Ethiopian Shiro Quick Recipes

SHIRO (ETHIOPIAN CHICKPEA SPREAD)

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the Spiced Butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and berbere and whisk until combined. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and the mixture has thickened up slightly, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk in the chickpea flour, stirring briskly to avoid lumps; this will thicken quickly. Whisk in the tomatoes, 1 cup of water and the remaining 1 teaspoon Spiced Butter. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, adding more water as needed and stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and the flour has cooked out, at least 10 minutes and up to 45 minutes for a stronger flavor. The shiro should have the consistency of thick buttermilk; it will thicken as it stands and cools. Season with salt and pepper and serve on injera if desired.
• Cut the butter into pieces and put in a saucepan with the cinnamon, garlic, ginger, rosemary, and turmeric. Turn the heat to low, let the butter melt, then simmer very gently (you don't want the milk solids to brown) for 30 minutes to infuse the flavors into the butter.
• Let the butter sit for 10 minutes until the milk solids settle at the bottom. Skim off any froth and pull out the cinnamon, garlic, ginger, and rosemary. Pour the butter into a large measuring cup--be careful to leave all the milk solids behind. Discard the solids. Then pour the butter into ice cube trays and freeze it. Once they're solid, you can put the butter cubes into plastic bags and keep them in the freezer for months.

SHIRO (GROUND-CHICKPEA STEW)

Steps:

• Prepare the spice mix: Place cinnamon, coriander, fenugreek, peppercorns, cardamom and allspice in a small heavy skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the smell is very aromatic and spices are lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool.
• Transfer the mixture to a clean coffee grinder, add the chiles and onion flakes, and grind to a fine powder (or use a mortar and pestle). Transfer the ground spices to a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, and sift. Regrind whatever large pieces remain in the sieve, and add them to the bowl with the ground spices. Add the paprika, ginger and nutmeg. Whisk well to combine, and transfer the mixture to an airtight jar. (Makes about 1/2 cup.)
• Prepare the shiro: Place the onion and garlic in a food processor, and pulse until very finely minced, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure even chopping. Set aside.
• Set a large Dutch oven or similar pot over medium-low heat. When the pot is warm, add oil, onion purée, 2 tablespoons berbere and a large pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then cover pot, and let aromatics cook gently while you prepare tomatoes.
• Place tomatoes in the food processor, and pulse until puréed. Add to onion mixture, and increase heat to high. When mixture boils, reduce heat to low, and whisk in chickpea flour. The mixture will be quite thick, like peanut butter. While stirring, slowly pour in 2 cups water in a thin stream to loosen the mixture. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes smooth and integrated.
• Increase heat to medium-high to bring shiro to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes to cook off the raw taste of the chickpea flour and integrate all the flavors. Stir in the jalapeños and season to taste with salt.
• Serve immediately. (Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days. Store unused berbere in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months.)

ETHIOPIAN SHIRO (QUICK)

Steps:

• Start by pureeing the onions in the blender. Dump the onion mush into a hot dry skillet (I love my cast iron skillet for this!) Stir frequently until the water evaporates and the onions start to get just a tiny bit of light brown color. Once the onions begin to color a bit, add 1/2 cup oil and some berbere. My girls use at least 1/4 cup of berbere for this recipe. If you like your food milder, you can start with less, them taste and see how it seems to you. Let the onion and the berbere cook in the oil for a minute or two. Puree one tomato. Add pureed tomato to the skillet and cook for a minute or two. Be careful as you add the tomato, as the oil will spit at you. Before you add the shiro powder, make sure that you have a couple of cups of water close by. Add your shiro powder gradually, stirring briskly with a wooden spoon or a wire whisk. It will pretty quickly get very thick and 'pop'. Once the shiro seems pretty well mixed into the oil, add a couple cups of water. Stir well. The mixture will thicken as it cooks. You can turn your heat down to medium at this point. My girls always add more oil at this point as well. But if you have the heat low enough, you can probably get by without adding more oil. And it is totally up to you if you want to add more berbere. (If you would like to make your shiro mild, you can skip the bebere and instead add a little turmeric and salt for color and flavor.) Once the shiro has cooked for 5 minutes or so, it is about done. The mixture will be about the consistency of a thick-ish gravy. If you like your shiro thinner, add more water. If you like it thicker, you can add a dab more shiro powder. Shiro is a frequently served everyday food in Ethiopia. It is good with injera, rice, rolls, or regular bread. I try to make sure I have a bit of shiro in the fridge most of the time, as it comes in very handy when the girls are not thrilled about 'American' offerings.