YEMISER W’ET (SPICY LENTIL STEW)

Servings: 8
Ingredients:

1 c  Dried brown lentils
1 c  Onions, finely chopped
2    Clove garlic, pressed
1/4 c  Niter Kebbeh
1 tb Berbere
1 ts Ground cumin seeds
1 tb Sweet Hungarian paprika
2 c  Tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 c  Tomato paste
1 c  Vegetable stock or water
1 c  Green peas (fresh or frozen)
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and cook the lentils. Bring to boil in 3 cups water. Reduce heat to
a simmer. Simmer about 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary, until
lentils are tender. Should make about 3 cups cooked lentils.

Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic in the niter kebbeh, until the
onions are just translucent. Add the berbere, cumin, and paprika and saute
for a few minutes more, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Mix in
the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer for another 5 to 10
minutes. Add 1 cup of vegetable stock or water and continue simmering.

When the lentils are cooked, drain them and mix them into the saute
mixture. Add the green peas and cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt and
pepper to taste.

To serve Yemiser W’et, spread layers of injera on individual plates. Place
some yogurt of cottage cheese alongside a serving of w’et on the injera and
pass more injera at the table. To eat, tear off pieces of injera, fold it
around bits of stew, and, yes, eat it with your fingers.

Copied from ‘Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant’, the Moosewood Collective,
ISBN 0-671-67989-9

from Dale and Gail Shipp, Columbia Md.

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