Weekend
Highlights:
1.
I am officially on summer vacation! Well, until I start teaching summer school
on the 18th.
2.
Had a lovely visit with my friend and second mother, Sally.
3.
Ate handfuls of the most delicious granola I have ever tasted at Sally’s house,
only to find out the next day that it was food for her parrot. Nice!
4.
Took a leisurely sunset walk along the orchards and the cow pasture in Sally’s
farm… my old stomping grounds. I lived in this beautiful piece of heaven on
Earth for two years with the most generous and kindest people I hold dearly in
my heart, Bill and Sally.
5.
Drove towards Western Washington and then back home for a total of five hours,
all the while feasting my eyes on breathtaking views of green hills and trees!
Oh so many trees! Living in Eastern Washington leaves you in awe of anything
green.
6.
Bought torchetti, donuts, and a loaf of wheat bread at Cle Elum Bakery, bought
sausages and bacon at Glondo’s Sausage Company, and bought some pepperoni and
beef jerky at Owens Meats. As if those stops were not enough, I couldn’t help
but get off the freeway to check out these markets in Thorp to window shop, buy
cherries, and peas.
It
would have been a total letdown if I didn’t stop at my favorite bakery…
Vinman’s in Ellensburg. All their breads are great and I had the toughest time
deciding what to get. I finally settled for a whole grain and a rustic
sourdough. What can I say, nothing beats a good sourdough, or in my case, two!
8.
Got started on some packing (we’re moving to a new apartment!). I was not quite
sure where to start exactly… but managed to get some shoes and winter clothes
in bags and some books in boxes.
9.
Squeezed in a couple of runs, a yoga class, and a bike ride with DFJ.
My
take on this recipe is quite different from the original since I was out of
town and did not have time to buy the required ingredients. I made my own version
of Yemiser W’et and will call it Spring Yemiser W’et: with lentils, leeks, mushrooms, carrots, asparagus, and some
spices. Bittman fries the chickpeas and I tried to do the same with my lentils
but gave up after one fritter did not hold together well… I’m glad I did
because although the crunch was good, the oil was a little bit too much for me.
In
the summer of 2009, I worked as a nanny for two adorable kids in Seattle. Their
family introduced me to Ethiopian food and I fell in love with it as soon as I
had my first handful of doro wat folded in a piece of injera. Flavorful, spicy
chicken with the spongy, sour pancake was too delicious for words. Since then,
I have had Ethiopian dishes made by my friend, Barb, who adopted the cutest
girl from Ethiopia and I have also made Ethiopian food at home, including my
own injera, from a starter given by Barb.
There
are no fancy words to describe this Spring
Yemiser W’et, it is delightfully simple, yet so flavorful and filling. My
only regret was being too lazy to make some injera from the starter sitting in
our refrigerator.
Spring Yemiser W’et
1
cup yellow lentils
2½
cups vegetable broth (preferably homemade)
1
bay leaf
about
4 pieces of 2-inch, dark green leek stalks (for additional flavor)
¼
tsp all-spice, ground
¼
tsp smoked paprila
¼
tsp cayenne
¼
tsp turmeric
¼
tsp cardamom, ground
¼
tsp salt
2
tbsp olive oil
1
leek, chopped
1
cup mushrooms, diced roughly
1
carrot, diced
handful
of asparagus, diced
cooked
lentils
4
tbsp tomato paste
½
tsp coriander
salt,
to taste
Put
vegetable broth, lentils, bay leaf, and leek stalks in a medium size pot. Turn
the heat on to medium and let boil. When the broth comes to a rolling boil,
lower the heat to medium low and simmer with the lid partially open for about
40 minutes, or until done.
Meanwhile,
prepare all the spices: all-spice, paprika, cayenne, turmeric, cardamom, and
salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat
olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, sauté the
garlic until it turns a nice, golden brown. Toss in the leeks and cook until
soft and limp, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir until soft and
spongy, about 2 minutes. Throw in the carrots and asparagus and cook for
another 2 minutes. Stir in all the spices and salt for 2 minutes.
Add
the lentils and all that is left of the broth into the pan and stir with the
vegetables for about 2 minutes. Mix in tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes.
Throw in the coriander and a little bit more salt to taste and cook for 2 more
minutes. Turn off the heat and serve warm.
Best
with injera. However, good sourdough will do (that’s what I did). Flatbread and
rice (as per Bittman’s suggestion) or flour tortillas would be great with this
too.
