Kitfo
Kitfo, which is made from the leanest meat, is regarded as a special pleasure by regular Ethiopians, and its nutritional benefits are also lauded. The beef is minced and cooked in a skillet with a little butter, mitmita (a stronger variant of berbere), and sometimes thyme, similar to French steak tartare. Kitfo is normally served leb leb (warm, not cooked), though betam leb leb is an option ("very warmed," which basically means cooked).
Kitfo can be served with aib (dried cottage cheese) and gomen (minced spinach), a recommended combo that makes the meal even more tasty and satisfying — highly recommended after a long day of traveling or if one is suffering from a hangover.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds beef fillet well-trimmed, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon anchovy paste, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/3 cup clarified butter or ghee
Directions
- Set out a large high-powered food processor. Make sure to trim all the silver skin and fat off the fillet and cut the fillet into large chunks. Place in the food processor.
- Add the cayenne, salt, anchovy paste, garlic powder, and cardamom. Pulse to chop the fillet into fine chunks. You can choose to stop with when the beef resembles ¼ inch chunks, or chop smaller into ground steak.
- Once the texture is to your liking, melt the clarified butter and pour over the top. Mix the butter in by hand, do not pulse.
- Serve raw immediately, cover and chill, or pan-fry over high heat for 1 -2 minutes.
