Doro Wat

Ingredients

• 2 ½ to 3 lbs chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces, or 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons niter kibbeh
• OR Homemade Niter Kibbeh
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups yellow onions finely minced to a chunky puree in food processor
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
• 1/4 cup Ethiopian berbere
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup Tej Ethiopian honey wine, if you have it, or white wine mixed with 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 4 hard-boiled eggs pierced all over with fork about 1/4 inch deep

Instructions

• Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and pour lemon juice over. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat the niter kibbeh or butter along with the olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add the onions and saute, covered, over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon butter and continue to saute, covered, for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the berbere and the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter and saute, covered, over low heat for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chicken, broth, salt and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Adjust the seasonings, adding more berbere according to heat preference. Add the boiled eggs and simmer on low heat, covered, for another 15 minutes.
• Half or quarter the eggs and arrange on the plates with the stew. Serve hot with injera, bread or rice.

Roasted Potatoes v.2

Version 2 comes from Great British Chefs. The lady who used to cook Sunday roasts for us during our trip to the Cotswolds always swore by Maris Piper potatoes. Since they aren't available here, I used Yukon Gold potatoes as the best approximation. This recipe turned out great. The takeaway from this version: briefly boil the potatoes and then toss them in a colander to loosen the flesh on the outside of the potatoes, then add them to a pan with already heated oil. 

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 8
2. Place the potatoes in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until the potatoes are not cooked in the middle, but are starting to soften on the outside
3. Drain and leave the potatoes in the colander for 5 minutes so the steam can escape. Sprinkle over a little salt and lightly toss the potatoes so the edges break up slightly - this will result in nice crispy roasties
4. Pour 150ml of vegetable oil,or duck fat into a deep roasting tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes, until smoking hot
5. Remove the tray from the oven and spread the potatoes out in the tray, taking care not to splash yourself with hot oil
6. Roast for 45 minutes, turning the potatoes halfway to ensure they are nicely cooked all over. Remove from the oven and serve immediately

I didn't take a picture of my results because we ate them too quickly. 

Roasted Potatoes v. 1

For roasted potatoes, I prefer a crunchy outside and a soft inside. They were a staple for a Sunday roast. I'm trying a few different recipes to find the best method. This first version comes from the website 'Ricetta della Nonna'. The takeaway from this version is to soak the potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes before roasting.

1. Il consiglio è di scegliere patate a pasta gialla o a buccia rossa, oppure cuocere le patate novelle al forno, che danno sempre degli ottimi risultati.
2. Sbucciate le patate e lavatele, tagliatele a spicchi, quindi lasciatele in ammollo in acqua fredda per circa mezz’ora per eliminare l’eccesso di amido, che rende le patate troppo morbide e poco inclini a diventare croccanti.
3. Scolatele, asciugatele con un panno e disponetele in una teglia ben oliata. A questo punto unite l’aglio, il rosmarino lavato e asciugato, l’olio e il sale. Mescolatele bene con le mani e disponetele nella teglia in modo che non si sovrappongano.
4. Cuocete le patate al forno ventilato a 180 °C per circa 35 minuti, alzando la temperatura a 200 °C per gli ultimi 10 minuti, e girandole di tanto in tanto per dare a tutte le patate una cottura uniforme.

My first version was not as crunchy as I wanted it to be. Perhaps I should have used more oil. They were a good approximation of the kind of potatoes that I have had at Tavola Calda restaurants.

Italian Table Bread Version 1.0

Nick Stellino's Pasta Arrabiata

The other week on PBS, I saw Nick Stellino making pasta arrabiata, and I noticed that he did something differently than I normally do (and also noticed that he has an awesome watch collection based on what he wears in the episodes). I made a batch his way and liked the result; the key was not mincing the garlic.

Ingredients

• red pepper flakes
• garlic (chopped into chunks--not minced--this was the key)
• flat-leaf parsley
• passata
• chicken stock
• Romano cheese
• pasta cooked 3/4 of the way

Directions

1. Heat a skillet with olive oil. Add in red pepper flakes and sliced garlic (this size allows the garlic to soften rather than burn. When the garlic is just turning slightly golden, add in chopped parsley and fry for a few seconds. 
2. When the parlsey has fried it will lower the temperature of the oil. Add in the passata and chicken stock so that the sauce is soupy. Combine thoroughly, then add in the pasta and cook until al dente. The sauce will thicken to coat the pasta. 
3. Add Romano cheese and serve with a garnish of chopped parsley. 

Yeast Conversions

When I was making some Italian pane commune the other week, I needed to make some conversions with the yeast I was using (brewer's yeast). I found this site and used it as a guide.

In short: 1 cube of fresh brewer's yeast (lievito di birra fresco)  is approximately 25g and the equivalent amount of dry brewer's yeast is (lievito di birra secco) ~7g. Their standard rule of thumb: divide by 3 (or 3.29, if one wants to be exact). Recipes calling for lievito madre require a sourdough starter (water-flour mixture). The brewer's yeast sold in health food stores is no longer active and unsuitable for baking. I found European brewer's yeast in 6g packets at a store for home brewing and distilling.

Aranciata Rossa Cocktail

I've discovered more than one cocktail from CBS Saturday Morning, and I've been using Cappelletti lately and even had some Rossa Pelegrino in the fridge. Another take on the Spritz; I didn't bother to buy Amara Rossa.

Ingredients

• 3 oz. Prosecco Extra Dry (or Brut)  
• 1 1/2 oz. of Capelletti Aperitivo Speciale (drier than Aperol)
• 1/2 oz. Amara Rossa, an amaro made primarily from bitter oranges
• Top with San Pellegrino Aranciata Rossa soda

Directions

Add all ingredients to an over-sized wine glass with ice and stir. Add a twist of Bitter Orange peel to complete each one.

Here are a few other Cappelletti recipes that caught my eye: https://www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/cappelletti-spring-aperitif-cocktails. The rest of Jonathan Benno's menu can be found here.