Vegan Ethiopian Trio with Quick Injera

VEGAN ETHIOPIAN TRIO w/ QUICK INJERA

Ethiopian has been on the kitchen to do list for a really long time now, and I committed to attempting it early last week.  I researched multiple variations of dishes, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, and compared dozens of different recipes for injera, trying to balance out authenticity and time efficiency.  Naturally, the first semi-conscious thought I had this morning in the waking minutes between denial and reality was "this is not the day to make Ethiopian."  I dozed for another few minutes settled on the thought that it would be much wiser to put this off until June, when time would cease to matter.  It would be crazy to commit to a cooking adventure that was really four recipes to tackle in a narrow window of time between the day's more pressing activities.

But since I only allow a window between 10am and noon for blogging, and by 9:30 no better ideas had occurred to me, off I went to the store to scrounge together a few ingredients I needed to pull off and Ethiopian feast.  Of course, there was no sign of teff flour (the traditional stuff for injera), and as I expected, no fenugreek or yellow split peas, so I had to make due with a few substitutions.    At this point Garrett wisely decided to head down the street to a coffee shop to get work done, and out of the way of any potential kitchen meltdowns. 

As it turns out, this whole process was so much easier than I anticipated.  The three separate dishes pretty much come together in the exact same process of layering flavors on top of an onion base, so as long as you have a food processor that can quickly mince onions and a stove top with four burners, you're set.  I expected that my first attempt at injera would surely end with a pile of burnt, ripped crepes that were impossible to remove from the pan.  But no, they cooked up quickly and slid right off the pan and on to the plate.  I even did the dishes while I cooked so the kitchen wasn't a complete disaster when all was said and done.  It was the zen of kitchen.

So, how did this compare to going out to an Ethiopian restaurant?  First, Garrett and I agreed that the end result was much better than either of us expected.  We assumed it would be tasty, but not all that reminiscent of the real deal.  We were wrong about that, too.  If anything, these versions are a bit less rich because they're vegan,  specifically because they swap the Ethiopian spiced butter (niter kebbeh) for oil as a flavor base.  As a positive trade-off, we didn't feel like total worthless crap the rest of the day after eating a large portion.  The slightly bigger difference was the taste and texture of the injera.  Despite the addition of vinegar and lemon juice, the crepe didn't have as much of the characteristic sourdough flavor of authentic injera (or as many bubbles).  Given that the real deal would have taken a whole day to ferment with yeast, I think this quick version is a completely acceptable compromise.  The final assessment was a resounding "exceeded expectations," if you're going for a healthier, faster Ethiopian meal.

moroccan harira soup

Unfortunately I couldn't get this post up in time for Eid, but I made it anyways because it was simply the recipe I couldn't wait to try once I returned from Morocco.  Garrett and I pretty much at harira every night we spent in Morocco.  Its a traditional soup for Ramadan, served at iftar meals after the evening call to break fast.  As we traveled north from Marrakech to Tangier, we tasted a few variations of this soup, and the recipe below combines characteristics of a few different regions.   While most we ate were vegetarian (like this),  others had a rich, meaty flavor that must have been either lamb or goat.  In the north we were more likely to encounter the soup finished with egg whisked in, and I included that here because I think it adds some richness to a vegetarian version.

Our favorite harira experience, by far, was at a little neighborhood place called Cafe Kasbah in the Tangier medina.  We dropped by right before iftar just for a coffee, and the guy running the place, Hassan, was happy to have us sit while he and the other men running the six-table cafe broke fast.  They passed us dates, orange juice, and fried goodies, including us in their iftar ritual.  They gave us a rich, meaty harira and a thin grilled bread with chicken and onions pressed between the buttery layers.  We ordered nothing and they fed us happily, just passing dishes to our table.  I guess it didn't seem right to eat the iftar meal while others around them weren't included.  I don't think it every seemed right to a Moroccan to not offer a ridiculous amount of food to your guests.  I've never experienced such hospitality anywhere in the world.  We returned to visit Hassan and the cafe the following evening, this time ordering a delicious vegetable tagine, and of course, more harira.  We met a number of Moroccans who really made our travels wonderful, and Hassan was one of my favorites.  شكرا

Lentil Turkey Burgers

LENTIL TURKEY BURGERS 
W/ CARAMELIZED ONIONS 
& BAKED SWEET POTATO FRIES

 
Burgers are so versatile and low-maintenance that its worth experimenting with new ingredients.  Get as crazy as you want.*

While I wouldn't describe this burger as crazy at all, it certainly combines multiple "alternative" burger genres - turkey, lentil, and veggie all rolled into one.  The recipe follows a pretty simple burger formula I rely on: a mix of a low-fat animal protein with a vegetarian protein and as many finely diced vegetables as possible.  That means any bean, legume, or heartier vegetable will work great.  I've personally developed a physical aversion to quinoa after an overdose during its peak of popularity in late 2011, but if you're still a healthy user or you have it out for Bolivian farmers, then by all means.

There are countless "healthy" burger recipes out there, but one thing I always watch out for is filler.  While this recipe does call for a small amount of bread crumbs and an egg, you could most likely get away without it if you really wanted to keep it as lean as possible. 

Burger Mix (makes 5 patties):

• 1 lb. extra lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup french lentils
• 1 cup stock or water
• 1 zucchini, finely chopped
• 1 cup carrot, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, 2 finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 tbsp. paprika
• 1/2 tbsp. coriander 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1/2 tbsp. pepper

Other Ingredients:

• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 sweet potato, cut into fries 
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Any additional burger condiments

Ethiopian Stuffed Eggplant

After I made this recipe for "Ethiopian Sweet Potato and Lentils," I began to apply the base ingredients to many different combinations by replacing the sweet potato with whatever vegetables I had.  So tonight I made it with eggplant and zucchini and decided to use it as a filling to stuff the eggplant shells.

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers (one of infinite possibilities)

A good end-of-shopping cycle meal that uses whatever meat and vegetables you have left over.  These are stuffed with ground chicken, canned tomato, kidney beans, and lentils.  Made enough filling to stuff 3 green peppers.

Infinite variations exist.  Choose the spice combo, meat, grain/lentil, bean, and additional vegetables you have around.  The process is the same.