3.  Eritrea (country in East Africa)
Bordered by Sudan to the west, Ethiopia to the south and Djibouti to the southeast.

It does occupy a strategically important area in the Horn of Africa and in 1993 voted for its independence and separation from Ethiopia. Capital is Asmara.

Traditional Eritrean cuisine consists of stews, legumes cooked to almost a paste and Injera flatbread that’s used to eat with (meaning used as a tablecloth, plate and utensils).
Note: The Injera flatbread is made with Teff flour (often mixed with barley or wheat flours) and it ferments for 4-5 days. The purpose of what we are doing is to make these foods ourselves, however, in this case we chose to not make the Injera. Instead, we purchased the bread from a local Ethiopian & Eritrean Restaurant.

The dishes we made:
Zigni Berbere (Spicy Chicken Stew) and Quick Eritrean Lentils.
This was served with Injera flatbread.

 

Zigni Berbere (Spicy Chicken Stew)                     VERY Good!

- Pronounced Zig-nee Bar-bear-ee or Bear-bear-ay depending on who you ask.
Vegetable Oil
2 large Onions, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, crushed
Chicken thighs, cut into cubes
2 x cans diced Tomatoes
2 Beef stock cubes
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
125ml (~1/2 cup) dry Red Wine (optional)
Bunch fresh Cilantro, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
Lemon wedges to serve
Eritrean injera flatbreads (or regular flatbreads) or rice and a green salad to serve

 

 

 

For the Berbere Pepper Blend:               VERY Good!
1 tsp each ground ginger, fenugreek and black pepper
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground allspice
Pinch ground cinnamon
½ tbsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp mild paprika

Add the onions to pan and sauté for 5 minutes until starting to color, then add the garlic for 2-3 minutes more or until the onions are golden.
Mix the berbere ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Add the chicken to the onions and cook, turning, until starting to color.
Add remaining ingredients, including berbere blend, and simmer gently until the meat is tender (1-1½ hrs).
Taste and season.

 

 

Quick Eritrean Lentils                             VERY Good!
1 - 1 ½ cup Red Lentils
1 -2 cup Coconut Milk
3 -4 cups Water
1 tablespoon Madras Curry
2 Onions
2 -3 Garlic cloves
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt

Chop onions and garlic finely.
Sauté in oil over med-high heat in a large pot.
Add Madras curry and sauté a few more seconds.
Add red lentils and coconut milk.
Stir and let mixture sit a few moments.
Add water.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until this has reached a nice mushy, stew-y consistency.
Remove from heat and salt liberally to taste (may need a teaspoon or more of salt).
Serve over injera, rice or just eat plain with bread.
Freezes well.
Reheats well.