Berbere Chicken Stew with Injera Bread

This is a recipe that I made out of the blue several years ago. My husband and I gone to snoop around our local Penzeys Spice store (yes, I'm a spice nerd, and proud of it) when I was introduce to the spice blend Berbere, pronounced "bear-ber-ay." Berbere is a versatile ingredient (a spicy mix of dried spices) which originated in Ethiopia and Eritrea and works with almost any meat, vegetable or legume. The ingredients include spicy red chili peppers, fenugreek, ginger, coriander, cardamom, allspice, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon in addition to other indigenous spices. It imparts a feeling of warmth, spice, earthiness with just a touch of sweetness, and it is INCREDIBLE! Do I make my own? Haha! No, of course not. Why would I when it's becoming so common on the spice aisle? So, we arrived home, and I was itching to use it, but all that I had thawed was some chicken thighs, so I Googled berbere and chicken and found a recipe for Doro Wat, which is an Ethiopian Spiced Chicken stew. Of course, Doro Wat wouldn't be the same without homemade Injera, but I didn't have 24 hours to let the dough ferment, so I did manage to find a way to make it without the wait. It was well-received and a few variations later, here's how I make mine.

BERBERE CHICKEN STEW WITH INJERA BREAD

Course: Main or Side Dish Total Time: 60 minutes Serving Size: 4

INGREDIENTS:

Berbere Chicken Stew

2 lbs chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces (or 2 chicken breasts if you prefer--although it's not nearly as succulent and flavorful with white meat chicken)

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

5 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion (any variety you prefer), finely diced

1 tbsp garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp ginger, finely minced

1/4 c. berbere spice blend

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 c. white wine

1 tsp. honey

1 c. chicken stock

Quick Injera (makes approximately 6 pancakes)

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. rye flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1-1/3 c. club soda

1-1/2 tbsp white vinegar

Non-stick spray

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place chicken pieces in a bowl with lemon juice and let marinade for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat 2 tbsp butter and olive oil in a dutch oven on low heat.

3. Add the onions and saute, covered, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender, about 25 minutes.

4. Add the garlic, ginger and 1 tbsp of butter and continue to saute, covered, for about 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the berbere spice blend and the remaining 2 tbsp and saute, covered, over low heat for about another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Mix the honey and the wine together until well combined.

7. Add the chicken, broth, salt and wine/honey mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for another 45 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, while the stew is simmering, add the all-purpose flour, rye flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor until well-incorporated.

9. Add the club soda to a measuring cut and add the vinegar.

10. Pour the liquid into the processor as it is running and mix until batter is completely smooth.

11. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

12. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray the skillet with a thin coating of the nonstick spray.

13. Pour 1/3 c. of the batter into the center of the skillet, swirling to coat the bottom (similar to how you would make a crepe) and cook until the edges start pulling away from the pan and the top looks shiny and bubbly. Flip and cook the other side.

14. Plate the stew in a bowl and serve with the warmed Injera.

NOTES:

1. If you are gluten intolerant, skip the Injera bread and serve over rice or grits, and it'll be just as amazing.

2. Don't have Rye Flour in the pantry? That's ok...just add an additional 1/4 c. of all-purpose flour to the mix.

Potato, Brussels Sprouts and Sausage Au-Gratin Casserole

My inspiration for this dish came from a NY Times recipe that my husband sent me one night. It was a recipe for brussels sprouts casserole, but knowing that neither my hubby nor my kiddo are super huge fan of brussels sprouts alone, I decided to mix it up a little. They both adore cheesy au-gratin potatoes, so I knew immediately that I should somehow add potatoes to the recipe, and before I knew it, I had changed the recipe so much, that I basically scrapped the original recipe entirely, and this recipe can only be considered my own. Wanting a main course vs. a side dish, I decided to add some meat to the recipe as well, and in the theme of Fall, I decided that Chicken Apple Sausage would be my go-to in this dish, but you can use any type of sausage that your family prefers. While this was a great weeknight meal, I plan to make this for Thanksgiving next year as a side dish. Yeah! It was THAT good!

POTATO, BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND SAUSAGE AU-GRATIN CASSEROLE

Course: Main or Side Dish Total Time: 60 minutes Serving Size: 2 - 4

INGREDIENTS:

Russet (1 small per person) or Yukon Gold (1 large per person) Potatoes

Sausage (1 sausage per person)*

2 c. or 16 oz. of shredded cheese**

10 - 20 oz. of shredded or shaved brussels sprouts***

12 oz. Heavy Cream

Hefty pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Crispy French Fried Onions or Plain Potato Chips****

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos

1 - 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

2. Thinly slice potatoes into 3/16" (approx.) disks and lightly blanch in boiling, salted water until about half-tender.

3. Thinly slice (on a bias) your sausage and saute in a skillet until caramelized.

4. Mix balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and soy sauce together in a small bowl and set aside.

5. Add heavy cream and red pepper flakes to small pot and warm on low until ready to assemble the "casserole."

6. In a large skillet, on high heat, add olive oil and shredded brussels sprouts. Cook until crispy and browned, but not totally softened. Remove from heat and toss with balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and soy sauce mixture. Set aside.

7. In a 9" x 13" glass baking dish***** layer potatoes, brussels sprouts, sausage, cheese and heavy cream until you've used all of the ingredients.

8. Top with remaining cheese and either french fried onions or potato chips.

9. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

10. Uncover and cook for an additional 15 minutes until top cheese and topping is golden brown and bubbly.

NOTES:

* I used chicken apple sausage in this recipe because I felt it paired best with the maple syrup and the balsamic vinegar mix, but feel free to use any variety of sausage that your family prefers.

** I used a equal blend of white cheddar and gruyere cheese, but feel free to use any variety of cheese that you prefer--just make sure that it is a good melting cheese.

*** If making this dish for 2 people (or 2 servings) use 10 oz. of brussels sprouts. If making this dish for 4 people, double the amount of brussels sprouts that you use.

**** Given that this was a new recipe and we weren't sure which "topping" would be better suited to the dish, we topped half the casserole with the potato chips and the other half with the french fried onions. My husband was Team Potato Chip all the way, while I preferred the dish with the onions.

***** I used a 9" glass pie baking dish, but in retrospect, I recommend using a larger, more rectangular dish such as a 9" x 13" because it will cook quicker and more evenly as there are less layers--mine in the pie baking dish took almost an an hour and fifteen to get to the desired doneness.

Sweet and Savory Risotto

DISCLAIMER: I highly recommend making my sausage-stuffed acorn squash recipe first so that you can use the leftover sausage stuffing mix for this dish, but if you don't want to go that route, you can always make the sausage stuffing mix particularly for this recipe (directions are provided in this post).

On the night I made this dish, I was exhausted from work and looking for an easy recipe for Meatless Monday, so I thought, Butternut Squash Risotto! Well, sadly, when I went to my crisper drawer, I discovered that my pre-cut butternut squash had turned bad and slimy and the frozen butternut squash puree that was in my freezer was past its shelf life as well! One of my major flaws is that I am just terrible about properly organizing my freezer. Oh, well, I guess we can't all be perfect. Anyway...I digress. So, I happened to remember that I had leftover sausage/apple/onion/raisin mixture from a few days prior when I made my stuffed acorn squash recipe, and I figured that would make for an interesting dish. So, it wasn't meatless, but upon eagerly finishing seconds of this dish, my husband exclaimed, "This might be one of the best things you've ever made." THAT phrase is music to my ears. I hope you find this recipe equally satisfying.

SWEET AND SAVORY RISOTTO

Course: Main or Side Dish Total Time: 45 minutes Serving Size: 2 - 3

INGREDIENTS:

Sausage Stuffing:

2 Tsp Olive Oil

1/4 C. Sweet Onion (finely diced)

1 Apple (any variety, finely diced)

1/4 C. Golden Raisins

1/16 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/8 Tsp Dried Sage

1/8 Tsp Dried Thyme

8 Oz. Cooked and Crumbled Country Pork Sausage

1/8 C. Chopped Pecans

Risotto:

1/2 C. Arborio Rice

2 C. Chicken Stock (pre-warmed)

3 Tbsp Garlic-Infused Olive Oil (non-flavored olive oil will work equally well)

1 Tbsp Butter

1/4 C. Sweet Onion (finely diced)

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Sage

1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

1/4 - 1/2 C. Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1/4 C. Dry White Wine

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Saute all of the ingredients for the sausage in a large skillet until sausage is browned, onions are soft and translucent, and until apples are fork tender.

2. In a separate skillet or pan, saute onions with 1-1/2 tbsp of the garlic-infused olive oil until softened and translucent.

3. Add the remaining oil and arborio rice to the pot. Stir until rice is lightly toasted.

4. Add sausage mixture, salt, black pepper and sage to the pot and stir until thoroughly combined with onions and rice.

5. Add dry white wine and stir until wine is mostly absorbed into the mixture.

6. Add warmed chicken broth to the mixture in 1/4 to 1/2 cup measurements and stir, cooking on a slow simmer until liquid has been mostly absorbed into the mixture before adding additional liquid.

7. Once all of the chicken broth has been absorbed, and the risotto is almost complete, add the butter and the parmesan cheese. Stir until thoroughly combine.

8. Serve and eat!

NOTES:

Save your leftover risotto (if there is any), refrigerate and repurpose as arancini for another night. Simply roll scoops of the refrigerated rice into large balls, dropping in flour, egg, and finally bread crumbs and fry until golden brown.