New Years Ethiopian Dinner

I've been busy researching Ethiopian recipes to serve our children on New Year's Eve when we announce their new sister. I've posted the recipes we chose below, which look simple yet delicious ...We're salivating! The meal will include a vegetarian soup with injera. Injera bread seems to be the most popular staple in the Ethiopian diet and I hope we're able to make it fairly well. I was surprised to read that due to a long trade relationship with India, Ethiopians also consume samosas (a popular Indian recipe usually consisting of a pastry filled with potatoes or vegetables). Those little connections between cultures are dear to us.

After making a grocery list I'll be working on invitations to slide under each child's door while they are sleeping. Probably Tuesday evening.... they'll awaken with an invite to a "Special Ethiopian Dinner" and dance party. Daniel wants to film the moment we tell them...that should be interesting, and will be fun for our little girl to watch some day.

Vegetable Alecha (Vegetable Soup/Stew)
Yield: 8 portions
The Copts in Ethiopia have many fast days on which they are not permitted to eat meat. Vegetables Alechas and Wats are substituted on these days. (The Wat differs from the Alecha in that it is made with a spice called Ber-beri or Awaze.)

In a 4-quart saucepan: Sauté: 1 cup Bermuda Onions in 4 T Oil until soft but not brown. Add: 4 Carrots, peeled and cut in 1-inch slices 4 Green Peppers, cleaned and cut in quarters 3 cups Water 1 6-oz. can Tomato Sauce 2 t Salt ½ t Ground Ginger

Cook for 10 minutes covered. Add 4 Potatoes cut in thick slices. Plunge 2 Tomatoes in boiling water, remove skins, cut in 8 wedges each, and add to stew.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add 8 Cabbage Wedges, 1 inch wide.
Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender. Correct the Seasoning. Place in an attractive bowl and portion out uniformly.

Injera (Bread)
This unleavened bread of Ethiopia is really a huge pancake made in special large pans with heavy covers. The combination of buckwheat flour mix and biscuit mix seems to produce the closest substitute for the sponginess of this Ethiopian bread.
25 min 5 min prep
SERVES 10
1 cup buckwheat pancake mix
1 cup Bisquick
1 tablespoon Canola oil
1 1/2-2 cups water

Combine all ingredients with just enoough water for an easy pouring consistency.
Bring a 10-inch skillet or a handled griddle pan to medium heat uniformly over the flame. Do not let the pan get too hot.
Spray skillet with cooking spray.
Fill a measuring cup (with spout) or a large cream pitcher with batter.
Pour the mixture on the hot pan or griddle in a thin stream starting from the outside and going in circles to the center from left to right. As soon as it bubbles uniformly all over remove from heat. Pancakes should be 9 inches in diameter.
Place the pan in an oven at 325 for about 1 minute until the top is dry but not brown.
Arrange the five pancakes overlapping each other so as to completely cover a fifteen-inch tray, thus forming the Injera "tablecloth.".