A Meal To Remember

When we went to Ethiopia in '03 (the same trip of the coffee ceremony I wrote about a few weeks ago), I had not been able to make contact with our friends due to the phone lines not working.  They knew we were coming, but not exactly when.

Since that is what it was, we decided to just show up.  We found their home largely because as we were looking, we kept saying Tadelle's name over and over.  As we went by their home, their son heard his dad's name be spoken, checked it out, and welcomed us hugely.

His parents were not home right then.  We visited briefly and said we'd be back tomorrow.

We were welcomed most wonderfully with this feast.  Oh goodness!

However, before the meal Belaynesh taught Himself and me how to make the wonderful sourdough flat bread called 'injera'.

You take the fermented batter and spread it on a huge griddle like you would pancake batter.  I was trying to be very careful, all the while Belaynesh was saying to me something that sounded like "easy".  I thought she was telling me to slow down.

Not.

She grabbed my hand and started slinging that batter on the griddle!  Seems that 'easy' was probably more like 'essi' or something.  It really meant 'faster' or 'hurry up'!

Needless to say, my injera came out looking a bit sorry.  But it tasted great!!

That show-off I'm married to used his 'next in line' advantage and of course his came out perfectly.

That was the same evening we were treated to the "Welcome" coffee ceremony.

Then to my total shock, Belaynesh said she wanted to teach me how to do the ceremony AND that she had made a dress just for me.

I was speechless.

After putting it on, Belaynesh started making the neccessary tweaks and adjustments so it looked right.  About that time Tadelle decided he would add his opinion.

You can tell from the look on her face that was NOT a good idea!  LOL

Coffee anyone?

Himself getting seriously caffiene wired...

At the end of the evening, our friends walked us back to our hotel.

Such a wonderful visit.

Linked to Travelers Notes "Food" Challenge:

https://thetravellersnotes.wordpress.com/2015/09/11/monthly-travels-challenge-all-you-can-eat/  

A Cup of Ethiopian Hospitality

When I was finally able to visit Ethiopia in 2003, Himself had already been there many times as part of a military humanitarian project.  He met a family there and through the years we established a close relationship.

Ethiopia is the home of coffee... and there is an intricate hospitality ceremony to honor guests.  One does not just get handed a cup of coffee... it starts with the roasting of the still-green coffee beans.  It ends several hours later with the pouring of the last of three cups the freshest brewed coffee you'll ever have.

I was taught to do this ceremony (Belaynesh even made me a traditional dress to wear!).

Then she gave me a coffee set.

You can see the cups are small, so you don't get too much of a caffeine high.

Love the face carved into the handle of the tray!

The coffee pot and stand.

Linked to:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/

Ethiopian Lentils

As most of you know, Himself and I really enjoy Ethiopian food.  I regularly make a meat dish called Lega Tibs, so I was excited to find an easy recipe for lentils that has that distinct Horn of Africa flavor.

ETHIOPIAN LENTILS

1/4 cup diced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 inch piece of ginger, minced

Olive oil to sauté with

2 and a half cups green lentils

4 cups of water (to start with)

2 cups tomatoes (crushed and/or finely diced – I used both for texture)

1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, cinnamon, paprika and dry oregano (Start with this amount and add more later if needed).

Salt, pepper, and cayenne powder to taste

I added 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme that wasn’t called for in the original recipe.

Sort lentils, then rinse. 

In large sauce pan, sauté onion, garlic, ginger, and spices in olive oil until onions are soft.  Add lentils and water.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 50 minutes, uncovered, until lentils are tender.  Stir occasionally and add more water if needed. 

Add tomatoes once lentils are tender.  Bring back to a boil.  Cook another 10 minutes.  Taste and adjust spices if needed.

Ethiopian Tailor

Debre Zeit, Ethiopia

July 2003