We spent a week in Greece last summer. Our hostess, Maria, had grown up in Ethiopia, and one night she treated us to an Ethiopian feast. I loved the spicy, aromatic flavours, whether they were used to marinate meat or to make rich, comforting vegetable and lentil dishes. The generous use of chilli and other warming spices felt nourishing, and I can’t think of a better way to welcome in the New Year.
Spicy Ethiopian lentil and spinach soup
The star ingredient here is berbere, a heady mix of chilli, fenugreek, cardamom, coriander seeds and other spices. It is readily available online and in larger supermarkets, and is seriously good.
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 thumb ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 ½ tbsp berbere spice blend
250g split red lentils, rinsed
1 x 400g tinned plum tomatoes
275g potatoes, peeled and diced
250g baby spinach leaves
To serve
Greek yoghurt
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Warm the fats in a medium-sized pan over a medium heat, add the onion, and season with several large pinches of salt. Cook for 10 minutes, until the onion softens, then stir in the garlic, ginger and chilli, and fry for a further five minutes.
Add the berbere and cook for a minute before adding the lentils, tomatoes, potatoes and 800ml water. Season well, then bring to a boil and cook at a rapid simmer for 30-35 minutes, until the lentils are very soft and the potatoes are tender.
Stir in the spinach and continue to cook until just wilted – about a minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. The soup is even better when finished with a drizzle of clarified butter, an ingredient much used in Ethiopian cooking. Serve with Greek yoghurt and wedges of lemon.
And for the rest of the week
Experiment with leftover berbere: blitz with onion, garlic and ginger, then use to marinate meat, or to make delicious vegetarian stews.
