Easy Chicken Curry

 

This was a very tasty curry and didn't take long to prepare.  I don't see why you couldn't substitute your own favorite curry powder or mixture if you didn't want to mix up the spice blend yourself although it wouldn't be as "authentic."  According to Madhur Jaffrey, the term "curry" was coined by the British.  No Indian cook uses curry powder--each dish calls for a different blend made from freshly ground spices.

 

I left out the cayenne pepper since hubby doesn't care for things that are too spicy. He also suggested adding some golden raisins at the end. I found I needed more cornstarch to thicken the mixture--about a tablespoon in the end.  You can start with a little and add more if you like.  You might prefer it to be more soupy.  I did serve it over basmati rice but that's obviously optional.  The cilantro is also optional--I know cilantro is an either love it or hate it herb!  This is very comforting and warming on a cold day!

 

Spice blend

 

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed in a small plastic bag with a meat mallet

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp ground cloves

 

Curry

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped  

4 garlic cloves, minced  

1 Tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger or ginger paste

1 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup drained canned diced tomatoes  

Salt to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1 1/4-inch cubes

1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water  

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

 

Mix together all of the spices in the spice blend, set aside.

 

Cut chicken into bite-sized cubes.  

 

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. 

 

Add in onion and sauté until slightly golden brown.

 

Add in garlic and ginger, sauté 30 seconds more then add in spice blend and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant. 

 

 

Pour in chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes.

 

 

 

Blend mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth then return mixture to skillet.

 

Season sauce with salt and cayenne pepper (to taste) then add in chicken.

 

 

Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, cover skillet and simmer until chicken has cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 8 - 12 minutes.

 

Make a slurry with cornstarch and water.  Add to skillet during the last minute of cooking to thicken sauce slightly.

 

Stir in cream then serve warm with cilantro over basmati rice.

 

 

Cranberry Cove #7 is finally here! 

 

Monica's stepmother wakes up next to a dead man!  Did she do it?

 

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

 

 

Winter Squash, Mushroom & Spinach Curry - #recipe @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE: I spotted the original version of this recipe in the New York Times food blog, which credits Madhur Jaffrey and calls it “comfort food, Indian-style.” It is that. It’s also great for fall or winter, as a one-dish meal. And despite the list of ingredients, it’s as easy as it is yummy.

Now, hang on a minute, please, before you shy away, thinking a curry will be too hot in your mouth and too irritating to your tummy. Some are, some aren’t. I chose to use a jalapeno, the mildest of the green chiles; it’s only slightly “hotter” than a green bell pepper. You’ll see in the photos that I cut the peppers in half and cooked them without further chopping. The original recipe advised that as a way to release the flavor without making the sauce too spicy. They did cook thoroughly, and became quite mild, but were awkward to eat, so next time, we’ll chop them in decent-sized chunks for the same effect. If heat concerns you, use one instead of two; you could also leave the halves whole and discard them before serving. The cumin and the pinch of cayenne add a little heat, true, but the amounts are small and what they mainly add, in my opinion, is flavor.

And we’re all about flavor, right?

The squash, coconut milk, and rice or rice noodles also mellow the flavor beautifully. (The cut butternut squash many groceries sell in fall and winter is perfect.) The original called for black mustard seeds, but we had yellow, which are larger and less pungent; use whichever you have or can find. We also added the spinach in place of the curry leaves the original called for—not something we can find around here, and it does need something green.

Use a mix of mushrooms. We used button, crimini, and shiitake; baby portobellos or wild mushrooms would be good, too.

Winter Squash, Mushroom and Spinach Curry

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (we used canola)
12 ounces butternut or other winter squash, peeled and diced in 1/2-inch cubes
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 or 2 small whole jalapeños, seeded and chopped in 1-inch pieces (see note above)
3 medium shallots or 1 small red onion, finely diced
½ teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
pinch of cayenne
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 pound mushrooms, mixed, trimmed, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1-1/2 cups baby spinach
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice, or more to taste
cilantro sprigs, for garnish

basmati rice (1 cup dry, cooked) or rice noodles

In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add squash cubes in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, letting cubes brown slightly, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to lift squash out, and set aside.

Add shallots to skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add mustard seeds and cumin, and cook about 30 seconds. Then add garlic, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, and chiles. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds more.

Add mushrooms to pan, season with salt and toss to coat. Continue to cook, stirring, until mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Return squash to pan. Add the spinach, stir in coconut milk, and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium and simmer for another 5 minutes. If mixture looks dry, thin with a little water. Taste and season with salt.

Just before serving, stir in lime juice. Place the rice or noodles in the bottom of a warmed, shallow serving dish. Add the curry and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Serves 4-6.

"Budewitz's finely drawn characters, sharp ear for dialogue, and well-paced puzzle make Jewel Bay a destination for every cozy fan." --- Kirkus Reviews

From the cover of AS THE CHRISTMAS COOKIE CRUMBLES, Food Lovers' Village Mystery #5 (Midnight Ink,  available in trade paper, e-book, and audio):  

In Jewel Bay---Montana's Christmas Village---all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily’s turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.

When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve?

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. A past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

Butter Chicken

I think I’m in love with Sam Sifton, who is the New York Times food editor. But I only recently figured out why, when I read a brief profile of Chef/Editor Sifton in the NYT Sunday Magazine last month. It’s because he thinks about food. He analyzes it. He’s endlessly curious about how dishes are made and why they’re made in one particular way. But he doesn’t stop there: he takes all the information he collects and reduces any given recipe to something that an ordinary person can make in her or his own kitchen at home. He “gets” food.

In searching for inspiration for this week’s MLK recipe, I discovered I had carefully saved one of Sifton’s NYT articles from 2014, in which he offers a wonderful aromatic chicken recipe, one that originated in Australia and is essentially Indian in spirit (and spices!). Lucky me, I had most of the ingredients, including the spices. So I decided it was time to try it (with, as always, a few small changes).


Butter Chicken                                                                       
Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups full fat yogurt
2 Tblsp lemon juice
1-1/2 Tblsp ground turmeric
2 Tblsp garam masala (or a curry mix)
2 Tblsp ground cumin
2 lbs chicken parts 

1/4 pound unsalted butter
4 tsp oil
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 Tblsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 Tblsp cumin seeds

2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
Kosher salt to taste

1/2 cup chicken stock
1-1/2 cups cream
1-1/2 tsp tomato paste

Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala and ground cumin in a large bowl. Add the chicken and coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate (for up to a day). 

Yogurt plus spices

Blended

Chicken added

In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil until it starts to foam. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds and cook until the onions start to brown.

Chopped ingredients

Add the tomatoes (no need to skin them), chopped jalapeno and salt, and cook until the chile is soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken and marinade and cook for 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. (Yes, the sauce will look curdled at this point, but that’s what happens with yogurt—it will smooth out a bit in the next step.)

Whisk together the cream and the tomato paste, stir it into the pan, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Cream added

Serve with rice. The result is richly flavored, the spices well balanced. Even the jalapeno doesn’t dominate but blends well (not too spicy!). 

And! Still counting down to the release of Murder at the Mansion at the end of this month. 

The book gets a rave review from Library Journal:

Kate loses a job, consults on a historic property, and finds a body, all in one week. It’s a heck of a week! … Connolly’s accomplished series launch incorporates humor, a realistic setting and well-developed, appealing characters.



Find it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

www.sheilaconnolly.com

Exotic Convenience

I know we usually post actual honest-to-gosh recipes here, but my ability to cook has been seriously compromised this week.

Seriously . . . new job, classes starting, deadline for a book.  Normally, I'd pawn the cooking off on the hubs, but he's joined a new band and been working extra hours.  There's a whole lot of tired in our household.



We've plowed through baked potatoes, vegie burgers, and dressed up frozen pizza.  It's all getting a little old already.  So I made an emergency run to the grocery store this afternoon and came home with a tasty, exotic 10 minute meal.

What did I get?  The stuff for a simple but fundamentally yummy and completely satisfying Indian feast:

1. Packaged naan.  Naan is a flat Indian bread, similar to pita but softer with a slightly buttery flavor.  My Kroger now carries a display of packaged naan in the bread section of the store, and you can sometimes find it in the freezer section.  Either way, preheat the oven and throw the naan in to heat up for a couple of minutes.  Not kidding . . . a couple of minutes.  Because the bread is so thin, it heats quickly.  If you cannot find naan, try a soft pita, wrapped in foil and warmed in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes.
2. Ready rice.  Uncle Ben's makes these little pouches of rice that you simply toss in the microwave for 90 seconds.  Ninety seconds!  I picked up basmati, but they also have regular long grain, jasmine, or brown varieties.  It lasts on the shelf for a while, so pick up a few bags, and have a supply on hand for emergency meals.
3. Tasty Bite Indian entrees.  This particular brand of vacuum packed (in a pouch) entrees can be found at Kroger and World Market.  You may have to look in the health food section instead of the international food section.  Tonight we're having Bombay potatoes (which is a little spicy) and Punjab eggplant (which is a little sweet).  All of the flavors I have tried have been delicious, all are vegetarian, and most are vegan.  Toss the bags in boiling water for five minutes, then cut open, pour, and serve.  Again, these last on the shelf, so stock up for last minute dinners when you have nothing else to serve.

I know all about busy, but busy need not be bland.

And I promise a real recipe next week.  Honest.

"Tandoori" Eggplant

Even when the weather is warm, I sometimes like a little hearty comfort food.  This faux Tandoori eggplant fits the bill.

Technically, "tandoori" pertains to food cooked in a tandoor, a round clay oven.  I don't own a tandoor, so here I'm using the term to describe the spice blend I used to season the dish, a blend reminiscent of what would be used in tandoori chicken or chicken tikka.


Don't be afraid of the seasoning blend.  It's not hot-spicy at all, and the juices from the vegetables absorb the spices to make a delicious sauce.

While I don't have a tandoor, I *do* have a microwave, and I used it here to cook the eggplant.  This was a new technique for me, one I found scattered across the internet.  One of the challenges of cooking with eggplant is that it can be bitter.  The salting of the cubes takes care of that little problem, though you usually have to let the eggplant sit in the salt for half an hour, draining.  The microwave speeds up this process considerably.  It also starts cooking the eggplant "dry", so the cubes of veg don't are par-cooked when they go in the stew.  This prevents overly mushy or occasionally slimy eggplant.  No, cooked in the microwave, the eggplant took on a wonderful, tender but slightly chewy texture that was absolutely lovely.

For those of you worried about the onset of bikini season, this is a great dish.  Nary a drop of oil, lots of filling vegetables, protein-packed quinoa, and metabolism-boosting spices.  What more could you ask for?

So before the weather turns so blisteringly hot you cannot even think of turning on the stove, give this a try!  Enjoy.

Tandoori Eggplant

1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced in 1 inch pieces
1 tsp. salt

1 c. chopped onion
4 cloves garlic
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can chick peas (drained and rinsed)
2 zucchini, sliced in half moons
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. vegetable broth
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. chopped parsley
"tandoori" spice blend:
1/2 tsp. each cumin, coriander, ground ginger, tumeric, and salt
1/4 tsp. each cinnamon and cayenne

Rice or quinoa

Toss the diced eggplant with 1 tsp. salt, then spread on a dinner plate lined with 3 or 4 layers of paper towels.  Microwave for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a large pot with a little nonstick spray.  Cook onions over medium heat until starting to turn golden.  Add garlic and the "tandoori" spice blend;  cook another minute.  Add tomatoes, chick peas, zucchini, raisins, and vegetable broth.  Heat to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low.  Add eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and parsley.

Allow all the ingredients to heat and let the flavors mingle while you cook the rice or quinoa.  Serve the stew on a bed of cooked grains.