Injira The Bread That Is The Backbone

 Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking is mostly deliciously rich stews. These need a good bread to stop up the sauce and flavors.This would be injera, the porous bread that is a staple in both cuisines. It's one of the easiest breads to make and a great accompaniment to fall's flavors.

New contributor Naz Deravian and cookbook author of the fascinating Bottom Of The Pot Persian Recipes and Stories wrote about this vital staple of both Ethiopia and its neighboring country Eritrea.It's a sour springy flatbread rich with nutrients. It serves as both a bread and a utensil. The two countries have cuisines heavy with stews such as alitcha kik a split pea one , Shira  a chickpea and tomato mix and doro wat, a spicy chicken mix.Injira is known for its' "eyes" tiny holes that stop up juices . The malleable texture allows it to be torn off and allowed to stop up sauces as well as being used as a kind of spoon. Los Angelenos can buy the bread from Gennet Wondimu who started her catering business out of necessity after her husband's death. she also makes it without the usual added grains of barley. The original teff flour is gluten free which makes it perfect for those with gluten allergies. demand for it grew as Los Angeles hosted more and more Ethiopian restaurants.

Injira can be made at home and Ms. Deravian includes it. Teff flour is required to get the most authentic look and flavor.It can be found on Amazon but some groceries carry Bob's Red Mill brand . Home bakers do have to create a starter - not unlike sourdough. This is called leet and it's a mix of water and teff.It's left to ferment for a few days and then added to boiling water until it forms a thick smooth paste called absit..This is to ensure the injira doesn't;t crack and is springy. The absit is stirred into the remaining batter until it's smooth and pourable. Getting this right will either make or break the bread. This may be tricky for a novice baker. It takes a lot of practice and the right environment for fermentation,Once done it can become second nature as Ms. Wondimu attests. What about the griddle or the mitad? Use a non stick pan, making sure  all residual oils are wiped from it.Use a paper towel for this. Pour the batter into the pan .It should be a thin stream and forming a circle in the center. Try not to have any thick areas. Its done when the eyes or holes pop and cover three quarters of the surface.Cover and finish cooking for thirty seconds more. Take the pan off the head and use a spatula to slip the injira onto a towel to cool. Stack the breads  and they can be stored for up to two weeks.

Injira is the staff of life for Ethiopians and Eritreans.It is perfect for stews. Make it to discover this great staple.

An International Mother's Day

 Tomorrow Mom will probably be greeted with the usual homemade brunch. There may be eggs and bacon. Toast will be there.Maybe it'll be capped off with a mimosa. Yet why not give the lady of the day something extraordinary? Take her on a culinary tour of the world!

Instead of the usual breakfast, look to France and crepes. Think about a simple folded one with some butter and sugar. Some may see this as a chic little pancake, but it's much more. It's a delicate batter made up of eggs,melted  butter whole milk, water and flour. The batter is put into the fridge for an hour or two. This ensures a lighter , crisper crepe. It's then pouring the batter into a lightly oiled pan and cooking for two minutes. It can be served with brandy butter or just lemon juice and granulated sugar. For a savory start to the day look south of the border to Mexico. Huevos rancheros are a hearty way to begin a fun filled day.It's basically a sunny side up egg served on a  warmed tortilla and topped with beans and warmed salsa.  Serve with a big margarita mocktail. Shakshouka, a spicy egg dish from the Middle East and North Africa is another interesting breakfast option. This is poached eggs simmering in a tomato and onion based sauce. Various spices such as paprika, cumin and chili powder are added.Garlic and green peppers also give this flavor. Serve with warmed pita wedges for a truly unique Mother's Day brunch.

Lunch and dinner can also be just as special and just as international. Choley , an Indian chickpea curry that also goes by the name chana masala is an excellent meal choice. One of the best recipes for it comes from the famed Brass sisters, Marilynn and Sheila from their Heirloom Cooking With The Brass Sisters. : Recipes You Remember and Love. Chickpeas, whole tomatoes, chopped onions and potatoes are cooked in a tantalizing sauce of garam masala cumin seeds, curry and chili powder, You can add spinach too if you want and sub in another kind of bean for the potatoes. It's an easy cook that takes less than half an hour. Ethiopian  cooking has given us some savory and memorable dishes. Try the country's vegan lentil stew redolent with berbere spice.It's too late to order this from Amazon but you can easily make it at home. It's blending paprika, cayenne, ground ginger, and fenugreek , along with nutmeg, ginger and ground cloves. The lentils are cooked in spiced butter or oil ( you can use the berbere spice for it) along with tomato paste, chopped onions and a mix of freshly minced ginger and garlic. Cilantro is also added for flavor and color. Once cooked you can serve it with naan or pita. You could also make teff bread,a kind of crepe made with teff flour , to serve with it as the Ethiopians do.

Get away from the traditional Mother's Day fare. Try something other than the typical American dishes. Go to France or India.Visit Mexico, the Middle East or Ethiopia. Make Mom's day a truly international one,

A Big Buna Story

It's important to teach our kids about diversity - not just with people but food and drink too. Now there's a book that kids and their parents will like: The Big Buna Bash (Brandylane Publishers 2020). It's a fun and informative read with beautifully drawn illustrations. This picture book is a great tale about Ethiopian traditions and its' coffee.

Sara C. Arnold wrote this charming story about Almaz, a spirited first grader who wants her class mates to know about her Ethiopian family's tradition of buna. It's sort of like a less formal Japanese tea ceremony, where people gather at a host's house to sip this strong coffee and munch on popcorn, the buna's traditional snack. Almaz , with the help of her mom, Nana and her big sister , Bosena create fun invitations that unfortunately wind up in the trash or as paper airplanes.Undeterred and determined she gives it a second go in her class' Show and Tell.This gives Almaz a chance to explain the ritual in full detail, with pictures and goody bags filled with coffee beans and popcorn. This finally sparks interest which leads to a fun buna bash with their teacher Ms Hill and her classmates.. The buna is where coffee beans are roasted  in a pan on a portable camping stove. They turn a glossy shade of brown along with producing that rich , aroma we all love. Bosena explains how the beans are hand ground back in Ethiopia while Nana puts water and the grounds in an amphora type pot called jebana. It may take a while but this only allows Almaz to bond further with her classmates over a game of I Spy.

Is the buna a hit? Yes!!!! They enjoy the three rounds of buna. The last or the baraka brings a blessing to those who drink it. I loved this book and how it educates children about different foods from different countries. It's such a sweet tale, and beautifully illustrated by Roberta Malasoma. The love that Ms. Arnold has for buna is evident in the way she describes how the coffee is made. Also evident is her love for the Ethiopian culture and people thanks to her being  an aunt to an extended Ethiopian/ Israeli family. I would love to see a sequel about Almaz and her family cooking dinner for her classmates.It could feature such traditional Ethiopian foods as doro wat, a spicy chicken stew and injera , a flatbread made with the ancient grain teff. She could also write another follow up featuring how to create buna in an American kitchen with  recipes for well loved Ethiopian desserts like himbasha, a cardamon flavored crepe or Berbere spiced pudding  that combines avocados, raw ground cacao, cayenne pepper and paprika.

The Big Buna Bash is a must have for your child's library. It is a great way of introducing little and big foodies alike to this interesting and tasty ritual. Buy it now and expand your family's culinary horizons.

Pereg Flours - A New Way Of Baking

Using an old fashioned recipe is sweet. Using old fashioned white flour isn't. It can lead to bad allergic reactions along with gluten based stomach problems. Luckily, there is Pereg Flours that allows home  bakers to bake without any worries or doubts.

Pereg is known as an alternative flour company, even though they also sell soups , bread crumbs and pasta among other healthier foods.It's one of the oldest , starting by the Pereg family in 1906. The company has a full range of gluten free, carb free, allergy free flours. These are perfect for those dealing with all sort of wheat related problems. The flours range from the ancient grains such as teff and quinoa to plaintain, coconut and banana. Old standby's like buckwheat are also sold along with the trendier almond and chickpea. I thought I'd give Pereg Flours a try and got the quinoa. This doesn't have the carbs of regular wheat and it's healthier.I thought  why not pancakes.I took the Lazy Cat Kitchen recipe and tweaked it a bit.

This is the quinoa flour. It has a custardy yellow hue and a silkier texture than regular flour.

A teaspoon of baking powder was needed as was a teaspoon of baking soda/

They were sifted together to look like this

Now it's time for the liquids. The Lazy Cat recommended a plant milk. I chose coconut milk, for both the low calories and creaminess. 

Two teaspoons of lemon juice were added to create a catalyst with the baking powder and baking soda. This creates a leavening effect that gives the pancakes lift.

Four teaspoons of maple sytup (actual maple syrup not the watered down version) gives the batter a subtle sweetness.

Vegan butter , made from coconut oil but tastes exactly like the real thing was used for frying.

The pancakes came out  OK not as robust as regular pancakes.

The taste was green and plantlike, Imagine the scent of freshly cut grass as a taste and you have quinoa. Before frying I added a sprinkle of Celtic sea salt to bring out the other ingredients' flavors.Of course I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and more maple syrup were poured over them.

 Next time I'll try Pereg's Buckwheat to maybe whip up a batch of blinis.

Pereg's Flours bring in a whole new era of baking. They'll help home bakers wean their families away from traditional wheat flours and embrace a healthier diet. Try their flours in any baking recipe and see the difference.

A New Way Of Baking

There's a new shift in baking these days. It's getting away from traditional wheat-based recipes and embracing other grains. Many professional bakers, such as Elizabeth Pruitt, are using a wide array of
 other grains. The result? Delicious sweets that are healthier and gluten free.

Famed blogger and food critic, Tejal Rao, wrote about  Chef Pruitt, in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Chef Pruitt  and her husband are the owners of the famed Tartine Manufactory in San Francisco. This is a former warehouse converted into a 5,000 square foot bread factory along with a pastry shop, restaurant,ice cream parlor and coffee shop in the city's Mission District. Chef Pruitt has created such wheat free gems as salted buckwheat chocolate cookies, chocolate almond cakes and apple crisps. The thrust behind it is that she is gluten intolerant herself and was exploring different grains to create heavenly desserts.She is also trying her hand at fermentation too, offering up bright yellow turmeric kefir. tangy with a fine champagne like fizz. The Tartine Manufactory also makes both cow and buffalo milk soft serve ice cream. There is even an ice cream pie filled with Concord grape sorbet  swirled with a fior di latte soft served  in a peanut butter tart shell. This creation is a star on Instagram, thanks to its' swirls of deep vibrant purple. Fans will enjoy her new cookbook, "Tartine All Day, available this April.It has a variety of both sweet and savory recipes including her favorite,pork chops braised in apple cider vinegar with ginger and garlic,

The article comes with recipes from  Chef Pruitt who actually first started off as an actress and photojournalism before heading off to the Culinary Institute of America. Her cakes are legendary, drawing praise from one of her biggest fans, the famed chef , Alice Waters. Chef Waters used to
order  her birthday cake from Chef Pruitt and has nothing but high praise for her, There is a sweet potato tea cake with meringue. This is made with wheat flour in a traditional tea cake recipe. It would be a nice alternative to sweet potato pie on Thanksgiving. It is chock full of such spices as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves along with a sweet topping that's swirled and baked with the cake. The second recipe is a teff carrot cake made with teff, a ruddy looking flour derived from reed grass. It is combined with sweet rice and oat flour. There's also a mix of granulated white and coconut sugar to sweeten it  along with  eggs and applesauce to give it a tender crumb..Walnuts and unsweetened coconut flakes are also added for texture and crunch. It's iced in in a traditional cream cheese icing. Chef Pruitt decorates the cake  with seasonal flowers and walnuts for a rustic , festive look.It would make another perfect end to a Thanksgiving meal.

It is just as easy to bake a wheat free cake as it is it is to bake a traditional one. Experiment, as chef Pruitt did, and create healthier and tastier desserts. They're not only beneficial but also delicious.

Grain Range

One of the best ways to cook healthy is to cook with grains.There are a wealth to choose from and each can be made in a variety of ways.Grains aren't just used in baking.They can make excellent sides and even be the base of some Salads.Once you know what they are and can offer , you can create good for you and good tasting meals. One of the most widely used and ever popular grains is barley.Most know it from soups,It' can not only add flavor but also thicken them so they can resemble pot ages. Barley is good on it's own and can be used instead of arborio rice for making risotto.Remember to buy the pearl kind.It takes less time and water to cook. You can use hulled barley but it will take about an hour to cook and will require more water.Another much eaten grain is buckwheat.It's technically not a grain but a gluten free fruit seed related to the rhubarb.It has a deep nutty flavor and goes well with mushrooms or caramelized carrots and onions.Of course everyone knows it as a chief ingredient in pancakes but you could also use it in a bacon and egg scramble.For a more interesting spin use it as a filler for stuffed cabbage instead of rice. Some grains are only being introduced to the American palate.There is freekah, a Middle Eastern grain popular in Egyptian cuisine.It's cousin to wheat and is best toasted.The reason being is that a crop burned thousands of years ago after a village was attacked and what was left was roasted chaff.The villagers loved the smokey roasted flavor.It can be served as a side with butter amid herbs or as a salad ,namely with fruit such as apples and pears.Teff is another ancient grain from Africa.The grains are very tiny, sort of like poppy seeds, and have both a bitter and sweet taste.It is gluten free and very high in Vitamin C and calcium.The flavor is both bitter and sweet like chocolate.It is versatile,being an excellent breakfast with maple syrup or for lunch and dinner ,stirred into stew. Amaranth is another grain with an exotic, yet pretty name.It is high in protein and lysine.Use it in pancake batter or as a salad.It can even sub in for farina during chilly mornings. Grains are a wonderful to expand your menu as well as bringing more nutrients int the family diet.Try any one to start the day or end a busy day. Any one is a great addition to meal time.