Paper Palate

I live on an island that is fairly well populated in terms of number of people, but fairly sparsely populated in terms of restaurant variety.  If I crave Thai, Mexican, Indian, or seafood, I’m set, but what happens if I’m struck with a longing for Japanese, Italian, Ethiopian, or steakhouse steak (and creamed spinach)?  The answer is, I make it myself or I go without (option three — taking a ferry to the city — is possible, of course, but try finding a babysitter for four children under six with no notice; I think you see my dilemma). 

For this reason, I love my cooking magazines. Every month they offer the chance to expand my cooking horizons and add recipes to my collection that give me a place to turn when an odd craving strikes. In just the last couple of months I’ve gathered recipes for dishes from Cambodia, Israel, Greece, and Turkey. The supermarkets in my area are surprisingly well stocked with unusual ingredients, so I can almost always get the ingredients I need, and if I can’t, a fabulous international district is just a short walk from my office in the city.

Here, for instance, is a recipe for an Ethiopian beef stew that really does taste as good as anything I’ve had in a restaurant. It came from an old issue of Sunset magazine. The stew can be as spicy as you like, and the lentils are a wonderful contrast for it. If you want to make the bread, it’s a nice authentic touch, but it’s not strictly necessary.

Beef Stew in Spicy Berbere Sauce
from Sunset magazine, March 2006

serves 6

If you can get the fenugreek, it really does add a little something. I’ve made it with and without, and there’s just a little more authentic flavor if you do use it. You can reduce or increase the amount of cayenne to suit your preference for heat. I’m not a huge fan of super-spicy things, so I usually cut it down to a teaspoon or so.

• 2 medium onions, quartered lengthwise
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon each ground paprika and cayenne
• 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and fenugreek
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon each ground cloves and allspice
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) crushed tomatoes in purée
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 2 1/2 pounds boned beef chuck, fat trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
• Salt

1. In a food processor, pulse onions until very finely diced (almost puréed).

2. Melt butter in 4- to 5-quart pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and stir until browned, about 10 minutes.

3. Add ginger, paprika, cayenne, cumin, fenugreek, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and allspice; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, wine, and beef; bring to a simmer, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender when pierced, about 2 hours. Add salt to taste. 

Lemony Lentils

from Sunset magazine, March 2006

serves 6

I always use yellow split peas for this, which I have to believe are the same thing as yellow lentils because I’ve never seen truly yellow lentils anywhere. Green, brown, red, yes; yellow, no. Even if I’m wrong and there really are yellow lentils, the yellow split peas work just fine and taste great.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups yellow or brown lentils, sorted for debris and rinsed
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• Grated peel from 1 lemon (yellow part only)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped cilantro and lemon wedges

1. Melt butter in a 3-quart pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute.
2. Add lentils and stir to coat with butter, then add broth. Simmer, covered, until lentils are tender but not mushy, 20 to 30 minutes. They will thicken as they cool.
3. Stir in ginger, lemon peel, juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chopped cilantro and lemon wedges on the side.

Injera

from Sunset magazine, March 2006

serves 6 (12 flatbreads)

You can use buckwheat flour, which is more widely available than the traditional teff flour. However, I found teff flour at my local grocery store.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• About 3 cups club soda

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs and club soda and whisk until batter is smooth. It should have the consistency of pancake batter; add more club soda if needed.
2. Spray a 10-inch nonstick frying pan lightly with cooking oil spray and set over medium heat. When hot, pour 1/3 cup batter into the pan, tilting to coat most of the bottom. Cook until flatbread appears bubbly and dry on top, 2 to 3 minutes; do not turn.
3. Slide bread onto a serving platter. Cover with a kitchen towel and keep warm in a 200° oven while you cook remaining breads.
4. Place one injera flat on each of six dinner plates and top with stew. Serve with remaining injera to scoop up the food.