This may not be to everyone’s liking, but I thought we needed to shake things up a bit. A friend used to take me to an Ethiopian restaurant occasionally and I enjoyed it. When it came time to create one of the International Menus I do weekly, Ethiopian came to mind. I tried to look for a recipe that would translate well to a family dinner situation (i.e. the kids’ first words wouldn’t be “I don’t like this”). This is what I came up with. The original recipe was 5-alarm, I toned it down quite a bit. But if spicy foods don’t scare you, start with the original amount of spices and then add more in the same proportions (if you add ¼ tsp extra of cardamom, you’ll want to double all the other spices as well – start small and work your way up).
Next up, I’m hoping you can help me. I’m looking for a recipe – for a tomato, pine nut sauce – I guess it is probably a pesto, but I always think of those as basil-based and this one was tomato-based. Served with toasted ravioli. I’m sure it had basil in it, but not as much as in a basil pesto. I could spend time experimenting in the kitchen, but honestly I’m not in the mood; I’d rather try one that you have already made and deemed delicious. So thanks in advance for any ideas.
On the board tonight:
- Sik Sik Wat
- Egg Noodles
- Green Beans w/yellow pepper butter
- Melon slices
Sik Sik Wat (Spicy beef stew)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp paprika*
- 2 tsp to 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup dry red wine (non-alcoholic ok)
- ¼ cup water
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 lb round steak, thin cut
Slow-Cooker
Stir together all ingredients, except beef, in Slow-Cooker, add beef and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (follow manufacturer’s directions), until beef is tender and falls apart. Serve over egg noodles.
*a word about paprika. There is your basic McCormick’s paprika in a can and then there is really good paprika, usually packaged in small amounts. It has a deep smoky flavor that will make you wonder why you ever used anything else. Try and find that kind of paprika.
Green Beans w/ Yellow Pepper Butter
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ yellow sweet pepper, seeded & shredded
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 oz chopped cashews
- 16 oz fresh green beans, trimmed & cut
- ½ yellow pepper, seeded, cut into thin strips
- salt & pepper to taste
saucepan and steamer
Melt butter in saucepan, add shredded pepper and cook for 5 minutes, add lemon juice & cashews, stir for 1 minute, remove & set aside. Add steamer to saucepan, add beans & just enough water to reach bottom of the steamer. Steam beans for 5 minutes, add strips of pepper and cook until beans are tender-crisp, additional 5-7 minutes. Remove steamer and drain water from saucepan. Add all ingredients into saucepan and heat 1 minute, tossing to coat with butter mixture. Serve immediately.
The menu serves 4
Shopping List:
- 10-12 oz wide egg noodles
- 1 or 2 favorite melons
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp paprika*
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 lb round steak, thin cut
- 1 yellow sweet pepper
- 4 oz chopped cashews
- 16 oz fresh green beans
Also: olive oil, crushed garlic, butter, red wine, salt, pepper, lemon juice
