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Ethiopian Feast with Pancakes & Raita

Moroccan Chicken and Eggplant Tagine

 

Ingredients

FOR THE PANCAKES:
1 packet active dry yeast

1 Tbs honey

½ cup tepid water

½ cup buckwheat flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk (or milk alternative)

1 beaten egg


FOR THE RAITA:
Greek style yogurt

Cucumber

Fresh Cilantro

Cumin

Salt

FOR THE ROOT VEGETABLES:
Olive oil

1 turnip

2 beets

2 radishes

Salt and pepper

A splash of balsamic vinegar

Shallots, skin removed, quartered

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp cumin

Vegetable or chicken stock to cover

Cilantro, chopped


FOR THE LENTILS AND GREENS:
1 cup lentils

1 shallot

2 cups water

1 T olive oil

½ of a red long hot pepper

Mixed greens (mustard, beet, dandelion, turnip, radish, etc.)

¼-½ cup water

Cumin

Garam masala

 

This week's recipes are in honor of a very good friend. We used to eat out often while living up north. One of the restaurants we went to was a place in Central Square, Cambridge, MA called Asmara. The flavor combinations were always exciting, and best of all, eating was done Ethiopian-style: no utensils but instead by hand, using really yummy pancakes to scoop up the food with. This is Rachel Francesca’s interpretation celebrating those wonderful meals. I think even Uncle Tony would approve.

 

Directions

 

Buckwheat Pancakes:

Water should be tepid -- i.e., at room temperature. A good way to judge this is to run warm tap water. Place the inside of your wrist under the water. It should feel neither hot nor cold.

 

Place yeast in a bowl, whisk honey into water and then whisk that into yeast. Cover and let sit in a warm spot until the yeast proofs. It will foam up and look very bubbly. If it doesn’t, the water was either too hot or too cold.

 

Sift together both types of flour with the salt. Fold the flour mixture into the yeast. Pour in 1 cup milk (or milk alternative; this week I used almond milk and the juice from half a lemon).

 

Mix together and taste. Add more honey or lemon to balance the flavors. It should be both sweet and sour. More milk may be needed to thin out the batter. It should look just like traditional pancake batter. Mix in 1 beaten egg.

 

Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Test the temperature by putting a small drop of the batter into the pan. There should be a nice even sizzle. When ready, pour in enough batter to make an 8 inch pancake.

 

Start checking for a golden brown color when the sides are easily lifted with a pastry spatula. There will be air bubbles forming on the top. Air bubbles make the pancake airy.

Flip and cook the other side to a golden brown. Remove from heat and continue with the remaining batter. Keep warm by covering with a clean dishtowel.

 

Braised root vegetables:

Heat olive oil over mediumheat in a heavy bottomed pot, large enough to hold all the vegetables in one layer, with a tight fitting lid. Cut the root vegetables into bite sized pieces.

Add shallots and root vegetables to the pan and cook until they begin to color. Add bay leaf,  thyme, turmeric and cumin. Stir frequently to evenly color all sides of vegetables. Splash with a little balsamic vinegar. Add enough stock and water mixture to just cover everything. Bring to a full boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium low to low. The vegetables are done when they are easily pierced with a fork. Take the vegetables out of the braising liquid and toss with chopped cilantro.

 

Lentils and greens:

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Finely chop the shallots and place in pan. There should be a nice sizzle. Cook until there is a warm almost sweet smell. Stir in lentils. Add about 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add a little salt and pepper for seasoning. Reduce to a simmer. Let cook until the lentils are tender and soft but not mushy. Add more water if necessary. Season to taste.

 

Cut the pepper in half lengthwise. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. When hot, sauté the peppers until they begin to soften.

 

Use a few leaves of each green per person. Wash and dry. Layer the greens lengthwise on the cutting board. Cut into 1/2 - 3/4 inch ribbons across the leaves.

 

Add to cooking peppers, season with salt and pepper. Add a little cumin, garam masala and about 1/4 cup water and wine if desired. Cover and cook over medium low heat for a couple of minutes. Remove the cover and turn up the heat to just over medium. Sauté the greens until they are vibrant green and look very moist. Stir in the lentils. Adjust the seasoning if necessa

 

Cool Yogurt Raita:

Place the yogurt in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and let drain at least an hour, and as long as overnight. The longer it drains, the less watery it will be. Transfer to a bowl when it has reached your desired consistency.

 

Shred a cucumber across the fruit instead of lengthwise. By doing it this way, the skin is cut so small and is in each bite. As you know, the skin has most of the nutrients in it. Strain in a fine mess strainer.

 

Finely chop the cilantro. Mix the yogurt with enough of the cucumber to make the mixture look chunky but not lumpy. Season with a little cumin and salt. Stir in a
little cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning so that it tastes fresh, a little sour and earthy. The cilantro gives it that fresh, vibrant flavor while the cumin adds earthiness. Cucumbers add a refreshingly watery crunch. The salt should heighten the flavor but not be very noticeable. Chill until ready to use. This can be made in advance and stored in the fridge.

 

 

zucchini

 

 

 

 

 

Unlike produce purchased at a grocery store (which has often travelled hundreds of miles, and spent weeks, if not months, in storage), the herbs and vegetables you get from Terra Verde are usually only a day out of the ground. This means better taste, higher nutritional content, a smaller carbon footprint as well as a noticeably longer shelf life. Follow the storage tips below to maximize the life and flavor of your produce.

 

Vegetables

Store uncut in a cool, dry place. Don't refrigerate:

Celeriac
Garlic
Jicama
Melons (Watermelon, Winter, Korean, Cantaloupe, Honeydew)
Potatoes
Shallots
Sweet potatoes
Winter Squash (Butternut, Pumpkin,
Kabocha, Spagetti, and the unofficial
"winter" squash Acorn)
Yams

 

Store wrapped in a damp dish towel in a bag in your refrigerator

Loose Leaf Greens (lettuce, arugula,
endive, kale, chard, mustard greens,
beet greens, chinese cabbage, bok choy, spinach, escarole, broccoli raab, amaranth)

 

Certain foods are best when stored at room temperature for a short
time before using. If longer storage is required, place in plastic bag in refrigerator:

Avocado
Bananas
Berries
Cherimoya
Citrus (Must be stored away from ethylene- sensitive foods)
Corn
Cranberry Beans
Guava
Tomatoes
Papaya
Persimmon
Starfruit (Carambola)
Pineapple

 

Store in a plastic bag in refrigerator:

Beans (snap and pod)
Beets (store beet greens separately)
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant (Take care as they bruise easily)
Fennel
Leeks
Onions
Peppers (hot and sweet)
Okra
Onions
Parsnips
Pea Pods
Radish (Red, multi-colored, daikon)
Summer Squash (Yellow squash, pattypan, zucchini)
Turnips

Cilantro kept fresh in glass

Herbs

Store wrapped in damp towel in refrigerator:

Chives
Chervil
Marjoram
oregano
Parsley (flat and curly)
sage
Tarragon
Thyme

 

Store wrapped in plastic bag:

Lemongrass
Ginger

 

Trim ends. Store in a glass with 1½
to 2 inches of water at room temperature for a day or two. If
longer storage is needed, cover
with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Check and change
water daily:

Basil
Cilantro
Dill
Mint
Rosemary

 

 

 

 

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The Art and Science of Food and Cooking, or: Getting to Know Your Ingredients

Learning to cook great food can be broken down into a few simple steps. Understanding the food that is being cooked, the different ways that cutting affects cooking and flavor, and the temperature at which it is being prepared.

 

In order to understand the food, see it, smell it, touch it and taste it. What is it like raw, while it’s cooking and cooked? Use common sense, don’t taste raw chicken. What happens to it when you add a new ingredient? Smell it, taste it, touch it.

 

Cooking is both a science and an art. Food science is understanding what is physically and chemically happening to food while it cooks. This is done by watching the changes in food as they cook, by hearing the sounds they make when exposed to heat or cold, smelling the aromas as they release, and of course what it tastes like.

 

Over time, you learn the techniques that work and those that don’t. This confidence in your cooking skills allows for experimentation with new flavors and techniques, so that you can create your very  own style of food. Now that’s art!