Ethiopian Spiced Salsa

All through making these (which is not too long, but still) I told myself: "Lena, what ARE you doing here??" But I just got an Ethiopian cookbook (it is the zine by Kittee Burns: Papa Tofu Loves Ethiopian Food, and it is just great) and really all I can think of is berbere and lentils and injera. And while I dont have the time right now to cook up an Ethiopian feast, I still want to incorporate these spices into my cooking.

This is how I ended up adding berbere to this salsa as I went and then ate it with slices of avocado spread on sourdough bread. And it was really a great lunch, spicy but not really hot with lots of flavor. I usually don't make salsa, but it was great giving it a try for this weeks Food Matters project recipe. And I might just come back to using this concept whenever I have different vegetables around and need a quick but nurishing lunch.

Ethiopian Spiced Salsa
Inspired by this weeks recipe for the Food Matters project, check out what the other participant came up with here, and for the original recipe go here.


1 carrot, coarsly grated
1tsp oil
4 cherry tomatoes
1 apple
1tsp butter/ghee
1/2 jalapeño
salt
1/4 tsp berbere (an ethiopian spice mix, go buy some or google a recipe and make your own, it is a wonderful spice blend. I tried the recipe I link to before, it resultet in a really great spice mix)

Preheat the oven to about 350°F/180°C. Toss the grated carrot with the oil, add it to an oven-proof baking dish, toss the cherry tomatoes on top and put it in the oven. Roast for about 15 minutes or unil the carrot has browned a bit but are not black.
In the meantime, cut the apple into small chunks. Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the apple until it becomes soft.
Chop the jalapeño, add it together with the carrots and the tomatoes to a small bowl. With a fork, mash the tomatoes a bit, remove the skin. Add in the apple, the berbere and salt according to taste.

Serve on bread topped with a slice of avocado or however you like your salsa.

P.S.If you are interested in Ethiopian food, I can really recommend the zine I mention above, Papa Tofu Loves Ethiopian Food. I already tried two of the basic recipes and a spicy split pea dish plus a recipe for gingery vegetables. Oh and the sambusas. I was really happy with the recipes and Kittees voice is just great.