Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced butter)

I used to cook a lot of Ethiopian food. I've done less of it in the past year or so, and I missed the flavors.

So, in an effort to get back into that, I'm making a pound of spiced butter (niter kibbeh).

Butter! With spices! 

This stuff is basically what you use to cook everything in, from lentils, to split peas, to lamb, to greens. It's probably (in my experience) the most prevalent item in Ethiopian food outside of berber spice.

My version is not authentic. Mostly because I am a very white girl, but also because I don't always have whole spices, so I generally use ground ones.

I also use salted butter. I've found I prefer this, even though it's considered a sin by most actual cooks.

But whatever. This works for me.

This recipe is put together from sources all over, so no real inspiration.

Also, you're supposed to skim off the butter solids, and really turn this into clarified butter. I don't, because I'm lazy. But I'll point out where you should.

Other recipes for this will have other spices. There are 2 (koseret and besobela) that I've never been able to find, so I've never used. Some people add oregano, cumin, or coriander, but I also never have used those either.

Niter Kibbeh

Ingredients
1 lb salted butter
1 tbsp turmeric
1/8 tsp ground cloves (or 8 whole cloves)
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3 tsp cardamom (or 10 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed)
1 tbsp ground fenugreek
1 tbsp ground ginger (or about 3 inches fresh ginger, chopped into 1/2 inch rounds. Fresh ginger is way better. Use fresh. I didn't have any today.)
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches at least)
1 medium white onion, very coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp allspice berries

How to:
- In a large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan, toast all the spices till fragrant (be careful to keep the temp low. I almost burned mine.) About 3 minutes?
- Put spices into a bowl and set aside.
- Melt butter in the same pan.
- Add onions and spices.
- Cook on very low for at least 2 hours. Keep the butter just melted, not much warmer. More than 2 hours is good. Don't go more than about 4 though.
- (If you want to, as it's cooking, skim butter solids off the top with a slotted spoon, and discard. I don't do this.)
- At the end of 2+ hours, strain out onions, and spice solids. Discard.
- Refrigerate. Or freeze. It will not go off before you use it up. I promise.