Injera

When I arrived at college almost four years ago, I had never tried Ethiopian food. In fact, it was not until almost two years later that I finally went to a little restaurant in Pittsburgh called Abay and had a big plate of injera and wat. I was instantly in love. I have always been a spice fiend, and the complex flavors of the dishes blew me away. I was addicted, and I still crave those spices.

However, I have also always been a bread fiend, and injera, the spongy, tangy bread made from teff, is a big part of the Ethiopian eating experience. Rice is just not the same. The two Ethiopian restaurants in Pittsburgh use gluten-containing flours in their injera, so I have been on a mission to make a gluten-free version. I have been served flawless gluten-free injera in Washington, DC, so I know it is possible. Traditional injera is made from only teff flour, and rather than having leaveners added, the slurry of teff and water is fermented to develop the flavor and create air bubbles.

However, the web is sadly bereft of recipes that are both authentic and functional. We have, for example, monstrosities from Paula Deen that have no teff at all, and substitute baking powder for the fermentation step.

I picked out this recipe and gave it a whirl, fermenting the teff-water slurry for 3 days and cooking according to the instructions. It. was. awful. I am sad and I don't know where to go from here. The not-injera had none of the tangy sourdough taste, and refused to cook up like I remembered. I am wondering if the same cooking technique that I use for Indian dosa could be employed here: pour the batter into a cold skillet and heat it up from there.

As an unrelated aside, injera batter looks like chocolate milk:

In search of pumpkin pie

This will be my first Thanksgiving with food allergies. I'm sure that those of you who have been through this already remember the uncertainty. The funny thing is, I don't feel very worried about dinner this year, myself. I've been cooking gluten-free ever since I've been back from study abroad, and for the last 2 months I've been skipping the eggs, soy, and dairy as well. And I know that I can make tasty food - cookies and pies that non-allergic people swoon over. It's my family thats having a little trouble.

My brother, who is a freshman at the same college I attend, went home a few weekends ago. My mum was talking to him about the upcoming holiday and the accommodations that may be necessary for my allergies, and apparently by the end of the discussion, both my brother and step-dad were staring her with their noses wrinkled, asking "But how is it going to taste?" Apparently alternatives grains and soy-free margarine just don't get their juices flowing. My mum is a lot less picky and a lot more open-minded, but I can tell she's a little intimidated by the seeming enormity of the task.

I ended up sending a long email to my mum, step-dad, and dad (who will be joining us for dinner, with his mom. Yes, I have an unusual divorced family) explaining some options for producing the familiar dishes of Thanksgiving in a form that won't make me sick for three days. And I added a little plaintiveness, meekly saying that I like food and I like sharing food with people I love, and I hope it isn't too much trouble to make things safe for me, and I firmly believe that everything will be just as delicious as what they're used to.

But now I have to prove it. Pretty words will only go so far if the pie ain't good. And so, the 2009 Pumpkin Pie Project. I looked at this recipe and several that I found in a Google search for "vegan pumpkin pie." I ended up combining some elements of all. I made a crust out of almond meal, sugar, and butter. I used egg replacer and rice milk. I used two small fresh pumpkins.. I roasted...


...blended...


...and strained...


... all through the night. The result wasn't quite what I was looking for, but hopefully, by the time big Turkey Day rolls around, it will be.

And you know what? It really wasn't half bad.