Berberé Shortbread                                                              

3 tablespoons brown rice flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1 1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons Berberé
1/2 cup sugar
2 ounces of cream cheese
6 ounces room temperature butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

coarse sugar (optional)
 

Whisk together first 6 ingredients.

In a mixer combine sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until creamy.

Add dry to wet and combine.

Roll the dough into 2 logs in sheets of parchment. Refrigerate overnight. Or less if you’re very impatient.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. cut dough into generous 1/4" slices (i.e. more than ¼ inch but less than ½ inch). Sprinkle with - and then press in - a little bit of coarse sugar, if you'd like.

Bake on parchment for 18 minutes.

 

Carrot Apple Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2 cups/198 g coarsely grated carrot
1 large apple, coarsely grated
4 eggs
1 cup/224 g olive oil
2/3 cup/145 g dark brown sugar
½ cup/65 g raisins
1/3 cup chopped, toasted pecans
½ cup/25 g shredded or flaked unsweetened coconut
2.5 cups/312 g all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Pie Spice
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Mix the olive oil and sugar thoroughly. Add the carrot, apple, eggs, and vanilla, if you’re using it. Stir in the raisins, pecans, and coconut. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, The Kitchen Imp’s pie spice. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet.

Fill the muffin cups about two-thirds of the way. Cook 20-22 minutes until a tester comes out dry. Frost with a cream cheese frosting if you feel fancy.

We imagine that this would make a wonderful base for a carrot apple cake, as well. Please report back if you try this out.

Winter Squash Soup with Ginger and Turmeric                 Serves 6-8.
3 pounds squash, baked whole in the oven in a pan of water at 350 degrees for an hour while you putter about, then cooled enough to peel, scoop out, and cut into chunks. Or you can cut your squash into big chunks and steam it.
3 tablespoons of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 hot chili, minced
1 large apple, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon Sweet Turmeric Masala OR  ¾ teaspoon turmeric, ¾ teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin (see note) 
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
6 cups of broth (more if you use a drier squash)
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and seed the squash. Chop roughly and set aside. 

Sauté the onion for 3-5 minutes, then add the fresh ginger and garlic and cook another minute or two. Add the turmeric, coriander, and cumin or the Sweet Turmeric Masala. Cook 30 seconds, stirring. Don’t worry if it sticks to the bottom of the pan, just don’t allow it to burn.

Add the chili and apple and cook 3 minutes. Add the squash and broth. Cover and cook until the squash is very soft, then puree the mixture. A stick blender comes in handy here or you can blend it in batches in a blender. If you use a blender, be very careful, as hot liquids like to explode out of blender lids. Keep a dish towel over the top of the blender. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with a dollop of whole milk yogurt or sour cream.

Note: If you decide to use the cumin and coriander, toast them in a dry skillet until they become aromatic. Allow to cool and grind in a mortar or a spare coffee grinder.

Really, though, these are so dang good! We might've made them for breakfast, but they're also great for dessert. They ain't sexy, but they're delicious

Apple Muffin Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

A: 227 grams/2 cups whole wheat all purpose flour
89 grams/.5 cups oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
.5 teaspoon baking soda
.5 teaspoon salt
1.5 tablespoons Pie Spice
 
B: 113g/.5 cup olive oil (a non-assertive one)
57g/4 tablespoons soft butter
142 grams/.66 cups brown sugar
67 grams/.33 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
 
C: 270 grams/2+ cups cubed baked apples
27 grams/.5 cup grated coconut
80 grams/.75 cups chopped toasted pecans
70 grams/.5 cup dried cherries (coarsely chopped, optional)

There are two ways to go about this. One is to mix in the chopped apples without baking them first. The other, which I prefer, is to chop the apples into little piece, toss with a few teaspoons of Pie Spice and a tablespoon of dark brown sugar, and then bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Let them cool and then make the muffins.

Mix A in a bowl.

Beat sugar and butter. When butter is uniformly distributed, add the oil. Scape down the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl one at a time. Add the vanilla and beat in.

Add A to B. Mix to combine and then fold in C.

Scoop a plum-sized amount onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. Cook 16-18 minutes, or until just done in the middle.

Serves 4; cooking time, prep included  – 45 minutes 

one chicken, cut into pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced 
4 teaspoons nit’ir qibe 
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter 
2 teaspoon berberé
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 cup diced tomatoes
4 hard boiled eggs
Salt to taste 

Heat the olive oil or butter, add the onion to the pan and cook until softened and slightly golden. Add the nit’ir qibe and berbere to the onion stir until coated with spices.  Cook for another 2 minutes on low heat. Add broth, bring to a boil, and lower to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the chicken, lower the heat, and cook, covered, at a low simmer for 20 minutes. Add the eggs and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.        Serve with rice and sauteed greens with coconut milk.

6 eggs
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced
4 cloves (2T) garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Harissa
1+ teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups or two 14 ounce cans of tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons of tomato paste (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled, optional

Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet.  When the oil shimmers, add the onion and sauté until it softens and just begins to turn golden.  Add the garlic and continue to stir for 1-2 minutes, until the garlic becomes aromatic and softens.  Add the harissa, salt, and pepper and stir for another minute. If the mixture begins to stick, add another teaspoon or two of olive oil.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste (if using), and sugar or honey. Simmer until the tomato mixture has thickened a little (this will take longer with fresh tomatoes, as they will release water initially and will take a little less time if you use the tomato paste).  

Make 6 little divots in the tomato mixture and carefully break an egg into each one.  Cover the pan and cook until the eggs are at your preferred doneness. I like to cook them for 7-10 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are lovely and runny.

Serve with toasted crusty bread and a green salad with a citrus vinaigrette.

1 tablespoon Chicken & Ribs Blend
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
8 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 chicken, cut into pieces
3-4 plums, sliced, pits removed
1 large onion, quartered and thickly sliced

 

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken pieces. Add the chicken pieces and rub all over with the spice, lemon, and honey mixture. If you have time, refrigerate for 2-6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a sheet pan with parchment or foil, if you want. Add the sliced plums and onions to the bowl, toss, and pour the contents of the bowl onto the sheet pan.

Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Serve with good bread or rice for soaking up the juices.

We love this salad as a bright, crisp counterpoint to a rich entrée. 

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or white balsamic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Za’atar

Whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, and Za’atar. Beat in the mayonnaise. While beating (put a dish towel under the bowl to keep it from spinning), drizzle the oil in slowly. Set aside.

Salad:

1 large or 2 medium crisp apples, cored and sliced thinly
2 orange-sized kohlrabi or 2 cups whole radishes, sliced thinly
a small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
a tiny handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped (optional)U

Use a mandoline to slice the apples and kohlrabi, if you have one. Toss with dressing and herbs. Taste and correct salt.

Adapted from Ethiopia by Yohanis Gebreyesus                                                serves 4

2 tablespoons clarified butter or oil
1 pound+ of greens (collards, kale, or the like)
1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 pound chopped onions
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 ½ teaspoons Nit’ir Qibe
2 tablespoons coconut milk (optional and not traditional)
salt

 

Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Dunk your greens into the water and swirl with tongs for about 30 seconds, then remove to a colander and rinse with cold water. Leave to drain while you cook the rest of the ingredients. Chop roughly just before adding to the other ingredients.

 Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the garlic. Sauté until the garlic is aromatic and soft, then add the onion and cook for 5-10 minutes on low, stirring occasionally, til the onion is light brown and slightly caramelized. Add the ginger, the Nit’ir Qibe, a teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the greens and the coconut milk, if using. Taste for salt and add a little more, if needed. Cook, stirring, until the greens are a little less cooked than you like, and then turn off the heat, as they will keep cooking a bit after you remove them from the heat.