Doro Wot

Ethiopian Week got off to a fairly poor start when I didn't cook anything on Monday, and then my injera was a total failure on tuesday, along with the Kitfo not being particularly exciting. However, I was able to make it into a tasty dip by mixing it with hummus. So, my outlook for the rest of Ethiopian week was, I admit, a little bleak. Well, that all changed this night. Behold: Doro Wot. There is no going back. It will rule you.

I pulled the skin off of some chicken legs and heavily salted them, as I do with all meats, and let that sit while I chopped and cooked the other ingredients. I also sautéed the skins in some leftover bacon grease that was sitting around. The drumsticks got all the salt washed off when it was time for them to join the party, and the skins joined them in a soup that would be later reduced to a gravy. And all was right with the world.

4 Tbsp Nit'r Qibe
3 Small Yellow Onions
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Ginger
1 Tbsp White Wine (for deglazing)
2 Tbsp Berbere
5 Skinless Chicken Legs
4 Hard Boiled Eggs

Party Puttanesca

We interupt Middle Eastern week on account of a prescheduled movie party:

One of my favorite movies is Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, mostly due to the strange mystic atmosphere, ambient music, and sort of gothic clothing. It all comes together to make a very beautiful other-worldy feel. In the movie, there are serveral references to the dish, Puttanesca, which is served at one point, and there's even a joke where one character says it and other says "What did you call me?" (explanation)

4 Green Onions

4 Cloves Garlic

1 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper

1/2 Pint Cherry Tomatos

1/2 Cup Minced Black Olives

1 Tbsp Rinsed Capers

4 Tbsp Flat Leaf Parsley

1 Jar Artichoke Hearts

Whole Wheat Noodles

Parmesean Cheese

Ethiopian Week: I'm already too excited.

I've already made up the menu for Ethiopian Week, and I haven't even finished this week's menu. I'm going to burst.

M	Kitfo	http://www.saveur.com/article/Food/Kitfo
T	Misr Wot	http://www.saveur.com/article/food/Ethiopian-Lentil-Stew
W	Doro Wot	http://www.saveur.com/article/food/Spicy-Chicken-Stew
TR	Yebeg Alicha	http://www.yewoinfamilycooking.com/2008/04/ethiopian-mild-lamb-stew-alicha.html
F	Yeasa Kitfo	http://www.recipezaar.com/fish-tartar-yeasa-kitfo-374384
S	Ye'abesha Gomen	http://www.recipezaar.com/Yeabesha-Gomen-184006
Su	Yeater Kek Alicha	http://www.recipezaar.com/Ethiopian-Split-Pea-Mild-Stew-320148

Chicken Gyros

Roasting a whole chicken may be way more fun than it's supposed to be. I was expecting to be a little grossed out at first, but I find, actually, that I love it. I think I'm going to start getting whole chickens all the time.

After the chicken was finished I used the stuff left in the pan to make a jus that I drizzled over the top of the finished gyros. everything else falls basically within the recipe I used, with the exception of using much less than a pint of tomatoes.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Gyros-with-Cucumber-Salsa-and-Tsatsiki-351874

Greek Salmon Salad

Not very Middle Eastern, I admit, but you see plenty of Mediterranian and Middle Eastern menu mixing as it is, so I can stand to do it little here and there. I thought the task of roasting a whole chicken daunting, so I ended up putting it off for a day, foolishly, but more about that in the next article. I decided to go for a Salmon Salad for ease of use. In retrospect, I should have grilled it. I haven't had much luck with pan searing lately.

Kefta & Zucchini Kababs

The first dish of M.E. Week was wonderful, but a little difficult to get right. The meatballs didn't have much structural integrity, so I took to freezing them a little bit so that they would stay on the skewers. I'm not quite sure how to give them more adhesion on the next run. Eggs, maybe? Otherwise, delicious. Mmmm, pine nuts...

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Kefta-and-Zucchini-Kebabs-233538

Middle Eastern Week!

This week's theme was set by a friend who requested that I make a dish of Medietteranian or Middle Eastern origin. A little research and a few links later, I had the first few days set up, and it's been going absolutely fabulously. There have been some setbacks and rearrangements, and an exception has to be made on Thursday for a dinner/movie party (more on that later) and I still don't have dishes for the last few days, but I'll find those before the day is out. Stay tuned for next week : Ethiopian. Get excited. Get really excited. I am.

Kiełbasa Pasta

I have some friends that live right down the road from me that let a lot of food just sit in their fridge. I do them the favor of cleaning it out when it is known that it will not be used. Such was the case for the Kiełbasa Sausage in this dish.

1 carrot, diced
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 lb Kiełbasa sausage
Whole Wheat Spaghetti
1 green onion, sliced
Sliced basil leaves
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Peach Sorbet

The deliciousness/work ratio of this dish is absolutely through the roof. Here's what you do.

• Blanch peaches & rub off skins


• Half, pit, and slice peaches


• Freeze slices on platter


• Blend frozen peaches with lemon or lime juice and sugar


• Success!

Grilled Chicken w/ Roasted Bell Pepper and Peach Salsa

I picked up a box of peaches at the Mid-Town Farmer's Market and set about putting them to use in as many ways as I could. Some of the results turned out to be pretty incredible. This roasted bell pepper and peach salsa, for instance, has seen many more uses than just on this chicken, and has been delicious at every corner. I would have preferred a red pepper, but didn't have one at the time. Also, cider vinegar was suggested in the recipe I was shown, but, same story. The peaches are brushed with the oil mixture, then grilled. The peppers are also grilled, and placed in a paper bag to loosen their skins. Both are then diced and tossed with the oil mixture and splashed with vinegar

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp finely chopped basil
2 Tbsp finely chopped mint
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

2 ripe peaches, halved & pitted
1 bell pepper, quartered & seeded

1 tsp white wine vinegar

Sausage & Beef Lasagna

This is by far the best lasagna I've ever made... I still see room for a little improvement. Using spiced sausage with a more crumbly texture, I think, would be a good move.

Stuffing:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1/2 lb Italian Sausage
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried basil
3 Tomatos, chopped
1 cup marinara

Cheese:
24 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb mozzerella cheese, shreaded (mix in half, use half as topping)

Lasagna Noodles

Black Brownies

A little dark cocoa gives these brownies a push into the dark lands.

4 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/4 Cups Cocoa
1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
8oz Melted Butter

Time to catch up.

I think I'm going to start making myself a daily schedule that includes blogging. I like structure, y'know? Anyway, time for a flow of entries. I'll break them up for easy reading, and they'll be pretty short.