Everybody loves cooking

Apparently this blog has inspired a few of my friends to get back into the kitchen...I guess the feminists would have my head, but it's nothing like walking into a home filled with the aroma of home cookin'.  What's bad is the aftermath - washing the dishes and the smell that lingers - but the Saudi's have a remedy for that - bakhur. 

Today I made shiro.  Never had it, never seen it.  My plan for this week was to start my lentils around the world but that's not quite working out.  I haven't made anything since the pelau from Sunday and I'm about to buckle down on this research proposal.  Around 1pm, I was hungry and trying to figure out what to eat.  I didn't want to go out for lunch and I wanted to avoid meat.  Last night my husband surprised me and took me to Chima's...it was certainly not Fogo de Chau but there was lots of meat. 

I needed to cook something relatively quickly - I needed to leave home by 330pm at the latest in order to avoid the traffic to Blackwood.  Shiro seemed like an option.  I looked online and called my Eritrean friend to get some instructions.  After I made it I decided to go get injera...I didn't need 10 pieces, but who eats shiro with pita? 

It was quite tasty and filling.  Shiro is basically seasoned chickpea flour.  (I wonder if you could make this using besan flour).  I started it just like zigni then added the flour.  The consistency was almost like a bisque except it had bits of onions and tomatoes.  I think next time I might take the stick blender and puree the onions and tomatoes.  It makes you wonder about food production and availability when a culture uses flour as an entree, but perhaps they're on to something - chickpeas have protein and fiber.  I guess our meat addiction (in the name of protein) is just not justified. 

I just found out today that my friend has been holding out on me...there's more to Eritrean cuisine than zigni...guess that'll be my next exploration.