The fourth assignment in my newest experiment, Word Press’ Blogging 101 class, is to write a post for my ideal audience. My immediate reaction was, “There is no such person; I do not have an ideal audience.” I might be able to come up with three or four persons, some of whom might like the recipes, others might enjoy the travel posts, and another group might react to comments on the environment, international politics, and sundry controversial topics. Finally, a few, perhaps more, might relish the occasional poetry pieces. After all, my haiku posts attained more readers than I ever expected. The challenge then might be to write a post combining several of these but how? Here we go on another adventure.
My idea reader would enjoy literature, especially the serious and more especially literature from other countries and cultures, like to eat hot foot from diverse cultures, travel to other places besides here and Europe, care about the environment, follow international politics, and, even though not previously mentioned, like horses, prefer the country to the city, and enjoy a wide variety of music. Do such individuals exist? Where are they and how do I find them?
Here is my first attempt at covering at least two of these topics:
Last summer, as former followers know, I traveled with friends to Ethiopia for three weeks via Dubai. Because I love the stuff, I brought back an entire kilo of berbere. Mine follows the special recipe of my Ethiopian friend’s mother. She had it made special just so we could bring it home. Actually there were three kilos in my bag but only one for me. My new favorite salmon recipe involves the use of berbere. Unlike some, hers is more rich and spicy rather than really hot. This will serve one to two, just increase the amount of all the ingredients to suit the number of people you plan to feed.
1-2 portions wild sockeye salmon–you could use any type of course
4 medium to large brussel sprouts, coarsely chopped
1/2 purple onion chopped coarsely
Several broccoli florets
1/2 ripe bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Olive oil
Berbere
Cover the bottom of a skillet with olive oil. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add the brussel sprouts and sauté until nearly tender. Add the peppers and broccoli. Sprinkle a light layer of berbere over all the vegetables as you cook them. Stir occasionally. Add the salmon, skin side down. Sprinkle berbere over the salmon so the salmon is covered but only lightly. You can add more to taste. Continue cooking until the salmon flakes.
I serve this with rice. The rice in the photo is basmati. See previous posts for the special way I cook rice. Sometimes I vary the vegetables using poblano peppers, carrots, Swiss chard–whatever I happen to have or feel like eating at the moment. Pick what you like.
This, honestly, is nothing like real Ethiopian food in part because I do not have teff and do not know how to make injera. The photo below shows me and friends in a restaurant in Gonder, Ethiopia, in my idea of food heaven.
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