The [trademarked chocolate and peanut butter confection] Challenge. My chicken dish for this meal emphasizes the chocolate elements. For my starch side dish I want to make the peanuts the star, with the chocolate element being more of a secret ingredient. I want it to add a depth to the taste without having a distinct “chocolate” flavor.
Karl’s Peanut Rice
Filed under Side Dishes, Starches
Jan and I went to the farmer’s market yesterday and she fell in love with Big Paw’s Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar. The question was what to do with it. We had already decided that we were going to have a Deli-dinner (fresh bread, cheese, cold meat, salad etc.) Jan had already gotten some heirloom carrots for carrot salad, so what were we going to do with the new vinegar?
Karl’s Fig Balsamic Asparagus
Filed under Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables
I don’t do casseroles, especially tuna casseroles, too many years of church socials growing up. Jan, on the other hand, loves tuna casserole, although she has a problem with its portion control. You cannot take less of the starch and more of the veggies, since everything is mixed together. The other problem with casseroles is that the ingredients do not cook at the same rates. Some things will be under done or others will be way over done. Somewhere there had to be a solution.
Karl’s I Don’t Do Casseroles
Filed under Main Dishes, Seafood
Jan has gone to three conferences in the last week, a dean’s conference, the Southwestern Anthropological Association conference and a Google conference. As a result, her eating habits have been completely disrupted. Google especially fed her some very strange things, but one of the things she liked was a Vietnamese summer roll with lamb, instead of the usual shrimp or pork.
Karl’s Vietnamese Summer Rolls (Gỏi cuốn)
You can make summer rolls as a vegetarian dish, but I usually make them with shrimp and/or thin slices of Chinese barbecued pork. The idea of using lamb intrigued me. Could I make a summer roll with tender, flavorful slices of lamb like I can picture in my head?
Filed under Lamb, Main Dishes, Salads
This is the sauce to go with Karl’s Vietnamese Summer Rolls.
Karl’s Peanut Dipping Sauce
Filed under Sauces and Spices
I had brought some lemongrass, because I was thinking about braising the lamb for my Vietnamese summer rolls in a flavorful broth. I changed my mind to a quick grill for the lamb, but then I was left with the lemongrass. I decided that I what I needed was a soup to go with dinner.
Karl’s Lemongrass Clear Soup
Filed under Soups
Adapted from a recipe by the National Honey Board
Jan was disappointed to find that the Ethiopian idea of dessert was sour cheese or just coffee. (Actually, after all of that good food who has room for “just one little thin mint?”) She decided to make an Ethiopian inspired desert by adding honey and spices to caramel and using it to make a gelato sundae.
Jan’s Sweet Ethiopia Honey Caramel Sauce Sundaes
Filed under Desserts & Treats, Sauces and Spices, Treats
If you have ever been to an Ethiopian restaurant the beautiful tray covered with the large, sour pancake dotted with brightly colored stews is a delight to see and even more to taste. It makes you want to try to do this yourself. While many of the Ethiopian dishes appear to be simple, with only a few ingredients, you discover hidden complexities. Many of the ingredients in Ethiopian cooking turn out to have their own complex recipes.
Karl’s Doro Wot – Ethiopian Red Chicken Stew
(in the center)
with Authentic Injera (under all)
Filed under bread, Main Dishes, Poultry, Side Dishes
The spice blend Berbere (when the Ethiopians say it, it sounds like “Barbara”) seems to define the Ethiopian stew called wat. According to Wikipedia Berbere contains: chili peppers, garlic, ginger, dried basil, korarima, rue, ajwain or radhuni, nigella, and fenugreek. A couple of these spices are hard to acquire outside of Africa.
Karl’s Berbere Ethiopian Spice Blend
Filed under Sauces and Spices
adapted from under12parsecs
Niter Kibbeh is a key ingredient in many Ethiopean dishes. I suspect that the clarifying process and spices were meant to keep the butter from going bad in Ethiopia’s hot climate before refrigeration. I made this the day before, so that it would be ready when I started cooking my feast. I will be using this ingredient in my doro wat, shiro wat, and abesha gomen.
Filed under Other, Sauces and Spices
karllueck
Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 