Ethiopian-Style Beef Spaghetti
Ethiopia was briefly occupied by Italy in the 1930’s. In their great wisdom, they chose to adopt certain foods like spit-roasted lamb and (of course) wheat pasta- on top of which they add their renowned spiced clarified butter.
Ingredients
¾ cup Ethiopian spiced butter
4 cups onion, chopped
1 lb beef sirloin
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 Tbsp Royal Berbere or Ethiopian Berbere, ground
½ cup tomato paste
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 pack (450 g) spaghetti
250 ml cottage cheese
Parsley for garnish
Method
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1
Place spiced butter in a pot on medium heat and sauté onions until browned, about 15 minutes.
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2
Meanwhile, chop beef into small, ½ inch cubes. Add beef, garlic and ground Berberé and sauté a few minutes.
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3
Incorporate tomato paste. Cook for 2-3 more minutes, then add tomatoes and simmer for about 30 minutes until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened a little.
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4
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Set aside 1 cup of the cooking water then drain.
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5
Pour 1/3 of the sauce into a pot with the reserved cooking water. Bring to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook for 1 minute more to ensure the pasta is well-coated.
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6
Place on a serving dish or in individual bowls. Cover with the remaining sauce and garnish with parsley and cottage cheese.
Leftover sauce can be refrigerated or even frozen.
