Ingredients

• 200 gm (1 cup) green lentils, washed
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 750 ml (3 cups) water
• 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Add enough water to the lentils to cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onions for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add garlic, ginger, and turmeric, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the lentils and the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, until the lentils have softened, adding more water if needed. (You can adjust the consistency of the final dish by adding more water and cooking longer.) Adjust seasoning and serve.

Browsers Grazers

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. chicken (2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, bone-in recommended)
• 3 slices lemon or lime
• 1 tsp. salt (to taste)
• 4 lg. red onions, chopped
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp. cayenne pepper [CP: 2 tbsp. is around an 8 out of 10 spice-wise; next time will try 1 tbsp.]
• 1/2-1 c. water
• 3 tbsp. qibe or butter
• 1/4 c. minced fresh garlic
• 1 tbsp. whole black cardamom pods, or 1 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 c. minced fresh ginger
• 3 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 3 tsp. ground allspice
• 3 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. salt, to taste
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved [CP: we skipped these]

Preparation

Wash the chicken thoroughly. Put the chicken in a large bowl and add enough water to cover. Add the lemon or lime slices and the salt and let marinate for at least 2 hours.

In a large pot, cook the onions over medium heat until browned (around 6-8 minutes). Add the olive oil and stir in the cayenne. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, adding 2 tbsp. of water or so gradually, only to keep it from burning. Drain your marinated chicken and add it to the pot. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Add the qibe/butter, garlic, cardamom, and ginger. Let it cook for about 20 minutes, gradually adding very little amounts of water (2 tbsp. or so at a time). Lower the heat and add the nutmeg, allspice, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the cardamom pods if you used whole, and discard. Add the hard-boiled eggs and let it rest, covered, for about an hour. Serve warm, reheating gently if needed.

Penzey’s Spices, edited

Ingredients

• 2 lg. red onions, chopped
• 2 lg. tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 slab ribs (~3 lb.) washed and cut apart (any variety)
• 3 tb. qibe or regular butter
• 1/4 c. fresh ginger, finely diced (or 1 tbsp. dried ginger)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño or other hot fresh pepper, minced (optional)
• 1/4 to 1 tsp. salt, to taste
• 1/4 to 1 tsp. pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 c. water (or more, for a more “brothy” dish)

Preparation

Put the onions and tomatoes in a pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes – do not let them dry out or brown. Add the ribs to the pot and let them steep out their juices, turning a few times. This takes maybe 20 minutes, depending on your ribs. Once the pot is saturated with the juices of the meat (again, don’t let it dry out), add the qibe or butter, ginger, garlic, jalapeño, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine and give it a few minutes for the flavors to meld. Then add the water to the pot – the ribs don’t have to be submerged but should be at least partially covered. Let it simmer for at least 30 minutes, more for thicker ribs. When the pot’s volume is considerably lower and the meat looks tender and cooked, take your pot off the stove.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

Note: This recipe results in much less final product than you would expect. 1/2 c. butter might only produce 2–3 tbsp. of qibe, following the recipe exactly. Consider taking the slurry from the bottom and pressing it through cheesecloth or coffee filters, so that you get more results.

• 1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
• 1 tbsp. powdered ginger
• 2 tsp. ground fenugreek
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom or 1 tbsp. whole black cardamom pods
• 1 tsp. ground cumin

Preparation

Melt the butter over low heat in a small, heavy pot. Add the spices and stir. Let cook over very low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Skim off the foam on the top and discard. Carefully pour the butter off the top into a container with a lid, leaving as much of the spices (especially whole cardamom pods) and liquid at the bottom behind. What you want is the stuff in the middle. Store in the fridge.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 lg. red onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 1/2-3 c. water, divided
• 1-2 tbsp. cayenne (1 tbsp. is hot, 2 is blazing)
• 1/4 tsp. dried ginger
• 1 sm. clove garlic, diced
• 1 c. red lentils, washed
• 1 tbsp. butter or qibe
• 1/4 tsp. salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Using a medium pot with a lid, start by sauteeing the onions until light brown, about 6-8 minutes over medium heat. Don’t worry if they stick a bit. Add the oil. Once it is simmering, add 1/4 c. water. Then immediately add the cayenne and the ginger and garlic. It will be a rather thick mix, but keep stirring as it may burn if you don’t. Add the qibe or butter, and about 1 cup water, 1/4 cup at a time, constantly stirring. It is important that you add the water gradually because the cayenne has to cook and blend with the broth. Once you have enough volume in your pot to submerge the lentils, add them. Stir the lentils for about 2 minutes. Then add about a cup of water to the pot and close the lid to let it come to a boil. Once the volume of the pot has considerably come down, 10 minutes or so, start stirring to see if the lentils have cooked. If they are tender and crush easily, it’s time to take your pot off the stove. If not, keep them cooking, checking every 3 minutes, adding a few tbsp. of water so they don’t dry out. For red lentils, the recipe should take around 12 minutes, for green lentils, 20. Let cool a bit, add salt and pepper, and serve warm with bread for dipping.

Penzey’s Spices