Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
Golden Cauliflower,
Sweet Potato, Spigariello Wat
Making wild yeasted fermented batters and doughs are a wonderful way not only to delight your taste buds but to increase the digestibility of grains and absorb more of their minerals, antioxidants, folate. I like to maintain an on-going Ethiopian teff-barley starter so wonderful, spongy, injera bread is never far away.
This, together with a fresh batch of berbere, the exquisite Ethiopian spice blend, makes it an easy matter to whip up a splendid Ethiopian supper whenever the mood strikes. Use whatever seasonal veggies you have on hand, like I did here with some gorgeous golden cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and tender spigariello* greens. Feel free to do the same and invent your own variations for a satisfying, nutrient-rich supper.
Prep time 20 minutes Cooking time 25 minutes Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 large red onion, slivered
No-sodium veggie broth or water to deglaze pan and moisten the stew
4 cloves garlic, minced
1” knob of ginger, grated
1 Fresno (red jalapeño) chile, diced
1 bunch spigariello* or other tender brassica or kale, cut chiffonade (in ribbons) if leaves are large.
2 sweet potatoes, any variety, peeled, large dice
1 large golden cauliflower, cut in bite-sized florets
2 Tablespoons berbere spice blend or to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons aka (red) miso** or to taste
Garnish with cilantro leaves or slivers of scallion greens.
Hint! For less heat, use a green jalapeño instead of a Fresno. Exclude the seeds if you really want to tame the heat.
* Spigariello is a feathery, tender delightful brassica leafy green, dark and narrow like Lacinato with a slender stems like young Chinese broccoli. Find it at farmers markets and specialty shops. If unavailable, substitute with baby kale or Lacinato.
** Miso is a good salt alternative that helps to lower heart rate and does not raise blood pressure (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5313421/#:~:text=Miso%2C%20which%20is%20made%20from,%2C%20including%20salt%2Dsensitive%20hypertension).
Directions
In a large skillet dry sauté onion for several minutes over medium heat. When it begins to darken the pan and adhere, deglaze with a splash of broth or vermouth, scraping up the carmelized onion sugars. Add garlic and ginger, stirring.
After a minute, add the chile and berbere, adding a bit more liquid as needed to moisten the pan’s contents and prevent sticking. Toss in the sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, and kale, coating them well with the spices and aromatics.
Add more liquid as needed. Cover, lower flame, and gently cook until veggies are tender almost tender.
Stir in lemon juice. Taste to adjust spices to your tastes.
When all the vegetables are tender and the wat is fragrant and moist, remove from heat. Dissolve the miso, if using, in a little broth and add to the stew, stirring to combine. Adjust to your tastes.
Garnish with cilantro leaves or slivered scallion. Serve hot over injera on its own or along with other Ethiopian stews.