2. Warm Cabbage from Ethiopia

Yesterday I went to the central branch of the Public Library and wrote down a few Cabbage recipes. Here is one from "The Soul of a New Cuisine" by Marcus Samuelson, an African cookbook. The irony is not lost on me..... I mean: the irony that I should be in Calgary when I write down African recipes.

(Countryside market in Ethiopia a couple of hours out of Addis Ababa)

Warm Cabbage

8 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1/2 head of cabbage shredded
1 red onion thinly sliced
4 tomatoes chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tablespoon of mustard seeds
1 tablespoon of nigella seeds
1 teaspoon of tumeric
1 teaspoon of berbere or chili powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamon
3" of fresh ginger grated
1 cup of lentils soaked and drained

1. Melt butter and add cabbage + onions.
2. Saute for 5 minutes
3. Add tomatoes + garlic + mustard seeds + nigella seeds + tumeric + berbere +cardamon + ginger and cook over low heat stirring occasionally for 25 minutes
4. Meanwhile cook lentils in water.
5. Fold lentils into cabbage.
6. Salt to test.

(Young girl in a small village selling her goods by the side of the road)

Berbere is a spice mixture (just like garam massala) people usually mix at home and of course each family has its own version, but here is one:

1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds grounded
1/2 cup chili powder
1/2 cup of paprika
2 tablespoon of salt
2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of ground cardamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnaon
1/4 teaspoon of all spice