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| Messot Wot on Injera |
Sunday I give my last in a series of lectures/tastings on international Jewish food sponsored by
Jewish Learning Works.
Thanks to the JLW and to
Peninsula Temple Sholom and
Temple Sinai for hosting me for these programs.
I hope to post some of the info I talked about in the presentations soon, but for now I'll leave you with the recipes. To see more on what I have written about what is Jewish food, the history of Jewish food and my Jewish recipes, please click on the
Jewish label on the list of categories on the right side column of the blog.
I prepared three recipes for the tasting, a
Syrian kibbeh (bulghur pie) dish (which is
not my recipe and not posted here, check out the wonderful cookbook
A Fistful of Lentils for more info), an Ethiopian lentil stew and a Persian herb omelet. Below are the stew and omelet recipes which are my interpretations of regional specialities.
Messor Wot – Ethiopian Lentil Stew
Serves 6
This is my adaptation
of a traditional lentil stew.
Berbere is
available from some specialty markets and on line.
See my post at
http://www.clickblogappetit.com/2012/11/almost-ethiopian-food-recipes-for-kinda.html
for a substitution and other Ethiopian inspired recipes.
Cooking time is approximate.
Sometimes lentils will take longer to
cook.
Works well made in advance and
reheated.
2 red onions, finely
chopped
2 Tbs. minced garlic
2 Tbs. plus 2 Tbs.
tomato paste
1/3 to ½ cup berbere
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
½ cup olive oil
4 cups water
1 lb. lentils (green or
brown supermarket style)
1/8 tsp. ground black
pepper
¼ tsp. salt
In a large, heavy pot
over medium high heat, add onions (with no oil or other fats), cook until translucent
and soft (about 5-10 minutes).
Stir if
needed or add a bit of hot water if browning. Do not let brown or burn.
Add garlic and 2 Tbs. tomato paste.
Stir well and cook for a few minutes. Add
berbere, ginger and cardamom. Stir and sauté for 5 minutes, adding hot water if
needed to keep from sticking or burning.
Add oil, stir well, cook for 5 minutes.
Add lentils, mix well. Add 4 cups water.
Bring to simmer. Cover and simmer until lentils are soft and falling
apart, about 35-40 minutes. Sauce should be thick and not at all soupy, but add
hot water if needed.
Add remaining
tomato paste, pepper and salt. Mix well. Let cook a few more minutes. Taste and
correct seasoning.
Serve with green
salad with injera (Ethiopian flat bread), millet or rice.
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| Baked Kookoo |
Baked Kookoo – Persian Egg and Greens
Omelet
Serves 4-6
Normally this omelet is
fried, but I like this version with less oil and less fuss. It doubles well, just use a larger baking pan.
1 cup cooked spinach
2 Tbs. vegetable oil,
plus extra for greasing pan
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped leek
(light green and white part only)
¾ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh
mint
6 large eggs, beaten
1/8 tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black
pepper
Paprika (optional)
Preheat oven to 375
degrees. Squeeze and drain spinach. Chop. Set aside.
Grease 8x8” glass baking pan with oil.
Heat 2 Tbs. oil in skillet.
Sauté onion and leek over medium high heat
until softened.
Add parsley and mint,
sauté for a moment and then mix in spinach.
Stir until well mixed.
Sauté
until any excess liquid from the vegetables has evaporated.
Take off the heat to let cool
slightly.
Mix turmeric, salt and pepper
in to eggs.
Stir in vegetables until
well combined and pour into prepared pan.
Bake until set and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Eggs will have pulled away from the edges of
the pan, be firm but still springy and slightly puffed and lightly browned. If
desired, after about 20 minutes of baking, lightly sprinkle top of omelet with
paprika.
To be honest, Blog Appetit gets a fair number of samples and I may share my thoughts on social media and with friends, or incorporate the products in recipes, but I haven't really taken the time to spell out the good (and bad) of the samples I receive as well as the new-to-me products I buy.
