Cooking for Seven

My introduction to curry was early on in my life. Mom made the “Chicken Hurry Curry” recipe found on the back of the chicken package. I don’t remember ever disliking curry, though I was probably a bit skeptical when Mom first set it before us.

Now we simply adore curries. I enjoy both the Indian and Thai versions. I love the thick, spicy Indian curries, but I really like the coconut flavors in the Thai curries.

Here is our current favorite recipe. I’m not sure if the title is correct - it seems to be a blend of Indian and Thai curry. It can be quite spicy, which pleases Dad. If you prefer a milder curry, reduce the amount of spices. But you will be missing out!

This curry is very good served with Thai Coconut Rice.

m

Indian Chicken Curry

From All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I prefer to leave out the cinnamon)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 teaspoon sweetener of choice (I like maple syrup)
• salt to taste
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 1-1/2 cups coconut milk
• 1 lemon, juiced (I like to use lime juice as well)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon (if using) paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sweetener and salt. Continue stirring for 2 minutes.

2) Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper and remove bay leaf. Serve immediately.

I like to serve with fish sauce, toasted coconut, and red curry paste.

Can you believe that this dough is 100% whole wheat? Can you? It is! Yet is handles so well - better than any pizza dough recipe I’ve ever tried. It is so easily manipulated, yet it doesn’t tear easily.

What’s the secret? I really couldn’t say. Perhaps the method of mixing. Perhaps the perfect combination of ingredients (thanks, Cook’s Illustrated!). Perhaps the type of whole wheat flour I use (white whole wheat flour). All I know is, my search for a whole wheat pizza dough recipe ended when I found this one. Maybe someday I’ll try a different pizza dough recipe, but for now I’m content.

Care for some ideas for pizza?

~ Why not spread it with some homemade pizza sauce and sprinkle it with homemade Italian sausage?
~ Or you could drizzle it with Smoky BBQ sauce and add chicken (perhaps some bacon) and cheddar cheese for a BBQ Chicken Pizza.

~ The other day, I made pizza on the grill. It’s a great way to beat the heat and it is so delicious. Here is an excellent article and video with the instructions.

How do you like to fix your pizza?

m

Pizza Dough

Adapted from The New Best Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm water (about 110°
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups (20 ounces) white whole wheat flour (aka white whole wheat flour)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• Olive oil or butter, for greasing the bowl

Directions:

1) Place the 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl. Add the yeast and stir. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until the yeast begins to swell. Add to the room temperature water and oil and stir.

2) Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly until combined. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the liquid ingredients. Mix just until a cohesive dough forms. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

3) Change to the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.

4) Oil or butter a medium-sized bowl. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot. Allow to rise for 1 ½-2 hours, or until double in volume. The dough is now ready to be used in your recipe.

Makes enough dough for approximately 3 large thin-crust pizzas

……As I glanced through Simply Summer by Angela Tunner, this recipe caught my eye. You see, I’m a sucker for anything involving coconut. Not only does it taste so wonderfully exotic, it is also very healthy. Granted, the sweetened shredded coconut used in this recipe is not the most healthy variety of coconut products, but it still tastes delicious.

……This recipe is perfect for that scorching summer day when you don’t feel like adding any extra heat to the house. You could cook the chicken the night before, or on some day that’s pleasantly cool. It is very filling, so you can serve it as your main dish. Or spread it on a piece of you favorite bread to create a very different chicken salad sandwich.

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Mango & Coconut Chicken

From Simply Summer

Ingredients:

• 4 cups torn or shredded cooked chicken (about 3 medium chicken breasts)
• 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons Major Grey mango chutney*
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used sour cream)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Pepper, black, to taste

Directions:

1) Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl. Add the shredded coconut, lemon juice, mustard, chutney, and yogurt and toss until well combined. Add the parsley and toss to combine.

2) Stir in the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.

Serves 4

*Angela’s Tip: Major Grey is no a brand of chutney, it is a style of chutney. Look for it under various brand names in your supermarket in the condiments or ethnic section

It has been over a week since my last post. There has been a lot on my plate lately, and I have had so little time for blogging.

But I have something delicious cooking.

Until next time, I leave you with this set of photos. I’ve been meaning to share it with you for quite some time, but never got around to it.

To read more about the traditional Indonesian feast (Rijsttafel) click here.

To enter the gallery, click here or on the photo below.

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A couple Saturdays back, Mom decided to serve Hungarian Meatball Stew for our Sunday dinner. Then we discovered we didn’t have near enough pasta.

Oh well.

Amanda & I whipped up a batch of fresh pasta and spent Saturday afternoon rolling and cutting fettucini. We used every drying rack we could find. When those ran out we used oven racks. After we had used every available space, I coiled the pasta. I wouldn’t recommend this. The noodles stuck together. However, when you make 3 pounds of pasta to serve 17 people, things can get a little desperate.

Here’s the recipe I use every time to make pasta. You can cut it into any shape you wish.

:: Whole Wheat Pasta ::

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cups traditional (12 5/8 oz) or white (11 5/8 oz) whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

DIrections:

Hand Method

1. In a large bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, water and olive oil. Add the flour mixture and mix well.
3. Sprinkle the kneading surface with remaining 1/3 cup flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Divide dough into fourths. On a lightly floured surface roll each third of dough into a 1/16 inch thick square about 12×12 inches. Cut as desired. Or follow the manufacturer’s instructions for using a pasta machine to roll and cut the dough.

Mixer method

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the center.
2. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, water and olive oil. Add to the flour mixture. With the dough hook, mix until well combined.
3. With the mixer running, add the remaining flour. With the mixer on low, knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Divide dough into fourths. On a lightly floured surface roll each third of dough into a 1/16 inch thick square about 12×12 inches. Cut as desired. Or follow the manufacturer’s instructions for using a pasta machine to roll and cut the dough.

Your can use this pasta immediately, or dry on racks for later use. It should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, as there are raw eggs in the dough.

Makes about 1 pound of fresh pasta.