Our weekly dose of culinary adventure, thank you TaMara:
This may not be to everyone’s liking, but I thought we needed to shake things up a bit. A friend used to take me to an Ethiopian restaurant occasionally and I enjoyed it. When it came time to create one of the International Menus I do weekly, Ethiopian came to mind. I tried to look for a recipe that would translate well to a family dinner situation (i.e. the kids’ first words wouldn’t be “I don’t like this”). This is what I came up with. The original recipe was 5-alarm, I toned it down quite a bit. But if spicy foods don’t scare you, start with the original amount of spices and then add more in the same proportions (if you add ¼ tsp extra of cardamom, you’ll want to double all the other spices as well – start small and work your way up).
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Next up, I’m hoping you can help me. I’m looking for a recipe – for a tomato, pine nut sauce – I guess it is probably a pesto, but I always think of those as basil-based and this one was tomato-based. Served with toasted ravioli. I’m sure it had basil in it, but not as much as in a basil pesto. I could spend time experimenting in the kitchen, but honestly I’m not in the mood; I’d rather try one that you have already made and deemed delicious. So thanks in advance for any ideas.
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On the board tonight:
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1. Sik Sik Wat (Spicy Beef Stew)
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2. Egg Noodles
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3. Green Beans w/yellow pepper butter
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4. Melon slices
As ever, recipes and shopping list at the link.
QuaintIrene
Do you think it involves sun-dried tomatoes?
Quaker in a Basement
“What’s for dinner?”
“Wat.”
“What’s for dinner?”
“I just told you.”
“What?”
“That’s right.”
“What’s right?”
“Yes.”
{continue for 20 min or so…}
beltane
@QuaintIrene: That’s what I was thinking. A pesto made with raw plum tomatoes would end up as a watery puree.
There is a type of Ethiopian flatbread/pancake that would go very well with the stew. My kids love all kinds of tortillas/pooris/naan, etc.
Mnemosyne
A friend of mine was friends with a graduate student from Ghana and he invited us over for peanut chicken. Here’s the NY Times recipe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/dining/171mrex.html
Violet
I think it would be more of a marinara with fresh tomatoes. If you want a pesto consistency, then sun-dried tomatoes seems like a better bet. What were you going for?
As far as a marinara goes, I’ve actually had this one and thought it was really good.
For a pesto, I’m thinking something along the lines of this would be delicious. It sounds sort of like a tapenade.
SiubhanDuinne
Thank FSM the WH seems to be getting their communications act together! Just got an email from David Plouffe and I can just tell he’s going to keep hitting at Joe Barton like a pinata from now to November — and not just Joe, but every BPublican candidate in the country.
SiubhanDuinne
Thank FSM the WH seems to be getting their communications act together! Just got an email from David Plouffe and I can just tell he’s going to keep hitting at Joe Barton like a pinata from now to November — and not just Joe, but every BPublican candidate in the country.
Edit: sorry, I thought I was in another thread. Ummm . . . That menu sounds GREAT, TaMara!
Quaker in a Basement
@beltane: I believe you’re talking about Injera. Yum!
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
Okay, yeah on hitting Barton.
Peanut Chicken, I also have a recipe for that, but what really makes it, is the savory sweet potato side dish. I’ll try and remember to post that this weekend.
Re: The pesto – it did have pesto consistency, I’m thinking between the pine nuts, the cheese and the idea of sun-dried tomatoes, that sounds about right. Anybody got anything like that?
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@Violet: that recipe, minus the olives, sounds like what I had. I know I’m going to end up playing around to get this. But for me to be creative in the kitchen I have to be in a better place. Food tends to reflect my mood.
I’m kind of miffed at the restaurant where I had it. I eat there pretty regularly and when I asked the waiter if the chef would share the recipe he got all huffy and basically chastised me for even asking. And then when I asked for a box for my leftovers, he made a snide remark about me trying to figure the recipe out.
Needless to say, his tip was small.
frankdawg
I love Ethiopian food – we have a wave of East African immigration currently and it is getting easier to find the food. The one thing I have not found yet is teff, the grain used to make the spongy, sourdough crepe-like bread that you use to eat with. Love that stuff!
Jenn
No good tomato pesto recipes, I’m afraid, but I just had a spectacular simple dinner featuring freshly baked sourdough bread & just-cooled strawberry … I’m not exactly sure what to call it. It’s not jam – it’s unsweetened & no pectin. I just had some strawberries that I knew I wasn’t going to get to & a bit of peach, threw them into a pot & cooked until it was chopped-fruit-with-syrup, & slathered it on warm bread. Mmm. Plus my house smells like bread & strawberries!
jeffreyw
TaMara: Check out this one. Oops, sorry Violet got there first.
Quaker in a Basement
“I’m askin’ you what’s for dinner!”
“And I’m tellin’ you. Wat!”
“You’re telling me what?”
“That’s right.”
“OK, so go ahead and tell me.”
“I just told you. Wat.”
“What?”
“That’s right.”
“What’s right?”
“Wat.”
Violet
@TaMara (formerly Bad Horse’s Filly):
Well, that waiter was rude! If you go there again, maybe you could ask to speak to the chef “to thank him/her for the wonderful meal” and while you’re speaking to the chef you could inquire about the recipe? Skip the annoying waiter altogether.
You could make the recipe and leave out the olives, add a touch more olive oil and extra sundried tomatoes and pine nuts for consistency and you’d be there. I know what you mean about being in the right place though.
I love Ethiopian food!
@frankdawg:
Bob’s Red Mill sells teff. Whole Foods probably has it or you can mail order it.
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@Jenn: That sounds heavenly.
schrodinger's cat
I made couscous with chicken and chicken peas and tomatoes
and lots of garlic and rosemary and dash of cayenne plus salad and then had fresh peaches for dessert.
OT: Do we know anything yet about the puppies?
Violet
@schrodinger’s cat:
Cole said they were all going to the vet tomorrow to get the dogs’ nails clipped and that he’d find out about Puppies or No Puppies then.
Keith
I’ve got to concur with that note about paprika. I’ve had paprika in my pantry for *years* and just used it for coloring, never really getting that when I would eat really good hummus, the great smokey flavor I couldn’t place was coming from the paprika sprinkled on top.
So yes, throw away your McCormick’s paprika and replace with real smoked paprika!
rdldot
I used to live in an apartment complex that had a lot of Ethiopian immigrants and they made wat all the time. I don’t remember them using as many different spices, but it was always very hot. Occasionally it was made with chicken…quicker that way. And the tea they made was awesome. Sweet tea with cinnamon sticks and cloves. Always hot tea no matter the time of day or weather outside.
Randy P
@beltane: I love Ethiopian food. There are a couple of nice little places here in Philly that I frequent. I especially love that flat bread that constitutes your plate and your utensils as well as being a side dish. I think it’s this. (Link takes you to a recipe for injera).
@Quaker in a Basement: Posted before I saw your comment. Yep, I think that’s the stuff.
schrodinger's cat
I have never had Ethiopian food, but reading the comments makes me want to try.
Jenn
@TaMara (formerly Bad Horse’s Filly):
Speaking of pesto, last year I went a little too crazy at the farmers market, & knowing I wasn’t going to be able to use it all, & seeing the enormous stash of pine nuts & parmesan, proceeded to pestofy everything. The oddest one had to have been the zucchini – which I ended up dolloping into soups , really enriching the broth. Playing in kitchen = fun! Occasionally strange, but fun.
OT: is your name (or former name) a reference to Dr Horrible?
frankdawg
@schrodinger’s cat:
Usually you want them 6-8 weeks old for friers 12-16 for roasting & 6 months for stewing. Wait, this is a food thread, right? :)
@Keith:
As a kid my mom had a supplier for actual Hungarian paprika so I didn’t know how lame it could be until I bought stuff from the grocery store for my own place. The closest thing I have found is smoked paprika from Penzey’s it is good but you still don’t want it sitting in the cabinet for a year as it loses a lot.
@Jenn:
Speaking of pine nuts, what is going on with them? The price has gone up like gas prices on the 3rd of July.
debit
YUM! Never tried Ethiopian food before, but I think I’ll give this a try. Most of my clients are Somali, and sometimes they bring me lunch. If I could, I’d eat Sambusas every day, and the rice with cardamon and cinnamon is really damn good. But the best thing was a salad a client brought me once: it was very simple, just a variety of greens topped with dollops of a very hot pico de gallo and lime wedges. No need for dressing at all, just squeeze some lime over the bowl and dig in. Really fresh and refreshing.
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@Jenn:Yes. I came to B-J just after that was released. Seemed like a fun handle.
@rdldot: The spices can actually be found in something called red pepper paste, which is what most wat calls for. I separated them out because I didn’t know if everyone had access to it. I can rarely find it.
Mark S.
One thing about Ethiopian food: if the menu says it’s spicy, be careful! It’s the hottest food I’ve ever had.
beltane
@frankdawg: Pignoli have become prohibitively expensive over the past year. Blanched almonds make an acceptable substitute in many cases.
arguingwithsignposts
OK, I was on the road during Cole’s epic DELETE MY ACCOUNT! post and subsequent full-on win comment section. But I noticed ellaesther posted in that thread, and I hope she’s reading this one, because I heard on NPR about the Ashkenazi/Sephardic Ultra Orthodox Cage Match that’s happening right now in the Holy Land, and I was curious about her take on it.
One thing I found curious is that the Ashkenazi trace their roots to European Jews while Sephardics trace their roots to Spain or the Middle East. But if they are all reading the same scriptures, ALL of the ethnic Jews are of middle eastern descent, amirite?
Anne Laurie
@Jenn:
I think this was the original definition for “ketchup”, but today we’d probably call it “salsa” or “chutney”. My first thought was “coulis”, but wikipedia says a coulis is strained cooked fruit puree.
HRA
I, too, have never had Ethiopian food. More recently I have had East Indian and Thai food – very good!
My Mom always bought her paprika by the pound and kept it in an apothecary jar. I have the jar and have never found anywhere to buy paprika by the pound. Every Sunday we had a chicken and rice bake that was called Kapama where she used paprika. Most of the stews, bean soup and other I don’t recall had paprika.
I do get to use paprika before it gets old.
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
I’m afraid to flip over to the NBA game. 7th games are so nerve-racking. Oh, boy, 33-29 Celtics. Gonna be a game.
beltane
@arguingwithsignposts: There was a recent BBC story on a closely related topic. Scientists have found that the genetic differences between Ashkenazi and Sepharidc Jews are minimal at best. Both groups share more genetic similarities amongst themselves and other middle eastern groups than with European or north African ones. None of this, however, will stop them from fighting with each other.
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@HRA: My first experience with real paprika was on deviled eggs. I was so startled. So used to it just being a decoration. What is in Kapama?
jeffreyw
Air Bea
Ash Can
OK, I’m blue-blind-paralytic drunk on very good margaritas (after spending the afternoon at Wrigley Field watching the Cubs win), but I just gotta say, Ethiopian food is fantastic. Anyone who appreciates well-seasoned food needs to check it out.
::staggers off and collapses::
MikeJ
@arguingwithsignposts:
As an east coast transplant to Seattle, I didn’t know anything about Sephardim until I got here. Ladino instead of yiddish, a tremendous lack of bagel stands…it just wasn’t the Jews I was used to. But they’re nice enough, and half of the Jews I know here are from BosWash anyway.
SiubhanDuinne
@Quaker in a Basement:
You know what? You are sik. Sik sik sik!
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@Ash Can: Oh, look, Ash Can is trashed. Oh, look TaMara made a funny.
Seriously, it’s nice to know I’ve got the +4 vote.
Ash Can
Oh, and Quaker in a Basement rocks the goddamned house.
someguy
Anybody see the latest publicity stunt that Jindal pulled to embarrass Obama? These people have no shame. And Jindal should stick to performing exorcisms.
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@SiubhanDuinne: Thank you! I’ve been trying to think of a good comeback for QiB, but couldn’t. Must about be time for the next what installment, eh.
“Oh, and Quaker in a Basement rocks the goddamned house.” THIS!
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@jeffreyw: Did I tell you I made my cats an entire batch of pipe cleaner mice cause Bea looked like she was having so much fun? Covered them in catnip and they love them. So much cheaper than buying them a 1/2 dozen mice each week and then trying to find them all when I’m vacuuming.
MikeJ
@someguy: The relationship Republicans have with safety regulations is fascinating. “It’s an emergency! We can’t waste time on safety!” “Why should we bother with safety regs? It’s not an emergency or anything!”
arguingwithsignposts
@HRA:
My girlfriend introduced me to Ethiopian. It is teh awesome, especially the injera (a bread-ish substance).
The best thing about it is you eat with your hands, and there is something about removing the mechanical (fork, spoon, knife) that makes the meal more intimate.
Excellent stuff.
schrodinger's cat
@TaMara (formerly Bad Horse’s Filly): What are these pipe cleaner mice? I has a curious.
frankdawg
@beltane:
Yes, but does anyone know why they have gotten so expensive?
@TaMara (formerly Bad Horse’s Filly):
Kampa is a Greek thing – usually chicken with a citrus, cinnamon sauce. a quick & dirty: Brown the chicken in a stick of butter add tomato sauce & season with cinnamon and grated orange peel and a little orange juice. Add a bunch of paprika & cook over low heat. I like to toss in fresh basil or oregano during the last few minutes & serve over rice.
I can get a more complete recipe if you want as I tend to cook “off the top of my head”
jeffreyw
@TaMara (formerly Bad Horse’s Filly): Haven’t tried doping the pipe cleaners with catnip.
HRA
@TaMara (formerly Bad Horse’s Filly):
Chicken pieces that have been first used to make fresh broth , rice that has been sauteed with onions and some fresh tomatoes, seasoned with salt, pepper, a bit of mint and or parsley (both fresh) and sprinkled with paprika in butter or margarine. You layer the rice in a lasagna type pan, arrange the chicken over it, add fresh chunks of green pepper and add enough broth to cover it all. Bake at 350 and check if more broth is needed to cook the rice after about 40 minutes.
Our Sunday meal was chicken noodle soup, kapama, chef salad (from the garden), bourek (cheese, leek or sauerkraut) and baklava. We also had Greek olives, feta cheese, halvah and homemade wine on the table.
Refrigerator staples were the olives, feta and lemons. Mom never ran out of them.
Svensker
In honor of the Greeks winning today, I made Turkish Chicken (it’s a joke) — which actually my Greek FIL’s mom used to make when FIL was little but the recipe got lost and no one could find a similar one. Then last night looking through a Turkish cookbook, there it was! (Makes sense, the family lived in Turkish occupied area, but the kids didn’t know the recipe was Turkish.) Poached chicken breasts shredded and then put in the most amazing sauce — ground walnuts, bread, toasted paprika and red pepper, butter and wilted onions. Delicious, simple and addictive. Will be making it again.
HRA
Oops – forgot homemade bread, too.
HRA
@arguingwithsignposts:
I have never heard of any Ethiopian restaurants here in WNY. Though I bet they have them in Rochester, NY. That’s where I first had Thai food.
Svensker
@MikeJ:
Growing up in Seattle I thought all Jews had names like Ovadia, Souriano and Alhadeff and cooked things like savory filo dough pastries stuffed with cheese and spinach (I still remember the first one I ever ate — most delicious thing ever). Until now, I never thought about it — but why so many Sephardim in Seattle?
arguingwithsignposts
@HRA:
I can’t speak to Western NY, but we found a little Ethiopian restaurant run by a woman who made everything herself in semi-rural Va. So you might do some sleuthing. Good luck.
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@schrodinger’s cat: Basically it’s just a pipe cleaner tied into a ring. I added a little handle on the top (by wrapping one end of the pipe cleaner over the ring I’d just made) because it makes it easier for the cats to toss in the air and catch.
At $2 per 100, I’m not as obsessed with recovering them once the cats have deftly slid them under some piece of furniture.
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@HRA:
@frankdawg:
Okay, this sounds wonderful and totally out of my culinary experience. A new taste treat to try, which I’m going to and report back on my success or failure.
But first, I’m going to need some paprika….
TaMara (formerly Bad Horse's Filly)
@Svensker: If you come back to the thread, I’d love it if you’d be willing to share that recipe with me. It sounds good.
Quaker in a Basement
“Now wait a minute. Are we having dinner?”
“Of course.”
“So I’ll sit down at the table…”
“Just like always.”
“And you’ll give me some dinner.”
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
“And you’ll bring me a big plate full of what?”
“Now you’re getting it!”
“I’m getting what?”
“That’s right, you’re getting wat.”
“What are you askin’ me for?”
“I’m not askin’ you, I’m telling you.”
“You’re telling me what?”
“That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said.”
“I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!”
Yutsano
@HRA:
You shall share recipe now.
@arguingwithsignposts: I knew a 4’6 Ethiopian tuba player whose family owns a restaurant in the International District in Seattle. A bunch of friends and I ate there as a group once, it’s where I fell in love with doro wot (I got the hard-boiled egg!) and injera. I wish I could recall the name or the address right now, we just called it Kidst’s place.
HRA
@arguingwithsignposts:
Yep, I love being a sleuth especially for food.
@Yutsano:
At work right now -no recipes here. I promise to get on the late/early thread by Annie tonight with the recipes.