Category: Meat Entree

Posted on

Thanksgiving with Hen

Every family I know has a Thanksgiving tradition they strictly adhere to and so does mine.  I can say with all certainty that never has a Turkey crossed my kitchen doorstep.  And all because the “Holy Trinity” does not like turkey. Anyways, our family tradition has been to cook a couple of Cornish Hens instead of the traditional turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. We stick with the usual sides like mashed potatoes, potato salad, cranberry chutney (must share this recipe with you soon), brussel sprouts cooked in bacon, corn bread stuffing and pecan and or pumpkin pie.

Of course as with every family, recipes evolve over time making them unique and special.  So over the years what started off as a Stuffed Chicken Tandoori has emerged as a Lamb mince stuffed Cornish Hen.  Its a small bird, definitely more flavorful, can be served as a whole bird (conducive to table top carving)  and most important, we don’t have humongous amounts of left overs.

Here is the recipe; From my kitchen to yours.

 

Lamb Mince Stuffed Cornish Hen

2 Cornish hens

3/4 cup oil (shallow frying)

Marinade: ( overnight)

4 tbs Ginger – garlic paste

1 tbsp red chilli powder

Juice of 1 lemon

salt as needed

Stuffing:

1 lb Lamb or Turkey mince

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 1/2 tsp Garam Masala

15 almonds soaked, peeled and sliced

2 hard boiled eggs minced

2 “piece ginger julienne

salt as needed

Basting:

4 tbsp sour cream or yogurt

3 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

a couple pinches mace powder

a couple pinches nutmeg powder

10 strands saffron

1/4 tsp green cardamom powder

In a broad bottomed pan heat oil and brown the marinated birds, one at a time, over medium heat,  turning gently with cooking tongs so they are nicely browned on all sides.  Take the birds out of the pan on to a paper towel to drain the excess oil.  To the same oil add onions and saute till transluscent.  Now add the mince and saute till nicely browned. Put in the Garam Masala, ginger and almonds and saute for about 10 minutes.  To finish add the minced eggs and salt and cook for a couple minutes, stirring gently, and take off the flame.

After it cools , stuff the birds with this mince, leaving enough for a side dish.

Pre-heat oven  to 375  degrees.  Place the bird on a roasting pan, baste with the sour cream sauce and  roast for 30 minutes (or till cooked), basting regularly till all the sauce is used.

Garnish with Fresh chopped coriander.

Happy Cooking and a Very Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Wine Suggestions:

Lambrusco or Pinot Noir. If you want to go really bold, a Zin works really well with the strong flavors of the spices.

 

Posted on

Butter and spice and everything nice

Greetings from sunny Florida once again! There is something to be said about being around good weather, it makes you a nicer human being.  Really, I feel mentally upbeat, I have been working out and eating healthy. All of this positivity brings my thoughts to the matter of making a lifestyle change and settling into a regimen that is sustainable for me.  Easier said than done because I haven’t found one yet, so instead I get to wax eloquent on the subject in my blog today. Authorship has it’s privileges.

There  are quite a few diets making the rounds , right from utter starvation (fasting diet) to intermittent eating ( 8/16 formula) to the Keto diet( no sugar or carbs). I personally have not been able to stick to any of these but have friends, bravehearts actually, who are doing a bang up job on them. Only time will tell if these can be sustained but for now, boy do they look like a million bucks. There are studies out there extolling the virtues of one as opposed to the dangers of others, but at the end of the day if any of these diets can be used as an initial weight loss tool on the path to maintain a better body/ weight/ fat index, I say so be it.

The Keto diet according to me is one of the more fun diets to be on as you are allowed all the meat and fats in the world. That brings me to the world famous Indian chicken dish Butter Chicken, which is loved by kids and adults all over and is tailor made for Ketonians. It’s origins can be traced to a restaurant in Delhi  called Moti Mahal and was the brainchild of the three owners who came up with the recipe. Folklore goes that they wanted to do something with all the tandoori chicken that they would have left over every night and needed to put it to good use. So they basically took the left over chicken mixed it up in a rich tomato gravy , rich in butter and cream.  Their version of the hundreds of recipes that sprung out of a need to use left over turkey after Thanksgiving.

I  have come up with my own easy, breezy version of that dish which I kid you not, touches the soul. It’s a hit with all my guests and so I share it with you today(It comes with a vegetarian / vegan option too).

Butter Chicken / Paneer/ Tofu

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (whole not cubed)

Or 1 lb paneer ( cottage cheese) or extra firm tofu

1 tbsp garlic and red chili paste ( use 3 dry red chilies soaked for an hour in warm water and then grind with the garlic)

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp turmeric

1/4 stick Butter

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

2 tsp dry fenugreek leaves ( kasuri methi)

1 tsp red chili powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 28oz can San Marzano crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp honey

1/2 cup whipping cream

#salt as needed

Marinate the chicken for about 4 hours in the garlic- red chili paste, lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil , turmeric and salt. Pre- heat the oven to 375 degrees and bake for about 40 minutes or till chicken is cooked but still moist. Cool on a rack and cut up into 2″ pieces. Set aside. If using paneer or tofu use pre- cubed and the baking time would be about 15 minutes.

In a heavy bottom pan on medium flame take the butter and  2 tbsp olive oil, when heated add the fenugreek leaves crushing it with your fingers as you drop it in. Sauté for a minute on a low flame, now add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for a few minutes.  Next put in the red chili  and coriander powder, cook for a couple minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes  and salt and let it come to a boil. Next add the chicken/ paneer/ tofu and gently stir.  Now put in the honey and after a few minutes add the cream ( save a tbsp for the garnish). Let the cream just about warm up and then take the pan off the  stove.

Just before serving garnish with a spoon of cream and chopped coriander leaves.

Serving Suggestions:

1. With Naan or Rotis

2. On al dente Penne Pasta or Fettuccine

3. As a Tapas in a small earthen dish with dipping bread on the side.

Wine Pairing: I think this dish would go great with your favorite Zin. I love the 7 Deadly Zins from Trader Joe’s .

Notes:

1.For Vegan substitute tofu instead of chicken and use full fat coconut milk instead of cream.

2. Paneer is available at all Indian stores and Costco. Tofu and coconut milk can be bought at ant local grocery store.

Happy Cooking !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Fish and Foremost

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.  I would love to a go a step further and add ; Teach him how to cook it and the whole family eats well. This is an old Chinese proverb where men and women shared all kinds of household chores, so let us not get into the gender bias argument.  But seriously, so few people actually like fish that something needs to be done about it.  The kids, in particular, complain about the fishy smell and will not eat it unless its double dipped in flour and eggs and deep fried making the whole idea of eating the healthy option such a wasted exercise.  The Prodigal Kids (mine, for the uninitiated) love sushi, so go figure.

Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which is essential for development of the brain and eyes. Research shows that making fish a part of your regular diet, has been helpful for patients with diabetes, asthama and also cognitive dysfunction . The caveat being to mostly eat  wild caught as opposed to farmed fish. Rainbow trout, squid, salmon, walleye are some tasty and easily available wild caught fish. But as in anything in life everything should be done in a balanced way rather than take one thing and run with it. I get catfish and black pampano sometimes because they both take to Indian spices really well.

I make it a couple different ways: baked or curry.  In India some of the best fish preparations come from the coastal areas, be it the Macher Jhol from the east, the Meen Kuzhambhu from the south or my personal favorite  the Malwani masala fish from the west coast that is spicy and flavorful but bakes well and the masala translates well to the curry form , too. You could definitely shallow fry it too. Today I share with you a recipe for the masala, which stores well in an air tight container and the dish itself.

Malwani masala

5 tsp coriander seeds

2 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

7-8 dried red chillies

1 small star anise

1 inch pc cinnamon

2 tsp black peppercorns

5 cloves

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp mace

2 tsp dry dessicated coconut (optional)

Dry roast all the ingredients on a low flame till light brown. Cool off and then grind, store well.

Baked fish

1 lb fish (  salmon, black pampano or trout) or any fish you prefer.

1 tsp garlic and jalapeno and  paste (5 garlic pods and 2 jalapenos)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp tamarind paste (bottled works well)

2 tsp malwani masala

2 tbsp oil

salt as needed

Wash fish well and pat dry. In a bowl mix all the other ingredients well and apply to the fish using your hands so it spreads nicely. Marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, lay the fish out on a pan covered in foil and use a light cooking spray. bake for 20-25 minutes(depending on the fish).

Serving suggestions;

  1. With Dal and Roti with a side of an onion and tomato kachumber (salad)
  2. With Dal and Rice with a side of sliced onion and cucumber tossed in vinegar, sugar and salt.
  3. With  Gnocchi tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Wine Suggestions;

A good rose will go well or a Gruner Veltliner which is an Austrian white that compares well with any good chardonnay.

Side bar:

This masala can used to make a curry using fish, shrimp, chicken or dried peas (soaked over night).

Basic  Malwani  Curry

3 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp ustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 onion chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tsp malwani masala

1 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli powder

5-6 curry leaves (important but optional)

2 tsp tamarind paste (4 chopped tomatoes for chicken)

salt as needed

Add mustard and cumin seeds to 1 tbsp oil, when they sputter add the curry leaves and turmeric. Add  onions and saute till light brown and then add  ginger garlic paste. Add the malwani masala, coriander powder. Saute well, cool and grind to a paste. Take 2 tbsp oil in the same pan and add the ground masala to it , saute. Now add the tamarind paste (or chopped tomatoes ) and salt. Saute well till  oil appears on the sides. Now add your protein and cook. If using dried peas, soak overnite and pressure cook before adding it to your curry.

HAPPY COOKING FROM KAVITA ATUL!

 

 

 

 

Posted on

A match made in heaven

After a hectic festivity laden week of gluttony and gastronomy (in that order) my brain feels the need to go easy on my body. Must eat healthy I say to myself, of course still thinking of food as always.  There has been a lot of talk lately of the health benefits of the simple “KHICHDI” the quintessential comfort food , with every region in India having it’s own version of it.  Ayurveda (a system of medicine with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent)  describes khichdi as the perfect food  which resets the body with it’s ability to balance all the forces – air, heat and water- that exist in the human  body.

 

I have a hankering for something sour, spicy , hot and meaty, all in a one pot dish. So I decide to combine my southern roots together with the “Khichda”, a Bohri  Muslim version of the khichdi. Their version uses Barley and Rice and most important chicken or goat meat. Yummm!  What a perfect way to end 5 days of eating vegetarian foods (Diwali) by gorging on some hot non-vegetarian  comfort food . In the south the very popular Bisi Bele Huli Anna that literally means Hot  Dal (legume) Sour Rice, is one form of khichdi, though not the simple  kind that Ayurveda talks about,  delicious nonetheless.  I started with wanting to have a  simple and “sattvic” meal,  but let us save that for another day.  Today I will serve my concoction with a nice piquant Pico de Gallo, bringing  some Latin influence onto the table. Try it at your next party and I guarantee some very satisfied guests.

 

Friends, I present to you my version of a ‘ Perfect Sunday afternoon meal’ with family and friends, on a  cool Fall Day, with suggested accompaniments.

BISI BELE CHICKEN KHICHDA served with a PICO DE GALLO

1 cup any short grained rice

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/2 cup  pigeon peas (tur dal)

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs

6 pods garlic

6 jalapenos

1 tsp grated ginger

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

3 tbsps lemon juice

4 tbsps oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 dry red chillies

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp urad dal (split black lentils)

pinch of asafoetida

few curry leaves

1 onion cubed

1 potato cubed

2 tbsps tamarind paste

1 tbsp garam masala (all spice)

SALT AS NEEDED

PICO DE GALLO – Chop onions, tomatoes, cilantro and a jalapeno and mix in lemon juice and Salt as Needed

Wash and soak the rice, barley and dal for 2 hours.

Grind or pound the garlic, ginger, cilantro and jalapenos along with the lemon juice and marinate the chicken in this paste  with 1 tbsp oil for 2 hours in a non-stick pan. Add Salt as Needed.  

Cube the onions and potatoes.

Cook the rice mixture in  a pressure cooker  with turmeric and Salt as Needed for about 2-3 whistles.

Place the pan with the chicken on the stove on a high flame and brown the chicken well on both sides. Cook for a few minutes more till the meat is nice and crisp on the outside and soft but cooked on the inside. Shred with a fork.

In a shallow bottom pan take  3 tbsp oil , keep flame at medium. When the oil is hot add the mustard and when it starts to sputter lower the flame and add cumin seeds, red chillis, curry leaves, turmeric, urad dal and asafoetida.

Now add the onions and saute for a couple minutes.  Next the potatoes and cook till they are soft.  Mix the tamarind paste in a couple tbsps of water and add to the  mix along with garam masala and Salt as Needed. When it comes to a boil add the rice mixture and mix well.  Cook covered on a low flame for 10 minutes. Taste to make sure all tastes are nicely balanced (secret of a good cook).

Serving Suggestion:

In a shallow platter place the rice in the center and cover with the shredded chicken and all the drippings from the pan.  Distribute the pico de gallo all along the side of the platter. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the khichda and serve hot.

HAPPY COOKING FROM KAVITA ATUL!

Wine Suggestions :

This dish has strong spicy flavors with the dal and barley giving it a hearty robust texture and taste. I would serve it with a chilled  Rosé. The rosés of Provence  go very well with tangy bouillabaisse type stews which are hearty  and tangy  which make them a perfect match for our Khichda too. 

Another wine I like with this dish is an Australian Semillon which is a sweet , dry white with not too much acidity, that balances the robust flavors in this dish.

Side Bar:

  1. If you want to make this a vegetarian dish you could use Paneer(cottage cheese) or baby corn instead of chicken.