Berbere

Berbere is absolutely necessary to make wot (wat)! It's pretty easy to make and store for future use, so feel free to double or triple this recipe. The amount of cayenne pepper listed below yield a very spicy berbere, so much so that Han and E couldn't eat the stew I made with it! I hear wot is supposed to be very spicy, but of course we have to make it such that everyone can eat it. So I made two batches, one with 1/2 cup of cayenne pepper, and 1 with no cayenne pepepr at all. When a recipe calls for berbere, I use about 1/4 spicy berbere and 3/4 non-spicy. It has a little kick, but not so much that E can't eat it. However, I have a small shaker full of the spicy one so that anyone who wants more spice can easily add it to their dish. I hear this is handy to have around for any other dish that you want your newly adopted Ethiopian child to eat...just sprinkle some on their food and it tastes a bit more familiar to them. Store the Berbere in an air-tight container for up to 6 months in the fridge or 12 months in the freezer.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons salt (lower this if you want more control of the salt included in future recipes)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allpice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup paprika
1/2 to 1 & 1/2 cup cayenne pepper

Directions
1. In heavy saucepan or cast iron skillet, toast the following over low heat for 4-5 minutes: ginger, cardamon, coriander, fenugreek, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. Shake or stir to keep from burning
2. Add the salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, and black pepper and continue toasting, stirring constantly, 10 to 15 minutes
3. Cool and store in air tight container, such as a glass jar