Ethiopian Stew

You know how when you move you get really excited about learning about your new neighborhood?  And you just can’t wait to find new favorite places and become the new “regulars” to some retail establishment?

And you know how then you begin to miss where you moved from, that comfort, that ease?  And you start to regret not visiting X, Y, and Z more often?  And you realize how you didn’t take advantage of this or that?

I’m at that stage now.  And it has more to do with missing the restaurants (and grocery stores) of the old home than really anything else.  I mean, Lowe’s is Lowe’s, right?

If you ask the Omnivore if he likes Ethiopian cuisine, he’ll say “YES!”

If you ask the Omnivore if he wants to go eat Ethiopian cuisine, he’ll say “NO!”

You see, he only wants to eat it once per year.  Which means when we lived near an excellent Ethiopian restaurant, we only ate there about 4 times.  And now I’m craving it and it is far away and I’m regretting that I didn’t put my foot down and demand to eat there once per month.  Well, I was regretting it.  Until I made this recipe.  And all was right again.

One Year Ago: Whole Wheat bread in 5 minutes

Ethiopian Stew (adapted from here)
* this is not spicy as written.  If you prefer hotter foods, add 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups split peas, well-rinsed and drained
4 cups water
1 onion, halved and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 cup diced tomato (fresh or canned)
2 cups cut green beans (fresh, frozen, or canned)
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt

Pressure cooker method:

Place all ingredients in a pressure cooker and mix well. Test the broth to see if it is spiced to your liking, and adjust accordingly. Close lid and bring up to pressure over high heat. When pressure is reached, cook for 15 mins on low. Remove from heat and let pressure drop. Open lid, mix well, and serve.

Crock pot method: Place all ingredients in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Looking for an injera recipe?  Check this post.