Queen of Sheba

Spokane has Ethiopian food! Even better, Spokane as good Ethiopian food!

One of the great and many holes in the Spokane dining scene is the small, ethnic restaurant. We are simply short on options when we want something other than American- or European- based food. We are also short on options when we want to go out for dinner, but don't want it to be a big, fancy affair. We just don't have the small, casual, mid-priced restaurant, and our ethnic options are almost universally sad. No good Thai. No good Indian. No good, cheap Chinese. Fans of Gordy's may argue this last point with me, and I will say that I have had some fine meals there. But it is over priced and under consistent to really fit the niche I'm talking about. I am very fond of the pho at Pho Van, and their Division location is surprisingly chic (completely unlike their Hamilton location).

But this may no longer be true of our fair city, made fairer still by the advent of Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Cuisine in the Flour Mill. First, a disclaimer: I am no expert on Ethiopian food. I've only had it a handful of times before, if that. So, I'm in no position to judge how well the food at Queen of Sheba compares to other Ethiopian restaurants, or even how representative it is. But, I am in a position to say that the food was good, and perhaps even better than being good, it was interesting. Lots of complex flavors, a decent level of spiciness, and lots of sensations that you are unlikely to find this side of Seattle, and almost certainly not in your home cooking!

The basis of Ethiopian cuisine is ingera, which is often called a flat bread but more resembles a cross between a pancake and an english muffin. This is both bread and utensil in an Ethiopian meal, serving as platter and silverware. The ingera at Queen of Sheba is made from a mixture of teff, an Ethiopian grain, and barley, and it has a lovely taupe color and spongey consistency. This consistency is key, since most Ethiopian food is stewed in a rich, spice-filled sauce, so you need the big holes in the bread to transport that sauce to your mouth. The menu is split between vegetarian, with lots of lentils and chickpeas, and meat: poultry, lamb and beef (no pork). Everything has a lot of spice in it, but there are hot and non-hot versions of nearly everything.

Eating at Queen of Sheba is not for the germophobic (which is not to suggest the place isn't anything but spotless) or the socially faint of heart. The combination of no silverware and lots of sauce means you will almost certainly go through a lot of napkins, and that white shirts and ties are in danger. Most tables end up eating from a communal platter, served in a large basket, so go with people you trust to use the antibiotic wetnaps that arrive before the food. My table of four split the vegetarian platter and the meat platter, and left with full tummies and nearly empty plates.

One of the nicest things about Queen of Sheba is the owner, who is also in charge of the front of the house and seems to be the wait staff. According to the Inlander, she is an Ethiopian woman who worked as a teacher here in Spokane before opening the restaurant. She is not a professional restaurant person, and given the newness of the business (and the amount of risk she is no doubt incurring in opening it), she is understandably not entirely relaxed yet. But, she is enthusiastic, sincere, and obviously kind. It was an unusual, but strangely refreshing, restaurant moment when she chided my table for taking so much extra ingera, telling us that we better not waste it, since it was so labor intensive.

My one complaint may not be a fair one, but the Ethiopian restaurant I went to in San Francisco featured a heavenly goat yogurt as a condiment. It was rich and creamy and buttery, with just a hint of goat funkiness. I love goat funkiness. I ordered the yogurt condiment at Queen of Sheba, only to have it arrive the consistency of dry feta, with no discernible flavor.

I've said it before: a great restaurant town depends on a culture of great restaurant customers. Spokane's nascent dining scene will not thrive if we do not support new, risky, interesting ventures. Queen of Sheba is not cheap, but it is equivalent to Chilis or Olive Garden, and unlike both of those places, it serves food with flavor. Next time you have an option, go to Queen of Sheba (or Pho Van, if you are in the mood for spicy beef soup). Hopefully, not only will it survive and thrive, but its success will encourage other local people to open similar, non-cookie cutter, non-chain restaurants.

Spring time in Spokane

T.S. Eliot clearly spent some time in Spokane. When he says that April is the cruelest month, he is not inverting the conventional optimism of the cycle of seasons, reminding us that the same logic that knows that the dearth and death of winter bears within it the seeds of spring and rebirth also should tell us that the riot of new life in April will inevitably die into winter. Rather, he is telling us a universal Spokane truth: April might be spring in other places, but not here. Here, we must wait, longing for sunshine with warmth in it, sweet tiny leaves and green grass, color, while we suffer through at least one month too long of cold, wet dreariness.

April is cruel, but, with the logic of a Shakespearean tragi-comedy, the depth of the affliction elevates our joy when it all works out in May. The sun is warm, the sky is high desert blue, the air is clear, and the light is crystalline. My tulips are their usual chaos of color and style. Everyone's flowers are brilliant. I've been working in the yard, weeding and getting ready to plant the tomatoes that won't quite finish ripening before the first fall frost. My upper arms are slightly sun burnt in a way that promises a wicked farmer's tan is in the works.

Of course, spring is also when the academic year ends, so I have time to putter, waste time, cook, and write a blog. Sorry for the long absence. Student readers, I am completely sincere when I say that I love working with you all and teaching, but you are time and energy consuming. I am now officially on sabbatical, so hopefully I will have plenty of time for a long time for writing here. Besides, writing a blog is way more fun than writing my scholarly monograph!

It's too early for local produce to be much to talk about; nonetheless there is some wonderful spring eating to be done. Rocket Market had morels in last weekend, but they weren't in great shape, and I wasn't surprised that they weren't there yesterday. Hopefully, they will get more in soon. If my father loves me as much as he claims, he will send me morels from his foraging in Montana (hint, hint, Dad). They aren't the flavor bombs we will get in July from Greenbluff, but strawberries from at least our continent are showing up in the supermarket. Ditto with asparagus. I've finally convinced Jeremy that fat asparagus is good. Just peel the stems, place in a pan with some butter, salt, and about a half cup of water. High heat and cover for about three minutes, then lid off and saute for another three minutes, and they should be just right: tender with a little crunch and a little browning. Fair about is fair play; he has convinced me that skinny asparagus is good. He just tosses with a little olive oil and onto the grill until lightly charred and limp, but before the flowers completely dry out. Season, and eat.

Spring also means the return of affordable herbs, either from the stores or from one's own garden. My backyard herb garden went defunct a few years ago when a large colony of angry ants moved in. I just replaced in with a clean, new, organic, and hopefully ant resistant planter. I think lemon thyme is one of my favorite scents, and fresh marjoram is one of my secret kitchen weapons. It tastes like oregano (in fact, most dried oregano is actually marjoram), but with a little hint of basil and a bit of spice. Warning: it's strong, so a little goes a long way! I particularly love it mixed into an herb aioli. This year, I'm determined to grow Holy Basil -- any one know where I could find a plant?

In honor of springtime and my new herb garden, here are two very fresh recipes.

Lemon herb chicken with asparagus risotto:

(I know -- you think risotto is hard and time consuming and expensive. It so isn't! There's a time saving tip in this recipe I got from Jacques Pepin -- not personally -- that means this is ready in less than half an hour. And, you don't need to stir constantly. Just make sure you give it a couple of vigorous stirs somewhere during the cooking, and you'll get the creamy sauce you want. I just love the way sauce blends with the risotto, the freshness of the herbs and the grassiness of the asparagus, the brightness of the lemon with the richness of the browned butter -- if I ever open a restaurant, this recipe is definitely going into the rotation!)

Two split chicken breasts (you need the skin for this recipe, so I always end up having to take the bones out myself, which isn't that hard)

A blend of fresh herbs, equalling about two tablespoons. (I used basil, lemon thyme, and marjoram.)

2 cloves garlic

Two tbls soft butter

salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350. Crush the garlic and mix with herbs, salt, pepper, and butter. Separate most of the skin from the meat of the chicken breasts, and spread half of the compound butter between the skin and the meat. Stretch the skin back into place. Place the chicken, skin side down, in a hot oven proof skillet, until the skin is brown, being careful not to burn the butter. Turn the breasts, and put skillet in hot oven.

Then start the risotto.

1/2 cup arborio rice (The sell this in bulk at Huckleberry's for almost nothing!)

2 tbls oil (olive or canola)

About 3 cups chicken stock (I use Swanson's low sodium or organic, but I know I really should make my own. Just lazy, I suppose.)

One big shallot, minced

1 table spoon butter

1/2 bunch fat asparagus, steam-sauted (as described above)

about 2 tbls chevre

Bring about three cups of chicken stock to a simmer. In a large, flat bottomed pan with a lid, saute the shallots in a little oil- until starting to soften. Add the rice, and let toast. Most of the grains should go through a semi-transparent stage, and some should be a little toasted, and the shallot should be completely soft and somewhat browned. Add about half of your stock, bring to a boil, and stir. Cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. (Now would be a good time to prepare the asparagus). After about seven minutes, take the lid off, stir vigorously, and simmer until the liquid is mostly gone. Add about half of the remaining liquid, stir, and let simmer until almost dry. At this point, taste carefully for texture. You want some tooth and distinct grains, but no crunch. If you want the rice a little softer, add more liquid and continue to simmer. I find I like my risotto slightly more cooked than is usual in Italy, but you really don't want it to turn into mush. You can also just add more liquid to loosen the texture, but turn the heat off to keep the rice from getting mushy. When the consistency is what you want, stir in the butter, the asparagus, the juice of half a lemon, and salt to taste. Plate quickly (I like a big mound in the middle of a plate), with chunks of chevre on top.

By this point, your chicken should be just about done (you are shooting to take it out at 160). Place the chicken on top of the risotto and chevre. If there is a lot of grease in the bottom of the skillet, pour some off (but makes sure you leave at least a couple of tablespoons). Squeeze in the other half of the lemon, and stir to get up any brown bits. Pour browned butter lemon sauce over the chicken so that it dribbles down and mixes with the risotto.

Here's the second recipe:

Cold bean thread salad

(This is just a side dish -- it's basically a light, fresh pasta salad. The bean threads have an interesting, light texture, and absorbs flavors well. This side goes well with asian flavors. I served it with a teriyaki grilled steak.)

2 bundles of bean threads

1-3 tbls Sirachi sauce

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 tsp fish sauce (opt)

2 tbls soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

Boil the bean threads in water for about three minutes. The should be soft but a little chewy -- that will help them absorb sauce. Add to all the other ingredients, and taste for balance. It shouldn't be sweet or salty, but you should be able to taste the coconut clearly, and feel at least some heat from the Sirachi.

Add:

1/3 cup minced mint

1/3 cup minced basil

1/3 cup minced cilantro

Small red bell pepper, diced

one bunch green onion, sliced thin with some green

You can also add any diced vegies you like: sugar or snow peas, broccoli, carrot, mung bean sprouts, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots

Toss, and taste for seasoning. It's better if you can let it sit for an hour or two.

Two final notes: the Spokane farmer's market opens tomorrow! And, Rocket Market has a new wine guy -- newish, I should say. He's been there a couple of months. I just have been a bad blogger. His name is Matthew, and he is also responsible for the wine list at Wild Sage. He has steered me toward several great bottles of red already, and his recommendations for a dry white this week have all been spot on. Thanks, Matthew!

Happy spring!