Monthly Archives: December 2019

Yule Cake

Dessert

This is the cake that my family makes every Yule.

1 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder + 1 T.
11 egg whites
9 egg yolks
1 c. sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1 T. red food coloring
20 roasted unsalted almonds
1 T. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Cover cookie sheets in parchment paper. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks to stiff peaks with 1/4 c. sugar and move to large bowl. Beat the egg yolks with 1/2 c. sugar until light and thick then add to the large bowl with the egg whites. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder into a separate bowl. Gently fold the eggs together while sifting the dry mixture overtop. Fold until just combined.  Scoop into a piping bag with a wide, round tip. Pipe onto cookie sheets into 3″ circles. You should make 40. Bake for 12 minutes, until they are springy to the touch. Let cool.

Beat the whipping cream with 1/4 c. sugar & 1 T. red food coloring. Spoon into piping bag with large star tip. Mix 1 T. cocoa powder with 1 T. powdered sugar and place in sifter.

Assemble cakes individually into this order: cake round, whipping cream, cake round, whipping cream, sifted cocoa powder mixture, and one almond on top. (the almond is for good luck next year!)

Ethiopian Recipes

Main Dish
Iab (cheese)
1/2 gallon whole milk
1/4 c. + 2 T. lemon juice
cheesecloth
1/2 c. yogurt		 salt
white pepper
pinch asafetida
Bring the milk to a boil. Remove from heat & stir in ~1/4 c. lemon juice slowly, until curdled. Strain through cheesecloth and let hang for 1/2 hour. Place cheese in a bowl and stir in lemon juice, asafetida, yogurt, salt, & pepper to taste.

Doro Wat (chicken)
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 onion, cut in wedges
head garlic, roughly chopped
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. salt
2 t. ginger, chopped
1/2 t. ground fenugreek
1/2 t. cardamom		 1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 c. butter or niter kebbeh
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. dry white wine
1/4 c. Berbere (spice mix, below)
2 T. paprika
4 eggs, hard boiled
Sauté onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt, ginger, fenugreek, cardamom, & nutmeg in butter or niter kebbeh for 2-3 minutes. Add water, wine, berbere and paprika. Simmer for 5 min or until sauce thickens. Add the chicken cubes and simmer for 10 min. Pierce eggs with a fork and add. Cover and simmer for 20 min, or until chicken is tender.

Vegetable Alecha (vegetable stew)
1 med. onion, in wedges
4 T. oil or niter kebbeh (see below)
4 carrots, in 1 in. pieces
3 c. water
16 oz. can tomato sauce		 2 t. salt
1 t. ginger, minced
3 potatoes, peeled & in 1 in pieces
sm. cabbage, in wedges
1/4 c. berbere (spice mix, below)
Sauté onions until soft, add carrots, water, tomato sauce, salt, & ginger and simmer for 10 min, covered. Add potatoes & berbere and cook for another 10 min. Add cabbage and cook until tender.

Mesir Wat (lentils)
1c. red lentils
1 onion, minced
1/4 c. oil or niter kebbeh (see below)
1/2 t. Paprika
2 T. tomato paste		 1/2 head garlic, minced
2 t. ginger, minced
salt
1/4 c. berbere
water
Soak lentils in water for 30 min, rinse, and drain. Sauté onion in oil or niter kebbeh until soft. Add tomato paste, paprika, water, ginger, garlic, berbere, and salt and bring to a boil. Add lentils, put on very low heat and cook for 20-30 min, or until lentils are soft.

Injera
2 c. sourdough
1/4 c. teff		 ~1/4 c. white flour
Add teff to sourdough ~24 hrs in advance & set on countertop. add the white flour until you have the correct consistency, slightly thicker than crepe batter and thinner than pancake batter. Thinly spread a shy 1/2 c. onto a hot griddle and allow to bubble remove from griddle when the bottom is about to brown. Let set 5-10 min. before serving. Makes 6 pancakes.

Niter Kebbeh (spiced ghee)
1lb. ghee
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 piece ginger, chopped
2 slices onion, chopped		 1/2 t. fenugreek seeds
1/3 t. cumin seeds
1/2 t. cardamom seeds
dash turmeric
Cook 15 min, strain.

Berbere (dry)
3/4 c. paprika
1/4 c. cumin
2 T. cardamom
2 T. ground fenugreek
2 T. ground ginger
2 T. cayenne
2 T. salt		 1 T. white pepper
1 T. ground coriander
1 T. nutmeg
1/2 T. turmeric
1/2 T. ground allspice
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
Use the freshest ingredients possible. I recommend buying from the bulk spices section of a co-op. Mix together and grind again in a mortar & pestle if possible. Makes about 2 cups.