ETHIOPIAN SHIRO (QUICK)

Steps:

• Start by pureeing the onions in the blender. Dump the onion mush into a hot dry skillet (I love my cast iron skillet for this!) Stir frequently until the water evaporates and the onions start to get just a tiny bit of light brown color. Once the onions begin to color a bit, add 1/2 cup oil and some berbere. My girls use at least 1/4 cup of berbere for this recipe. If you like your food milder, you can start with less, them taste and see how it seems to you. Let the onion and the berbere cook in the oil for a minute or two. Puree one tomato. Add pureed tomato to the skillet and cook for a minute or two. Be careful as you add the tomato, as the oil will spit at you. Before you add the shiro powder, make sure that you have a couple of cups of water close by. Add your shiro powder gradually, stirring briskly with a wooden spoon or a wire whisk. It will pretty quickly get very thick and 'pop'. Once the shiro seems pretty well mixed into the oil, add a couple cups of water. Stir well. The mixture will thicken as it cooks. You can turn your heat down to medium at this point. My girls always add more oil at this point as well. But if you have the heat low enough, you can probably get by without adding more oil. And it is totally up to you if you want to add more berbere. (If you would like to make your shiro mild, you can skip the bebere and instead add a little turmeric and salt for color and flavor.) Once the shiro has cooked for 5 minutes or so, it is about done. The mixture will be about the consistency of a thick-ish gravy. If you like your shiro thinner, add more water. If you like it thicker, you can add a dab more shiro powder. Shiro is a frequently served everyday food in Ethiopia. It is good with injera, rice, rolls, or regular bread. I try to make sure I have a bit of shiro in the fridge most of the time, as it comes in very handy when the girls are not thrilled about 'American' offerings.