Brownie Points

These two lovely jars have been sitting happily in my refrigerator since I got the bug to learn some Ethiopian dishes. Inspired by an amazing meal at an Ethiopian restaurant in Portland, and furthered by my Mom’s gift to me of her Time-Life Foods of the World Collection the creation of these two foundation ingredients have become welcome staple items.

Niter Kebbeh is a spiced butter that is made very much like ghee. The amazing glow in the dark color is proof of the wonderful flavors saturated in the butter. Niter Kebbeh is used to start off stew making via the sauteeing of onions and browning of meats. It is also stirred into homemade cheese curds and boiled winter greens.

Other ways it can find its way into your kitchen? Niter Kebbeh can be replaced for any fat called for in a savory recipe. Biscuits and cornbread practically beg for a double dose.

Berberé is a thick paste of cooked down paprika and wine. It lends a wonderful depth to ones recipe: a full spicy flavor of peppers that doesn’t carry heat. This paste is a base flavor of doro watt, a red paprika laden stew of chicken and topped with hard boiled eggs simmered in the bright sauce.

How can you use this in your kitchen? Rubbed on meats to be roasted, stirred into stews, added to homemade bbq sauce or ketchup is where this paste wants to live.

Heads up: these recipes involve a lot of spice toasting and grinding. This will acquaint you with the eye stinging properties of many of these flavors, but its worth the labor. And even better, these both have a long storage life.

Niter Kebbeh: Spiced Butter

Melt in a heavy saucepan:

• 2 pounds of butter

Use moderate heat, not letting the butter brown while melting it.
Increase the heat to bring the melted butter to a boil. When surface is covered in white foam, add:

• onion: chopped, 1 small
• garlic: finely chopped, 3 Tbs
• fresh ginger root: finely chopped, 4 tsp
• turmeric: powder, 1 1/2 tsp
• cardamom pod: lightly crushed, 1 whole
• cinnamon: stick, 1 inch
• clove: 1 whole
• nutmeg: grated 1/8 tsp

Reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer, and leave uncovered and undisturbed for 45 minutes.

When the milk solids on the bottom of the pan are golden brown, slowly pour the clear liquid layer through a strainer lined with dampened cheese cloth. Discard the spices. Do not include any of the milk solids as they will cause the butter to go rancid.

Store the clear spiced liquid into a jar that can be sealed tightly and store either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Makes approximately 2 cups and stores for 2-3 months without refrigeration.

Berberé: Red-Pepper and Spice Paste

Over low heat combine in a heavy pan:

• ginger: ground, 1 tsp
• cardamom: ground, 1/2 tsp
• coriander: ground, 1/2 tsp
• fenugreek: seeds, 1/2 tsp
• nutmeg: ground, 1/4 tsp
• cloves: ground, 1/8 tsp
• cinnamon: ground, 1/8 tsp
• allspice: ground, 1/8 tsp

Stir constantly till heated through and beginning to toast.

In a blender combine toasted spices with:

• onion: chopped, 2 Tbs
• garlic: chopped, 1 Tbs
• salt: 1 Tbs
• wine: dry red, 3 tbs

Blend to create a smooth paste.

In a medium sized pan, over low heat combine:

• paprika: ground, 2 cups
• cayenne pepper: ground, 2 Tbs
• black pepper: ground, 1/2 tsp
• salt: 1 Tbs

Stir constantly till heated through and beginning to toast.
1/4 cup at a time, stir in:

• water: 1 1/2 cups

Add the spice and wine mixture from the blender and cook over low heat while stirring constantly for 10 - 15 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a lidded jar, and cool to room temperature. Store with a 1/4 inch thick film of oil over the top of the paste surface to keep the mixture air tight. Replenish this oil with each use.

make approximately 2 cups and stores for 5-6 months with refrigeration.

Cooking Adventures Inspired by the Foods of the World Series

• S’kat and the Food: Tinga all night long
  This pork and veal stew with green tomatoes caught my eye as I was flipping through some old Time-Life “Foods of the World” books. I’d seen an explosion of tomatillas at the store, and as I’m sequestered to purely stove-top cooking these days (I love gas cookery!), it certainly seemed to fit the bill.
• Brownie Points: Sweetened Avocado on the Half Shell
  this curious little recipe caught my eye: Crema de Abacate, Cream of Avocado Dessert. The resulting cream was incredibly smooth, with a tang similar to yogurt, and the mild flavor of avocado whispering through it all. I suggest adding the lime juice gradually and tasting along the way. This would also be good added to cream and frozen like ice cream.
• Senor Food Blog: Cream of Poblano Soup
  I decided to try my hand and chose a French soup, cream of mushroom. The only problem was I wanted to give the recipe a Texas twist. So I got to thinking and decided to substitute the mushrooms with roasted poblano peppers. If you like to cook like I do, this is a great soup to play with make it cream of anything, just have a good time.
• Hedonia: Jambalya
  It is big on flavor, yet easy to make. In terms of technique, it is almost identical to a paella. It’s a fair amount of prep, but once your mise is en place, it’s simply a matter of cooking everything in the right order and then plonking it into the oven until it’s done.

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