MIGOimD1Cls3-5qT8FzrE9uWKBbqwusuwmDcjiJITNkedbv5q8Ui9w7bOWg6_NZ0bLseb-f1ykVklwtyMaPsihXIfGZarS6Q0B7OeCof7vWDcDsRp2GzfO85Dp-oveAG/s1600/Isfakun+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9qBCk4c3RLm5MIGOimD1Cls3-5qT8FzrE9uWKBbqwusuwmDcjiJITNkedbv5q8Ui9w7bOWg6_NZ0bLseb-f1ykVklwtyMaPsihXIfGZarS6Q0B7OeCof7vWDcDsRp2GzfO85Dp-oveAG/s320/Isfakun+013.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">this was the first one I did</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AWlhNjfWGyE8s98WrqmP9yruKymPcnpNxDy51Cxg4OSWCHlHXpSt6GSUHCtioCk0BWnMY-P4VrDnSgvx8N47S0tkHDSG9dmtsssZbk4whUhQGGq7bLt5MN0TgPRrMrpBEaEBf88zzBjD/s1600/Isfakun+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AWlhNjfWGyE8s98WrqmP9yruKymPcnpNxDy51Cxg4OSWCHlHXpSt6GSUHCtioCk0BWnMY-P4VrDnSgvx8N47S0tkHDSG9dmtsssZbk4whUhQGGq7bLt5MN0TgPRrMrpBEaEBf88zzBjD/s320/Isfakun+016.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I eventually changed my technique and more or less </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">just folded over the square, securing it on three sides with the toothpicks</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">These little packets were then added to the berbere sauce to simmer while I went to the Abyssinian and picked up the injera:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I knew my husband wasn't going to even try the tripe, so I made another dish -- ye'assa t'ibs -- to go with this one (due to Easter, I was a bit behind with the recipes, anyway, so it was also an opportunity to catch up a bit; the post for the ye'assa t'ibs should be up later today) and plated them together on the same injera. I knew the berbere sauce would be eaten, so I ladled some of that out separately. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcOQ5K38i4Rmv_WVXl7CaG9OOW6HxaoWXP3oybgolkOVbIjCQrIopuraTkNTdJyX26DQMhesMfrUWlIGXrFxMy_UVNZ-0rSBOOoh6qlmgwpG93Y5dS4Yx7iMG-gko6YrsOn5PWjHB2oMu/s1600/Isfakun+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcOQ5K38i4Rmv_WVXl7CaG9OOW6HxaoWXP3oybgolkOVbIjCQrIopuraTkNTdJyX26DQMhesMfrUWlIGXrFxMy_UVNZ-0rSBOOoh6qlmgwpG93Y5dS4Yx7iMG-gko6YrsOn5PWjHB2oMu/s320/Isfakun+029.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">a cross section of the stuffed tripe</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Ethiopians loved this and even ate the tripe. They will turn their nose up at boxed macaroni and cheese and SpaghettiOs, but will eat stuffed tripe. Sad to say, they won't be getting a lot of it. I gave it a try, but couldn't get past the texture. I rank all of my culinary adventures next to one I had in Thailand, which involved eating something called "jumping shrimp salad". And the reason the shrimp were jumping was because they were still alive. I'll take jumping shrimp over tripe any day. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The sauce, however, was very good. I think I prefer a more traditional we't sauce; this one had a bit more false cardamom in it than the others and the flavor definitely reflected that, but it was good in its own right and it did make a great dipping sauce for the the ye'assa t'ibs! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In other news, the <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/fresh-stinging-nettles-C4244">stinging nettle leaves</a> have come into season and I have ordered some for the samma we't that I had to skip over earlier in the year (precisely because the nettle leaves are only in season for about a month, and February was not the month). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And if you're wondering where the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/search/label/yebunna%20t%27ej">yebunna t'ej</a> went, it's done and I meant to decant it at Easter, but forgot all about it. My husband and I will have to have our own private t'ej tasting and I'll get a post up (and if anyone wants me to send them some, just e-mail me with your address and you can join in the tasting, too). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tonight, as I worked on preparing all that I could ahead of time for Easter dinner, I was reminded of what my husband said to me after my <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/nitir-qibe-how-to-purify-butterherbed.html">nit'ir qibe</a> post: "Why don't you ever show the aftermath?" He can ask this because he's in charge of aftermath 99% of the time; we long ago brokered a deal where I cook and he cleans up. The greatest part is we both think we got the best end of the stick, except, perhaps, for nights involving nit'ir qibe or starting a holiday dinner for a dozen adults and three children. Then I think he begins to have his doubts. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, without further ado, I offer the aftermath of tonight. It's not an Ethiopian-inspired mess, but it's prodigious. I dedicate this post to my husband. </span></span><br />
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</span></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-7928970721746123582010-03-24T17:20:00.000-04:002010-03-24T17:20:37.084-04:00"Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia - Recipes from Afar and Near"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Somewhere out in the blogosphere, I became aware of a book entitled "Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia - Recipes from Afar and Near" and I managed to find myself a copy, which just arrived yesterday. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If anyone is interested in some Ethiopian cookbook training wheels, this slim little volume (it has only 48 pages and 16 recipes) would fit the bill perfectly. It was printed up for the <a href="http://www.pacsci.org/">Pacific Science Center</a> (Seattle, WA) on the occasion of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_(Australopithecus)">Lucy's</a> first-ever tour outside of Ethiopia. Lucy, or Dinkenesh, as she is called in Ethiopia, is a 3.18-million-year-old hominid skeleton that, for 30 years or so, was the oldest hominid skeleton ever to have been found. We saw Lucy when we were in Ethiopia ourselves, and from October 4, 2008 to March 8, 2009, she made her home at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The recipes included in this book are:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Berbere (red pepper spice mix)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Nit'ir Qibe (spiced butter)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Injera (traditional bread)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Ayebb (Ethiopian cheese)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Greens</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Ginfilfil (injera in spicy sauce)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Foul (fava beans with spicy sauce)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Doro Wot (chicken stewed in berbere sauce)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Kitfo (minced raw meat with spices)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Lamb Tibs (lamb in spicy sauce)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Shero Wot (spicy chickpea sauce)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Misser Wot (red lentil stew)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Curried Cabbage and Potatoes</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Kategna (fried spicy injera)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Che'che'bsa (pan bread with spiced butter)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">* Vegetable Sambusas</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's quite a nice, representative mix, I think; you'd be able to recreate an injera platter like you'd get in a restaurant, complete with the little side dishes of Ethiopian cottage cheese and cabbage and potatoes. And the authenticity factor looks good, albeit they do scale down the berbere measurements in several -- but not all -- of the dishes (the doro recipe only calls for 3 tablespoons as compared to one cup in <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, but the ginfilil recipe calls for 3/4 of a cup, exactly the same amount as called for in <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>). </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The recipe yields for the "staples", like berbere and nit'ir qibe, are also much more manageable for the occasional Ethiopian cook. Instead of making 23 cups of nit'ir qibe, like the recipe in <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i> does, theirs makes two (and as for the berbere recipe, well, let's just say that the one in <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i> starts out with 15 POUNDS of red chili peppers, while theirs starts with 1/2 cup of dried, ground chili peppers). </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i> leaves you feeling a bit overwhelmed, but you're still interested in trying your hand at Ethiopian cooking, I think this book would be ideal place to start. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In addition to the recipes, there are also little educational tidbits sprinkled throughout the pages. At the first mention of fenugreek, the opposite page gives a little history and information on this herb; teff receives similar treatment. There's some folklore, some cultural information (meals, religion, proverbs), some facts, and even some Amharic words and phrases! In addition to all of this, it's an aesthetically pleasing book to look at, filled with mostly line drawings, with an occasional charcoal or pastel piece here and there. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Where to find it? That would be the question. Let me introduce you to my favorite book-sourcing website, <a href="http://www.addall.com/">AddALL</a>. This link <a href="http://www.addall.com/New/submitNew.cgi?query=9781933245140&type=ISBN&location=10000&state=CT&dispCurr=USD">here</a> should pull up sources for <i>Recipes from Afar and Near</i>, but if you just want to do a search for it on your own, the ISBN is 9781933245140. </span></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-87613561456707704222010-03-21T21:36:00.000-04:002010-03-21T21:36:49.714-04:00T'ibs We't (Fried Beef Stew)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"<b><i>T'ibs We't</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> is prepared on occasions as a main dish. It is very delicious with injera or bread and a little homemade yoghurt or cottage cheese." ~ D. J. Mesfin, <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, p. 107</span></b></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5teA1sn8k8JvCv05KgLwRBeqM_banKR1G0dT5AkCK83YgNG54obkEhiFLmC2LXT7oKGOstJn21QPqT3t22yYeGL8LdH3QVRgcadc79xxTcWJCX7YKPb1m8dEuH6uo2POqypxrNZxb91UB/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5teA1sn8k8JvCv05KgLwRBeqM_banKR1G0dT5AkCK83YgNG54obkEhiFLmC2LXT7oKGOstJn21QPqT3t22yYeGL8LdH3QVRgcadc79xxTcWJCX7YKPb1m8dEuH6uo2POqypxrNZxb91UB/s400/t'ibs+we%27t+016.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dinner was about two-and-a-half hours ago and my husband and I are still talking about how good the t'ibs we't was. My husband proclaimed it the best thing I've made yet and even added that it was better than the t'ibs we get at our local restaurant, the Abyssinian. This was also, by far, the spiciest thing I've made, and it was teetering dangerously on the precipice between "spicy" and "intolerably hot". I added the cottage cheese because I was worried that it was going to be way too spicy hot for the Ethiopians, but they plunged right in and kept going back. They'd take a bite, gasp, say it was spicy, and you'd think they were about to cry in sheer misery, yet as they were complaining about it being spicy, their hands were already in there for another bite. When it temporarily overpowered them, they asked to sit in our laps while they had some milk and plain injera, but within minutes, they'd be back into the we't. <i>I</i> ended up eating most of the cottage cheese, yet was doing the same thing they were...as spicy as it was, my hand kept going back in for more and I felt my brain being washed in the endorphins that were triggered by the spiciness. My husband, meanwhile, was calling for a seconds to be ladled onto the injera while wiping sweat from his forehead. Man, this was <i>good<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">; I am totally blissed out. </span></i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It is also a pretty simple dish to make. It's not the first time I've made it (it was one of the first dishes I made, as I mentioned in my blog post from <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/nitir-qibe-how-to-purify-butterherbed.html">yesterday</a>). This was, however, the best batch I've ever made. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You start with the red onions:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCmfrygpe80aSUoonk4Iqk-DD80kLUztlDfYO3uXM2-vMVx9XjF8N1pwEPKivmedC1X8lyfUcWAcoySFyQZ_2cJ6eZ7dZEYjHd960U5iB9pfGS64JRZiyBA_K1GLA3aqDyGDKVGmnvqJM/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCmfrygpe80aSUoonk4Iqk-DD80kLUztlDfYO3uXM2-vMVx9XjF8N1pwEPKivmedC1X8lyfUcWAcoySFyQZ_2cJ6eZ7dZEYjHd960U5iB9pfGS64JRZiyBA_K1GLA3aqDyGDKVGmnvqJM/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">before</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After chopping, throw them into a dry frying pan and cook them until they turn a brownish-red color. While I was cooking these, I was also chopping up the beef and wasn't keeping as close an eye on these as I should have and they started sticking a little to the pan. If this happens, just throw a little water in there and stir until the water evaporates. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zy9lOyz3Ky4VeZS0IhG42PtI1KzTz4tl9S2WFwO7kDueMnssE3TuEtHUsEhz4Ld9Wii_2WwcrL5J4sdkHzPx3UwxJzYKxbvxL5g8ZmOyYWQbJ3v5gK7HQjiGWyFYTx7R9u2z0a6QkOeM/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zy9lOyz3Ky4VeZS0IhG42PtI1KzTz4tl9S2WFwO7kDueMnssE3TuEtHUsEhz4Ld9Wii_2WwcrL5J4sdkHzPx3UwxJzYKxbvxL5g8ZmOyYWQbJ3v5gK7HQjiGWyFYTx7R9u2z0a6QkOeM/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+003.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">after</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then you add the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/03/nitir-qibe-how-to-purify-butterherbed.html">nit'ir qibe</a> (I had made a fresh batch just last night). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhVLFqHKremK9WGIQmxpqcaopUwsweMP6PRa8WhyphenhyphenpQK_Q81OUrGWCImXxzaWIrzHAZS90MAIkU-v2__oJIbSMAr2fNr09pL6NgC49fefasG3I3ObCznWE8ynneIbhDNN1uKYqhoXtmRJq/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhVLFqHKremK9WGIQmxpqcaopUwsweMP6PRa8WhyphenhyphenpQK_Q81OUrGWCImXxzaWIrzHAZS90MAIkU-v2__oJIbSMAr2fNr09pL6NgC49fefasG3I3ObCznWE8ynneIbhDNN1uKYqhoXtmRJq/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+005.JPG" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I mentioned in the blog post about nit'ir qibe that the last several cups from the bottom of the pan were a bit sludgy. The puck of butter on the left is pure nit'ir qibe without the sludge, and the puck on the right is one of the sludgy ones (the most sludgy one, in fact). You can see the sludge on the top of the puck, but I can assure you it didn't affect the end result one bit, aside from cutting the butter content a tad. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsboTbRLGwh4H98zAJAduTQoZ8VEnrqNE4su-zuY9tOUspLz0n39NmTODzdGGqqGJDoZVWXTOZY-X8GlTFl3wVCwDiwJZO-K4xUvPRCmaxwa8IT-Te92NzMKQgidRlYqB4NBTrZkt1S9s/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsboTbRLGwh4H98zAJAduTQoZ8VEnrqNE4su-zuY9tOUspLz0n39NmTODzdGGqqGJDoZVWXTOZY-X8GlTFl3wVCwDiwJZO-K4xUvPRCmaxwa8IT-Te92NzMKQgidRlYqB4NBTrZkt1S9s/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">all melted</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One of the things I find amusing when I find some recipes for Ethiopian food on the web (usually posted by a westerner, not an Ethiopian) is the amount of berbere called for. The upper limit usually seems to be one tablespoon; occasionally, there is an asterisk mentioning that if you like things <i>really</i> spicy, throw in an extra tablespoon of berbere. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mr. Mesfin does not mess around. Here is his idea of a berbere measurement:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGlslfe7JVqLT7KyL_gEwc6Z3UtbCXXL5ndsO2lrWbdl2uENUjmfOtZbwy-NhDqT1mBqRufkctxM35seGknS6fKzCI9WkJM-D4baf4RPmDwXGDACD7nUMFja84Wy4sq89NF_RTzKeULgv/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGlslfe7JVqLT7KyL_gEwc6Z3UtbCXXL5ndsO2lrWbdl2uENUjmfOtZbwy-NhDqT1mBqRufkctxM35seGknS6fKzCI9WkJM-D4baf4RPmDwXGDACD7nUMFja84Wy4sq89NF_RTzKeULgv/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+007.JPG" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That would be a cup. <i>A cup. </i>Most of the we'ts in this book call for a cup of berbere for a dish that serves from six to eight people. I love my berbere:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXa6L0RlHX09BOyiG0AhP3KmcmtJgqDOuiBEX3cK89J8xn7fYQAczlSZfMtqlormlDT7KkwYUVBgoYojK2R3prsw212Wu5FgfIp-Th-_9SxkntmuGuUwdmaYMt9PA7VFNmegXgKcBi7vn/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXa6L0RlHX09BOyiG0AhP3KmcmtJgqDOuiBEX3cK89J8xn7fYQAczlSZfMtqlormlDT7KkwYUVBgoYojK2R3prsw212Wu5FgfIp-Th-_9SxkntmuGuUwdmaYMt9PA7VFNmegXgKcBi7vn/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+015.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's the same exact stuff we brought home from Ethiopia, but not the exact bag, as the bags are only 1 kg. and three or four we'ts will wipe that out. Thanks to the generosity of many, I keep finding myself with more bags of berbere from Selam Baltena. If you're reading this and will be traveling to Ethiopia in the near future, I am always looking for more berbere. If you'd be willing to bring a bag back, please <a href="mailto:FaranjeHabesha@aol.com">e-mail</a> me! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjUGHQc9jp0AQ83Klv_9QG6rv-On7jCQXecxk6laXCm-bSy-8rFW1-f8MmFAYks8lZoHyDA8qB_GiGXMc0vZl0yEPezy9l8gjgZOahde_DtzVYox51jwskAw9l80Vqif9B4hqFq6pGqAV/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjUGHQc9jp0AQ83Klv_9QG6rv-On7jCQXecxk6laXCm-bSy-8rFW1-f8MmFAYks8lZoHyDA8qB_GiGXMc0vZl0yEPezy9l8gjgZOahde_DtzVYox51jwskAw9l80Vqif9B4hqFq6pGqAV/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+008.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">with the berbere added</span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After the berbere, you throw in some red wine (or t'ej, if you have it). </span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQxpIQ0n6G8AcaaAlNSV1DyE5fvs9OBImtpI8SJcDYcpNGcU1e9dhlv9NHz2Ocd9-WdTuIgdblHdTBr2iFlVASKCWJXV2CHPsj3RtFLMbf_XaoXIO41Zm3sloixJCHA7-BFxb5N8XoGeb/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQxpIQ0n6G8AcaaAlNSV1DyE5fvs9OBImtpI8SJcDYcpNGcU1e9dhlv9NHz2Ocd9-WdTuIgdblHdTBr2iFlVASKCWJXV2CHPsj3RtFLMbf_XaoXIO41Zm3sloixJCHA7-BFxb5N8XoGeb/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Meanwhile, I had taken a bunch of stew meat (it was a "family pack" of mixed beef chunks) and cut it into small cubes, both so it would be more tender and easier to eat. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOdenCR_xGlwpY2I5S4bp85G2tJa_Zx5ECDzXT8sWe1qQjCUR3LncZ5uijVqwru79BxPfPdh9w2Vie2YT388WNnUllZu0J4GZZ5iqZOjweWNkeQYRQN9-rJTsiAQax0jTWgkowe6omuq2/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOdenCR_xGlwpY2I5S4bp85G2tJa_Zx5ECDzXT8sWe1qQjCUR3LncZ5uijVqwru79BxPfPdh9w2Vie2YT388WNnUllZu0J4GZZ5iqZOjweWNkeQYRQN9-rJTsiAQax0jTWgkowe6omuq2/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+004.JPG" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I browned the meat in a dry pan. A lot of liquid and fat was expelled from the meat as it was cooked; I never know whether I should drain it or use it in the stew. Tonight, I just kept cooking the meat until all the extra liquid had evaporated. Then came time to add the meat to the onion-berbere mixture.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6-wYylVnDhAgyybPL8KupiZxrXo0Ga8tnojRkceq99SM-bWJJLPbguINAxOa05IFcsZTf58zBXJClRfvN7MzRF2Qwuqcl6jqFCG9z0tVy5dro61FSEHv0w4Nmlh8jfj3HT_520TTZEUn/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6-wYylVnDhAgyybPL8KupiZxrXo0Ga8tnojRkceq99SM-bWJJLPbguINAxOa05IFcsZTf58zBXJClRfvN7MzRF2Qwuqcl6jqFCG9z0tVy5dro61FSEHv0w4Nmlh8jfj3HT_520TTZEUn/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+010.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I added some water to the stew and then the spices:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepb8B63a24cTxtTaY7xsb2ozWDt5_9VnaT24AoUhB0xqZT2iYfOfOEuDravWD9CzwIxxVyPzqBmG4SEv_FXp7MHxfinKEsCT9Ru7YeCMYI4hQqovHen3RwUkN623axBgTav8RGaFEZnZA/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepb8B63a24cTxtTaY7xsb2ozWDt5_9VnaT24AoUhB0xqZT2iYfOfOEuDravWD9CzwIxxVyPzqBmG4SEv_FXp7MHxfinKEsCT9Ru7YeCMYI4hQqovHen3RwUkN623axBgTav8RGaFEZnZA/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+014.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Moving clockwise from the salt, we have:</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ cardamom (I didn't have any ground cardamom, so I ground some cardamom pods in my coffee grinder)</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ ginger (I forgot I used up all my ground ginger for the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/02/yegebs-siljo-barley-paste.html">yegebs siljo</a>), so I ground some fresh ginger and used that</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigella_sativa">black cumin</a>, which can be found in Asian markets as <i>kalonji</i>. </span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncCHeROep14Fm4D98nrIncfvcjF3ZSwNpfJLWzEyBxe668lWD-6pqQsnZaSa74s6z57y2HzXPM7n0QHSM8lrugvzOg2l-L-PidghFE0Rbf6ZfTDqKkiW_cSpwZwqjMcEnImeQ4tXDCtbD/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncCHeROep14Fm4D98nrIncfvcjF3ZSwNpfJLWzEyBxe668lWD-6pqQsnZaSa74s6z57y2HzXPM7n0QHSM8lrugvzOg2l-L-PidghFE0Rbf6ZfTDqKkiW_cSpwZwqjMcEnImeQ4tXDCtbD/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+013.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I discovered that the Asian market I go to (Patel Bros.) is actually a chain! So if you're wondering if there's one near you, head on over to <a href="http://www.patelbros.com/">here</a>. Mine is a great little market and I enjoy going there. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ cloves</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ garlic (I chopped my own tonight because I was out of my <a href="http://www.dorot.co.il/Eng/">Dorot cubes</a>)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ black pepper</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I should not have put in the salt because I forgot that the nit'ir qibe I made last night had been made with salted butter, and the t'ibs we't tasted a bit salty to me (though only to me, I guess, as my husband thought it was fine). What I really should have done was used unsalted butter for the nit'ir qibe, but I forgot to specify this when I sent my husband out for butter. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I wanted to add a note about the water here. The we't recipes in this book often call for a couple of cups or more of water, and while I used the specified amount tonight, there are times when I feel like I don't want to water it down, and I either leave out the water entirely or use less. It may take a fair bit of trial and error before you find the consistency and/or intensity you prefer. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After adding the water and the spices, I let it simmer while we waited for my husband to get home with the injera (the recipe recommends simmering for 15 to 20 minutes; at this point, it can also go into a crock pot for as long as you want). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then, it was just a matter of digging in!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5teA1sn8k8JvCv05KgLwRBeqM_banKR1G0dT5AkCK83YgNG54obkEhiFLmC2LXT7oKGOstJn21QPqT3t22yYeGL8LdH3QVRgcadc79xxTcWJCX7YKPb1m8dEuH6uo2POqypxrNZxb91UB/s1600-h/t'ibs+we%27t+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5teA1sn8k8JvCv05KgLwRBeqM_banKR1G0dT5AkCK83YgNG54obkEhiFLmC2LXT7oKGOstJn21QPqT3t22yYeGL8LdH3QVRgcadc79xxTcWJCX7YKPb1m8dEuH6uo2POqypxrNZxb91UB/s320/t'ibs+we%27t+016.JPG" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's even later now, and I'm still all blissed out on berbere. </div></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-30171070942634026012010-03-21T00:42:00.000-04:002010-03-21T00:42:45.385-04:00Nit'ir Qibe ("How to Purify Butter/Herbed Butter")<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"<b><i>Nit'ir Qibe</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> is a basic ingredient in the preparation of authentic, tasteful Ethiopian dishes. It is used to prepare all dishes requiring butter." ~ D. J. Mesfin, <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, p. 5</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbuFylQGX1gOKWreIHGJ_6qAiK6_MgWN7C3uzmhFYqx19Eoxm2ZhNiWD0IKrNMH-gSnEqc0x2-eXcjRdeAy0G0GI5OvFS7sVeIeF0Vc9ld3bnrrtC314bTvYP8wRm3pzoNpLrQ-YXpKJF/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbuFylQGX1gOKWreIHGJ_6qAiK6_MgWN7C3uzmhFYqx19Eoxm2ZhNiWD0IKrNMH-gSnEqc0x2-eXcjRdeAy0G0GI5OvFS7sVeIeF0Vc9ld3bnrrtC314bTvYP8wRm3pzoNpLrQ-YXpKJF/s400/Nit'ir+Qibe+021.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mr. Mesfin is not kidding here. The first time I attempted to make an Ethiopian dish, I had been home from Ethiopia for about two weeks with the then-6-month-old Ethiopians. I pulled out my copy of <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i> and prepared to make doro w'et. My eyes scanned the ingredients. "Chicken, check. Red onions, check. Berbere, check (we had brought some home from Addis and, thanks to the generosity of many, I have not yet been forced to purchase berbere via mail order). 'Butter (spiced)'....uhm, what?" (And that was before I even hit the spices required that I'd have to research and figure out where to find.)</span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I had no idea what was being asked for. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Eventually, I discovered there was a recipe for it at the beginning of the book, but the fortification that that discovery provided was temporary. For starters, the first ingredient was twelve pounds of butter. Twelve. Pounds. We don't even go through a pound a year, really, unless I'm baking or something. Then there was another short list of spices that cannot be found in aisle five of Stop & Shop. Or even in Whole Foods. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was <i>so</i> tempted to skip this step and just use plain butter. Really, could it make <i>that</i> much of a difference, I wondered? Was I really going to clarify twelve pounds of butter? I am a long-time fan of Julia Child and come from a family that is heavy into shellfish worship (if you consider "eating" a form of worship), so I do not fear butter. But this was twelve pounds of it. Surely, it had to be illegal to be in possession of that much animal fat at one time. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If I was going to just be making the doro for myself, I might have taken the easy way out, but this was going to be for a Christmas party with other families with children adopted from Ethiopia and, somehow, I was afraid that everyone there would be bringing some fabulous, homemade, perfectly authentic Ethiopian food and if I just used plain butter, they would all know and judge me. Perhaps they may even call our social worker, whispering urgently, "but she used <i>plain</i> butter in the doro. <i>Plain</i> butter. And she was allowed to adopt?" </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This was also my first time attending a gathering of this type, I might add, as it was easier for us to avoid these things while we were waiting for a referral, so I didn't realize what a great bunch of folks they all are. And it turned out that not everyone brought homemade Ethiopian food. Some brought Ethiopian takeout. Some brought fabulous, authentic Italian food. Some brought Doritos. But, by this time, the first batch of nit'ir qibe had been made and I had made and brought doro <i>and</i> t'ibs we't. I did forget the hard-boiled eggs, but everyone thought I was insane for even trying to bring anything that required cooking after having only been home a couple of weeks with infant twins and they forgave me for forgetting the eggs. They even forgave me when I forgot them for the Christmas party the following year (well, the adults did; there were quite a few older Ethiopian kids there who were not quite so generous, but I can't blame them because, truly, the eggs are the best part). To my knowledge, no one even told our social worker about the missing eggs. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">No one would have cared if I had used plain butter instead of the spiced butter; however, it would have been a vastly inferior dish, trust me. When folks ask how I get my we'ts tasting like they do, I give top billing to the nit'ir qibe because it deserves it. You can omit something from the rest of the dish, but as long as you have some good nit'ir qibe in it, no one will care. You won't even care. I can now tell if a dish has been made with plain butter; it tastes perfectly fine, but there is no "wow" factor. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This week's random selection is actually not nit'ir qibe, it's t'ibs we't. But the t'ibs requires nit'ir qibe and I was all out of it, so I thought I'd take the time to document the nit'ir qibe process. It's not a horribly difficult process, but the skimming of the foam can take a while. It doesn't, however, require a lot of babysitting, so you can putter around doing other things and just stop by the stove occasionally to skim the foam. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As an alternative, there are places to find nit'ir qibe on-line (Brundo on my sidebar has it, listed under "Staples to Ethiopian Living"), and if you have an Ethiopian restaurant nearby, they'd probably be happy let you purchase some from them. I've just always made my own. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The twelve pounds of butter will yield about 21 cups of nit'ir qibe. Most of these recipes call for about one to two cups of the nit'ir qibe, so this is a healthy supply; I only need to make nit'ir qibe two or three times a year, at most. Because it's clarified, it will last for a very long time in your refrigerator, or, if you're very concerned about its shelf-life, you can throw it in your freezer. I measure it all out into one-cup Glad containers and stack them up in my downstairs refrigerator until I need some. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To start, procure this:</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp6m11LVorlilEFGiCq05lfCRJdD8AAb-BJRnMnkKKglj33b2-7WcZTZvyhpy7IsVBbHzTtUEclWA81ebrVr0yyDv2Ws6p053353N1idhYzQBqyxo-DOY7amOuKXsNwftYQ4KUms8dL4l/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp6m11LVorlilEFGiCq05lfCRJdD8AAb-BJRnMnkKKglj33b2-7WcZTZvyhpy7IsVBbHzTtUEclWA81ebrVr0yyDv2Ws6p053353N1idhYzQBqyxo-DOY7amOuKXsNwftYQ4KUms8dL4l/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I highly, highly suggest that you purchase the "cheap" butter that comes in one-pound blocks. Otherwise, you're looking at peeling the wrappers off of 48 sticks of butter. I've done it. It loses its allure quickly. At least with the one-pound blocks, there are only twelve wrappers to contend with, and they're bigger and much easier to get off. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Throw those puppies into a very large pot:</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZXY95XRoF1lrL3VoK4PFfypC04_hxxbgkSuqv1yL0Lj0f7Pe0Uksn6k0SOzMq_IRKzWp2PamNDLJUuTzyKkp4lV6Z0NgX6tjfrr-NU_1uWGJCtBJ4zIrU5tP1j1BnZIDlEE8_tLl7ibZ/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqZXY95XRoF1lrL3VoK4PFfypC04_hxxbgkSuqv1yL0Lj0f7Pe0Uksn6k0SOzMq_IRKzWp2PamNDLJUuTzyKkp4lV6Z0NgX6tjfrr-NU_1uWGJCtBJ4zIrU5tP1j1BnZIDlEE8_tLl7ibZ/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+005.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QfqtF6LeRp_RbmUz0qw86bmvBGDQ2ncrT2I_eECTAGDZTQOlWz0AajP9NJ7sqJu_iKgLjJ7Cpw_HSIfPgi9DJzwUtvJ86xdrKL5OO9r4lMlJKE37Kv101G_wgLLDjXxT86exOq3C9W7C/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QfqtF6LeRp_RbmUz0qw86bmvBGDQ2ncrT2I_eECTAGDZTQOlWz0AajP9NJ7sqJu_iKgLjJ7Cpw_HSIfPgi9DJzwUtvJ86xdrKL5OO9r4lMlJKE37Kv101G_wgLLDjXxT86exOq3C9W7C/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And start melting them. While the butter is melting down, there's plenty of time to pull together the rest of the ingredients:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6dSeZLuy538SNIZgUiUuTJafgcoqx0Jkzj3BsOJC6uTKQyo_qbbcASgV1WAQaXzKCwO10fguz1x3irvIfl7NvXXafGAf7HUYNvmi6e3C52t81VrtZBdHgqTdVUM8_ebVJCb_Xim6helS/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6dSeZLuy538SNIZgUiUuTJafgcoqx0Jkzj3BsOJC6uTKQyo_qbbcASgV1WAQaXzKCwO10fguz1x3irvIfl7NvXXafGAf7HUYNvmi6e3C52t81VrtZBdHgqTdVUM8_ebVJCb_Xim6helS/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">chopped ginger</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYL56vYO4otTo_fI2X1vcpvxsgd4_neicqHCWLBts2PB7pjaWXyKDJdCiif3HgwwT53sI7LLjoGPl4PCbBnjkInylW4FqoWi-NDloHVRHhL2ZixmBOyjCHlJv9A5iks1xWEqzOQPP6noW/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYL56vYO4otTo_fI2X1vcpvxsgd4_neicqHCWLBts2PB7pjaWXyKDJdCiif3HgwwT53sI7LLjoGPl4PCbBnjkInylW4FqoWi-NDloHVRHhL2ZixmBOyjCHlJv9A5iks1xWEqzOQPP6noW/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">chopped garlic</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2ho3VxYKeZnX3tiGOZtYZARV4CVOztVTv00ZNwMXzg_Rih9xiMlzk9nj4EXp-IjMAwPYRQ1DbvSfr8zAcmLkHC6wpE_IaziTHXh88BV3IjUxgxJm69r4VvncSJ6vcOp2UrDEcUKbYb5g/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2ho3VxYKeZnX3tiGOZtYZARV4CVOztVTv00ZNwMXzg_Rih9xiMlzk9nj4EXp-IjMAwPYRQ1DbvSfr8zAcmLkHC6wpE_IaziTHXh88BV3IjUxgxJm69r4VvncSJ6vcOp2UrDEcUKbYb5g/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">chopped red onion</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K-gTv9DJhzRndyeb2GVkhEIXjo-EmS4H6Crl3xBPRgMsywJUynIUcqUbRLgLa8SgfLnuZa7hAihyphenhyphenDrMkKlN-f8gS7aUkgzldgOuspljJ0JSkxFce4jfF0BzAQ92DOxdStJhx269NTrGX/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K-gTv9DJhzRndyeb2GVkhEIXjo-EmS4H6Crl3xBPRgMsywJUynIUcqUbRLgLa8SgfLnuZa7hAihyphenhyphenDrMkKlN-f8gS7aUkgzldgOuspljJ0JSkxFce4jfF0BzAQ92DOxdStJhx269NTrGX/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K-gTv9DJhzRndyeb2GVkhEIXjo-EmS4H6Crl3xBPRgMsywJUynIUcqUbRLgLa8SgfLnuZa7hAihyphenhyphenDrMkKlN-f8gS7aUkgzldgOuspljJ0JSkxFce4jfF0BzAQ92DOxdStJhx269NTrGX/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+015.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">and the spices</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">From the top and moving clockwise, the spices are: </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ <i>azmud (</i>"white" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumin">cumin</a> seed; the regular cumin you can find in any grocery or market...sometimes I use ground cumin, sometimes I use cumin seed; the recipe doesn't really specify, and it comes out great with either)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ <i>besobilia (</i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_basil">"sacred basil"</a>). Go to your Asian grocery and ask for "tulsi":</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3r-dOdRN8zzBS9D38pwvN-jdLp5yVRkS_kUBXXy5Zndu0R8zdLthaaPzDV6d8-nOp443GJ70IPnCCIdK8i_YCtgcRlci6O5ct8Rb91hoTiPiFgPXQvHVAh9uUGNbrkRhAtkUlhznD0If/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3r-dOdRN8zzBS9D38pwvN-jdLp5yVRkS_kUBXXy5Zndu0R8zdLthaaPzDV6d8-nOp443GJ70IPnCCIdK8i_YCtgcRlci6O5ct8Rb91hoTiPiFgPXQvHVAh9uUGNbrkRhAtkUlhznD0If/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+013.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardamom">cardamom seeds</a> (both plain cardamom and "black cardamom" is mentioned throughout this book; unless it specifically states "black cardamom", I use the regular cardamom you can find in your local store</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano">oregano</a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano"></a>~ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric">turmeric</a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric"></a>~ <i>abish (</i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenugreek">fenugreek</a>) (I get mine at my Asian market, but it has also been found at Whole Foods)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Once the butter has all melted, the tedious part begins. If you do a Google search on how to clarify butter, there are all sorts of methods, some of which may speed up the process. I just do it the way Julia does it. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_3Y06Y9CvWpJ4qY49y5W-KpHdWFWO28oGofWP1Q5M8LyB3hoJxoHoxg0E2pBicE21GsUFXBm85aANcFqqe4NNwK8xeIKPt0mV3UMDC-xeIkoT3poMQjYbpuc8_rpj3greq0IYwn8hfhp/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_3Y06Y9CvWpJ4qY49y5W-KpHdWFWO28oGofWP1Q5M8LyB3hoJxoHoxg0E2pBicE21GsUFXBm85aANcFqqe4NNwK8xeIKPt0mV3UMDC-xeIkoT3poMQjYbpuc8_rpj3greq0IYwn8hfhp/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">See that foam that's collecting on the top? You have to get rid of it. I just take a spoon and gently skim the surface of the liquid, gathering up the foam. As soon as you remove some foam, there will be more foam rising from the bottom of the pan to take its place. From my rough calculations (I start with 24 cups of butter and end up with 21 cups of nit'ir qibe), there will be about three cups of foam that will need to be removed. I've never timed this step, but it can seem interminable. Just keep the heat very low so that there's no chance the butter will burn and you'll be able to do other things while you wait for new foam to rise. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Just when you're sure it'll never end, you end up with this:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMj8APOWr-O9RsCes744FnkaPaiVlXwJlV8DJLskkuI4v7fMB0-eE1EiqdeyGm25fa7F1OeGg577ZC-We0w9chy1BBfdxXOu113XWHBhoeSftrzXB1hde9_9A23oph0hQ0fZUlUdznbik/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMj8APOWr-O9RsCes744FnkaPaiVlXwJlV8DJLskkuI4v7fMB0-eE1EiqdeyGm25fa7F1OeGg577ZC-We0w9chy1BBfdxXOu113XWHBhoeSftrzXB1hde9_9A23oph0hQ0fZUlUdznbik/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There's still some residual foam around the edges, and I took another few swipes after I took this picture, but I'm not obsessive about it. You really just want most of it gone. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now, you add in the chopped onions, garlic, and ginger and the spices and let simmer for 15 minutes. Some more foam will collect here and there, but not in the same quantity as before. I just keep skimming it off. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8pWyWpu4JeROu6TzhS4uPRWd9eXZUXgu01Ch_WApFtQKhSyXBfbYl9iaP0p759iCteNI275Ma9-HIx7vOkdcroIFKugzTMPGygR8Y6rWyx1O4m7AHnb03_r7pmf6HwN-1YNyzu7yLYV9/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8pWyWpu4JeROu6TzhS4uPRWd9eXZUXgu01Ch_WApFtQKhSyXBfbYl9iaP0p759iCteNI275Ma9-HIx7vOkdcroIFKugzTMPGygR8Y6rWyx1O4m7AHnb03_r7pmf6HwN-1YNyzu7yLYV9/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+017.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a bit more foam arises</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After it's simmered and skimmed one last time, let it sit for a little bit so that the spices and the chopped savories have settled to the bottom. Then it's ready to be ladled into whatever container(s) you wish to use to store it. The recipe says to strain it at this point, but sometimes, I just gently ladle it out from the very top until I get close enough to the bottom that I'm starting to disturb the sludge when I dip the ladle or measuring cup in. Then I strain the rest.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRACPSMCrtXHbFEABcYuh2HmAU-GX681dSNcJIz1A7CPEv7jhlVYYySS1ZlVX_ezSHXTGSL3UFWwwlH69kjQjo6KnIRBoZEa1qoOVGYeoFYzwhq4bwv0f7iD6P_l_s5Xip8tdVwiHaNKW/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRACPSMCrtXHbFEABcYuh2HmAU-GX681dSNcJIz1A7CPEv7jhlVYYySS1ZlVX_ezSHXTGSL3UFWwwlH69kjQjo6KnIRBoZEa1qoOVGYeoFYzwhq4bwv0f7iD6P_l_s5Xip8tdVwiHaNKW/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+018.JPG" /></a></span></div></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">a colander on top of a stockpot</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mUlGK8UU-xclnTawsscbw-uzg_qcW0oqZfGXqm4MaY1voT16S5_u3ZgqyiPkp5_ZpuuYWKkXRkD3R2JK2pXKfLtcCq5m7rWWGRKWAq1I-itS7-CSb42HzFgiu1dgacuohgmaHAlNlyLv/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mUlGK8UU-xclnTawsscbw-uzg_qcW0oqZfGXqm4MaY1voT16S5_u3ZgqyiPkp5_ZpuuYWKkXRkD3R2JK2pXKfLtcCq5m7rWWGRKWAq1I-itS7-CSb42HzFgiu1dgacuohgmaHAlNlyLv/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mUlGK8UU-xclnTawsscbw-uzg_qcW0oqZfGXqm4MaY1voT16S5_u3ZgqyiPkp5_ZpuuYWKkXRkD3R2JK2pXKfLtcCq5m7rWWGRKWAq1I-itS7-CSb42HzFgiu1dgacuohgmaHAlNlyLv/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+019.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">the last bit of clarified butter from the bottom of the pan, along with the sludge</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To get out every last bit of the clarified butter, I take a spatula and kind of stir/press the mixture to facilitate the straining process. I'm then left with the remains of the onions, ginger, garlic, and spices:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKD-dzZ0SuHMi9m2rAx8YLpXYgKGAakMMkGIojf_qoo5rAQQ0nVbD91-2qeTQ5B12oJclPCyaAXVVzqkvvOAaQmhGluNv5beq1qp4OpY8P-Y6A8abLDGUbR-5gvztdRSAoSygqYlpSYaZv/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKD-dzZ0SuHMi9m2rAx8YLpXYgKGAakMMkGIojf_qoo5rAQQ0nVbD91-2qeTQ5B12oJclPCyaAXVVzqkvvOAaQmhGluNv5beq1qp4OpY8P-Y6A8abLDGUbR-5gvztdRSAoSygqYlpSYaZv/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+020.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you're a purist, you might not want the last little bit of clarified butter, as it does become a bit murky. I suppose I could strain it further with some cheesecloth or a jelly strainer, but, usually, by this time, I'm ready to be done. And, frankly, the murky stuff still tastes amazing! It's just not crystal clear like the unadulterated stuff is. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For comparison:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbuFylQGX1gOKWreIHGJ_6qAiK6_MgWN7C3uzmhFYqx19Eoxm2ZhNiWD0IKrNMH-gSnEqc0x2-eXcjRdeAy0G0GI5OvFS7sVeIeF0Vc9ld3bnrrtC314bTvYP8wRm3pzoNpLrQ-YXpKJF/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbuFylQGX1gOKWreIHGJ_6qAiK6_MgWN7C3uzmhFYqx19Eoxm2ZhNiWD0IKrNMH-gSnEqc0x2-eXcjRdeAy0G0GI5OvFS7sVeIeF0Vc9ld3bnrrtC314bTvYP8wRm3pzoNpLrQ-YXpKJF/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+021.JPG" /></a></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">the pure nit'ir qibe from the top of the pan</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PfIc_w7Kpr493IimPyGtZQHPBvbF1r7TER_6SpYWMiWHGHEXkTXzg4g_2vO4b7WlCpIWkKNqLAPA5h_JkZTTb7DqtMueemCT1ImSxkkJ_1wVzXBwYrJwxJ2vzEYfJK6Pb-5rZjSa6P39/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PfIc_w7Kpr493IimPyGtZQHPBvbF1r7TER_6SpYWMiWHGHEXkTXzg4g_2vO4b7WlCpIWkKNqLAPA5h_JkZTTb7DqtMueemCT1ImSxkkJ_1wVzXBwYrJwxJ2vzEYfJK6Pb-5rZjSa6P39/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+023.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">the nit'ir qibe that came from the bottom of the pan</span></span></b></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcCJ0tOhDL-X6fUlTjP6mS7S80w2SA0l4Mtktv29k6kplvs1KFUC8fYbWpkT_JiBC2NmGmGkQHCBGMxGPVFJZsotp1v1gQwJ20Q4rHU1x3LrWk_S0MeVQ56VxGAxSO0xUVvC0dEKPpZN9/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcCJ0tOhDL-X6fUlTjP6mS7S80w2SA0l4Mtktv29k6kplvs1KFUC8fYbWpkT_JiBC2NmGmGkQHCBGMxGPVFJZsotp1v1gQwJ20Q4rHU1x3LrWk_S0MeVQ56VxGAxSO0xUVvC0dEKPpZN9/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">side by side</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmhUv1_gaL-l6t3qlY47b_2tTIPp2Llaz4_tydYjKJ2Xr7pAUUYCxsWztv1FPAEKGCRpphf44pSEwXTmQGkHlnK1YOqudTtUBJR2izpgkNoXi5C8mOOaUiq205MS0YTB2KWIBiPz0Xn6R/s1600-h/Nit'ir+Qibe+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhmhUv1_gaL-l6t3qlY47b_2tTIPp2Llaz4_tydYjKJ2Xr7pAUUYCxsWztv1FPAEKGCRpphf44pSEwXTmQGkHlnK1YOqudTtUBJR2izpgkNoXi5C8mOOaUiq205MS0YTB2KWIBiPz0Xn6R/s320/Nit'ir+Qibe+024.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">a side view of the sludgy stuff</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The cup on the right is a little bit sludgier than I would usually keep, but what I often do is use the sludgy stuff in recipes that call for two cups of the nit'ir qibe; I use one cup of the pure nit'ir qibe and one cup of the sludgy stuff and it all works out in the wash. The "sludge", as I call it, is just all of the good stuff that differentiates the nit'ir qibe from mere butter, so there's no reason to let it go to waste.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tomorrow, I'll be putting a couple of these cups of nit'ir qibe to use in the t'ibs we't I'll be making for dinner! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-2673507074040281062010-03-12T23:22:00.000-05:002010-03-12T23:22:31.284-05:00Sambossa Pastry<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1268437646044"></span><span id="goog_1268437646045"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"</span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Sambossa</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> is a delicious appetizer. Crisp and tasty." ~ D. J. Mesfin, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">, p. 38</span></span></b></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbnByAFiak4Va1wn3BGfgPwPjw0DqKux9_-xEU4AbQXgrpyXFk2CxQEpKRTdWuT_FScYPnPnUMiGVPtcZYfDRlM64LS2ROUDHIuNbla0jgaywPREfwgtpLYWJp-ajXbEX29-R1YzXC71S/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbnByAFiak4Va1wn3BGfgPwPjw0DqKux9_-xEU4AbQXgrpyXFk2CxQEpKRTdWuT_FScYPnPnUMiGVPtcZYfDRlM64LS2ROUDHIuNbla0jgaywPREfwgtpLYWJp-ajXbEX29-R1YzXC71S/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+047.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, it's a samsa</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. In Turkey, it's a somsa. In Arabic, it's a sambusak. It's found all around the world, spanning continents, cultures, and cuisines</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">In Ethiopia, it's a sambossa and, according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambosa">Wikipedia.org</a>, whatever it's called, it "generally consists of a fried or baked triangular, semilunar, or tetrahedral patty shell with a savory filling which may include spiced potatoes, onion, peas, coriander, and lentils". Indeed, we had some lentil sambossas at our local Ethiopian restaurant a few weeks back, though tonight's preparation would use meat. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Though the pastry preparation is mentioned first, I decided to start with the filling instead, as I had noticed that it had to cook for a little. I figured I'd start the filling, then prepare the dough while the meat mixture cooked down. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">First came the chopping of the hallmark red onions:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJqP-dbuYYDN4-jfASHVLV-pD6LTJmeo_-NPFKRuDtR_RWuG9A2n-z5Mtyqqusm6yhZpwVh_bUnr8oMePgZTySM2DObUTMyoas41g3NZlJIESvEUkFoMuJPCSO0ulTs6-ndPqaE3fgsP3/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJqP-dbuYYDN4-jfASHVLV-pD6LTJmeo_-NPFKRuDtR_RWuG9A2n-z5Mtyqqusm6yhZpwVh_bUnr8oMePgZTySM2DObUTMyoas41g3NZlJIESvEUkFoMuJPCSO0ulTs6-ndPqaE3fgsP3/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">And the chopping of some coriander (cilantro) and mint:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwb7K2oqtFd0cL2ea1eruO7Qud2VYc-WrLUu7uZMRmSgsqtRjHaW9UuexgxNl95fGkVHIkA7znG6pPhzTXB-IXv2ensdwXojTCW32Bvj4G1oD5LOykvk1eabTJltYJAuPaZ9bvUNnFyLQP/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwb7K2oqtFd0cL2ea1eruO7Qud2VYc-WrLUu7uZMRmSgsqtRjHaW9UuexgxNl95fGkVHIkA7znG6pPhzTXB-IXv2ensdwXojTCW32Bvj4G1oD5LOykvk1eabTJltYJAuPaZ9bvUNnFyLQP/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRHw56Qgw8nlLNQJ1TNfMsVqRlIV0H1Bsts7mqKrKea81AQX8EAjQwslaZpE5eimjFoSZMpTh44D7ezlqH7j8Vy3JYMP3EIRUefb9iefFiqTZ1aC6jQ7ScOMGm9FRchfW9DVFnfOSSR9y/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRHw56Qgw8nlLNQJ1TNfMsVqRlIV0H1Bsts7mqKrKea81AQX8EAjQwslaZpE5eimjFoSZMpTh44D7ezlqH7j8Vy3JYMP3EIRUefb9iefFiqTZ1aC6jQ7ScOMGm9FRchfW9DVFnfOSSR9y/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I dumped the onion, cilantro, and mint into a saucepan and added the rest of the ingredients:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">~ ground ginger, turmeric, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon (and some salt added separately)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtef4_tASIUixJWZMNTwdBDlWf7LQzrRWHg7mC7xzq2D4iglDnowfkoRxCLqk3o_eIJZi5bXvoUo9p0dtVf1xZ4deY-6CMUZxeUREOttD78uIiEOsBFQcFOQvrzMOY4QG30tzA721AcGp/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtef4_tASIUixJWZMNTwdBDlWf7LQzrRWHg7mC7xzq2D4iglDnowfkoRxCLqk3o_eIJZi5bXvoUo9p0dtVf1xZ4deY-6CMUZxeUREOttD78uIiEOsBFQcFOQvrzMOY4QG30tzA721AcGp/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">~ and the meat </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHGCuagPenyHuEMJsl68xCXpOOX3A-EjxeOdTmymMJTuekao5goSsYQuRUaKZOfRU2AFqwrbe-ZFu_NYNHwhP2UBY6UF_qOy_5IVgU2PA7JwyQY9Cx339T1vQOZLWN2kalrLKuW83Ga3y/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHGCuagPenyHuEMJsl68xCXpOOX3A-EjxeOdTmymMJTuekao5goSsYQuRUaKZOfRU2AFqwrbe-ZFu_NYNHwhP2UBY6UF_qOy_5IVgU2PA7JwyQY9Cx339T1vQOZLWN2kalrLKuW83Ga3y/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The recipe calls for either ground lamb or ground beef. I don't particularly care for lamb, so I chose beef, but, as noted above, you can also use lentils or any other cooked vegetables if you need a vegetarian option. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Also added were a couple of cups of water. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitl1WcGbmBhzqw9L8awL95x3mqy8tt34zm2cfqINFbAzJm-3bCJ4f16F5kjzG45ILufcp1PXbwUsWNVee7JTDid9l84cVFKigxf0Ay5ZvDjq9-nAi-av7B2EPWlBoosavMUZo6EbulzhyphenhyphenK/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitl1WcGbmBhzqw9L8awL95x3mqy8tt34zm2cfqINFbAzJm-3bCJ4f16F5kjzG45ILufcp1PXbwUsWNVee7JTDid9l84cVFKigxf0Ay5ZvDjq9-nAi-av7B2EPWlBoosavMUZo6EbulzhyphenhyphenK/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I brought the mixture to a boil and then turned down the heat and let it simmer; the recipe instructs that it's to be simmered until all of the liquid evaporates. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3_xaIEuGDHun91BcIpM6Z3xp13CjlthA6uHz0QNDgOURNhgPwfo2eUpqKluF0MEY-Oc5rMG8NcnMxTsVXJs-sMjYsFiWNp8GF6Aey3qK0gx0O8iCRlirkePYRiW6V_qlm7rQ1cMX20BR/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3_xaIEuGDHun91BcIpM6Z3xp13CjlthA6uHz0QNDgOURNhgPwfo2eUpqKluF0MEY-Oc5rMG8NcnMxTsVXJs-sMjYsFiWNp8GF6Aey3qK0gx0O8iCRlirkePYRiW6V_qlm7rQ1cMX20BR/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> simmering away</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">While the filling was simmering (and I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it smelled), I busied myself with the pastry dough, which was also quite simple. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">~ flour and salt</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFoyXHUZOFVgKXNR04dK_qeLUEeB08xUraasPAcoU7r8cxDyCYhL9dw5gvfF4YKgLvgQdlnwqgNHk-DP2PAhbA0Gr16KAItgroe7SjXl_We1gL49S54BpmhJWDqSKFHBDGnd9g_uKFlNw/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFoyXHUZOFVgKXNR04dK_qeLUEeB08xUraasPAcoU7r8cxDyCYhL9dw5gvfF4YKgLvgQdlnwqgNHk-DP2PAhbA0Gr16KAItgroe7SjXl_We1gL49S54BpmhJWDqSKFHBDGnd9g_uKFlNw/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: 19px;">~ and margarine</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzb8GjpgXkWWGqiJM6URn6WGFUhuZcrUcEuMt3vjKqrZAKOvJj8-0aRo-I69ocAoZ5zupeMCTs4GKtMM_svOLhl-C-tngse6NllC214GgCsC8TCOxflAkUpyPXjJQhEP4AC4FiqpO_SP/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVzb8GjpgXkWWGqiJM6URn6WGFUhuZcrUcEuMt3vjKqrZAKOvJj8-0aRo-I69ocAoZ5zupeMCTs4GKtMM_svOLhl-C-tngse6NllC214GgCsC8TCOxflAkUpyPXjJQhEP4AC4FiqpO_SP/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I then mixed it with the KitchenAid until it "resembled cornmeal in texture". </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIkbjd6xvlxtco8aGTHcCqtSsTYrv5kFgUFpgeqfzsFFab0c3UQMK4rtuMLykw9YpUcLkQ95nHskthTT9VW6QXjHcpcQNRYYNjUpU9PKyHaEfMU5JemajZlw62lTrequY4kaAZ3sr8Z0v/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIkbjd6xvlxtco8aGTHcCqtSsTYrv5kFgUFpgeqfzsFFab0c3UQMK4rtuMLykw9YpUcLkQ95nHskthTT9VW6QXjHcpcQNRYYNjUpU9PKyHaEfMU5JemajZlw62lTrequY4kaAZ3sr8Z0v/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Then I took egg, vinegar, and cold water:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30ksc42ttzxjQmhr2gBHut0_T2HHn4t4INGvEwmayD5PAF9L1g2F4ki2UVCjKn5Utnvl7WK_VVPgdv16E9cRwwLRVPDijiLujZzmzM5KHXoXUARq_6-sUdkQqGFr3rkunuzqzrWb83hKX/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30ksc42ttzxjQmhr2gBHut0_T2HHn4t4INGvEwmayD5PAF9L1g2F4ki2UVCjKn5Utnvl7WK_VVPgdv16E9cRwwLRVPDijiLujZzmzM5KHXoXUARq_6-sUdkQqGFr3rkunuzqzrWb83hKX/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Mixed them together, added the mixture to the "cornmeal" mixture, and ran the KitchenAid some more:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nfGj9SSK1tYt-_iq0JhbJaJK0v5u6ZE5er5R5xLdLx14lqXpv7yW8wwJ214wjU8qlVt9V-lD-G_MO6_M66CPWDMVeAqTEI_NnH3fGd-ew1O70iO4CvIC-QQk12gi5TVqoCLp2axZCqt-/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nfGj9SSK1tYt-_iq0JhbJaJK0v5u6ZE5er5R5xLdLx14lqXpv7yW8wwJ214wjU8qlVt9V-lD-G_MO6_M66CPWDMVeAqTEI_NnH3fGd-ew1O70iO4CvIC-QQk12gi5TVqoCLp2axZCqt-/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The dough that resulted was much too dry to hold itself together enough for me to be able to roll it out at all, so I called on my meager history with pie crust and added water -- first by the teaspoonful, then by the half-tablespoonful -- until it started pulling together and looking like a pastry dough.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpq7RqRoNN1qASZNjpZ8VdhXSg_hSGoZ8dIzOEhyphenhyphenqthl77VbdrqDd8RnChqOUk3L40mDyENndhEHhstYbF4oisHZMbVE-Sg81ByT419e3VL2ViZhMLEQ5z2RpHilMNh8kzkRZmuS2einv/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpq7RqRoNN1qASZNjpZ8VdhXSg_hSGoZ8dIzOEhyphenhyphenqthl77VbdrqDd8RnChqOUk3L40mDyENndhEHhstYbF4oisHZMbVE-Sg81ByT419e3VL2ViZhMLEQ5z2RpHilMNh8kzkRZmuS2einv/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">At this point, the dough was ready to be rolled out:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijickRPg6RppzOwFDcSeDs2B9C3ubgxACxp4J3BYbG5daYHVedky4UuBzQtE6hiqlECHTIkl9T_uz2ydTAe45HBvcpqfVl6NDKZh4dIRbBWnNLJxhpjuowARgDCfGxhlB6ElL-1Czn4f4n/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijickRPg6RppzOwFDcSeDs2B9C3ubgxACxp4J3BYbG5daYHVedky4UuBzQtE6hiqlECHTIkl9T_uz2ydTAe45HBvcpqfVl6NDKZh4dIRbBWnNLJxhpjuowARgDCfGxhlB6ElL-1Czn4f4n/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The instructions made it sound like I needed to cut out a circle of dough freehand, but I decided to take the easy way out. First, however, I needed to raid The Ethiopians' Play-Doh supplies, which happen to double as our cookie cutters (or maybe it's the other way around). </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisD3W2m0N5BR5XrjymHyHRqCLE0zjfCpJI2OOgWNpKl3EOhUIhuVpCGgvTRErgb2NU9mYyPSvHFVpN2G-yuqpcu87ocUWVxwSmkeL8s495w875NkpXdkcucekcxZRAy_tL705ZuT10Apvh/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisD3W2m0N5BR5XrjymHyHRqCLE0zjfCpJI2OOgWNpKl3EOhUIhuVpCGgvTRErgb2NU9mYyPSvHFVpN2G-yuqpcu87ocUWVxwSmkeL8s495w875NkpXdkcucekcxZRAy_tL705ZuT10Apvh/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbJjAiAsVkqoqX-j8qmaiDXDxH1niRHStwa7fS7HIwJi_5vBn0vd-ZqQ0fG-kF5WOOuAaxNkamLOZ2SjfJS4JdFaXeDKmEfcbSbdNqpXI4xOsdqqCzzbabNmK4XL-ldhgHlVLi3LQOwi6/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbJjAiAsVkqoqX-j8qmaiDXDxH1niRHStwa7fS7HIwJi_5vBn0vd-ZqQ0fG-kF5WOOuAaxNkamLOZ2SjfJS4JdFaXeDKmEfcbSbdNqpXI4xOsdqqCzzbabNmK4XL-ldhgHlVLi3LQOwi6/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+017.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">don't worry, I washed it first!</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKrAMj5t3k5UzmSU0p4lHjlIKp64xBwkQhkF-LCXE6reIyq1N0YbEdFaVjAlHDhBnyWQk2SOaNNSMIpRBycV_EjEyHcWaJCGbbf-0BK2v5NYlQWmLde8zTCu63aa_nbIk6KwFAZFzuIdb/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKrAMj5t3k5UzmSU0p4lHjlIKp64xBwkQhkF-LCXE6reIyq1N0YbEdFaVjAlHDhBnyWQk2SOaNNSMIpRBycV_EjEyHcWaJCGbbf-0BK2v5NYlQWmLde8zTCu63aa_nbIk6KwFAZFzuIdb/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+018.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After cutting a circle, I was instructed to cut the circle in half to form two semicircles:</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4301mJf-76-DGFOydIvDaSEvXMRH6MVBW2Deu5lu_fC5JJCIhQAW2qWFgDVpUHbJLGb5Y00qrdJlq5jrdhTHsiPiM_WPZylbdgTBArbsfFqcdr3XQxR2nG0i3JsOYnGDlE3w_dl-0k7OK/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4301mJf-76-DGFOydIvDaSEvXMRH6MVBW2Deu5lu_fC5JJCIhQAW2qWFgDVpUHbJLGb5Y00qrdJlq5jrdhTHsiPiM_WPZylbdgTBArbsfFqcdr3XQxR2nG0i3JsOYnGDlE3w_dl-0k7OK/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+019.JPG" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then, it was just a matter of adding the filling, which had cooked down to look like this</span></span></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHtbVp6OguUMwbN6bJJ2e7yZMiz-gApZ9XMto8HPDaPaym3u-1xDbmhaOl9cWdi8on0OLeyqCKuoY1H2kEzNJWZ1kYJUWfDgsjL3_urHfy0pihP52ns4IDbgwVRxpHYjLqaPKypXk7ARj/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHtbVp6OguUMwbN6bJJ2e7yZMiz-gApZ9XMto8HPDaPaym3u-1xDbmhaOl9cWdi8on0OLeyqCKuoY1H2kEzNJWZ1kYJUWfDgsjL3_urHfy0pihP52ns4IDbgwVRxpHYjLqaPKypXk7ARj/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+021.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and somehow ending up with something that's supposed to look like </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Samsa_in_Karakol.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">this</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. No problem, right? </span></span></span></b></div></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well, there was a little bit of a learning curve here. I had it in my mind that these were not too dissimilar from ravioli, and I wasn't wrong about that, but the problem was that I had never actually made ravioli. All I had was a vast store of knowledge gleaned from watching an embarrassing number of hours of PBS cooking shows: </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Julia Child</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://www.kqed.org/w/jpfastfood/home.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jacques Pepin</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://www.ciaoitalia.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ciao Italia</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://lidiasitaly.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lidia's Kitchen</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://www.grahamkerr.com/index.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Graham Kerr</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, even </span><a href="http://www.yancancook.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yan Can Cook</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (crab rangoons aren't all that different from sambossas). </span></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What I seemed to remember was that one edge of the dough of the sambossa (or ravioli or dumpling or wonton or what have you) needed to be damp in order to stick to the opposite edge and that under no circumstance should the filling be allowed to come close to the edge, or else all would be irrevocably lost. That was pretty much the extent of my theoretical knowledge; the rest of the process would consist of trial and error.</span></span></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The instructions say to dip one's finger in water, moisten the straight edge, and shape each semicircle into a cone, but I decided to do it my way, as I've seen similar instructions for cookies and it's always been a little challenging to get the filling </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">into</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> the cone. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The book says to use between 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons of filling. That's 2 teaspoons shown above. It was too much filling </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> the dough wasn't rolled out large enough. Thus started a small series of fails. Look away if you're squeamish.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5le8VGIbM9LXp-a-nqqm2ROgoXsNopmCwz4O8qEVugMq6kwFdbtmwhBb48HeNzk2YbMTEj8oVgpCJMpLFHPeqVfsA5AatCLBa9P9mC_ZOoCSEDnBx8BGemPu4TPPTHc2zdqxDi1FVhHrj/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5le8VGIbM9LXp-a-nqqm2ROgoXsNopmCwz4O8qEVugMq6kwFdbtmwhBb48HeNzk2YbMTEj8oVgpCJMpLFHPeqVfsA5AatCLBa9P9mC_ZOoCSEDnBx8BGemPu4TPPTHc2zdqxDi1FVhHrj/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+024.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcM4iVe9uIbKoPYgD0zxLiXdfP7VeXGXR2NSkx5ZBPqeWxgpdncrNnT1j4JWJO0_Wu-_zUJFfJXJOpPEYmeYbiIpe6A3vK3DuqIqtJqbIUESzNtp2HVjM8dAQrYqyVKUqenxdtmkkp8Lw/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcM4iVe9uIbKoPYgD0zxLiXdfP7VeXGXR2NSkx5ZBPqeWxgpdncrNnT1j4JWJO0_Wu-_zUJFfJXJOpPEYmeYbiIpe6A3vK3DuqIqtJqbIUESzNtp2HVjM8dAQrYqyVKUqenxdtmkkp8Lw/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+029.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Qo8z2zZO0auYBAfT3ZvjC1391YtEtPMqYn_WQUv0qr4YzcS_dYZ-NKKF71pZ-NpEL0QJV4pMc8GQewrK8wCE-tl-H_yNwJjhBU01aoG9YaN1rMbm56CIt6iwrWJMnN0FIU_9D4A9Tpbu/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Qo8z2zZO0auYBAfT3ZvjC1391YtEtPMqYn_WQUv0qr4YzcS_dYZ-NKKF71pZ-NpEL0QJV4pMc8GQewrK8wCE-tl-H_yNwJjhBU01aoG9YaN1rMbm56CIt6iwrWJMnN0FIU_9D4A9Tpbu/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+030.JPG" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The top picture shows the perils of too much filling and a piece of dough that is too small. Not too bad, though. The middle picture shows what happens when you roll out the dough too far in advance of adding the filling (I was trying to figure out the most efficient way of production. The answer? There isn't one. Work with small pieces of dough at a time, enough to make two sambossas; otherwise, the dough dries out too much.) Still not bad. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The bottom picture? Let's just say that They were all right about never letting the filling touch the edges. <i>*shudder* </i>I share with you my shame so that you don't head down the same path. I'll spare you the other fail pictures; these three were pretty representative. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So I decreased the amount of filling to 1-1/2 teaspoons, rolled out my dough a bit more (and in smaller amounts), and soon found my groove:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cLn3QkBpAdJqhjBhLZRu6W9QzRhC80se6cxyDcJMe3iTzRYF5RN98lEQvh8ipLRnQ4fL3ky7zKHqjtxLOHYjxCr3QdzAjbZO7oDcpgKWxQWJUu2HHnxoVVd-77c9JX3PD4pPrketOucj/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cLn3QkBpAdJqhjBhLZRu6W9QzRhC80se6cxyDcJMe3iTzRYF5RN98lEQvh8ipLRnQ4fL3ky7zKHqjtxLOHYjxCr3QdzAjbZO7oDcpgKWxQWJUu2HHnxoVVd-77c9JX3PD4pPrketOucj/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+037.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">those surface imperfections are nothing, seriously</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKj_wFKc2loyuMGpBf2AJwg1idCGQuDhSPfbzKD17lB7kS1sMT_W9zw5cHhYTWd6CJG862zZGcSOr7Y8EwVZv6wc3MqvgjK7YZ1CQPWR1dA-FcSRMcCjqutwEvtNRG7-jKUYO2FNP4ei6/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKj_wFKc2loyuMGpBf2AJwg1idCGQuDhSPfbzKD17lB7kS1sMT_W9zw5cHhYTWd6CJG862zZGcSOr7Y8EwVZv6wc3MqvgjK7YZ1CQPWR1dA-FcSRMcCjqutwEvtNRG7-jKUYO2FNP4ei6/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+038.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">small</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> amount of filling</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWet_HfDlwFaMRODm-zuCuW-uAXmKqlhMXqmUIpjnhm-hkbLSz5MkJem9WqxX2zYmFDYoV4_-Fbt9eQfLLe0A5kT94W4gXcacNkZjh7xFVEGPOm9fYIuHMlivZW5KTCSSh_if3FOAtp9R/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWet_HfDlwFaMRODm-zuCuW-uAXmKqlhMXqmUIpjnhm-hkbLSz5MkJem9WqxX2zYmFDYoV4_-Fbt9eQfLLe0A5kT94W4gXcacNkZjh7xFVEGPOm9fYIuHMlivZW5KTCSSh_if3FOAtp9R/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+039.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dampen the bottom edge of the dough and bring down the top corner</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMALyPlr8GMkgQRHPjkTemCXWjD83eOlLHh76hWdapK3uEvNJiDG7q8zR22R5JIK6CJtAiK3GnwzYhUdmOT1IfLnwYge8wxOVPE73PQ-dnAQfUo5s_lYcDPYsOKACJefuf8oy-NfJTMQH/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMALyPlr8GMkgQRHPjkTemCXWjD83eOlLHh76hWdapK3uEvNJiDG7q8zR22R5JIK6CJtAiK3GnwzYhUdmOT1IfLnwYge8wxOVPE73PQ-dnAQfUo5s_lYcDPYsOKACJefuf8oy-NfJTMQH/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+040.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">crimp the edges around the "flap" of the "envelope to help contain the filling </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJ4I2lgHXLDCJI7L_4wmueqzwF6sYLMyOAWFF3ct69Q8g-NNczE3JX8v9y8vlCphMi4p4iKyNvfVkbcDJo2TR50VcWRYMrX9JIqeyGcI3CjLZPs4ZKsaH3EePq_L8pkokU7erNpxUi2x4/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJ4I2lgHXLDCJI7L_4wmueqzwF6sYLMyOAWFF3ct69Q8g-NNczE3JX8v9y8vlCphMi4p4iKyNvfVkbcDJo2TR50VcWRYMrX9JIqeyGcI3CjLZPs4ZKsaH3EePq_L8pkokU7erNpxUi2x4/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+041.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">dampen the little triangle on the right and fold it up</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGTf1ekjBCpE5yKyyi3VzJIh_o05tdxrce2E3Uv3h_wpl2M8p6c5vqzPBB3gBf_Yg-1IYPNCKIQ3vGdl1qkEaR4SYOoXY2p5vOYurrwogLq-tRcuxCt4zsZob00ZRnB4CLeDrIyPioBlo/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGTf1ekjBCpE5yKyyi3VzJIh_o05tdxrce2E3Uv3h_wpl2M8p6c5vqzPBB3gBf_Yg-1IYPNCKIQ3vGdl1qkEaR4SYOoXY2p5vOYurrwogLq-tRcuxCt4zsZob00ZRnB4CLeDrIyPioBlo/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+042.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">then repeat on the left</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5QOpFC7fSZ3hpIo76wibNJyiXqrANmnAb4YrXRDj_s7hssPivTLIU6KgaA1Xtin-HUiJM3TXlI5w1XlIx9MKmYTJBlvfkHrh8zoO1DnMsl2RllQSTkNYo0HqKWFYxi9WO8kVfxFG9V_K/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5QOpFC7fSZ3hpIo76wibNJyiXqrANmnAb4YrXRDj_s7hssPivTLIU6KgaA1Xtin-HUiJM3TXlI5w1XlIx9MKmYTJBlvfkHrh8zoO1DnMsl2RllQSTkNYo0HqKWFYxi9WO8kVfxFG9V_K/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+033.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">soon I was really rolling!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My sambossas were smaller and thicker than those shown in the link above, but I was fine with that. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With the filled sambossas piling up (literally), I started heating the vegetable oil. A whole bottle of it:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvvkoAzHhOraXJe34HdYBMU4uG-rZQUI7ekZBfjKrOK43C9bxPQKj7HSr8TCoL_GfiDUi__oQUTowfIG8R6BW8gtyh102JCI3PGhKZTIu3da-0gm2X737iHwaRJH4C25v_ThB3mMcui13/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvvkoAzHhOraXJe34HdYBMU4uG-rZQUI7ekZBfjKrOK43C9bxPQKj7HSr8TCoL_GfiDUi__oQUTowfIG8R6BW8gtyh102JCI3PGhKZTIu3da-0gm2X737iHwaRJH4C25v_ThB3mMcui13/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+025.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Unlike with the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/01/1232010-dabbo-qolo-wheat-nutssnacks.html">dabbo qolo</a>, there was no drama with the deep-frying. A large slotted spoon worked perfectly well in transferring the sambossas into the oil. I received no injuries and I believe the mess was even minimal!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7LsEJHO5bH5vdhiT3PSoNJX-cHFfZyUyEonujaNcczy91RHMDYzurvG8PhJRgoP7yGgL6bT0PBLT7IMNbJS_WqGDUtKPUu9JHueEg_-CflgmfxN_9uTvmxFIhFS8xVDZu9Y5iq0fM_GU/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7LsEJHO5bH5vdhiT3PSoNJX-cHFfZyUyEonujaNcczy91RHMDYzurvG8PhJRgoP7yGgL6bT0PBLT7IMNbJS_WqGDUtKPUu9JHueEg_-CflgmfxN_9uTvmxFIhFS8xVDZu9Y5iq0fM_GU/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7LsEJHO5bH5vdhiT3PSoNJX-cHFfZyUyEonujaNcczy91RHMDYzurvG8PhJRgoP7yGgL6bT0PBLT7IMNbJS_WqGDUtKPUu9JHueEg_-CflgmfxN_9uTvmxFIhFS8xVDZu9Y5iq0fM_GU/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+034.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I cooked until they were nice and brown, and then took them out to drain on some paper towels:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZ4leHF8bpCslrGe8nG6q_it2IskHIryicfXkQROLhFEmji4U3ONJFxeitKNWy-H8GonrxnT83ozzzbVHZ8KlQPEbrnl7CA14GiE1SUntTj2n5Unj1r-GAUgeFFcjFuKQwbe54XqpTW8a/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZ4leHF8bpCslrGe8nG6q_it2IskHIryicfXkQROLhFEmji4U3ONJFxeitKNWy-H8GonrxnT83ozzzbVHZ8KlQPEbrnl7CA14GiE1SUntTj2n5Unj1r-GAUgeFFcjFuKQwbe54XqpTW8a/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+036.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A sambossa in detail:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10JXzNJ5PEwZZQoDSf-QHj10zY9qTU01C1HIvjIEOczzDvoS0K1s11cvAdcaznAJPE7yZJLVhvqFo_04wSmo5sRYLeSnncfmUmXLiPxA8Oo6EUTpSTk-CeeoXTb50kS117PnNMAbe-Bto/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10JXzNJ5PEwZZQoDSf-QHj10zY9qTU01C1HIvjIEOczzDvoS0K1s11cvAdcaznAJPE7yZJLVhvqFo_04wSmo5sRYLeSnncfmUmXLiPxA8Oo6EUTpSTk-CeeoXTb50kS117PnNMAbe-Bto/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+044.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoldhFHNPosxteQTDMjKGvW4YZ6BWItx6YcYAP2Q-w8uDETsQF5NxE-8IvgkcwAXWh52loUXz-eSXYV1C8lmZstcGUTkdksAIu-GUU81BX1hdPYwu665xMejdMV_TR504c5josbOx1A6a/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoldhFHNPosxteQTDMjKGvW4YZ6BWItx6YcYAP2Q-w8uDETsQF5NxE-8IvgkcwAXWh52loUXz-eSXYV1C8lmZstcGUTkdksAIu-GUU81BX1hdPYwu665xMejdMV_TR504c5josbOx1A6a/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+045.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuT8DiqmufDDE1g6USou-fXcqXp7WDSTnkJULki4ePAo5jm5SoJ42fn3Cv6QDtGyj2N9xaTiBVxxvFZGFq3qBeCPTdqpg2nISufnkT78PYYLJAYh_Cj_DOCxmrthUOXqbwzlo6Iu_j_oh/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWuT8DiqmufDDE1g6USou-fXcqXp7WDSTnkJULki4ePAo5jm5SoJ42fn3Cv6QDtGyj2N9xaTiBVxxvFZGFq3qBeCPTdqpg2nISufnkT78PYYLJAYh_Cj_DOCxmrthUOXqbwzlo6Iu_j_oh/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+049.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was trying to show the flaky layers of the pastry here </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Some of the sambossas opened up a bit during the frying process (and you could tell when it happened because the sizzling of the oil suddenly intensified), but they still held up just fine. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a-zBsGLgrR-rhkqTZGoZ-Bcw_PzVzRK6MiplAR_znmzMLDIBTRfdD_OJGOQ1Be0KohfOqXZmDCOTuMzJAV-Wp56lecH9N3rWLLfXKFq9L3xME8Ejj2rDJNjvvP8Wm3uDOMYCOZUjFf5S/s1600-h/Sambossa+Pastry+046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a-zBsGLgrR-rhkqTZGoZ-Bcw_PzVzRK6MiplAR_znmzMLDIBTRfdD_OJGOQ1Be0KohfOqXZmDCOTuMzJAV-Wp56lecH9N3rWLLfXKFq9L3xME8Ejj2rDJNjvvP8Wm3uDOMYCOZUjFf5S/s320/Sambossa+Pastry+046.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They turned out great! I am not a pastry chef at all, so I was pleasantly surprised that they turned out as flaky as they did. I was a bit worried about the cayenne, especially after I tasted the filling after it had cooked and found it unpleasantly biting, but the pastry offset the cayenne quite a bit. Even The Ethiopians could tolerate it and they aren't fond of cayenne. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The sambossas in the restaurant were served with a dipping sauce and the recipe mentioned serving them "with or without" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chutney">chutney</a> (it also mentioned that they could be served hot or cold). Since we didn't happen to have any chutney on hand, we chose the "without" option, though I'm wondering how long it's going to take my husband to remember he has a gallon of <a href="http://www.melindas.com/sauces/xxxhot.html">this stuff</a> in the pantry for the leftovers. </span></span></div></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-1086134760711950032010-03-05T19:58:00.000-05:002010-04-20T19:13:11.194-04:00Yeshimbra Fitfit (Whole Dried Chick Pea Sauce Blended in [sic] Spices and Injera)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">"</span></span>Yeshimbra Fitfit</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> is a refreshing meal by itself. It is mild and nourshing." ~ D. J. Mesfin, <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, p. 212</span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I adore fitfit (stew mixed with injera); my most favorite Ethiopian dish is doro fitfit, the country's national dish (doro/chicken stew) mixed with injera. It's my "usual" when we go out for Ethiopian. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Last time I was on, I mentioned that we weren't too thrilled with the injera we had mail-ordered. The Ethiopians complained about a residue left on their fingers and tears started flowing when the injera, instead of being supple and elastic, more or less crumbled when they attempted to fold it around their food. So, despite having 20 pieces still left in the freezer, I decided to go back to getting injera fresh from our local restaurant (unless I make it myself), relegating the mail-ordered stuff to use in fitfit. How timely it was, then, that <a href="http://random.org/">Random.org</a> landed me right on a recipe for fitfit!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a very simple, very standard wet to make. There are no exotic ingredients to try to find and the preparation is straight-forward. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As with most wets (at least in this book), this one started off with a large quantity of red onion:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhsbfwYJQxdVgdcpnrwI4_301VhHpHiJm5fxUZ1snKEGM2KcVECCVRvsJatVpf9DRJ67bbgKLWKzJDqu2pvs_0CC_ZAIMry1ZVNFu7bOCKX8rWIXDFlpexN5miZFH656HAL7g-MUk46B8/s1600-h/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhsbfwYJQxdVgdcpnrwI4_301VhHpHiJm5fxUZ1snKEGM2KcVECCVRvsJatVpf9DRJ67bbgKLWKzJDqu2pvs_0CC_ZAIMry1ZVNFu7bOCKX8rWIXDFlpexN5miZFH656HAL7g-MUk46B8/s320/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+003.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Ethiopian cooking, you apparently never <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><em style="font-style: normal;">sauté</em></span> the onions in oil or butter, though fat is used later on in the cooking process. Instead, you throw them into a dry pan and cook them that way, keeping a good eye on them and stirring them nearly constantly, as they are not supposed to change color (by that, they mean brown; they do become translucent as they are cooked). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwFGFv17viZEw-BcYkDSzzEN5tLJQhL3jUP8pbFAZIZTBb-tmDcQ24OPWCiocxyoEqxU14_7Vv53rXytY8AfQ0T6vZ2B_P1iYKyKCzjknEdTWvfeVE67BuKVwglRCTuMOT72ldHF8rdga/s1600-h/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwFGFv17viZEw-BcYkDSzzEN5tLJQhL3jUP8pbFAZIZTBb-tmDcQ24OPWCiocxyoEqxU14_7Vv53rXytY8AfQ0T6vZ2B_P1iYKyKCzjknEdTWvfeVE67BuKVwglRCTuMOT72ldHF8rdga/s320/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+004.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And dried chickpeas:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9UIKOu415QsnBM2mtDd5EpHa3rbx5VcfRhz7FKweoBExdEOB1SnuL3x_z12Alz_7Mqk-1z46d3HmZfRpL5erEa2jylUmeJp8Y_dPkpGgf-XsYIwbSw2v3X3SUd4RZu-kfjOMR_T_PtKN/s1600-h/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9UIKOu415QsnBM2mtDd5EpHa3rbx5VcfRhz7FKweoBExdEOB1SnuL3x_z12Alz_7Mqk-1z46d3HmZfRpL5erEa2jylUmeJp8Y_dPkpGgf-XsYIwbSw2v3X3SUd4RZu-kfjOMR_T_PtKN/s320/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+005.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After letting it boil for 10 minutes, I was supposed to add some garlic and ginger and some more water, but I got a little ahead of myself and added the spices to the mixture before it boiled:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8OAmvGKLgqC003QCX81V5DBEvaD3S-lepY756w7MMgtTe8xf8n012zYTn3cBw5EofEhET3URSRnrnHoA1cQs_ZDCNo3-x7X6tdNl0quG31SasH8bznjqSL4GxishwNzZFzGskwMLJxVP/s1600-h/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8OAmvGKLgqC003QCX81V5DBEvaD3S-lepY756w7MMgtTe8xf8n012zYTn3cBw5EofEhET3URSRnrnHoA1cQs_ZDCNo3-x7X6tdNl0quG31SasH8bznjqSL4GxishwNzZFzGskwMLJxVP/s320/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There's also some black pepper in there, as black pepper is mentioned in the ingredient list. It is never, however, mentioned in the recipe, so I just assumed it went in with the rest of the spices. And while only 1/4 teaspoon of garlic was called for, I used a teaspoon because I use <a href="http://www.dorot.co.il/Eng/">these</a> and one cube is roughly one teaspoon. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then it was just a matter of cooking until the chickpeas became soft. No time was given, and I had purchased them in bulk from Whole Foods, so there were no cooking directions (I know they're on the bins, but I didn't pay attention to them), so a perusal of volume 3 of my <i>Women's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery</i> was called for. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8cABmwFf_Yi42Y5N8xIaxbFu5Iq5J47IDp1i7Criy_F1YEjoHdB3XV1eOznEj5uU7m9KP02zcJ-K3euw3BxvjBM6h2T-o3q91oMDDK4GflP0E56UuZdU10VBhk6CXN3qfUrr9k9QQW3l/s1600-h/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8cABmwFf_Yi42Y5N8xIaxbFu5Iq5J47IDp1i7Criy_F1YEjoHdB3XV1eOznEj5uU7m9KP02zcJ-K3euw3BxvjBM6h2T-o3q91oMDDK4GflP0E56UuZdU10VBhk6CXN3qfUrr9k9QQW3l/s320/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is my favorite cookbook set, from 1965. I sometimes just sit and leaf longingly through the pictures, feeling inexplicably nostalgic for the days of dinner parties, caftans, tureens and chafing dishes, Fiestaware, harvest gold, avocado green, and Americana decor, though I was born three years after these books were published! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">According to the <i>Encyclopedia</i>, the chickpeas needed to cook for two hours. Unfortunately, it also said to <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">soak</span> </i>them for an hour <i>before </i>cooking them for those two hours, but I didn't read that until the chickpeas had already been thrown into the pot. After all was said and done, however, they ended up simmering for about 3-1/2 hours because I had to run out to pick the Ethiopians up from daycare due to an emergency at my husband's work. As a disclaimer, I would like to add that we <i>do</i> eat a fair amount of beans, but I tend to use canned for convenience's sake, and haven't cooked from dried beans in ages; that's why I needed to look it up! You could also put the stew into a crockpot at this point until you're ready to have it. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After we got home, I added the finishing touches. First, some sliced Anaheim pepper:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3dmhXtTbsZ2jtIoNXYEANN8Uyz3Y0iwmjWO-e-mw3jrImWJHD6mpW5Md5Z8RswDRfw97ZpGgmsdreJEomCu8YYeKFVX90vMB-5OM6ue929olEafV32p-7VGl5oUw9D6ialyBJ-XFhCnY/s1600-h/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ3dmhXtTbsZ2jtIoNXYEANN8Uyz3Y0iwmjWO-e-mw3jrImWJHD6mpW5Md5Z8RswDRfw97ZpGgmsdreJEomCu8YYeKFVX90vMB-5OM6ue929olEafV32p-7VGl5oUw9D6ialyBJ-XFhCnY/s320/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+010.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then the injera, which crumbled perfectly:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnq3EU44oAVFlTLpkRlJ0lzHnCAkf-jSofYJPBZ6inrG7G80dQGcYaUZxauboKuFAvu6Jcbamp73jELp1TdWIGvB3019nepuzgI3HSqznLjSuBaGlVwVgM0nVNQAiE0LqfGSa-WOxSfO4/s1600-h/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnq3EU44oAVFlTLpkRlJ0lzHnCAkf-jSofYJPBZ6inrG7G80dQGcYaUZxauboKuFAvu6Jcbamp73jELp1TdWIGvB3019nepuzgI3HSqznLjSuBaGlVwVgM0nVNQAiE0LqfGSa-WOxSfO4/s320/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+012.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The finished piece:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIJdAiipdHKu6QLBlajxt4ynYqRXrrRVmt4_LkQaGd19SOZPgXMwGcyvqnaLaStSCqYEG1OpgQrbg-TudAEILjmAtQAS8gAnS8geCKluU8N2ASP4ziURyrJ4aAw5LXPA9QHHRIOt6oSIU/s1600-h/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLIJdAiipdHKu6QLBlajxt4ynYqRXrrRVmt4_LkQaGd19SOZPgXMwGcyvqnaLaStSCqYEG1OpgQrbg-TudAEILjmAtQAS8gAnS8geCKluU8N2ASP4ziURyrJ4aAw5LXPA9QHHRIOt6oSIU/s320/Yeshimbra+Fitfit+013.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I had to fold over the edges of the injera because it's too big for the plate!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Despite this not being a berbere dish, it was <i>very</i> good. Even though we don't like the mail-order injera as platter or utensil, it worked wonderfully in the fitfit and the end result is quite filling. </span></span></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-80732410579535510482010-02-19T21:16:00.000-05:002010-04-20T19:11:41.204-04:00Yegebs Siljo (Barley Paste)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yegebs Siljo</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">is a popular dish during fasting. May be eaten with injera or bread. It is a vegetarian dish." ~ </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">D. J. Mesfin, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</span></span></i></span></span></i></b></span><br />
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</span></span></i></span></span></i></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are 250 Ethiopian fasting days in the year, according to </span><a href="http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/ethiopian_fasting.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">this site</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, although fasting only means not eating until after 3 p.m., not fasting all day. Fasting also means "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">no meat, fat, eggs or milk". </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Many recipes in </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> are mentioned as being "fasting" recipes, and this is one of them. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have probably had yebaqela siljo, a broad bean paste, when dining at an Ethiopian restaurant, as it is often served as an accompaniment on the injera, along with Ethiopian cottage cheese, some green salad, tikil gomen (cabbage and potatoes), </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">yekik alich'a (a mild yellow pea stew)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and various other items, all arranged daintily and prettily along the outside edge of the injera platter (the main dish goes inside the ring of side dishes). However, I'm not entirely sure, as I don't have any memory of that dish. I wish I did, if only so I knew what texture actually constituted a "paste" in this context. I have a sneaking suspicion I came closer to a thick barley soup or a slightly thin barley hummus. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This dish needed to sit (in the refrigerator) for three days prior to eating it, so I started earlier in the week. As mentioned </span><a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/02/suff-refreshing-drink-made-from.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the first step involved making barley flour, but I was unable to find a reasonably priced (read as "under $200") flour mill, though I now have an eBay search on for the KitchenAid </span><a href="http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/product_detail.asp?T1=KTA+KGMA"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">grain mill attachment</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (and, believe it or not, though it's in stock now, it wasn't on Monday). I do wonder if this would have come out much better if I had been able to make my own flour, instead of buying packaged barley flour. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The second step was to make the </span><a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/02/suff-refreshing-drink-made-from.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">suff</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, or sunflower juice. This is some seriously good stuff, but we have a liberal concept of "milk" in this house (I believe that, right now, we have cow milk, rice milk, and soy milk in the refrigerator, and we sometimes also have almond milk or hemp milk or coconut milk, as well). The suff may as well have been called sunflower milk! Between myself and the 2-year-olds (who decided they liked it after they tasted it again), there was no leftover sunflower juice, even though I didn't need it all for the recipe. I'm not sure I'd say it was a refreshing drink, as advertised in the cook book, but it's good. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On Tuesday afternoon, I was ready to bring it all together. I started by roasting some fenugreek in a frying pan:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7O14bpkwiIQlzzp3P8NIC6CJJCJDo5biAk3MIm-DnMBTQ2e_OmN4m-TLblHfynX8Ls-_crpzUOmO23JRvr5TYCYkEWAzGxsTnWwxf2DJlKKHSgLL5Ql6zZGYIsWK06tH5SC8EnAOiHhy/s1600-h/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy7O14bpkwiIQlzzp3P8NIC6CJJCJDo5biAk3MIm-DnMBTQ2e_OmN4m-TLblHfynX8Ls-_crpzUOmO23JRvr5TYCYkEWAzGxsTnWwxf2DJlKKHSgLL5Ql6zZGYIsWK06tH5SC8EnAOiHhy/s320/012.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I find my fenugreek at my local Indian grocery store. I love the smell of it as it roasts, as it smells faintly of maple syrup (random bit of trivia: fenugreek is often used to improve a nursing mother's milk supply, and the recommended dosage is "until your perspiration starts smelling like maple syrup"). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After roasting it, it was time to grind it up in The Poor Coffee Grinder:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5JCyzdH_E5k3d2fn-H7_myzeJupZ9uk53g38DxFFXUW73KHlxyLU5NTRrdi9Lvz8VH9VrSDM4IyoUitfvxd_mtODJj7kBZpDoB4KlV6WGOO-JBYbHf14CTBso1-jGjMv-RwnHtSphbgE/s1600-h/013b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5JCyzdH_E5k3d2fn-H7_myzeJupZ9uk53g38DxFFXUW73KHlxyLU5NTRrdi9Lvz8VH9VrSDM4IyoUitfvxd_mtODJj7kBZpDoB4KlV6WGOO-JBYbHf14CTBso1-jGjMv-RwnHtSphbgE/s320/013b.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next came time to boil the barley flour and the water, and I didn't realize there was a discrepancy as to how much water should be used until I was done. In the ingredient list, it calls for two to three cups of water, yet in the instructions, it says to boil the flour and the fenugreek in four cups of water (and another cup of water is called for at another point in the process). This also may explain my results!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was to boil the mixture "until it thickens", a nebulous concept, indeed. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFpFqKUKw2Nv1q7Sm0EbqqOcFFzjv9bn3sIV0ReVq7rfRyBydRuMOSMtJDZzx3NZryg6ju7Cxu-XZrvn8DjFvckHjBOx5yMeRNZinutNzqIHvwIaqWlrOmPzgM43v0ERUvj3GtmOEj_pB/s1600-h/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFpFqKUKw2Nv1q7Sm0EbqqOcFFzjv9bn3sIV0ReVq7rfRyBydRuMOSMtJDZzx3NZryg6ju7Cxu-XZrvn8DjFvckHjBOx5yMeRNZinutNzqIHvwIaqWlrOmPzgM43v0ERUvj3GtmOEj_pB/s320/014.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i> cooking</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I boiled it until it started forming a thin layer of what I can only call a pancake on the bottom of the saucepan, then decided that would be enough: </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrRhKMzlpNmpSOPgmqgFLG_1XNqN0LLSlSLMQDKDSnXl0v8qZSlkfJD_EqA9g3hxk3F8U9TZJbxrq-1WOw7SEFy_JhXbfZcEKK7wc3BGgtgcxxkrSKCqW8WmCrUYV52nwTu-ZtHdk5SkL/s1600-h/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrRhKMzlpNmpSOPgmqgFLG_1XNqN0LLSlSLMQDKDSnXl0v8qZSlkfJD_EqA9g3hxk3F8U9TZJbxrq-1WOw7SEFy_JhXbfZcEKK7wc3BGgtgcxxkrSKCqW8WmCrUYV52nwTu-ZtHdk5SkL/s320/015.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> <i>the bottom of the pan after I had decided the mixture was finished</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">From there, I put it into a bowl and poured some cold water over it; the instructions direct one to "not mix" it; the water just sits on top of the mixture until it's cooled:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8DdvsbxvW_sNG9BLv05xciWMgjihG2HpRMaeL3thOTP0XqfGEPPlkwbK3hND8kBhxXowEpOxSLYWxXICvEFgFW7-ocbkqdj8VSL95RZBn_YyZFoW1DA7d83SzCasEeaS9B88WzFj6WKE/s1600-h/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8DdvsbxvW_sNG9BLv05xciWMgjihG2HpRMaeL3thOTP0XqfGEPPlkwbK3hND8kBhxXowEpOxSLYWxXICvEFgFW7-ocbkqdj8VSL95RZBn_YyZFoW1DA7d83SzCasEeaS9B88WzFj6WKE/s320/016.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After draining the water off, it came time to add the spices. When I make a shopping list, I'm pretty particular about making sure I have enough of whatever I need, to the point of measuring it sometimes...except when it comes to spices, because, usually, spices only need a tiny amount: a teaspoon, at most, maybe a tablespoon on the rarest of occasions. When spices are involved, I simply look into the spice cabinet and look to see if I have whatever is called for; I don't worry about how much I might need. So when I came to add the spices and looked at how much was called for, I was a little shaken. Instead of being by spoons or parts of spoons, the measurements were by parts of <i>cups</i>. To be specific, I needed <i>1/2 cup</i>, <b>each</b>, of garlic powder, ginger powder, and dried mustard. One-half of a cup. Fortunately, I had a nearly new tin of mustard from the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/01/january-15-2010-butecha-chick-pea-paste.html">but'ech'a</a> and I had just recently purchased a new jar of garlic powder because we go through garlic powder with astonishing rapidity. I also had more or less enough ginger from the Christmas-cookie baking. I called it close enough, as the babies were napping and I couldn't run out to get more right then and there. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdTQ5hspaRUh8Ea8AiS7rYpUuM0Hf3_UhMRiR7H4SZjQODUgbMvdbc5aqLO65dT7uIUKKuj3HIgQ8CXSunAe_5fEN8kKIGJ10qgUGxKzYcj7GE84UaOfESQq14dWgiYlYtBEY39VQhH-T/s1600-h/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdTQ5hspaRUh8Ea8AiS7rYpUuM0Hf3_UhMRiR7H4SZjQODUgbMvdbc5aqLO65dT7uIUKKuj3HIgQ8CXSunAe_5fEN8kKIGJ10qgUGxKzYcj7GE84UaOfESQq14dWgiYlYtBEY39VQhH-T/s320/001.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now I am out of pretty much all of these spices, save for a tiny amount of garlic powder that is left:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34Ur3vQlIgSNUyVE3dYNyf_vqsf0-uFvxPi2ocEL80V8zYUfSTER7B0Njg7Ks7aHd6IXuB0qbt0aNmgyodo6Qy9Tnb6pWj2T2lNlloJfPJ2wNc7l7q3fMpMXMV1uiT_0mWUMoSMXZXHcr/s1600-h/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj34Ur3vQlIgSNUyVE3dYNyf_vqsf0-uFvxPi2ocEL80V8zYUfSTER7B0Njg7Ks7aHd6IXuB0qbt0aNmgyodo6Qy9Tnb6pWj2T2lNlloJfPJ2wNc7l7q3fMpMXMV1uiT_0mWUMoSMXZXHcr/s320/004.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The spices were mixed into the flour mixture, by hand, as instructed. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUe5Uo7z_xr-tJd-vlit0vBK47UR65AJ0Rt9VvtInBBByYRcU6WuX10SzMGHpfaT5ryGOWuXy6cTC-IFxC6SQlRkDoPM5u-nzBhMVCuNRBd9aHNbxodnHIhvSfZ5zRpVhXtU3OGbhOEQL/s1600-h/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUe5Uo7z_xr-tJd-vlit0vBK47UR65AJ0Rt9VvtInBBByYRcU6WuX10SzMGHpfaT5ryGOWuXy6cTC-IFxC6SQlRkDoPM5u-nzBhMVCuNRBd9aHNbxodnHIhvSfZ5zRpVhXtU3OGbhOEQL/s320/002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then I was instructed to add the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/02/suff-refreshing-drink-made-from.html">suff</a> "until mixture thickens". I have no idea how adding a couple of cups of liquid to what is, at best, a slightly viscous mixture is supposed to thicken it, but I thought maybe sunflower juice reacts with flour and <i>jarsful</i> of spices in some way that is binding. It doesn't. After the <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/02/suff-refreshing-drink-made-from.html">suff</a> came more liquid in the form of several tablespoons of lemon juice, after which my dish bore rather little resemblance to even a very liberal definition of paste:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CmP1WlODYcSt3ZARjIwkja1s8A4Hg1pW0fG2ejElnyH2TzZP1bQp-kPjKcItdXwkvxCRUCKh0Kvp3gGAMG8inb1EwhO73DBAv4o0HKP0oqQJmxsdcHgiQEoifCKCndMad5Lw9X81piMY/s1600-h/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CmP1WlODYcSt3ZARjIwkja1s8A4Hg1pW0fG2ejElnyH2TzZP1bQp-kPjKcItdXwkvxCRUCKh0Kvp3gGAMG8inb1EwhO73DBAv4o0HKP0oqQJmxsdcHgiQEoifCKCndMad5Lw9X81piMY/s320/003.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At this point, I sealed it in airtight container and placed it in the refrigerator for three days, as instructed. Perhaps during this time, it would somehow turn into a paste? </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Not quite:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16aGClU4bztPXsU9rjvdB0KE6X6m169BzSunxdWNLrXi8NaVMTilxYF6m27FvjAG1k8reS2Nm7TygJemxbvbybv0FCIUn1cF7srGviBosvVTat-xgoDNy8ZGXZNgIEBLZ76cpMPLJrb3h/s1600-h/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16aGClU4bztPXsU9rjvdB0KE6X6m169BzSunxdWNLrXi8NaVMTilxYF6m27FvjAG1k8reS2Nm7TygJemxbvbybv0FCIUn1cF7srGviBosvVTat-xgoDNy8ZGXZNgIEBLZ76cpMPLJrb3h/s320/006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But it did seem a bit firmer than when I left it on Tuesday.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is definitely more of a condiment/side dish, meant to be eaten in small amounts. It's just too overpowering as a main dish and I think it actually upset my stomach a little! And while the two-year-olds can eat a level of spicy that I can't, they don't like sinus-emptying harshness like that of dried mustard, so I prepared a second option for them (to their credit, they did give the yegebs siljo a try):</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRAnf6fJ5VnV_jbohwGXr4M-e4pAr3QSOgof9DnLcu524MJNhLOkcdC1OWoW9_f08N3TzpExvRUThHAyG0-xrof3K-s2-gmDsWI-GRXArGKK_V0tYqn904CuI3wndWjoCZKL-SCp4YK0P/s1600-h/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRAnf6fJ5VnV_jbohwGXr4M-e4pAr3QSOgof9DnLcu524MJNhLOkcdC1OWoW9_f08N3TzpExvRUThHAyG0-xrof3K-s2-gmDsWI-GRXArGKK_V0tYqn904CuI3wndWjoCZKL-SCp4YK0P/s320/005.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's called "Dinty Moore Wet". Seriously. My husband suggests I add berbere to it next time. However, the two-year-olds revolted against the injera that I had purchased from EthiopianSpices.com. Even when it was fresh, they weren't enamored with it...it left a funky residue on the fingers and wasn't all that supple; freezing it just made it worse, despite thawing it gently. Though I still have 20 more pieces in the freezer, I think I'm going to save it for some <i>fitfit</i> (stew mixed with pieces of injera....my favorite is doro fitfit) and go back to getting the injera from our local Ethiopian restaurant. I can't have the Ethiopians unhappy with their injera. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What's next? The next recipe is a bit daunting, mainly because of the quantities involved. Fifteen pounds of this, five pounds each of x and y, and a pound of something else, just for starters. I also have to source a couple of things, so it might not be coming next week, but it will be coming! It's considered a basic ingredient, so it will be good to have on hand as for future recipes. </span></span></span></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-66825196346435170962010-02-16T17:37:00.000-05:002010-04-20T19:13:52.206-04:00Suff ("Refreshing Drink Made from Sunflower Seeds")<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"</span></span><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Suff</span></span></b></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> is a delicious, refreshing drink consumed primarily during Lent or fasting. The liquid can be mixed with injera to make Yesuff Fitfit." ~ D. J. Mesfin, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</span></span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This Friday's dinner (Yegebs Siljo, or barley paste) has a few steps to it and it has to sit for three days, so I needed to get started early. The first step involved making barley flour, which I'm totally game for, but, unfortunately, I don't have a flour mill and couldn't find one locally (a neighbor suggested using my coffee grinder, but I think grinding up four cups of flour is too much to ask of it). By the time I get a flour mill in, it will be too late for this recipe, so I simply bought another package of barley flour at the store. Easy enough!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The second step was discovered as I read through the ingredient list for the yegebs siljo: sunflower juice. A Google search yielded not sources, but recipes, including <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Ethiopian-Sunflower-Seed-Juice-355035">this one</a>. If you have a chance, visit the blog of the person who submitted it, <a href="http://www.yewoinfamilycooking.com/">Yewoin's Family Cooking</a>. It's in my sidebar, but I felt it deserves special mention, as it's truly the real deal: an Ethiopian woman and her recipes. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This was the recipe I used, though I later discovered that there is a recipe in <i>Exotic Ethiopian Cooking</i>, on page 72. Of course there is. I do wish this book was cross-referenced; it would make some things much easier!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There wasn't much to this recipe. You get some sunflower seeds (raw, I assumed):</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLMSjzE_PEKCfPDSzeErej3oTfqNAVHUoVR0meq5bl3DSGNiYTTYFp3qLHvouj20_3cmkfKrpQzyB2ACEEq6vCRgDmTT8ZCLAqZTnDCanxSAXknTPd6DI-Kx4nyXA7pi9JbYilPTJnRGM/s1600-h/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLMSjzE_PEKCfPDSzeErej3oTfqNAVHUoVR0meq5bl3DSGNiYTTYFp3qLHvouj20_3cmkfKrpQzyB2ACEEq6vCRgDmTT8ZCLAqZTnDCanxSAXknTPd6DI-Kx4nyXA7pi9JbYilPTJnRGM/s320/002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bring them to a boil for 15 minutes:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWJws3hkNiYtGoWDBJvWZE7mBGKK2dX2aVKZiHgWnhjfpRYqJyX4lKJc7gXZdixutyykifrVSqvkDwc274Bb6gfmptYto6WldmFU0pP_YVaC5Bvr04ZNobT6YAw_5gBjYT5qqh4pZaB2L/s1600-h/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWJws3hkNiYtGoWDBJvWZE7mBGKK2dX2aVKZiHgWnhjfpRYqJyX4lKJc7gXZdixutyykifrVSqvkDwc274Bb6gfmptYto6WldmFU0pP_YVaC5Bvr04ZNobT6YAw_5gBjYT5qqh4pZaB2L/s320/003.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Drain them:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguok_MaLG6jqsAed6PeSKPHChPNo6dob8FICXJCP6c2NqZydO-wZ05Agcl0Jmwti9jyp63iud1aglKh-PUaFfI2ijlkl7w43HBdPQtelYQzOQfT9vhE6_8Bim5YNXFYl36QCTh3Rf3Y12h/s1600-h/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguok_MaLG6jqsAed6PeSKPHChPNo6dob8FICXJCP6c2NqZydO-wZ05Agcl0Jmwti9jyp63iud1aglKh-PUaFfI2ijlkl7w43HBdPQtelYQzOQfT9vhE6_8Bim5YNXFYl36QCTh3Rf3Y12h/s320/004.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Throw them into a blender with some more water:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI-jf9jTCIDQqWJGJwg2BS8t6lR_BO4kPPpt__U3DdH7yIzOdDqyZQBxu-6geuaB8F4SX8AkA7KtEgwMBd0FpkHVBHoXCvqqJI5_HJewgtSRnL7axIsgKVmuF4IWmUUBmp_uwZniv9Szi/s1600-h/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaI-jf9jTCIDQqWJGJwg2BS8t6lR_BO4kPPpt__U3DdH7yIzOdDqyZQBxu-6geuaB8F4SX8AkA7KtEgwMBd0FpkHVBHoXCvqqJI5_HJewgtSRnL7axIsgKVmuF4IWmUUBmp_uwZniv9Szi/s320/005.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And blend:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucvfxAGwWMhZ7mGGwcyuk673Mr2YvEhn82eH2gajiUhcwseYbRDewXOwOTwSJKq-Z5ktyfZZO86_1AsUIS8Xtt7xVWoibgvrr3GQLSgTvBX9xmhkGD7taJzmW-nkLVieF0gSLbcothXSz/s1600-h/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucvfxAGwWMhZ7mGGwcyuk673Mr2YvEhn82eH2gajiUhcwseYbRDewXOwOTwSJKq-Z5ktyfZZO86_1AsUIS8Xtt7xVWoibgvrr3GQLSgTvBX9xmhkGD7taJzmW-nkLVieF0gSLbcothXSz/s320/006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After blending it, you need to sieve the liquid to remove the sunflower seed mush:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhns6VTvdPeR9c2ir3RMluJ3_hLJ8RF52N0ERUz-6i2Mg3Zyv0Jsq2IFcm_LB75CUm8uC32uxskZzU4PXLv5Af2nIWJQZtxe6csKO_I6qEUS4wXR0q6yYwTbaugIlywK7rTDBDJ0v3zq7B-/s1600-h/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhns6VTvdPeR9c2ir3RMluJ3_hLJ8RF52N0ERUz-6i2Mg3Zyv0Jsq2IFcm_LB75CUm8uC32uxskZzU4PXLv5Af2nIWJQZtxe6csKO_I6qEUS4wXR0q6yYwTbaugIlywK7rTDBDJ0v3zq7B-/s320/008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4Kb7SqT6YYuaCEmMbh5iKnbcVQGU1eDTSiOnQSReOCLzfiVY6TrQJdogBipSOqNINBE6kcfBCHuGG5jDau8BflS344tR8ZLXFQz7xfiI3XtWS94l4bzsRT57-kFzA7ZClkoZgTDTN1fS/s1600-h/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4Kb7SqT6YYuaCEmMbh5iKnbcVQGU1eDTSiOnQSReOCLzfiVY6TrQJdogBipSOqNINBE6kcfBCHuGG5jDau8BflS344tR8ZLXFQz7xfiI3XtWS94l4bzsRT57-kFzA7ZClkoZgTDTN1fS/s320/009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It looks like sunflower milk!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqDgH6O2Vv2tkm5yV7fZhew_koj59zHPa62ZzYD-ZAgppQoMAaO3kuQTPAs8FxdK7YyQBBr5BjpVJipC6-cEa3eATvSB04Bm_B_sn3n9AsB91-Zn5bm0WJNoNM4RUNtjtEOwHwdhXYTsL/s1600-h/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqDgH6O2Vv2tkm5yV7fZhew_koj59zHPa62ZzYD-ZAgppQoMAaO3kuQTPAs8FxdK7YyQBBr5BjpVJipC6-cEa3eATvSB04Bm_B_sn3n9AsB91-Zn5bm0WJNoNM4RUNtjtEOwHwdhXYTsL/s320/017.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At this point, you're supposed to add some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Rue">rue</a> (also known as "tena adam" in Ethiopia). The recipe I referenced above mentioned using rue or ginger, so I went with the ginger. I think I'm going to have to convert one of my raised beds into an Ethiopian herb garden this summer! And maybe another into a teff field. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yqD7GEVU7Qh8kyJWZA5VLWQkzxfqJ407wX1wt_WOZ-nsi7SVkhuB20lmRRELE-O-Hs_m3_xcBklT8mEFVlOGVZ0fcxYeFowl4RdT9DcjoLi9hgp4iMqcQ8QrhApbF1x1GoljRDzUdMGV/s1600-h/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yqD7GEVU7Qh8kyJWZA5VLWQkzxfqJ407wX1wt_WOZ-nsi7SVkhuB20lmRRELE-O-Hs_m3_xcBklT8mEFVlOGVZ0fcxYeFowl4RdT9DcjoLi9hgp4iMqcQ8QrhApbF1x1GoljRDzUdMGV/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just peeled the ginger on the non-nubbly sides and dropped it into the sunflower juice. The instructions state that when you're ready to drink it, you add sugar or honey to taste. The two-year-olds demanded a taste and I forgot to sweeten it for them; it didn't go over very well. I haven't yet tried it because I want to make sure I have enough for the yegebs siljo!</span></span> </div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-78914202261602918012010-02-13T21:36:00.000-05:002010-04-20T19:15:57.553-04:00Yebunna T'ej (Coffee-Flavored Honey Wine), part IV<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today was a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone kind of day. I needed to make <a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/02/bunna-coffee.html">coffee</a>, and I needed to move onto the next step with the t'ej, which included adding the coffee! </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yesterday, I had strained the t'ej mixture, then returned it to its place on top of the stove, covered. Approximately 24 hours later, it was looking a little less green/muddy than it had yesterday:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today's first step was roasting the coffee, which is covered in the prior blog post. I should have purchased two pounds of green coffee beans, because I needed an entire pound for the t'ej alone. And because I really wanted to brew what I roasted, I needed to use a cup of the beans originally intended for the t'ej. To make up for it, I pulled out some coffee beans that were purchased in Addis Ababa. This coffee comes from the Sidama region, the region where the girls were born. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm glad I only needed a little bit of it, because it looked so inadequate next to my home-roasted stuff:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwswLCJPk9raDuaXjkQ3VlwiJg0mLoN2Pwptr7YwFjSyQ1w5mGrb5QKINxaEh4X4rFLEOVze6CriY_1RXsEXT0KYc0CGLn1-ygNloY4d9dC0LFmpAqpi94GzW3Z3Te_hTxXwQPUSStbroG/s1600-h/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwswLCJPk9raDuaXjkQ3VlwiJg0mLoN2Pwptr7YwFjSyQ1w5mGrb5QKINxaEh4X4rFLEOVze6CriY_1RXsEXT0KYc0CGLn1-ygNloY4d9dC0LFmpAqpi94GzW3Z3Te_hTxXwQPUSStbroG/s320/016.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(the dark stuff is mine; the lighter stuff is the coffee we bought in Addis)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I never realized how much coffee beans expand after they're roasted. The pound of green beans I received was in a little rectangular pouch not much larger than two Pop-Tart wrappers side by side. The volume of those beans roasted filled a colander. Ground, there was simply a TON of it!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The challenge today was how I was going to get cheesecloth-ensconced coffee grounds into a giant carboy with a neck that was approximately only an inch in diameter. I started with the idea of making a sort of coffee-ground/cheesecloth string of sausages, but there were just way too many grounds and it quickly became clear that I wasn't going to be able to get the "sausages" narrow enough to fit into the neck. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I went with my husband's idea of making a sort of pouch with the cheesecloth, poking it down through the neck, and adding the coffee grounds through a funnel. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyvtvuzY7IJ5npYit_aYuqV88WLn-Uz6o0_Ag1ifjIHcsfLmsrp67nxn2-zpvmIOoJE_ZnAFuObkDfm_pOWeCfieOQZH53YEX2WPDWqBqmtx6m26aCrtyLC9kw9YC96bnuUPH8RgpINJ2/s1600-h/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyvtvuzY7IJ5npYit_aYuqV88WLn-Uz6o0_Ag1ifjIHcsfLmsrp67nxn2-zpvmIOoJE_ZnAFuObkDfm_pOWeCfieOQZH53YEX2WPDWqBqmtx6m26aCrtyLC9kw9YC96bnuUPH8RgpINJ2/s320/017.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I quickly discarded the funnel because it wasn't very large (yet it was the largest I had) and the bottom was narrow enough that it got clogged quite quickly. Plus, the grounds just weren't flowing smoothly through the cheesecloth-lined neck. I ended up tediously spooning the grounds into the neck with one of the girls' old baby spoons. Every few spoonfuls, I'd need to loosen the cheesecloth, shake it to settle the grounds, and release a bit more cheesecloth into the bottle to make more room for more grounds. To reduce the risk of grounds seepage, I originally doubled the cheesecloth, which actually made it even more difficult to get the grounds in. About halfway to three-quarters of the way through, I lost control over an edge of the cheesecloth and grounds started leaking out. At this point, I tied it the best I could, realizing that it was going to be inevitable that the grounds would be leaking out. I'll just have to filter the t'ej again later on. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Because I hadn't gotten all of the coffee grounds into the carboy, I grabbed another piece of cheesecloth, except I kept it to one ply <i>and</i> it was still damp from being rinsed out yesterday. This made a huge difference; while it was still slow going, it went much more quickly than it did before, and I was able to tie the cheesecloth so that there would be no leakage at all from at least that group of grounds. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After getting all of the grounds into the carboy (I have no idea how I'm going to get them OUT again....I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it), I added the t'ej. It is actually starting to take on a nice honey color. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9oYRHzjLZt5q4IWcpX9LJE368LUkddCmXy0cDD-VGTml94-7T27IXABCyDWwnr1Nyl8bdjy4JN2X7HSBVJ_7tj4N_soXqPzSuIGEK-Ajb1AiOciF0fXLznZlitRuQvkYY5qZhrvTRsJy/s1600-h/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9oYRHzjLZt5q4IWcpX9LJE368LUkddCmXy0cDD-VGTml94-7T27IXABCyDWwnr1Nyl8bdjy4JN2X7HSBVJ_7tj4N_soXqPzSuIGEK-Ajb1AiOciF0fXLznZlitRuQvkYY5qZhrvTRsJy/s320/019.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the cheesecloth-covered grounds floating in the t'ej</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A notation in the recipe mentioned adding some brewed coffee to impart some coffee color to the brew, so I took some of the coffee I had made in the previous post and poured it on in. It didn't give me any idea of how much to put it, so I just poured it in until I thought it looked good. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then, it was just a matter of adding a water lock (recommended by the dude at the home brewing supply store) on the top:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Now it gets to sit for 20 days! And though I mentioned yesterday that today's step would be the final one, I discovered that I missed one additional 2-3-day step, so <i>this</i> is the penultimate step. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If anyone is at all interested in having a taste in 3 to 4 weeks, please feel free to <a href="mailto:faranjehabesha@aol.com">e-mail me</a> with your address and I'll be happy to send you a small sample! That offer stands for anything I make, as long as it's something that can tolerate shipping.</span></span></div>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-57872990068551559522010-02-13T20:17:00.000-05:002010-04-20T19:15:57.554-04:00Bunna (Coffee)<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1266095436747"></span><span id="goog_1266095436748"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMk-c0n5S7BZfYpHhsVIrfNjO3PEkbWeaZG-iyp_bBYCwsevNHlaERluyR6VQotXoOEdQ64YOyxmjSkk5HLNHREvt6ojf5nJwaG3ikxvBBjuj4Nos6QZFSHTPn7I4QMTc6ta03JS00JtWZ/s1600-h/428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMk-c0n5S7BZfYpHhsVIrfNjO3PEkbWeaZG-iyp_bBYCwsevNHlaERluyR6VQotXoOEdQ64YOyxmjSkk5HLNHREvt6ojf5nJwaG3ikxvBBjuj4Nos6QZFSHTPn7I4QMTc6ta03JS00JtWZ/s400/428.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">an Ethiopian coffee ceremony set-up</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The first day we were in Ethiopia, at around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the entire guest house filled with smoke. Indeed, we were half afraid that perhaps it </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">was</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> on fire, except no one seemed concerned in the least, so we decided we weren't concerned. Upon our return from Chuko (in the Sidama region), we noticed this phenomenon again: a guest house visibly full of smoke and absolutely no one showing any signs that this was anything about which to worry. This time, though, we investigated and discovered that it was the staff's afternoon coffee ceremony. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At the end of the recipe, there is a brief notation stating that "In most household [</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">sic</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">] coffee drinking has a ritual beyond explanation." I'm certainly not even going to try an explanation myself, but a Google search on "Ethiopian coffee ceremony" can yield plenty of information (including </span><a href="http://www.epicurean.com/articles/ethiopian-coffee-ceremony.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">) and some beautiful photos. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What we were smelling was the roasting of the green coffee beans (which doesn't actually smell overwhelmingly like coffee, more like the chestnuts roasted on the sidewalks of New York, but nicer) and what we were seeing was the smoke that ensued from the process. Once we poked our heads into the common room, we were of course invited to join in, and every day thereafter, whenever we smelled the smoke, we made sure to make it downstairs. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I came to coffee late in life, perhaps not even 10 years ago, and the reason why seems to be that I had never tried any good coffee. It turns out I am a coffee snob; once I had had good coffee, I was converted. Fortunately, I don't </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">need</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> coffee every day, so it's not a crisis if I can't find a cup of <i>good</i> coffee. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sinadu was the cook at our agency's guest house and she was at the helm of the coffee making every afternoon. Even just thinking back to her afternoon coffee (the coffee she made for us in the morning and kept in the carafe was not even in the same league), my hands start shaking. It was </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">that</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> good. The cups are tiny, but the stuff is potent! Exactly what a new, sleep-deprived parent needed at 4 in the afternoon. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The coffee-making in Ethiopia starts with the green coffee beans (technically, it does here in the US, too, but for most of the coffee-drinking population, the earliest in the process we start doing it ourselves is with the roasted coffee beans). At coffee time, the beans are roasted in a little cup over a brazier and, when they are done, they are passed around so that everyone can take a whiff. They are then ground with a mortar and pestle, added to boiling water, and boiled for a few minutes before being poured into demitasse-type cups, usually with a good amount of sugar in the bottom. Incense is often burned during the ceremony and popcorn is almost always served. It all smells divine. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thus, I was beyond thrilled when I turned to page 66 and discovered I'd get to try my own hand at making Ethiopian coffee, from scratch! I ordered the beans from Brundo.com and had planned to make this last weekend, but ended up with a stomach bug. I thought about doing it a couple of times during the week, but the only time I could do it was in the afternoon, and now that I no longer have two babies waking up every two hours during the night, I try to avoid strong coffee after noon or so. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Late this morning seemed the perfect time. We were home after gymnastics and a late breakfast/early lunch, and had some time to kill before afternoon naps! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We started properly, with green coffee beans:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiq0Y9ZVby_iPNkGfdkowMsK85nIa5GQeckFMfBrgT1qZGU3UVXRx-pQ4uR3ukWVzJ_jMcAr4mEhT63eLaa38e8VoxPshEKdLuizQXZKKdYaNv31bqH57Iodur3EQXsMyOhQ6we0inXXVD/s1600-h/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiq0Y9ZVby_iPNkGfdkowMsK85nIa5GQeckFMfBrgT1qZGU3UVXRx-pQ4uR3ukWVzJ_jMcAr4mEhT63eLaa38e8VoxPshEKdLuizQXZKKdYaNv31bqH57Iodur3EQXsMyOhQ6we0inXXVD/s320/001.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">While I waited for my coffee beans to arrive, I did a little research on home roasting. There are home coffee roasters out there, but they start around $80 and only have the one purpose. While it was clear that I could just use one of my cast-iron skillets, in several articles, I saw mentioned this </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wabash-Valley-Farms-25008-Whirley-Pop/dp/B00004SU35/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1266099267&sr=8-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">apparatus</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVbKxL1fRboDx9sAGpW_l4TYCDgvleqq2gD3fmZvooaz0z0uD99zTs1QZgymv76lMyirOWOkE8-sDTUkwEJ8GzO59lfNpz0-b8ISDd6VrF2FhhVz3_6NoffpYwUdFUc3b2bNBx7d2V5hs/s1600-h/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVbKxL1fRboDx9sAGpW_l4TYCDgvleqq2gD3fmZvooaz0z0uD99zTs1QZgymv76lMyirOWOkE8-sDTUkwEJ8GzO59lfNpz0-b8ISDd6VrF2FhhVz3_6NoffpYwUdFUc3b2bNBx7d2V5hs/s320/002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's called a "Whirly Pop" and in addition to doubling as a coffee roaster, it can also serve its intended purpose as a popcorn popper (I like appliances that serve multiple uses, whether intended to or not). We like popcorn in this household, especially the toddlers, one of whom just this past week announced, as we were making popcorn (which we do on the stove) "I love popcorn. Because I'm 'opian." Investing in the Whirly Pop made more sense to me, as it's important to maintain plenty of airflow around the coffee beans as they roast. Plus, I'd read that the skillet method often leads to uneven results. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl80Xm4l8ccnD1tZ9_l4esyAAbHffi-Ps7jtbCC-13zVFUOuv7zB8GvFYHqtTdFn3ofhdbOQn1Ryq5vLe0EmqAQ2NnTJgrI889zISHPB44Ps7fWGBiwayiaj7Cn3nZd-YqcGH5r3vHTXms/s1600-h/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl80Xm4l8ccnD1tZ9_l4esyAAbHffi-Ps7jtbCC-13zVFUOuv7zB8GvFYHqtTdFn3ofhdbOQn1Ryq5vLe0EmqAQ2NnTJgrI889zISHPB44Ps7fWGBiwayiaj7Cn3nZd-YqcGH5r3vHTXms/s320/003.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">green coffee beans in the Whirly Pop, waiting to be roasted!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Also in my reading, it was stressed that ventilation would be important when roasting the coffee beans, especially inside. From our experience in Ethiopia, I knew that this would be true. The articles I read insisted that a stove hood would be more than adequate. I was a little dubious, so also opened the kitchen door and my husband turned on the fan and disabled our smoke detector, which is a little overzealous even on a normal day. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It seems that 450 degrees is the ideal coffee roasting temperature, but I'd broken my thermometer when I made the </span><a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/2010/01/1232010-dabbo-qolo-wheat-nutssnacks.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">dabbo qolo</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, so I just turned our electric cooktop stove element to about 7 or 8 and started cranking (or would that be "whirling"?). Though the recipe only called for a cup of coffee beans, I threw in the whole pound, as I also needed to roast a pound of coffee beans for the </span><a href="http://afaranjecooksethiopian.blogspot.com/search/label/yebunna%20t'ej"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">yebunna t'ej</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (when I went to work on the t'ej, I had to augment with a cup of already roasted coffee beans that came from Addis; I should have ordered two pounds of the green coffee beans, rather than one). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The whole roasting process only took 10 or 15 minutes, tops. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBolnOp0daShcQy0canJDlK9JaAnzkqEz6LCRfXyj1ybC-Jf_GlnyrjWdSmxL6quXpNOwa7l1iGoZd-pEVwzylLWZwIcGBkjtdscxmxw1x6Dkk0Jzr0speS_UYld5qkCwUdS_7QMu5Lqb_/s1600-h/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBolnOp0daShcQy0canJDlK9JaAnzkqEz6LCRfXyj1ybC-Jf_GlnyrjWdSmxL6quXpNOwa7l1iGoZd-pEVwzylLWZwIcGBkjtdscxmxw1x6Dkk0Jzr0speS_UYld5qkCwUdS_7QMu5Lqb_/s320/004.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">after maybe about 5 minutes of roasting - the color's changing!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After the above picture was taken, things started picking up. The beans started softly popping, the chaff was flying off, and our kitchen was completely filled with smoke, despite the stove hood going full blast. It smelled </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">exactly</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> like the guest house at afternoon coffee time!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74hWBXNmEm4bG2NMti2FErOD_APBd9Wse7XzkMR2md5n9rqDiI1x-w0pAkGv3ox62NnfnIpI3GYIkRevo8LN7KLUpyA7PwMNshAkEu6G7lfZwMQBtU4i3SL5WjHliM6P6Ni7_G0XY0-r4/s1600-h/005a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74hWBXNmEm4bG2NMti2FErOD_APBd9Wse7XzkMR2md5n9rqDiI1x-w0pAkGv3ox62NnfnIpI3GYIkRevo8LN7KLUpyA7PwMNshAkEu6G7lfZwMQBtU4i3SL5WjHliM6P6Ni7_G0XY0-r4/s320/005a.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(I kept the lid up so I could keep an eye on the color)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One trick to roasting coffee beans is that they continue roasting a bit more while they cool down, so it's very easy to overshoot the roast for which you're aiming.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwytDJ54sj0ZNmI6g93qWr2aCWtVdPhpjJOIYS1OfxLYhn7nXoOp9q2OIq1mBY13VYyYpO4Q0_xvZYvWU4hOEIEhdDeQCum0HFIunCiztFCSZugcUS_YllziW6BPlKNE_jfVL6RLr2Zq86/s1600-h/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwytDJ54sj0ZNmI6g93qWr2aCWtVdPhpjJOIYS1OfxLYhn7nXoOp9q2OIq1mBY13VYyYpO4Q0_xvZYvWU4hOEIEhdDeQCum0HFIunCiztFCSZugcUS_YllziW6BPlKNE_jfVL6RLr2Zq86/s320/009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was using as my guide my <a href="http://www.starbucksstore.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=312976">Starbucks Ethiopia Sidama</a> (I know, it says "Sidamo", but we use "Sidama", and <a href="http://www.sidamaconcern.com/news2007/0810071.htm">here's why</a>), which is on the left. On the right was the roast I ended up with...a little bit darker. It really didn't end up mattering, but if I was aiming for a roast like the Sidama, I should have pulled it off of the heat a smidgen earlier. It amazed me how these green, dull beans just metamorphosed into these gorgeous, shiny pieces of onyx. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Once the coffee's roasted, you have to cool it because it's <b>hot</b>:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpXQ914G1TVjp9uG7kjtVRCE7kHN27UGsbHd2GEFYAvd8EDjqgZGN55WmlN9ueoK9CfxaHV1sBvK-yyEH3lW8XxmR5iIg0pY-DgRJSVWDSOFm2ES8xrP9MPzvnYjLFwVlRukR-Z6791YV/s1600-h/006a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpXQ914G1TVjp9uG7kjtVRCE7kHN27UGsbHd2GEFYAvd8EDjqgZGN55WmlN9ueoK9CfxaHV1sBvK-yyEH3lW8XxmR5iIg0pY-DgRJSVWDSOFm2ES8xrP9MPzvnYjLFwVlRukR-Z6791YV/s320/006a.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">See that smoke? Multiply it by about three and imagine it filling our entire downstairs. Mmmmmmmmm.......</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To cool it off, I took the colander outside and gently tossed the beans up and down. While you can't see it, the coffee beans have fine outer hulls that pop off with the roasting. They're very light, and while tossing the beans to cool them down, the chaff blows right off. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I cannot adequately describe how great my house smelled. Six hours later, and it <i>still</i> smells amazing! My husband went out to sand and salt the sidewalk and came in saying that it even smelled like roasting coffee outside (with all the windows open to try to clear the smoke, it's no wonder). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Grinding freshly ground, still-warm coffee beans? Sheer decadence. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0C8TbrNk39wGTnG6v65SZVDZt89hIKtj3tSRy8ZuAmA_t-lVn2MlcsphjMia_PqETqX_D6Ni53Vp9Qwi4BA91Ktd1hQZTgfdYrSmUrzEepvc_N_P1_WBLAf9_2q1cRQZvgNbtOrQ0jpq/s1600-h/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0C8TbrNk39wGTnG6v65SZVDZt89hIKtj3tSRy8ZuAmA_t-lVn2MlcsphjMia_PqETqX_D6Ni53Vp9Qwi4BA91Ktd1hQZTgfdYrSmUrzEepvc_N_P1_WBLAf9_2q1cRQZvgNbtOrQ0jpq/s320/008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">At this point, I could have just fired up the Mr. Coffee, but I was going to do it the Ethiopian way, which, according to the cookbook, means adding some ground cloves and ground cinnamon:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgi4cKZLu_LaIGIGXxeQBnxYye1EgaOc1TG9USxz6BcXUcKX4DMtD8ZOPEPzH2Tj3SH42XikTcUiV1t872kMGG4sW53-XbxVLtPztkPayJjB7xk_9FttFTIxBYy5znrbUTYkmay0rDAGKu/s1600-h/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgi4cKZLu_LaIGIGXxeQBnxYye1EgaOc1TG9USxz6BcXUcKX4DMtD8ZOPEPzH2Tj3SH42XikTcUiV1t872kMGG4sW53-XbxVLtPztkPayJjB7xk_9FttFTIxBYy5znrbUTYkmay0rDAGKu/s320/007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was a little worried about adding the spices. I'd had the spiced coffee in Ethiopian restaurants before, and I didn't like it as much as I had liked Sinadu's un-spiced coffee. But, I decided to stick with the recipe and I added the spices (I added them to the beans in the grinder before I ground them). </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then I brought some water to a boil on the stove, added the coffee, and boiled for five more minutes. I have no pictures of this stage because once you add the coffee to the water, it threatens to overflow the pot and I had to keep taking it off the heat and putting it back on as I adjusted the temperature so that it would boil, but not overflow. My hands were a little occupied!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">By this point, the toddlers were clamoring for some coffee. It's not unusual for them to get a tablespoon or two with their milk; after all, their father in Ethiopia grows coffee himself and their family's coffee set had a place of honor in their <i>tukul</i> (a hut like the ones I have pictured to the right of the top of the posts). As the girls watched me roasting the coffee beans this morning, I couldn't help but picture them watching their mother in Ethiopia roasting the family's coffee, had their life taken its originally intended course. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHqqcR7oByXXc-SoaHM2tt1o4ygi3IK_D3K9SJ1lkHPgGmdjjI6vC4hUZwilfwLwHCXizootMB0G2m4ZxQKdo2xwudFnPALKymgFX9xxgsiXSMAUEB0yGtWhLEan83C8ug4SaKwFYhSJD/s1600-h/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinHqqcR7oByXXc-SoaHM2tt1o4ygi3IK_D3K9SJ1lkHPgGmdjjI6vC4hUZwilfwLwHCXizootMB0G2m4ZxQKdo2xwudFnPALKymgFX9xxgsiXSMAUEB0yGtWhLEan83C8ug4SaKwFYhSJD/s320/012.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(I transferred it to the Mr. Coffee carafe just to make it easy to pour)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DlCVecFZXN7CtrHfTqqW7Y7evoDPwpYTebMxvP9BzJSDDdgj5zz5sl7PHIgAu0hog6xs7PpB7ek9d2t51eNABpLy0DHpoalHfvzjCWoAtBE08JykWVHYMr4O5A-nmtpR1HI51E3NMCTI/s1600-h/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DlCVecFZXN7CtrHfTqqW7Y7evoDPwpYTebMxvP9BzJSDDdgj5zz5sl7PHIgAu0hog6xs7PpB7ek9d2t51eNABpLy0DHpoalHfvzjCWoAtBE08JykWVHYMr4O5A-nmtpR1HI51E3NMCTI/s320/011.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Isn't it gorgeous? I didn't fill the coffee cup all the way up, as I would with my regular coffee, because I assumed it was going to be strong, and I wasn't disappointed! This particular mix of spices was perfect. It didn't overpower the coffee (cloves, especially, can be quite overpowering), but instead lightly spiced it. Because the coffee was boiled, not filtered, there were, of course, grounds:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBvBFb3qDGYVAE4rNoopzMowBkKUCEP__ThLF7TPwPU_J7YJ-K8TMtrY4N4g6DU12V3slSOYFsqLzUQz3cMt2YjHlhnDGDoPiAIVx_1CVipcp4alxpLhLTc6T6lK-OR50kOHjBZsoa-sh/s1600-h/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoBvBFb3qDGYVAE4rNoopzMowBkKUCEP__ThLF7TPwPU_J7YJ-K8TMtrY4N4g6DU12V3slSOYFsqLzUQz3cMt2YjHlhnDGDoPiAIVx_1CVipcp4alxpLhLTc6T6lK-OR50kOHjBZsoa-sh/s320/001.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">the grounds left over at the bottom of the carafe</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCJ9ayVsZcGn8-nlpOYXVqN66cDmb-FsgME1VkoJK35V4PjvwXPT_uNVXNZPPuJaSTbzywFjQCQdGf4q9gZtuQ1cCOewCbKlO_7CRindTWzq8nRkzC02EsHo2MG-eShgD6-0nEt1t2rSr/s1600-h/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCJ9ayVsZcGn8-nlpOYXVqN66cDmb-FsgME1VkoJK35V4PjvwXPT_uNVXNZPPuJaSTbzywFjQCQdGf4q9gZtuQ1cCOewCbKlO_7CRindTWzq8nRkzC02EsHo2MG-eShgD6-0nEt1t2rSr/s320/014.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">even the babies' cups had a fair amount of grounds</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I don't know what it is about Ethiopian coffee, but it has this way of making me feel completely serene and all Zen, even with the accompanying palpitations, shaking hands, and weak knees. This was really good stuff. So good I'm wondering why I'm not roasting my own beans every time I want a cup of coffee (I read somewhere that, until the late 1800s, everyone roasted their own coffee). Oh, yes, perhaps it's that smoke issue..... </span></span></div></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8299246404198149569.post-54659014869217185162010-02-12T18:24:00.000-05:002010-04-20T19:15:57.555-04:00Yebunna T'ej (Coffee-Flavored Honey Wine), part III<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This week's recipe, Samma We't ("Spinach Like Plant Sauce 'Nettle'" -- that subtitle needed to be placed in quotes, as that is <i>exactly </i>what it says in the cookbook) will need to wait. The good news is that, believe it or not, I found a <a href="http://www.localharvest.org/fresh-stinging-nettles-C4244">source for fresh stinging nettle leaves</a>. It's even sold in 2-lb portions, which is exactly how much I need for the we't. The bad news is that it's only available during April. I haven't ruled out my local Asian market, yet, but suspect this may be a highly seasonal item. So, be assured it's coming, but I'm issuing a rain check for the time being. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Meanwhile, today was time for another yebunna t'ej intervention. This step was supposed to be performed on Wednesday; however, I was in Rochester for work. I was originally scheduled to fly out of Rochester on Wednesday night, but that was before my flight was canceled in preparation for Winter Storm Barbara (we <a href="http://www.wfsb.com/stormnames/index.html">name our winter storms here in CT</a>), who dumped all of 1/2 of an inch of snow on us. I didn't get home until after 6 Thursday night, so I'm just getting around to the t'ej today. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There really wasn't all that much that to this step. All that needed to be done was to strain the hops from the brew, which was looking like this:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg0BHr2LSBEptu_dvIhpf_wKjjUUKuVp-bLZE1u6XeS_ifN7QWi2Ae5OhGFYEjQ1-WtG0Mi-3d0zu0EqsMu6RCvP442oGBqqN-JmYXxoSyLYVQ20ChAkqTNb4EZ034MkuEJ08wqX1IiUX/s1600-h/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWg0BHr2LSBEptu_dvIhpf_wKjjUUKuVp-bLZE1u6XeS_ifN7QWi2Ae5OhGFYEjQ1-WtG0Mi-3d0zu0EqsMu6RCvP442oGBqqN-JmYXxoSyLYVQ20ChAkqTNb4EZ034MkuEJ08wqX1IiUX/s320/003.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">after another week of sitting</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We stocked up on cheesecloth at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, after being directed to the dishcloths by a member of the Target sales staff. I folded the cheesecloth into about four plies, then laid it into the smallest-holed colander I have; this set-up was then placed on top of a stock pot:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyF0f4uE48HUvNvvpebo1nJ6rC8Gee6padCNMFKYr-rUVCkq83oRlTYMO8O_NGPA1i6UrguwhQ3TLOQj83ds7x9JB1xVlKWJlo4FEBfGhBohXIJq3poZlVN0za-AIbKk7Z4ge2knhR3QP/s1600-h/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyF0f4uE48HUvNvvpebo1nJ6rC8Gee6padCNMFKYr-rUVCkq83oRlTYMO8O_NGPA1i6UrguwhQ3TLOQj83ds7x9JB1xVlKWJlo4FEBfGhBohXIJq3poZlVN0za-AIbKk7Z4ge2knhR3QP/s320/004.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKs_A7ysuvvARBeTcudXtvJ3Adrsv8pW7QPHVzoObPNLa4E2G4RFgazbr8DcUkhH-P8OTeu3uoKMZOm6tfG3Vvd4D2NR7sjfbl8PmiGnyflgYpli2fXm2Du8CIxH6Qr64YP-9CvqOM4r2s/s1600-h/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKs_A7ysuvvARBeTcudXtvJ3Adrsv8pW7QPHVzoObPNLa4E2G4RFgazbr8DcUkhH-P8OTeu3uoKMZOm6tfG3Vvd4D2NR7sjfbl8PmiGnyflgYpli2fXm2Du8CIxH6Qr64YP-9CvqOM4r2s/s320/005.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLCopig3LlN1P9OntHc7aQRKRsAISaNHqvUVDfbml0ulUYDJe0tHaLwYIrm10UA1TCa4oIbvhsMQo34EcYdS2CkeJjUWs5lyTuF82ZjvUvGc3KhxChxUQH3PD1Hya932x0JvQuZNd6PP6/s1600-h/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLCopig3LlN1P9OntHc7aQRKRsAISaNHqvUVDfbml0ulUYDJe0tHaLwYIrm10UA1TCa4oIbvhsMQo34EcYdS2CkeJjUWs5lyTuF82ZjvUvGc3KhxChxUQH3PD1Hya932x0JvQuZNd6PP6/s320/006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After two passes through the cheesecloth, I still wasn't all that impressed with the results:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrRyhH2bUv8_ZVYvRXGPqoTMd-mEat540CGKttfzTml42BjxvVgpIZN8cfPDjK-iGIKPo7SvaQWBnKFUKRbsnkm0By0GIpHa8gupZgZyCcA3-se5M11HWD5dxmhCc63Jb99_BenJbRCf9/s1600-h/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrRyhH2bUv8_ZVYvRXGPqoTMd-mEat540CGKttfzTml42BjxvVgpIZN8cfPDjK-iGIKPo7SvaQWBnKFUKRbsnkm0By0GIpHa8gupZgZyCcA3-se5M11HWD5dxmhCc63Jb99_BenJbRCf9/s320/007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">still looking a little murky</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So I decided to try putting it through a coffee filter, first through the rigged-up Mr. Coffee (my poor appliances):</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnP0wAZwkw-pB_3rsTY06OMHmmUiUiQJfpop2k9k2slxuYgj6o1wANOv30ZycOayc2S0JZXWxPoRKJgJMvfQsvYF3KtSr6uzfxQA6sHMuKhipSaE0Uc3LJxyargJ0VhPPTefZMvSxJP1b/s1600-h/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnP0wAZwkw-pB_3rsTY06OMHmmUiUiQJfpop2k9k2slxuYgj6o1wANOv30ZycOayc2S0JZXWxPoRKJgJMvfQsvYF3KtSr6uzfxQA6sHMuKhipSaE0Uc3LJxyargJ0VhPPTefZMvSxJP1b/s320/008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then through a colander lined with coffee filters:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Qb-hR_Ukydthi2xmrdYq68ycam54Mw0Jgm2mpwNfWkhOvYPxUcL2LrL642QD9Acf9LjkhLC3O9NTZdlcc0Dpb3ZLS2EbOe_nkHPBg9oIRu5QZ6EI9cYM-FsFtLqqDrv2p9u8UIOORFfI/s1600-h/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Qb-hR_Ukydthi2xmrdYq68ycam54Mw0Jgm2mpwNfWkhOvYPxUcL2LrL642QD9Acf9LjkhLC3O9NTZdlcc0Dpb3ZLS2EbOe_nkHPBg9oIRu5QZ6EI9cYM-FsFtLqqDrv2p9u8UIOORFfI/s320/009.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Though there was a fair bit of silt left over in the coffee filters (and I even replaced them all once during the process because they clogged up):</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJk3pHLOMf20cniMf7jlOC0x4ofbPy8hDA7ODjaPhqjK3NUogFmmig3JP3Mylr_hWAC1N2jYBXCLdQgo0wW9vp80ofqfXYrZ_HhGtLB43IVFnSVewyatGkwicoIARa5MWYtbgbkMYjiYs/s1600-h/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJk3pHLOMf20cniMf7jlOC0x4ofbPy8hDA7ODjaPhqjK3NUogFmmig3JP3Mylr_hWAC1N2jYBXCLdQgo0wW9vp80ofqfXYrZ_HhGtLB43IVFnSVewyatGkwicoIARa5MWYtbgbkMYjiYs/s320/010.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm not sure the t'ej is any clearer:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJpGD030LlngrE0_3GAIB6F7hPJ_-wL-7huNJFTwM3UCeA_4fHkpFjE0e9GA1DAnVuj29AN-kZc_hWkHtTaYmN4AxhXKi6khooCMb14jtRHGb93IGKKexVagCjBXy4_LcB19L_VE6hnIa/s1600-h/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJpGD030LlngrE0_3GAIB6F7hPJ_-wL-7huNJFTwM3UCeA_4fHkpFjE0e9GA1DAnVuj29AN-kZc_hWkHtTaYmN4AxhXKi6khooCMb14jtRHGb93IGKKexVagCjBXy4_LcB19L_VE6hnIa/s320/011.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Side by side (or top/bottom) comparison:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrRyhH2bUv8_ZVYvRXGPqoTMd-mEat540CGKttfzTml42BjxvVgpIZN8cfPDjK-iGIKPo7SvaQWBnKFUKRbsnkm0By0GIpHa8gupZgZyCcA3-se5M11HWD5dxmhCc63Jb99_BenJbRCf9/s1600-h/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrRyhH2bUv8_ZVYvRXGPqoTMd-mEat540CGKttfzTml42BjxvVgpIZN8cfPDjK-iGIKPo7SvaQWBnKFUKRbsnkm0By0GIpHa8gupZgZyCcA3-se5M11HWD5dxmhCc63Jb99_BenJbRCf9/s200/007.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJpGD030LlngrE0_3GAIB6F7hPJ_-wL-7huNJFTwM3UCeA_4fHkpFjE0e9GA1DAnVuj29AN-kZc_hWkHtTaYmN4AxhXKi6khooCMb14jtRHGb93IGKKexVagCjBXy4_LcB19L_VE6hnIa/s1600-h/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibJpGD030LlngrE0_3GAIB6F7hPJ_-wL-7huNJFTwM3UCeA_4fHkpFjE0e9GA1DAnVuj29AN-kZc_hWkHtTaYmN4AxhXKi6khooCMb14jtRHGb93IGKKexVagCjBXy4_LcB19L_VE6hnIa/s200/011.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">That gesho kitel is quite difficult to filter out. Perhaps it clears a bit later in the process. For now, it sits for 24 hours and tomorrow, I move onto the penultimate step, part of which also involves the recipe I was supposed to have covered for the 5th!</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span>Sheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14943426439715637898noreply@blogger.com0