As a kid I had the privilege of eating in the home of one of the best home cooks on earth. Amee, which is how I spell the word for 'mom' in her language, comes from somewhere outside Karachi. She doesn't cook with measuring spoons or even a decent cutting board, but whatever she turns out of her kitchen is mouth-watering magic. I once took a bite of something and thought I would swoon. When I asked her daughter what it was and how to re-create it, the answer came with a casual shrug and the offhand, "Just summer squash with Mexican seasoning." Really?
I have one of her recipes, but it takes five hours from start to finish and I promised I'd never share it- so instead I bring you a chicken dish that Amee would approve of if I were brave enough to cook for her. It came from a collection of recipes in the April 2013 issue of Saveur magazine, and soon after I added the cream to the sauce I knew this was going to be amazing. It was. There was a lot of sauce to the amount of chicken called for in the recipe, so I froze the leftover sauce and used it later to simmer browned meat in. It was a nice way to get two meals out of one. Next time I make it I will double everything but the meat and the cilantro so I can freeze a few portions of the sauce to simmer meat or vegetables in another day. If you add in vegetables with the meat you would only need rice to complete the meal. The only ingredient I had never used before was dried fenugreek leaves. You can find fenugreek in any Indian grocery store or Halal market under the name kasoori methi. Your body will smell faintly like maple syrup for a few days after you eat it. There are definitely worse things. Ingredients: 6 cloves of peeled garlic 1 serrano chile (optional, I leave it out for my children) 1-2" chunk of peeled ginger 2-3 pounds of skinless chicken or any other meat 1/4 cup of ghee or a blend of butter and oil 1 white or yellow onion, minced 1 tablespoon of dried fenugreek leaves 2 teaspoons of ground coriander 1 teaspoon of garam masala 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric 1-2 cups of blended tomatoes 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup of heavy cream finely chopped cilantro to garnish Method: Puree together the garlic, chile, and ginger with a scant 1/4 cup of water and set the blend aside. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown it in the ghee in a big pan. When the meat is browned, set it aside on a plate. Now add the garlic puree to the pan and cook it until it turns golden. Add the onions and continue to cook until they are golden. Now add the dry spices (fenugreek through turmeric). Give it a good stir and then add the tomatoes. Cook it until the tomatoes are slightly caramelized, about another 5 minutes. Now add the meat back in along with the milk and cream. Bring it to a boil and then simmer it covered over medium heat until the meat is tender. You can take the meat out and continue to simmer the sauce to reduce it a little. Stir in some cilantro and pour the sauce over the chicken. I served this with steamed basmati rice.
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After a rapturous experience with Berkeley's Kitchen on Fire my baby sister came home with an arsenal of Moroccan recipes and a taste for fennel. She made a fennel salad and insisted I try it. She proudly presented me with her new creation before I remembered to tell her just how much I hate licorice and anything that reminds me of it. Ouch. One bite and I was hooked. I have been addicted to fennel ever since. Perrin makes it with homemade croutons, but I either throw in a bag of the Trader Joe’s garlic croutons or leave them out altogether. I have also added feta cheese and parsley and that was great too. It refrigerates very well since there is nothing in it to wilt. One caveat: this is the world’s crunchiest salad, particularly if you include the croutons. Your meal companions had better eat it too. Here is the recipe. Perrin’s Fennel Salad Ingredients: 2 bulbs of fennel 1 can of black olives homemade croutons olive oil salt and pepper lemons Method: Cut the fennel in half, and then cut out the core. Using the green leafy part as a handle, slice the bulb as thinly as possible. If you have a food processor this works really well. Toss in the olives and then give it a few glugs of olive oil, juice of at least 2 lemons, and plenty of salt and pepper. If you taste it and you're bored you need to add more lemon and salt. If your teeth squeak when you bite down you might need to add more olive oil. Don't be shy with the pepper either! Delicious add-ins are parsley, feta, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and hearts of palm. Because there is no lettuce in it, the salad lasts really well for a few days, although you might have to adjust the seasonings a little bit. I have never made a crouton in my life, so here is how Perrin does it in case you are inspired. Here is a quick demonstration of how to cut fennel if you've never done it: Ingredients:
stale bread olive oil or olive oil spray garlic powder Method: Slice up a hard, crusty bread like baguette or sourdough into rough 1-1/2" cubes. Toss with generous amounts of olive oil OR you can spray it heavily with olive oil spray. Sprinkle them with garlic powder and spread them out on a baking sheet under the broiler. Check them and move them around periodically until they are a perfect golden brown. |
AuthorI love trying new foods, cooking, and gardening. I hope to share these experiences on this site. Thanks for taking a look! Categories
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