ETHIOPIA

NO MOUNTAIN TOO HIGH

Words alone cannot describe Ethiopia, her Semien Mountains or ancient ruins. It’s seldom that I travel to such a destination and find myself in awe of its land and people.

Once in a lifetime, if you are lucky, you get to experience the kindness of others, a random act of friendship that lingers with you for many years to come. Christmas Day 2010 was one such day. Sue Wiper and I had just traversed the length and breadth of the Semien National Park, summited Ethiopia’s highest mountain, and were making our way down to the lowlands. Our ragtag entourage, consisting of Tadella the guide, Fente the cook, an assistant cook, a scout with a Kalashnikov rifle, three mules (one with the dining room table on its back), two mule handlers and a porter, had gone on ahead to set up camp with a local farmer.

Our little blue tent was waiting for us in his cattle kraal beside a magnificent old tree. The idea of the kraal was more to keep the inquisitive children out than the occasional hyena. The old scout took his job very seriously. He had enough ammunition wrapped around his belly to single-handedly liberate Somalia, and insisted on sleeping outside our tent at night with the barrel of the gun pointing towards us! I never really understood his reasoning.

Christmas morning arrived and we were greeted by the rooster and six of our camping staff holding a vanilla cake. Fente had baked a treat for us in a frying pan over the fire, the words ‘Merry Christmas Torists’ inscribed with Nutella® chocolate across the top.

The seventh member of our expedition was a young shepherd boy. He was not in attendance at the cake cutting ceremony because, as a surprise, he was walking the three and a half hours it took to the nearest village to buy a bottle of Ethiopian red wine – surprisingly drinkable – for us, for Christmas dinner. So there we were, sitting under the stars at the dining table, feasting on Doro wat chicken, Ethiopian flatbreads and cabbage. Everyone stood and watched, and once they were satisfied that we had enjoyed our meal, the table was cleared, our glasses refilled and the shoulder dancing began in earnest.

Much later, after a round of speeches, more dancing ensued, but this time Sue and I were asked to dance for our hosts. The wine helped, but I can tell you this: I am in no danger of winning Dancing with the Stars … This was, in all respects, the best Christmas I have ever had.

Doro wat chicken berbere and hard-boiled egg

Doro wat chicken is considered to be a national dish. As with all recipes, there are many variations, but serving the chicken with hardboiled eggs seems to be a given. The cooked eggs are usually added towards the end of the cooking time to soak up the rich sauce.

• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) butter or ghee 60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) oil
• 1.5 kg chicken thighs or assorted chicken pieces
• 2 large red onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) grated fresh ginger
• 125 ml (¹⁄₂ C) berbere paste (see opposite)
• 1 × 70 g can tomato paste
• 4 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 ml (2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
• Juice of 1 large lime
• Fresh coriander to garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Heat some of the butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and brown the chicken in batches. Set aside. Add a little more butter and oil to the pan and sauté the onions, garlic and ginger until soft. Stir in the berbere paste. Add the chicken, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, bay leaves, black pepper and salt. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat, ensuring the chicken is coated in the paste. Transfer the chicken to a glass ovenproof dish or casserole, cover with two layers of foil or a tight-fitting lid and bake for 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked. Alternatively, the chicken can be simmered slowly in a potjie over a fire or on top of the stove in a heavy-bottomed saucepan for 1–1¹⁄₂ hours.
3. Add the hard-boiled eggs to the dish 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time to soak up the sauce.
4. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large serving platter. Squeeze over lime juice. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half and arrange attractively on top of the chicken. Sprinkle the dish with fresh coriander. Serve warm with rice or flatbreads, naan or couscous.

Serves 6–8.

Berbere paste

Berbere paste is a dark, aromatic paste made from a mixture of spices and paprika. It forms the basis of many Ethiopian dishes. For convenience I have used ground spices.

• 10 ml (2 tsp) ground ginger
• 5 ml (1 tsp) ground cardamom
• 5 ml (1 tsp) ground coriander
• 5 ml (1 tsp) ground fenugreek
• 5 ml (1 tsp) ground nutmeg
• 2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) ground allspice
• 2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) ground cloves
• 2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) ground cinnamon
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) smoked hot paprika
• 10 ml (2 tsp) cayenne pepper
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt
• 5 ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• 60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• Water to bind

1. Dry-roast all the spices in a heavy-bottomed frying pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the oil, onion and garlic. Add enough water to bind the mixture and form a paste.
2. Store in a sterilised glass jar. The mixture will keep for a few weeks in the fridge.

Makes 1 × 250 ml jar.

TIP

Don’t use olive oil to mix the paste as it may be too overpowering. Rather stick to good quality sunflower or canola oil.

Fente’s boudoir sponge

Fente baked his vanilla sponge in a deep frying pan over a few coals. It was a simple batter and rather dense, so I have taken part of the recipe and adapted it to make a lighter chiffon. This cake does not need icing, but if you want something grander try the mascarpone and honey topping. The use and production of honey in Ethiopia is as old as the ancient churches themselves. The town of Lalibela, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is famed for the production of Lalibela honey, which has a grainy texture and is the colour of amber. Our hotelier’s son stood in line for me for three hours at the local market to buy just 500 ml of the prized liquid.

• 560 ml (2¹⁄₄ C) cake flour
• 375 ml (1¹⁄₂ C) sugar
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) baking powder
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt
• 125 ml (¹⁄₂ C) canola oil
• 5 extra-large eggs, separated
• 190 ml (³⁄₄ C) tepid water
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) vanilla essence
• 2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) cream of tartar

Mascarpone and honey icing (optional)

• 250 g mascarpone cheese
• 60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) icing sugar, sifted
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) lemon juice
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) honey

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
2. Sift the flour, 250 ml (1 C) of the sugar, the baking powder and salt together. Make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, egg yolks, water and vanilla essence together. Pour the liquid into the centre of the well and use an electric beater to mix with the flour until smooth. Ensure there are no lumps, but do not over beat the mixture.
3. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until firm but not dry. Gradually add the remaining 125 ml (¹⁄₂ C) sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until all the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are firm. Pile the egg whites on top of the batter and fold in lightly. Turn the mixture into two deep, ungreased 22 cm cake tins.
4. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30–35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and the cake has pulled away from the sides. Alternatively, this cake can be baked in an ungreased chiffon cake tin for 50 minutes.
5. Turn the cake tins upside down on a wire rack and leave to cool completely in the cake tin. Once cold, run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake, and then bang the tin lightly on the counter to release it. Gently coax the cake out of the tin.
6. To make the icing, combine all the icing ingredients and whisk until smooth. Use the icing to sandwich the two smaller cakes and ice the top only, not the sides. If you have baked the large chiffon cake, spread the icing over the top only. Alternatively, decorate with fresh berries and serve with pouring cream.

Makes 1 large cake.

TIPS

• This makes a really large cake and can be baked in two deep sandwich tins or even three if you have them. Alternatively, use a chiffon or Bundt cake tin. Do not grease the cake tins because the batter needs to cling to the sides to rise. Cool the cake upside down in the tin.

• Always use fresh oil when baking cakes that use oil as shortening, as the flavour permeates the cake and rancid oil can spoil everything. Canola or olive oil make lovely alternatives; experiment and try different flavours.

Pasta al forno

Although never colonised, Ethiopia had a strong Italian presence for many years and they left behind some real legends, such as the world famous Ristorante Castelli in Addis Ababa. It opened in 1948 and has survived every coup since then. Our waiter was so old that he couldn’t even see that he had given us the menus upside down. We decided to treat ourselves to a bottle of Awash Crystal, the finest Ethiopian white wine. It came to the table frozen solid. When we asked about this, he simply answered: ‘Never mind, it still tastes the same.’ This recipe is adapted from an old family favourite, given to me by my dear friend Lily Tripepi. Her grandfather was a captain in Mussolini’s army and was stationed at Asmara (in Eritrea) during the Second World War. The recipe travelled down through Africa as the Tripepi family migrated towards its southern shores.

• 1 × 500 g packet penne rigate pasta
• 60 g salted butter
• 150 g mozzarella cheese, sliced
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle

Red sauce

• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 160 ml (²⁄₃ C) chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
• 25 ml (5 tsp) sunflower oil
• 60 ml (¹⁄₄ C) dry white wine
• 500 g extra-lean topside mince
• 1 × 70 g can tomato paste
• 2 × 400 g cans whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
• 1 × 400 g tomato purée
• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) brown sugar
• 10 ml (2 tsp) dried oregano
• 5 ml (1 tsp) dried basil
• 5 ml (1 tsp) dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Béchamel sauce

• 125 g butter
• 125 ml (¹⁄₂ C) cake flour
• 1 litre (4 C) milk
• 2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) ground nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Make the red sauce first. Blend or process the carrot, garlic, onions and parsley until very smooth. If chopping by hand, make sure you dice finely. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and, once hot and almost smoking, stir in the onion mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Add the white wine. Add the mince and brown very well for at least 10 minutes. Scrape the bottom from time to time with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook for a few minutes.
2. Blend the whole peeled tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add to the mince. Stir in the tomato purée, sugar and herbs. Season well. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, for at least 2¹⁄₂ hours. If you are pressed for time it is possible to use the red sauce after 1¹⁄₂ hours, but longer cooking will result in better flavours and will add greatly to this dish. Remove from the heat and set aside while you prepare the béchamel sauce.
3. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and then stir in the flour until you have a thick paste. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture comes away from the sides of the saucepan. Remove from the heat. Gradually whisk in the milk and nutmeg until the flour has dissolved and the mixture is lump free. Return to the heat and continue to stir continuously until the mixture is thick and smooth. Season to taste. The béchamel should have the consistency of a thick cream.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
5. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water as per instructions on the packet until al dente. Drain in a colander and stir through the 60 g butter to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
6. To assemble, spoon a ladle of red sauce over the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Spoon a layer of pasta over the sauce, followed by more red sauce. Top with béchamel sauce. Spread slices of mozzarella on top of the béchamel sauce. Repeat the layers, starting with the pasta and ending with béchamel sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Give it a good sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 15–20 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the grill onto high and grill until the béchamel bubbles and the top is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Serves 6–8.

TIPS

• Make sure the garlic and onion paste is smoothly blended in a liquidiser before you start.

• Brown the mince for a prolonged time to prevent the meat sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. The mince is ready once you see a thin layer of oil float to the top.

• Use sunflower and not olive oil as it overpowers the taste.

Lamb burgers with cumin, sweet paprika and mint

On the way from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport into town there is a giant aeroplane stuck to a building. It looks like someone cut a plane in half and mounted it to the wall like an almighty trophy. I know this because one afternoon I sat across from it in a restaurant while munching my way through the largest burger I could find, pondering how the hell they got it up there (turns out it wasn’t a real plane, but a homemade life-size replica of one!). My burger was absolutely delicious and of such superior quality that I eventually asked for the recipe. No one had any idea what I was talking about so I just wrote my own. I later discovered that the restaurant’s owner had once worked as a taxi driver in New York.

Mint tzatziki sauce

• ¹⁄₂ medium English cucumber, peeled and grated
• 250 ml (1 C) thick Greek yoghurt
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) chopped fresh mint
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) chopped fresh dill
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Lamb burger patties

• 400 g lamb or mutton mince
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 90 ml (6 Tbsp) chopped fresh mint leaves
• 90 ml (6 Tbsp) chopped fresh coriander leaves
• 5 ml (1 tsp) smoked sweet
• Spanish paprika 5 ml (1 tsp) chilli flakes
• 2.5 ml (¹⁄₂ tsp) salt
• 5 ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• 10 ml (2 tsp) ground cumin
• 250 ml (1 C) fresh breadcrumbs, lightly toasted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Oil to fry
• 4–6 burger buns
• Baby spinach to serve

1. To make the tzatziki, squeeze the grated cucumber to remove all the liquid. The cucumber must not be watery. Mix the cucumber with the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and season well. Refrigerate until needed.
2. To make the patties, combine the mince, onion, garlic, herbs, sweet paprika, chilli flakes, salt, black pepper, and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and egg. Mix well, working the mixture through your fingers. Shape into 4–6 equal-sized patties. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat and fry the patties for 5–7 minutes, turning once. Remove from the frying pan and keep warm while you assemble the buns.
4. Cut the buns in half, press cut-side down into the hot frying pan and toast lightly. Remove pan from heat. Place the toasted buns on serving plates and top with baby spinach and a lamb patty. Spoon 15 ml (1 Tbsp) tzatziki on top of the patty and serve with potato wedges.

Makes 4–6.

VARIATIONS

• This recipe also works well with venison. Use 250 g minced venison mixed with 250 g minced, slightly fatty pork. Add 15 ml (1 Tbsp) honey. Proceed with the rest of the ingredients as for lamb patties. Make in bulk and freeze. This is a good way to use up all the scraps of meat from a carcass once you have cut the biltong and other prime cuts from the bone.
• These burgers can be served with red onion or black olive marmalade. Both are now available in supermarkets countrywide.

TIP

Instead of using burger buns, try making roosterkoek (griddle cake) buns. The texture is amazing with the lamb patties and it’s very convenient if you are going to braai the patties. If using roosterkoek, cut the dough into large squares instead of trying to shape it into a round. It will make your life easier.

Butterflied leg of lamb with aromatic coffee and smoked paprika

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and vast areas of countryside are littered with hectares of beautiful Arabica coffee, growing in the wild. I wanted to create a recipe that reflected the strong flavours and unique tastes found along the Horn of Africa.

• 1.2–1.5 kg deboned leg of lamb, butterflied
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 5 ml (1 tsp) smoked hot
• Spanish paprika
• 10 ml (2 tsp) instant coffee granules
• 5 ml (1 tsp) sugar
• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) red wine vinegar
• 5–6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves finely chopped
• 30 ml (2 Tbsp) olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Place the lamb in a large oven roasting pan. Mix all the remaining ingredients together and spread the mixture over the lamb. Rub well. Leave to stand for 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Season the lamb well on both sides. Heat a large skillet or heavy-bottomed saucepan and briefly seal the lamb on both sides. Return the meat to the roasting pan and roast for 15–20 minutes, or until still pink in the centre. Alternatively, once the lamb has been sealed over a hot fire, cook it in a kettle braai for 15–20 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before carving.

Serves 6–8.

TIPS

• I consider smoked Spanish paprika my secret ingredient. It is widely used in Mediterranean cooking and nowadays can be found at any large supermarket or speciality food store. Smoked Spanish paprika should not be confused with its cousins, the altogether milder Hungarian version or the sweet paprika of Portugal, which are used only for colour. If a recipe specifies paprika then it most likely refers to the Hungarian version, but always double-check. Spanish paprika has a very deep, intense smoky flavour and comes in sweet or hot variations.

• Add 8–10 minutes to the cooking time if your cut of meat is 1.5–2 kg in weight.