Today I’m going to use all the vegetables and spices I have on hand with some couscous to make a feast from the tasty recipes I just found on a website called Astray’s Recipes.

The first dish is called simply Ethiopian Vegetables. My takeaway:

“Stir in cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, turmeric, garlic, & onion.” That is the first flavor combination.

The second dish is one I recognize from my local Ethiopian restaurant, The Nile. It’s called Gomen.

Since I don’t have any collard greens handy, I’ll improvise. It’s a shame it’s so cold outside. Otherwise, I’d ride my bike to the garden and pick some from my patch. I have more collard greens there than anything else! That’s kale and collard greens in my garden above, caught on a warmer day than today. My takeaway on Astray’s gomen recipe:

Collard greens, Red onions, Green (hot) peppers; sliced in strips, Water, Garlic; peeled and chopped, Butter or oil, Salt to taste. You get the picture. I’ll find something to substitute for the collards. Shameful. Gomen without collard greens.

This is berbere, the famous spice Ethiopians cleverly use to make a distinctive taste you’re sure to love. I wrote about it after I acquired some and you can read about it here. Unfortunately, my precious berbere is miles away. But, fortunately, Astray describes how to make some. Let’s see how close I can come with spices on hand. Chili is the main ingredient. My takeaway:

Toast cumin, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, allspice, fenugreek & coriander, then add some chilis.

Hang in there, cowpokes—this is real-time blogging!