Chicken Tikka Masala

This seems to becoming a habit: premature posting. I wonder if there's a little blue pill for that?!

Anyone who knows me probably saw the title of this post and thought they were in for a review of Sitar or Pintu's. As much as I enjoy both those restaurants (though Sitar remains my all-time-favorite), I have had a ton of fun learning to make my favorite Indian dishes at home.

I have loved Indian food since my first visit to Sitar, which I remember like it was yesterday...

It was a cold, snowy night, and I was overwhelmed when I walked into that little restaurant on Main St. by the smells. Cinnamon. Cardamom. Warmth. Friendliness. Joy.

Sitar remains one of the most comfortable restaurants I've been to - the waitstaff and owner are lovely, the music is ethnic and quietly in the background, the decor is traditional yet not overwhelming. It's everything I love about this cuisine.

I tried Chicken Tikka Masala on my first visit thanks to my culinary-adventurous friend Natalia. Until recently - with the exception of delish apps like samosas and pakora - it's all I'd had. I've begun to branch out, and have yet to find anything I don't like...although vindaloo is even too spicy for me!

Brian described this meal as "being in the middle of a pool, on a float, in the sunshine" and as "hitting the snooze button and laying in bed only half asleep, all warm and cozy." I couldn't agree more!

Chicken Tikka Masala
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, breasts or thighs, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 tsp. salt and pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 heaping Tbsp. curry powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
3 onions, thinly sliced
2 - 3 jalepenos, seeded to taste and diced (optional)*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk**
1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/4 C finely chopped cilantro

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil, curry, and cumin in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occassionally, until fragrant and toasted in color.
3. Add onions, peppers (if using), and garlic. Stir to coat in oil and spice mixture. Cook until vegetables are translucent and just starting to pick up color - about 10 minutes. Stir occassionally to keep from browning too much. Add more oil if necessary, but hold off until  the veggies start to give off some of their water - you may not need it.
4. Add chicken pieces and toss in onion mixture to coat. Cook, stirring occassionally, until almost cooked through, about 10 minutes.
5. Add coconut milk, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce to pan. Stir well to combine. Simmer, loosely covered, for 30 - 40 minutes.
6. Remove from  heat. Just before serving, stir in cilantro. Serve over cilantro lime rice.

*Jalepenos continue to confound me. I used two this time - one with all seeds and ribs, the other without - and they gave no heat whatsoever. Last time I made this, I used two with seeds and it was almost too hot to eat. If anyone has any tips for judging the heat of these peppers - size, color, scent, etc. - please let me know!

**Once I realized how much fat is in coconut milk, I tried making this dish with the low fat version. Not good. At all. It ruined the consistency of the dish, as it was far too watery, and there was very little coconut flavor. Considering the rest of the dish is lean protein and veggies, just go with the full fat. ;-)

Lime Cilantro Rice
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/3 C Basmati rice
Juice and zest of two limes
2 C water
1/4 C finely chopped cilantro

1. Combine oil, rice, and lime juice in a sauce pan. Heat over medium  heat until fragrant, stirring frequently to keep rice from sticking to the pan.
2. Add water and bring to a rolling boil.
3. Reduce heat to low and cover pan tightly.
4. Cook for about 25 minutes, until water is just absorbed. Remove from heat.
5. Fluff rice with fork, stirring in lime zest and cilantro.

I thought this was a lot of jalepenos...  Not so much.

Don't skimp on the cooking time for the onions. It's probably one of the most important steps and is well worth the added few minutes....



Ahhhhh...chicken tikka masala.  Warmth on a plate!



One word of caution: Curry has a very strong aroma. I love it, and all the images it conjures up for me. And it lingers...cracking a window while you cook will help.

It Must Have Been the Company...

I am fortunate to have been visiting Plum Island with Brian for a couple of years: I cannot believe I'd never heard of it or Newburyport, and feel so thankful that it's now one of my favorite places.

We like to get into town early for lunch or happy hour before heading to the beach, and found that we were frequenting the same places every weekend. Not a bad thing, but we agreed a couple of months ago to try a new place on each trip.

When last we were there, over B's spring break, we had lunch at The Grog (our fave!) then went to a new place, Loretta, for a glass of wine. We had the best time - it was very quiet (it was a little past lunch time and too early for dinner), the restaurant is very small and cute - almost like a bistro, and the bartender was great. I cannot wait to go back and have dinner!

At the bartender's recommendation, we - and the other customers - opted for their "house" Pinot Noir.

I love it.  Brian loves it. Everyone - with the exception of the weird Italian guy behind us who claimed to be a wine  "connoisseur" and was trying to impress the girl he was with - loves it. Delish.

Soooooo........I go on the HUNT once home. All the standard package stores: no one has it or has heard of it. Better (aka "more expensive") shops: no one has it or has heard of it. I sing its praises to all, insisting it will fly off the shelves.

In a last ditch effort, I stop at Table & Vine in West Springfield. I find the French wine. I find the French Pinot. Nothing. I walk up and down the aisle. Twice. Nothing.

On my way out, I stop one of the men who work there, and tell him I'm looking for a French Pinot Noir and that I've searched that section but would feel foolish leaving without asking if I've missed it...

"What are you looking for," he askes?

"2008 Patch Block Pinot Noir from Lanquedoc, France," says I, reading from the note I took in BlackBerry. (That's how serious I was.)

"Oh!" he exclaims. "It's over here in our bargain wines."  (Bargain?  It wasn't a bargain in Newburyport...)  "Do you remember Georges Duboeuf wine - it had a white label with bright red and blue flowers?  Well, this is their new label - same wine, new branding."

And he hands me a 1.5 liter bottle (aka 2 regular size 750 ml bottles).

With a price tag of $10.99.

I buy 2. And wonder the whole way out if I should buy 2 more...

Moral of the story:  Only when you're in an outstanding setting, having a great afternoon with someone you truly love, will you pay $8 for a glass of wine from a bottle that only cost $10.99 - retail ;-) ...and be delighted to do so.

Sláinte!

Poker's Jalapeno Poppers

So, we had our second throw down last night. Russ and Hil were up against Rick and Anne in battle meatloaf. Both were delicious and with the help of Russ's bro-in-law Tom, we deemed Rick and Anne to be the winners. Their meatloaf - their first ever attempt! - was moist, a little spicy, and very light texture wise. Along side some cheesy risotto and garlic mashed potatoes, the combo of the meat loaves made for a great meal.

Brian and I were in charge of apps and agreed early on to make jalapeno poppers. What should have been a simple recipe turned into a blog-worthy sit com... 

I got a call while I was out doing errands: don't ask any questions but please stop and get 8 more jalapenos. When I got home, assuming he just had extra filling left over, Brian proudly showed me a plate of poppers...then pointed out that he had halved them and dredged them in the egg and corn flake mixtures - but had forgotten to fill them with cheese. He was cleaning up and found the bowl of filling that he had made and set aside!  So, he made the 8 new ones as normal, and added cheese to the others then redredged them.

When we left the house, we had a beautiful plate full of 36 poppers ready to be baked, neatly and securely wrapped in plastic wrap. Brian put them on the back seat, I put my jacket over them, and he let Sambucca in the car on his side.

A little bit later, Brian glances back and says "Is Poker sitting ON the poppers?!" Sure enough, Sambucca was lounging on the back seat, squarely on the jacket-covered plate of appetizers. I got him to move over, and peeked under my jacket: what started as a six-inch high plate of goodies was now a flattened mess under plastic wrap. Thankfully, when we arrived at Russ and Hil's, Brian was able to reshape each of them from pancakes to jalapeno halves, and they baked up just fine!

I wish you better luck with your attempt!

Poker's Jalapeno Poppers
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 8-oz. package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 C mayonnaise
15 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise (seeded or not, to your liking*)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 T milk
1 1/2 C crushed corn flake cereal
1/4 C bacon bits

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together cheeses and mayo. Stuff pepper halves with the mixture.
3. Whisk together eggs and milk in a small bowl. Place crushed cereal and bacon bits in a separate small bowl.
4. Dip each jalapeno half in egg and milk mixture, then roll in corn flake mixture to coat.
5. Arrange in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven 30 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and lightly browned.

*We have tried removing all seeds and they were too mild. So yesterday, Brian left all the seeds in - and they were way too hot, even for us. Next time, we'll take half the seeds out and hopefully that will be perfect.

Fat Tuesday

When I realized that yesterday was Fat Tuesday, my first thought was to suggest The Big Mamou for dinner. As much as I love their food, though, I don't love waiting in line for a table or - worse yet - trying to leisurely enjoy my meal while others are waiting for my table. And, I knew it would be crazy busy. 

The next best thing - maybe the best thing - was to cook at home. I owed Brian a meal, since I lost our pool "tournament" on Sunday, so decided to make jambalaya and corn bread to satisfy my New Orleans craving and payment on my bet. I made this batch pretty spicy, but it would be easy enough to alter the seasoning to your taste.

This is adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe. Whenever I watch her show, I wonder if she's on speed; then I make one of her recipes, I know she must be.  There's no way any normal cook can do this in 30 minutes, but it was on the table in less than an hour, with time to simmer away for a bit. 

It turned out even better than the jambalaya at The Big Mamou (sorry Chef Wayne)!

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 T butter

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken - cubed

1 lb. spicy sausage - casing removed and diced / crumbled

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 T hot sauce (I used Cholula) 

1 heaping tsp cayenne pepper

2 to 3 T all-purpose flour

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice

1 3/4 C chicken stock

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp Worcestershire

1 pound medium shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled

In a large, deep skillet over medium high heat, heat oil and butter. Brown chicken 5 minutes, add sausage and cook 3 - 5 minutes more. Add onion, celery, pepper, bay, and cayenne.

Saute vegetables 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the pan and cook a few minutes more, cooking out raw flour taste and letting flavor develop but stirring to keep from sticking to bottom of pan. Stir in tomatoes, broth, spices, and Worcestershire. Bring liquids to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. (I let it go about 20 minutes.)

Add shrimp and simmer 5 minutes until pink and firm, then serve with rice.

This recipe made a huge pot of stew, and it was almost better the next day.  That's good, considering we'll be eating it all week!

For the corn bread, I made a pouch mix according to package directions and added a can of diced green chilies and about a 1/2 C of shredded cheese. The thing that put it over the top was baking it in a cast iron skillet. (If you don't have a cast iron skillet, get one now. I got a 10" skillet at Rocky's Hardware for $17 - and it is awesome.)  For more spice, I will saute some fresh diced jalapenos next time, rather than using the can.

Enjoy!