Butter Chicken

 Butter Chicken

I am going to India in a few days, so was inspired to make this for my husband, since he'll be in Europe while I'm in Asia.   This is delicious when served with naan (bread) and eaten with your hands.  All the yummy goodness gets scooped up into the soft warm bread.   

Here's some of the cast of characters.   Garam Masala, Curry powder, Chinese Five spice, butter, ginger, garlic, onion and cream.  (I cheated and substituted 0% fat Greek yogurt for the cream)

4 chicken thighs without the bone and skin.

 One onion chopped.

 Combine: 1 teaspoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of garam masala,1/4 tsp Chinese five spice, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. (if you  don't have Garam Masala....you can use 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp coriander)

 Sautee the onion in little oil in a large frying pan for about 5 minutes.

Chop up the chicken into cubes.

 Add the chicken to the onions and fry for about 5 more minutes.

 Now add the dry spices, 1 heaped teaspoon of chopped garlic and 1 heaped teaspoon of grated ginger to the pan and cook for 1 minute.

At this point add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.

 Then  quickly add 4 tablespoons of butter and stir until combined.

                                    

Finish with adding 1/2 c cream.  I used fat free greek yogurt instead.  But cream would be so much better.  But I was trying to make it a bit more healthy. It still tasted amazing. 

 

Serve it with some fresh sliced vegetables and Naan (pita is a substitute if you can't find Naan) It would be great over rice too.
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I'm really looking forward to eating more wonderful Indian food in the days ahead.  Bangalore........here I come.

 Butter Chicken Recipe

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1 tsp ginger, grated
1/4 tsp of both salt and pepper
1 Tbsp tomato paste
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 c cream

Brown onion and chicken in a frying pan for about 8 minutes, then add garlic, ginger, and dry spices and stir for one minute, then add the tomato paste and butter and stir until combined and finish with the cream.
Serve with Naan bread.

Penne pasta with asparagus, bacon and chicken.

PENNE PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS, BACON AND CHICKEN

This is a creation I made today for lunch, with my husband.  I've tasted something similar at a lovely place in Burbank, California, that we used to go to years ago.  I've been dreaming of making this for days, and today was the day to do it.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 box Penne pasta
I pot of boiling water
4 pieces of bacon, diced into large chunks
1 cup rotisserie chicken cut up (or 1 breast of chicken cooked and cut up)
1/4 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bunch of washed asparagus, diced

Sauce:
1/4 cup white wine 
1/2 cup cream (I cheated and used  plain unflavored coffee creamer)
salt and pepper:

Garnish:
1 small bunch of basil, julienned
Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Roma tomato, diced

METHOD:

Begin by pouring hot water into a large pot. Add a generous pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil and add the Penne pasta.  Cook according to the package directions, for 2 minutes less than the directions say.  Drain when done and add to the sauce.

In a large frying pan, cook the bacon (do not drain the grease).  Add the asparagus before the bacon is fully cooked, and stir.  Then stir in the sun dried tomatoes, and garlic.   Then add the cooked chicken.  When the asparagus is still firm/tender, add the wine and cream, salt and pepper.  Cook for 1 - 2 minutes.  Add the pasta and serve with a garnish of fresh tomato, Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Serves two huge bowls or four small bowls.

There were no leftovers today, we cleaned it up between the two of us!

So many uses for that Rotisserie Chicken

I love Rotisserie Chicken:  Nothing like it on a busy day, dropping by Costco or the  super market and picking one up, then coming home to eat yummy warm juicy roasted chicken.

First chicken I ever ate was Christmas dinner in New Zealand, which for our family would be at the beach.  Yes, that's right.........Summer holidays begin at Christmas in New Zealand........and Chicken was a delicacy back in the  1950's  when factory farmed chickens and growth hormones were not used.  So for the special occasion of Christmas, we'd have chicken.  I know, its hard to believe, but in those days Lamb, Fish, Beef and Pork were more readily available.  Times sure have changed.

So, when I buy a Rotisserie chicken cheaper than a raw uncooked one, I really think I'm a winner.
I've come up with so many recipes for this delicious chicken, that I thought I'd share a few of them today.  I typically buy two cooked chickens at a time.  We eat enough for a meal while its hot, then
de-bone and store in individual portions, the rest, in zip lock bags and freeze.

 Chicken Quesadillas

Flour tortillas
Grated Cheese
1 onion, sliced
oil to coat the pan
cooked, cut up chicken
BBQ sauce

Cut up the onions and saute them in a frying pan with the oil until translucent - about 5 mins
Lay out the tortillas
Spread the BBQ sauce on half the tortilla, spread the chicken, cheese and onions on the same half, and fold over the other half.

Either broil in the oven on a large cookie sheet, or gently fry in a frying pan until the cheese melts and tortilla begins to brown a little.

Serve with sour cream and fresh cilantro.

 Chicken Salad

2 c chunked cold cooked chicken
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 apple, chopped
You can also use seedless grapes, or canned pineapple DO NOT USE FRESH as it will decompose the chicken and turn it into tiny granules
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c walnuts or pecans, chopped
1/2 c salad dressing (Miracle whip style)
1/2 tsp curry powder (optional)
1 green onion, chopped (optional)

Prepare all of the ingredients and mix together well in a large bowl.  Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator with plastic wrap to cover.  If using curry powder, keeping it in the fridge for a while will help develop the flavor.

Chinese Chicken Salad

2 c cut up cooked chicken
1 romaine lettuce or 1/2  cabbage chopped
pea pods, about a handful or frozen peas thawed
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, grated
2 green onions, diced
2 oranges, pealed, de-seeded and chunked or canned mandarin orange segments, drained.
Sprinkling of sliced almonds
12 Wonton wrappers, sliced into strips and deep fried in oil until pale beige in color.
 Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Dressing:
1/4 c fresh orange, lime or lemon juice
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
pinch of garlic powder
1 Tbsp honey

 Or use any of your favorite Asian inspired dressings.
Mix all the salad ingredients .  Serve the Wontons and dressing on the side.
  If using cabbage the dressing can be mixed in earlier.

I have many more Rotisserie chicken recipes for another blog.
Happy Adventures in Food to you.

Tabouli and Hummus

 My tomato plants are all producing in profound abundance right now, so I'm always thinking of innovative ways to use them.  I've already preserved chili sauce or tomato relish as its called in New Zealand.  But since my last couple blogs were about canning, I thought I'd give that a break here.
I've made fresh salsa twice this week and a pasta with fresh tomato and bacon.  But today I'm going to share my recipe for Tabouli along with my recipe for Hummus. 

These are the heirloom tomatoes.

 These are the sweet one hundreds, and the big boy's.

I also have several parsley plants and fresh lemons.  So these ingredients were readily available.

Recipe:
 1 cup uncooked Bulgar Wheat
1 1/2 - 2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup lemon juice, or about two lemons
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions or scallions in their entirety, sliced very thinly or minced
1 very large bunch of Parsley - use the stems and leaves, either chopped very finely or thrown into a food processor with the scallions.
12 - 24  Mint leaves
2 - 4 large tomatoes- diced by hand very finely
Salt and Pepper

Place the Bulgar wheat into a heavy glass bowl (this can be your serving bowl if it can take boiling water and also chilling temperatures).  Pour about 1 1/2 cups of boiling water on the Bulgar wheat and let it sit there for about half an hour on its own.   OR   Boil the Bulgar wheat and 2 cups of water in a covered pot for 15 mins (exactly like you make white rice - so any method you like, works)

After it has absorbed all the water, mix, using a spoon, and stir in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, minced garlic and oil.

Cover with plastic or a lid and place in your refrigerator for an hour, or more if you like.

Then mix in the parsley, scallions, tomatoes and put back in the refrigerator for another hour, then serve chilled.

Serve this with Pita bread and Hummus. For a light refreshing vegetarian meal.

I also like to serve Hummus with sliced cucumber.

 My  Hummus Recipe:

1 can chic peas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp organic tahini butter (sesame butter)
1 lemon juiced
salt and pepper
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes in oil
1 tsp roasted garlic
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 filtered water
6 basil leaves

Place all in a blender and run on high until combined. 
Can add prepared pesto if you don't have the fresh basil or sun dried tomatoes.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with freshly pan roasted pine nuts.
Serve with raw vegetables or pita chips.

I have herbs in abundance

These are not my chickens, but I like the photo.

This is my garden, and where I swim each day.
Happy Adventures in Food to you. 

Bread and Butter Pickles

 Its July 4th and I'm making potato salad, baked beans, spinach salad, BBQ chicken, sliced fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob. Potato salad the way I like it .........is with Bread and Butter pickles.  I like the sweet mustardy flavor of these pickles.  Here's the recipe that is super easy to make and only takes minutes to complete.

You'll need Persian cucumbers, pickling cucumbers or zucchini.   The smaller the variety the better.  I used about 14 of them. Wash and slice them and jam pack them into the glass jars.  Really smush them down and hard as you can.  Cut up one large onion and put that at the top of each jar.

 In a large pot heat together 1 tsp celery seeds (or celery salt), 1 tsp mustard seeds 4 c sugar, 2 c vinegar ( I used white vinegar), 2 Tbsp salt. 1/2 tsp turmeric and a generous pinch of black pepper corns.  Bring this mixture to a boil and pour over the cucumbers, leaving 1/2 inch space from the top of each jar.

Meanwhile heat to boiling a large amount of water in a very large pot.   Seal all the jars and add each one to the boiling water.  Once the water is rapidly boiling again........time for 10 minutes.  Remove and cool.  If the lid pops in, it has correctly sealed and can be cooled and stored on a shelf.  If not then store it in the refrigerator.

   So yummy!

Ingredients:
12 Persian cucumbers
1 onion
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
4 c sugar
2 c vinegar
2 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
generous pinch of black pepper corns

Pack the jars with the sliced cucumbers and onion.
Boil all the other ingredients and add to the jars, leaving 1/2 inch.
Process the sealed jars in a water bath for 10 mins at a rapid boil
Can be stored for a year.

Italian Sausage and Kale soup

It was my husband John's birthday last week and we went on a gondola ride through the canals in Venice Italy..........no wait.........it was in  Naples California.  But it felt a lot like Italy.  I have been to Venice once, back in 1972..........but that's a story for another time.

 We ate our lunch at the Macaroni Grill in Seal Beach, California.  I had what they call the 'Board Soup'........which I found out means, the 'soup of the day'.   It was Italian Sausage with Kale soup.  It was so delicious.........that I had to come home and re create it.  Fortunately I found Italian sausage at 50% off, so that closed the deal for me.

Kale is the new rage in vegetables.  You would think it has a strong taste by the look of it, but its mild just like spinach.  It is being praised for its high vitamins and mineral content.    The only problem I have with this soup is its summer right now, and soup is kind of a winter food........oh well.

The ingredients you'll need are:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 large stalk of celery, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb of Italian sausage
1 Tbsp tomato paste
fresh basil, small bunch chopped or 1 tsp dried basil
2 qts chicken broth and or water
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bunch of kale (about 4 cups chopped kale) stems removed.
You can substitute any sturdy green like Swiss chard, or spinach ( spinach will take less time to cook)

 Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until the onions are translucent.  Stir in garlic  and cook about 1 minute, being careful not to burn it.

 Then add the sausage. Crumble the sausage with a wooden spoon and cook all the way through.

 

Stir the tomato paste into the cooked vegeatable and sausage mixture; season with pepper.
Add broth and water to make up 2 quarts and simmer for about 15 minutes over medium-high heat, to allow the flavors to blend.

While the soup is simmering, wash the Kale and remove the tough stems.  Chop the leaves up.

 When the soup is ready add the chopped kale to the simmering liquid and bring it back up to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 15 more minutes or until the kale is tender.

Top with fresh basil.

You may wish to add parmesan cheese as well.

Here's a picture of John and I about to have our gondola ride.