Posted: Monday, May 7, 2007 7:00 pm
The wonders of the world never cease to amaze. How it is that there are so many people on the planet who have lived in so many different environments and come up with so many different, yet tantalizing, things to eat is one of the great mysteries of life. And one of the places synonymous with mystery is Africa.
Europeans and Americans have been fascinated for centuries by the astounding variety of African people and cultures. Even the names of African places have become synonymous with exotic intrigue —Timbuktu, Marrakech, Abidjan, Kilimanjaro. So it’s probably not surprising that African foods offer tempting promises of unusual flavors not familiar to our Western tongues.
There are growing numbers of New Americans in our community who come from Africa and, while we’ve yet to have a restaurant open offering, say, Sudanese food, it’s becoming easier to find ingredients to make your own taste of Africa.
Spicy berbere, for example, a complex combination that’s a building block for many Ethiopian dishes, is one of the great sauces of the world. Once mixed together, it can sit in your refrigerator for quite a while, a quick ticket to an out-of-the-ordinary dinner, even if all you do is slather it on while grilling salmon or chicken.
Making berbere is almost like alchemy, with simple and accessible ingredients being combined in new ways that turn them into gold.
If the spice aisle in your regular grocery store is limited, you can get what you need for this recipe at the food cooperative or other places where bulk spices are sold, or one of the ethnic groceries cropping up around town.
Spiced butter is the other basic for many Ethiopian dishes, and like berbere, the mixture will keep for weeks in your refrigerator, just waiting for your experimentation.
In addition to the sauce making grilled meat or salmon magical, berbere transforms plain old lentils into something sublime.
With these basics on hand, you’ll be well set for a taste trip to Africa this summer, even if you never leave the house!
Berbere Sauce
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
½ teaspoon cardamom seeds
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
½ cup dried onion flakes
3 ounces dried New Mexican chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 small dried long hot red chiles, seeded
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon salt
½ cup canola or peanut oil
½ cup dry red wine
Cayenne pepper to taste (start with 1 teaspoon and add more for more heat)
Mix the first six ingredients and place in a small frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until they release their fragrance, about 1-2 minutes. Do not burn or discolor the spices. Cool completely. Combine toasted spices and all other ingredients except oil and wine in a spice grinder or electric coffee grinder and grind fine in batches. This may take a few minutes. Keep your face away from the machine as it will release a very spicy aroma that my irritate your eyes or throat. Place spice blend in a bowl and add oil and wine. Add cayenne to taste. Stir until thick and store in closed plastic container in the refrigerator.
Spiced Butter
4 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 stick cinnamon, 1 inch long
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3 whole cloves
2 pounds salted butter
1 small yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped garlic.
Measure out spices on a plate. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Bring the butter up to a light boil. When the surface is covered with a white foam, stir in all remaining ingredients including onion and garlic. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Do not stir again. Milk solids will form in the bottom of the pan and they should cook until they are golden brown. The butter will be clear. Strain the mixture through several layers of cheesecloth placed in a colander. Avoid the milk solids and discard them. Store the spice butter in a quart jar, covered, in the refrigerator. It will keep about 3 months.
Ethiopian Lentils
2 cups dried lentils, picked over and washed
6 cups water
¾ cup seeded and chopped Anaheim green peppers
2 cups peeled and chopped red onions
¼ cup Spiced Butter
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon Berbere Sauce
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Boil lentils in water for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. In a 4-quart saucepan sauté the Anaheim peppers and onions in the spiced butter until onions are tender. Add lentils, 4 cups of reserved liquid, and remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, over low heat 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Serves 6-8 as a side dish, fewer as a main course.
Source: Jeff Smith, “The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors”
Lynne Ireland lives to eat and welcomes comments and questions from others who do (or don’t). Contact her at savor@journalstar.com.