A Wife's Tale by Aida Edmarian

Thank you Erin  for hosting Bookclub evening for The Wife's Tale by Aida Edemarian

I really appreciate all the work you went to for the authentic Ethiopian meal. It was a real treat, and added another dimension to the story of Yetemengu's life. Not only was feeding people so much work it was also as much a cultural experience as was eating the food, the spices and flavours so warm and delicious and nutritious! I wonder what it was like for her son when he came to Canada to eat the food he had access to here...

I did love the sparks we saw that she had a sense of humour and imagination, despite a life that seemed filled from a very early age with dour drudgery, violence, and injustice. Her indomitable spirit as well as her intelligence was what gave her family the opportunity to excel in their education and vocations. Quite inspiring! 

The other thing my mind keeps wandering back to as I read these and other stories is that judgement and comparison really don't serve us unless they make us feel grateful for where we are and more empathetic to others. To me reading this story was experiential rather than just an outside view into a life. Even though many of  Yetemengu's references; spiritual, historical, religious and family were obscure I don't know that having the confusion explained away would have helped me with the meta experience of the book, I still got the take away of a little more understanding of a life lived so very different than mine.  

We read history; details about the events and timelines of wars, revolutions, changes to new political regimes. To read about the day to day life and need to flee one's home and how a family adapts to all the events takes these events from the realm of facts and dates to individual lives lived. A valuable insight to assist in seeing the similarities of mother's and that feeding our family and education for our children is a universal concern and we all value the same things despite cultural and religious differences.

I am halfway through reading "Boy Swallows Universe" by Trent Dalton. A thought provoking journey through a young life, intense and hard to put down. It would be great for our bookclub, although I'm not so sure about some of the food; there is a Vietnamese feast with snake's head among the many dishes...some things make you gag, but are perfect in the context, both real and allegorical... every paragraph is a full of beautifully crafted descriptions and feelings. It is a full on pleasure to read 

Here are the links to the Ethiopian dishes:
First I made the Berbere spice: https://www.daringgourmet.com/berbere-ethiopian-spice-blend/
and the Niter Kibbeh: https://www.daringgourmet.com/niter-kibbeh-ethiopian-spiced-clarified-butter/
used in the following dishes…
Mesir Wat – Spiced Red Lentils:https://www.daringgourmet.com/misir-wat-ethiopian-spiced-red-lentils/
I used this recipe for the Ayib -Ethiopian Cheese: https://www.aspicyperspective.com/ethiopian-recipes/
Doro Wat -Ethiopian Spiced Chicken: https://www.daringgourmet.com/doro-wat-spicy-ethiopian-chicken-stew/(The recipe suggests adding hard boiled eggs, but I decided to not include since I had seen Doro Wat also prepared without them)
Gomen – Collard Greens:https://www.daringgourmet.com/gomen-ethiopian-collard-greens/
And for dessert: Ethiopian Coffee-Infused Coffee Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream:
https://www.yummy-africa.com/recipes/2019/4/12/ethiopian-coffee-infused-coffee-cake
I didn’t have Yirgacheffe coffee on hand but believe you can get it at Ten Thousand Villages. I like the French Roast from there for my morning latte, so used that. Beware: there is a mistake in the baking time … it take about 45-50 minutes (not 20 minutes) in a Bundt pan. The recipe serves about double the number suggested (5-7 for a large Bundt cake seems like humungous servings!)
I had planned to make Injera but ran out of time… and instead served fried Parathafrom the frozen food section.

However, this looks reasonably straight forward to make…  I thought the other Doro Wat recipe looked better using the traditional spices and clarified butter: 
https://www.aspicyperspective.com/ethiopian-recipes-injera-doro-wat/
For the Injera Recipe:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups club soda
• 1 cup white vinegar or rice vinegar
• Oil for pan

• In a large bowl, mix both flours, salt and baking soda together. Whisk in the club soda until smooth. Then add the vinegar and whisk. 
• In a large skillet over medium heat. Pour oil on a paper towel and wipe the skillet with the oiled paper towel.
• Using a scoop, pour batter into the skillet creating a 6-inch circle. Carefully swirl the pan around to thin out the batter until it measures 8- to 9-inches across.
• Cook for 1 minute, then using a large spatula, flip the Injera over and cook another minute. Remove from the skillet and stack on a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. The Injera will seem slightly crisp in the pan, but will soften immediately when placed on the plate.
• Once finished cooking the Injera. Cut the circles in half with a pizza cutter, roll into tubes and stack. Keep warm until ready to serve. Serve the Doro Wat and Injera together, tearing piece of Injera and using it to pick up the Doro Wat.