The few times I've eaten in an Ethiopian restaurant I loved it! Really, spicy though. Really spicy.
There was one particular dish I enjoyed and came home re-create it.
I buy a large can of greens, although I'm sure the ones I had were fresh, cooked down. (mustard, turnip, kale or mix)
1 onion diced
cayenne pepper
olive oil
Salt to taste
In a saucepan, fry the onions until just translucent in about 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the drained greens and a good pinch of cayenne (to taste, although the ones I was served were HOT) Salt to taste, simmer to blend flavors.

Crazy woman!!

I'm no help, but email Mr. Clift at work on Monday.....
He likes to cook and recently went on a missions trip to Ethiopia I think. He came back and prepared a meal for a church presentation for about 100 people!

Lots of root vegetables from what he was talking about.

Have fun!
Deanna

I just posted on Shaun's sodium thread about my experience with berbere and nitir kebbeh. Berbere is a dry extremely flavorful and spicy seasoning. Nitir kebbeh is a spicy butter.

You can buy either at an African grocery store or online. When you smell the berbere you will imagine all the possibilities. You could also make your own. Just google berbere and you will find all sorts of recipes. Some are heavy on garlic, some the hot peppers, some the fenugreek and ginger.

I wish Penzeys would make this blend.

Teresa

There are quite a few Ethiopian restaurants in L.A. and there is a very good one close to where I work, although I tend to go there on week-ends. The Frugal Gourmet has some Ethiopian recipes in his Our Immigrant Ancestors cookbook (enough for several meals), but I have another African cookbook that Lee sent to me (and which I love) which was written by Marcus Samuelsson, who was born in Ethiopia and adopted by a Swedish couple who raised him in Sweden. He has since gone on to open restaurants in NYC, but his book The Soul of a New Cuisine is a collection of recipes that he developed after a trip through Africa. I highly recommend this book. My friend Eury (who was born in Senegal to Portuguese and Cabo Verdan parents) says that the West African recipes are very authentic. So far, I like everything that I've made from this book.

Here are some of my favorite Ethiopian recipes:

DORO WAT
CHICKEN STEWED IN RED PEPPER SAUCE
2 -1/2 - 3 lb chicken cut into pieces
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp salt 2 cups finely chopped onions (shallots)
1/4 cup niter kebbeh (spiced ghee)*
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds, pulverized
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup berbere**
2 tbsp paprika
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup water
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled
Marinate the chicken pieces in the salt and lemon juice for half an hour.
Fry the onions in a dry pan until they are soft and dry. Do not allow them to burn.
Add the ghee and spices and cook for a few minutes. Add the wine and water and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens.
Pat the chicken dry and drop into the simmering sauce. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (20 - 30 min.).
Pierce the surface of each egg and add to the stew. Cook for a few more minutes to color up the eggs. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
In the absence of injera, serve the doro wat with rice or pita bread.
*Niter Kebbeh is unsalted butter seasoned with onion, garlic, fresh ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. (Traditionally even more spices may be used including lots of basil). The butter and spices are cooked together. When the clear liquid is separated from the solids, spiced ghee is the result. In the refrigerator, this lasts for months.
**Berbere (berberi) is a red pepper and spice paste combining ginger, cardamom, coriander, fenugreek, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, onion, garlic, salt, ground red pepper/paprika, black pepper, water and vegetable oil.

YEGOMEN WAT
1 lb or 1 bunch kale, collard or mustard greens, or cabbage
1 cup chopped onions (shallots)
1/2 cup oil
1 tbs finely chopped garlic
1 tbs finely chopped ginger
4 cups water
salt to taste
Wash the greens and chop.
Add water and bring to a boil. Add the salt, oil, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook until the greens are tender (25 min). Drain and serve.
If the greens are bitter and/or tough, parboil them alone, discard the water and then proceed with the above recipe. Other variations on this recipe include adding green chili peppers or jalapenos; or sauteing the onions before adding them to the rest of the ingredients; or adding some niter kebbeh just before serving.

YEMISIR WAT
LENTIL STEW
1 lb lentils
4 cups water
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp ginger, minced
1/4 cup oil, butter or niter kibbeh
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp paprika or berberi
1/2 to 2 tsp cayenne pepper
Cook lentils in water until tender, drain.
Saute onions, garlic and ginger in oil until onions are soft. Add turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper and cook gently for another minute or two.
Mix cooked lentils with sauteed onions and spices. Heat gently. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Variations: use split peas (green, red or yellow)

FAVA BEAN SAUCE
YABAQELA KIK WAT
2 cups dried fava beans
4 cups water
2 cups onions or shallots, chopped
1 cup cooking oil
1/8 cup red pepper or berbere
1/2 cup paprika
1/2 tsp black cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic
2 cups water
Boil the beans for 10-15 minutes.
Dry fry the onions until soft. Add the oil and fry for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Add the red pepper, paprika, black cumin and salt and fry for another 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, 2 cups of water and the partially cooked beans. After 15 minutes, mash the beans and continue cooking for another 15-30 minutes until all beans are soft.
Serve with injera or pita bread.

SPICED GREEN BEANS AND CARROTS
YE ATAKILT WAT
2 cups green beans, cut in bite sized lengths
2 cups carrots, cut to match the green beans
1 cup onion or shallots, chopped
1 green pepper, hot or sweet, cut in bite sized pieces
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1/4 cup spiced butter
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic
Cook the green beans and carrots in a small amount of water; drain them when done.
Dry fry the onion until soft. Add the green pepper, ginger and butter and fry for about 5 minutes.
Add the turmeric, salt and black pepper. Fry briefly.
Add 1/2 cup of water and minced garlic. Bring to a boil. Add the vegetables, stir gently and reheat.
Serve with injera or pita bread.

Lars

Marcus Samuelsson had a restaurant in the IDS tower in Minneapolis named Aquavit. I worked in that building and I thought it was fabulous. Sadly it closed after 3 years. I believe Aquavit NY is still open.

My mom and I love this Ethiopian Honey Bread that we used to buy at Wellspring Grocery before Whole Foods bought them out. I sub cardamon for the coriander because I don't like the hulls from hand ground coriander.

Teresa

Here is a link that might be useful: Ethiopian Honey Bread

Bri, that Ethiopian restaurant was in Ann Arbor and it was so good, I really enjoyed it. Of course, I've seldom met a vegetable I didn't like, so it was just custom mace for me. There is also one in Grand Rapids, I'm going to try it one of these days.

Be sure to make the bread, I never did find teff to make the injera with, but I found that crepes were a reasonable substitute.

I really liked this vegetable stew, because I like anything with potatoes in it and it doesn't call for any strange combination of spices that I don't have on hand and can't find here!

Chickpea Wat

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 carrot, finely chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and potato, cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

Remove and cover and stir in cayenne, paprika, ginger, salt, pepper, cumin, cardamom and tomato paste. Add chickpeas and water and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender and the flavor is developed, about 30 minutes, adding a bit more water if needed. About 10 minutes before the stew is ready, stir in green peas and taste to adjust seasonings.

I liked this cabbage/potato/carrot mixture, and I used canola oil instead of the nitre qibe or ghee. Again, it's one of those recipes that doesn't take anything that I didn't have on hand because it gave me the option of canola oil.

Atakilt wat

1/4 cup nitr qibe, ghee, or canola oil, or a mix thereof.
1 large onion, diced into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 to 3/4 inch of ginger root, grated
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound round cabbage (about half a head), cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
3/4 pound boiling-style potatoes (Yukon Golds are fine), peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
3/4 pound carrots, cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
salt, to taste

Heat the nitr qibe or oil in a large pot over high heat. Sauté the onion until translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and ginger, and stir for a minute or two until fragrant.

Stir in the turmeric, tomato paste, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and salt. Cover, lower heat to medium-low, and cook until the thick vegetables have become tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir every 5 to 10 minutes so that bits don’t stick and burn at the bottom of the pot.

Adjust salt levels, if desired. Serve with basmati rice, or a flatbread like injera.

I also am a fan of collard greens, but I'm a wuss when it comes to hot peppers, so I made this instead of the one with chilies.

Gomen Wat
1 pound collard greens - rinsed, trimmed
and chopped
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onions
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root

Place chopped collard greens in a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer until collards are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, but reserve the cooking water. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cooked collards, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the reserved cooking water. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-high heat until liquid is nearly evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the green pepper slices, lemon juice, salt, turmeric, paprika, allspice, and ginger root. Cook until peppers are soft, about 5 minutes.

Have fun, Ethiopian food is great because you get to eat with your fingers!

Annie

Thanks everyone! We've decided we're going to debut our menu (with a backup plan) at her Super Bowl party. Hey, if we're going down, we're gonna have a big audience! I'll make sure we have a batch of chili and tons of chips and dip just in case, but I think we're going to give this a whirl.

Here's hoping we can find the teff... She's gluten intolerant so we can't sub in wheat flour.

Thanks again!
Bri