Roasting Coffee Beans

Watch out home hobbyists and hardcore DIYers, I'm catching up and I'm doing it without the aid of the internets. Roast your own coffee beans? Dude I have; with the right equipment making French roast is pretty darn easy.



I set up outside because the process is a little smoky. I got my Kmart hot plate, my Whirley Pop stovetop popcorn popper (every well equipped kitchen should have one of these), and some green coffee beans.



Next, I called my sister (Jeanlouise:Jolie).

Jolie: What up Dude?

MAC: Nuthin what are you doing?

Jolie: Got some cultures from Ricki Carroll and some raw goat milk from a lady in Ashville and I'm making cheese.

MAC: Cool.

Jolie: Yeah. Mom made some quark and she has been putting it on everything: Herring, potatoes, enchilatas...

MAC: Far out. Tell her to bring some for Oktoberfest.

Jolie: Right on.

MAC: So I got these coffee beans I wanna roast...

Jolie: Yeah yeah, I rinse them first then I put them in the stovetop popper wet. I roast the beans over medium high heat, constantly turning the crank so that they cook evenly.



Jolie (CONT): At first you'll have a lot of water vapor, then they'll start smoking. If they smoke a whole lot and the smoke is yellowish, back off the heat. Just keep cranking. When they are about the color you want spread them out on a baking sheet to cool.

Thanks Jolie.



I measured out twelve ounces on beans and roasted them (constantly cranking) for about forty-five minutes.

My friend Earl, who first roasted beans around the time the internet was invented, suggested I let the coffee rest overnight before grinding, so I did that.



I'm not necessarily a connoisseur of coffee, but I know a good cup from bad, I got great coffee from my home roast. You can too, I have only done it once, but I will be doing it again, soon.

Cheers.

Enjera Ohio

I love Ethiopian food. It's even better when you can make it at home. If you are lucky enough to live in Columbus Ohio, then you have easy access to all the ingredients you need to make a Habesha feast.



My sister, Finny and I went out to a mini mall on Hamilton, our first stop was Awash Enjera. There we picked up some Barbere, some other spices, and of course enjera. Awash has most everything you need, but if you want to comparison shop you can mosey a few doors down to the Muna International Grocery.





I bought some green coffee beans, I'm gonna try roasting my own.



Berbere (I have seen it spelled different ways) is mixture of spices somewhere between chili powder and curry.



My sister, (Jeanlouise: Jolie) did most of the cooking, she made lentils, Chicken stew (doro wat), green beans, and a tomato salad. everything is pretty easy to make, if you want a recipe, send me a note using the "contact us" button.

Fun food that's easy to make, give it a try.

Cheers.

Awash Enjera
1403 S. Hamilton Rd.
Columbus, OH 43227
614-237-4533

Muna Grocery
1419 S. Hamilton Rd.
Columbus, OH 43227
614-231-3005



PS: Now for some pictures of stuff I don't think you should try at home (yet). Jeanlouise just got back from Ethiopia here's a few shots of what she ate there:



Tibs



Tere Sega



All served with Hamot (Click on picture for translation).

Tortillas Columbus

If touring taco trucks in Columbus has inspired you to roll your own, then I know of a place you should go to pick up some tortillas.

Kokis is a tortilla factory on Columbus' West side and my mom has been there enough times that she gets greeted with very friendly and familiar hello. As I was admiring the line through a window, someone invited onto floor to see the whole process. They start with corn, treat it with lime (nixtamal), then grind that into masa. the masa is fed into rollers which flatten and cut the tortillas to size. they bake in an oven then zigzag over racks then are packed by hand into plastic bags. Show up in the morning and you can get warm tortillas. While we were at Koki's my mom asked where was the best Mexican grocery store. We were directed to La Plaza Tapatia.



Living in Chicago all these years, I have been to a wide range of Mexican Groceries from Chicago Heights to Pilsen to Albany Park and La Plaza Tapatia is very very nice store. They have everything you would need for a barbacoa.



Did somebody say cookout?



I love pork tacos. We have had a lot of adventures here in Columbus, including bacon camp, the fair and butchering a whole pig. I hope to write about this stuff soon, but in the meantime take a look at the pics from this trip on flckr. Better yet, go fix yourself something good to eat.

Cheers


Kokis Tortillas
2992 Sullivant Ave
Columbus 43204
614-279-5000

La Plaza Tapatia
4233 Shoppers Lane (Behind Westland Mall)
Columbus 43228
614-276-0333