Ethiopian spiced steak

I've got to say, it's been quite a challenge at work the past week or so. Last week on Friday, our electric stove (I know, it's flabbergasting that I work with an electric stove for the amount of food I prepare) cracked, disabling two out of the four stove tops. Since it's going to take two weeks until it gets repaired, I decided to rely mostly on the oven today. Lo and behold, the oven stopped working yesterday mid fish cooking and refuses to go above 90 degrees. I dug out tiny convection ovens (which coincidentally were so small that I had only one tray that would fit) but was able to bang out these wonderful Ethiopian steaks. Despite the complications, today's meal of Ethiopian spiced steak with roasted tomato salad and breakfast potatoes came out fantastic!

Ethiopian spiced steak

Recipe from Food and Wine

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

one 1 1/2 lb sirloin steak

1 1/2 tbsp berbere spice

1 pint red cherry tomatoes, halved

1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 large celery ribs, thinly sliced, plus 1/2 cup celery leaves

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp capers, drained and chopped

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 tbsp unsalted butter

3 cups vegetable oil

1 large baking potato - peeled, cut into 3 x 1/4 inch sticks, rinsed and dried completely

1 head of Boston or green leaf lettuce, separated into leaves

Directions

1. Sprinkle the sirloin steak with 1 tbsp of the berbere spice and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the halved red and yellow tomatoes with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake for about 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are sizzling and just starting to brown.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the lemon juice with the remaining 1/2 tbsp of berbere spice. Add the celery ribs and leaves, the parsley, capers, vinegar and onion and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.
4. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Season the steak with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until richly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the steak and cook over moderate heat until medium-rare, about 6 minutes longer. Transfer the steak to carving board to rest 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil to 375 degrees F, then add half of the potato sticks and fry, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and repeat with the remaining potatoes. 
6. Thinly slice the steak across the grain. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter. Add the tomatoes and their juices to the bowl with the celery and toss. Spoon the tomato salad onto the lettuce leaves. Top with the sliced steak and crisp potatoes and serve. 

*Berbere is an Ethiopian spice mix that includes chiles, allspice, ginger, and ajwain, a thyme-like spice. Look for it at specialty food markets.

**The roasted tomato salad can be made up to 3 hours ahead. 

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving (if total of 4 servings): 505 calories, 31g fat (15g saturated, 1.4g polyunsaturated, 11.2g monounsaturated), 17.9g carbohydrates,4.5g fiber, 38.6g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

As you can see from my pictures, I clearly did not follow the recipe on how to put together this dish. I followed the recipe for the roasted tomato salad, but changed the techniques on the the meat and potatoes.

For the steak, I used sirloin, bottom cut, aka flap meat. Since I couldn't find berbere spice, I decided to make my own with a combination of spices. According to congocookbook.com, this is the recipe for a berbere spice, with the optional ingredients being less common in most berbere spice combinations.

Berbere spice:

• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 4 to 6 tablespoons of a combination of ground cayenne pepper (red pepper, dried chile peppers, or red pepper flakes) and paprika
• 1 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger
• 1 teaspoon dried garlic (optional)

I did choose to add all of the spices, including all of the ones marked optional.  I coated both sides heavily with the spice mixture and let it rest for one hour.

To cook the meat, I roasted the sirloin at 350 until desired degree of doneness.

As for the potatoes, I decided to make breakfast potatoes instead. Using Yukon potatoes, I scrubbed the outside skin well and cut into large chunks. Fill a pot with the potatoes with enough water to cover the potatoes and season with salt. Bring to a boil. Once the potatoes can be pierced with a fork, but is a little firm to the touch, drain the potatoes and rinse with cold water. 

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp oil and add the potatoes. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Let the potatoes sit undisturbed until one side is golden brown. Turn the potatoes over and let it become golden on the other side. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Delicioso! The spices on the steak were amazing! I used more paprika than cayenne, but still found it to have a kick. Paired with the tangy tomato salad, the steak was perfect. One employee said she was in love with the dish and apparently others were telling the boss lady it was tasty because she requested one to go. That's when you know the dish is a winner! Make this the next time you want an upgraded version of meat and potatoes.