Ethiopian-inspired Cooking, Vegetarian Specialties
Winner, 2009, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Gourmand International, Special Award of the Jury. Over 9,000 entries, several hundred winners. A big win for both small publishers (which Gourmand has always sought out and supported) and the growing worldwide popularity of African cuisines. --awarded by Gourmand International, Paris Cookbook Fair, Gourmand World Cookbook AwardsWe had another special Friday afternoon lab for the Natural Epicurean students and this time it involved African recipes and flavors. I don t think anyone realized just how much we would enjoy the food, which is saying a lot because a few of us already had a very positive view of African food. Nevertheless, it wasn t a cuisine that I had ever attempted cooking (okay, I did once, but it was during the development of this very lab) so I was appreciative of the chance to do this. One of my classmates, Todd Heyman, with whom I also cook once a week, was the driving force behind setting up this lab in partnership with Chef Rosa, one of our main instructors. They worked together to test and perfect the recipes that we ended up cooking. African food, based on my very limited exposure, makes heavy use of garlic, ginger, lentils, root vegetables and tubers such as sweet potatoes and cassava, and greens. The food is aromatic and delicious with bold flavors that are reminiscent of Indi and even Italy.  This book was used as the foundation for some of the recipe development, "Ethiopian-Inspired Cooking" by Ian Finn. It s apparently a real treasure and available on Amazon.com. If you are interested in African food, buy this book now. One of the apparent keys to great East African food is a spiced oil, shown below. This oil, infused with herbs, ginger, and garlic, smelled AMAZING and everything we cooked with it became incredibly delicious. Everyone was highly impressed with the food and had a hard time stopping eating. It was filling and nutritious from all of the vegetables, legumes, and healing spices.  This is cuisine that meat eaters can relate to since it s well seasoned, well cooked, and hearty. You don t walk away from the table wanting ice cream or another junky treat you feel nice and satisfied. I would recommend African food to anyone who is looking to transition into a more plant-based diet. --"Diet is Correct: African Flavors Lab," by Mike Lyons, published on Word Press Blog