Goat, Ethiopian Food and my Jarlsberg Gnome...Goober

You know that I joined the Goaterie group this month so it has been lots of goat. Since Dr Food and I cook Ethiopian food every so often I decided that this was a perfect chance to use goat in a dish. The dish we were making here is called Alicha.

I started off by feeding my Injera starter (that will be a whole other post since I have been asked how I make it).



I then made some Niter Kibbeh which is Ethiopian spiced butter. I usually have some in the refridge but I was all out.



I got this lamb at Springdell Farms and it was amazing. The farms that are available to me are something that I never take for granted. I grew up in a big city and have always lived in urban areas. The fact that the people here think that Marlborough is a big city is just not right. So, I love the fact that I don't live in a big city and that there are farms around.



The spices from Ethiopian food are intoxicating. I love how it all smells. Toasting spices is the same as when you cook Indian food. As a matter of fact cooking Ethiopian food is much like cooking Indian food.



"Clean up on Aisle 5" I can always count on my trusty clean up dog. I love my dog. She is the most patient girl in the world. She will sit for hours watching us cook hoping that the "magic food genie" will make food magically appear on the floor. I didn't say she was smart. I said she is sweet.



One of the other dishes we made was a potato and cabbage dish called Aleecha.



We also made a Brown lentil dish but when the lentils didn't cook we put them in the pressure cooker. They still were taking too long so we threw beans (I think Garbanzo's) into the dish instead. I didn't like this dish.




So, let me stop here to tell you something that has nothing to do with this post. Shut up, I DON'T always do this. I stay on course and don't veer. I do too! Ok, so this is the Jarlsberg Gnome that Nella won for me. I introduced you before. His name is "Mr Rogers aka Goober". He now has a friend. "Moose Monkey". They help me cook and I think it annoys Dr. Food that I have them sitting on the counter. I think he thinks I am weird. No, I am not.




Back to food...



Here is a sneak peek at the injera. This was a really good dinner. Wish you would have been here.



Ethiopian Cabbage - Aleecha
Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes


Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and cabbage and cook another 15 to 20 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.


Alicha
ethiopianrecipes.net

Ingredients
1 cup onion, sliced
2 tablespoons corn oil
2 lbs beef or lamb or goat meat, with bone, cut in 3 inch pieces
2 garlic clove, sliced
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 fresh hot green chili pepper, sliced
1/4 teaspoon gingerroot, crushed fresh
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon caraway seed, crushed
1/4 teaspoon turmeric, ground
1 1/2 cups water

Directions
In dry pan over medium heat, stir fry onions for 2 minutes
Add the oil and stir fry 1 minute longer. Add the meat and brown 5 mins, stirring frequently. Add all of the spices and seasonings at one time and stir well.
Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and cook over moderate heat for about 45 mins, or until the meat is tender.
Should the curry dry out too quickly, add another 1/2c water.
At the end of the 45 mins, there should be very little sauce.


1/2 cup olive oil
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
Directions

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and cabbage and cook another 15 to 20 minutes. Add the potatoes; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are soft, 20 to 30 minutes.