Intermittence

I’m known among my friends as the guy who eats undercooked beef. Depending on the cut, I’ll gladly accept anything from rare to what was known to the cook at the Officer’s Club I worked at in England one Summer as ‘blue’—that is, seared quickly on the outside and as uncooked inside as possible.

During our recent visit to Kansas City, however, I took the final step and ate raw meat at the Blue Nile Cafe.

It was actually kitfo, an Ethiopian dish consisting of minced beef, seasonings, and spiced clarified butter. Eaten with pieces of injera, it was simply outstanding: tender, smooth-textured, with a subtle but unmistakable beef flavor. As Donnell mentioned at the time, it was reminiscent of a Bolognese sauce, but (obviously) with a more exotic flavor.

I’ll definitely try it again. There’s an Ethiopian place in Austin that we’ve been looking forward to trying. Kitfo is definitely on my short list.