Butter Chicken

Kevin and I are firmly in the camp of the ethnic food lovers of the house, with Indian and Asian flavors topping our list. At Kevin's high school, butter chicken is offered in the cafeteria and is one of the hottest selling things on the menu. Inspired by his constant raving over the dish, I decided to try making it. This recipe looked the best to me.

Butter chicken? Where have you been my whole life? I know that you are not low fat, nor are you dairy free, but we are SO in love with you. You are 1000 times better then the new jarred, ready made stuff on the market these days.

Can I just tell you that this is the best curried chicken I've ever eaten? It is DE-LISH.

Don't panic-the recipe looks involved, but it's not and I included my own changes, which include halving it, using thighs instead of whole chickens, and adding a bit more spices. Also you could even just skip the sauce and make the chicken in the spicy yogurt marinade, ready to shred and put into wraps or something.

Adapted from Canadian Living

Makes about 4 servings

Marinade:

1 cup full fat plain yogurt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, minced
1/2 Tbsp of lime juice
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala or mild curry paste (I used garam masala)
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp salt
approximately 8-10 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs

Butter Sauce:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 chopped onion
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala (or 1 tsp mild curry paste)
***I used garam masala and upon tasting the finished sauce, decided that it wasn't nearly spicy enough so I added 1 more tsp of garam masala, a pinch of cayenne, and about 1/4-1/2 tsp of curry)
398 ml can of plum tomatoes
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp of whipping cream
2 Tbsp of cold butter
Chopped fresh coriander

Put the yogurt into a cheesecloth lined sieve over a bowl and allow to sit for 1 hour in the fridge. The liquid will drain into the bowl-discard. Mix together the drained yogurt, garlic, ginger, lime juice, paprika, cumin, coriander, garam masala, cayenne, and salt together in a bowl.

Put the chicken thighs in a good dish for them to marinate in. I used a large glass baking dish-spoon the yogurt mixture over top, smearing and smothering all the chicken in yogurt (your hands are great for this!) Cover with plastic wrap, pop into the fridge, and allow to marinate for 24 hours.

The next day, pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Place the marinated chicken thighs on a foil lined broiling pan and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until they are no longer pink inside and when pierced, the juices run clear. Set them aside and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes before chopping them up into bite sized pieces.

Take a few deep breaths because the most incredible smell is going to emanate from your oven and fill your house.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the butter sauce. Saute the onion in the oil until it's translucent and cooked through. Sprinkle in the paprika, and masala, stirring and continue to cook for about 1 minute. Pour in the tomatoes. Using a fork, mash the tomatoes up into a paste. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer gently for about 10 minutes or until thickened.

Let cool slightly, then transfer to the blender and whiz is a bit until smooth. (at this point you can put the sauce in the fridge for up to 1 day) Return the sauce to the pan. Gently stir in the whipped cream. Over low heat, keep the sauce warm and add the butter 1 tbsp at a time, stirring just until it is melted. Don't boil the sauce! Taste for seasoning. If it is too mild, I suggest adding a small amount of curry powder a bit at a time until it is as spicy as you like it. If you like heat, add a small amount of cayenne.

Add the cooked, chopped chicken to the sauce and stir....then top with fresh coriander.

Serve with hot cooked rice.

**If you plan to freeze this recipe, cook the chicken thighs as usual and then allow them to cool. Package in a freezer bag, label, and put in the freezer. Puree the tomato sauce, pour into a plastic container, label, and freeze. When you want to make it take both from the freezer and allow them to thaw. Heat the tomato sauce slightly so it's warm, and then continue with the recipe, adding the cream and butter as above. Warm the thawed chicken slightly in the microwave to take off the chill and shred or chop, then add to the sauce as indicated in the recipe above.

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Merlot Braised Beef for 2

Back in June I got a bottle of Merlot as a goodbye gift. Not being much of a drinker, it sat on my counter for months until the weather got cool, and then it was....oh MY! I can make Merlot Braised Beef!

This recipe is from Canadian Living's February 2002 and is easily one of Jake's most favorite dishes. It makes 2 servings, so if you have more people in your family you may want to double it. However, the servings are generous because Jake and I always can stretch this to more then one meal. That's okay...the extras freeze really well too. If you choose to double this baby, double all the ingredients except the butter and sugar, which you should only increase by half. Then it will serve approximately 4-6 people.

You will need:

1 lb stewing beef-cubed

Marinade:
1 each onion and stalk of celery with leaves, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and sprigs of parsley
1 bay leaf
6 juniper berries, crushed (if you can't find juniper berries, don't worry)
1 1/2 cups Merlot or other dry red wine (I found that The Arrogant Frog is really nice for this)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper

Stew:
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp oil
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup beef broth
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch lengths
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup pearl onions (or, I just use 1 small onion, sliced-it's cheaper)
1 cup button mushrooms
2 Tbsp fresh parsley

In a large dish, combine the Marinade ingredients with your stewing beef. I like to trim the beef so that there isn't a lot of fat, and cut the pieces into bite-sized. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for overnight.

The next day, remove the beef from the marinade (keep the marinade though!). Sprinkle it with flour and toss. Strain the marinade through a sieve and set aside. In a Dutch oven with the oil, brown the flour coated beef in batches. Transfer browned beef to a bowl and set aside.

Add 1 Tbsp butter to the pan. Stir in the sugar, and cook until a deep, nutty brown. Stir in reserved marinade, beef stock, beef, carrots, and salt. Simmer, covered, over low heat until the beef is tender (about 1 1/2 hours).

In a skillet, heat the remaining butter and brown onions/pearl onions until brown. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and saute them until brown as well, then transfer to the stew. Simmer for about 10 minutes an then sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley before serving.

This is amazing when ladled over hot garlic mashed potatoes!

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Oatmeal Banana Bread

This loaf isn't your usually muffin-sweet loaf, but rather something less sweet with a slight banana flavor and a healthier 'feel' to it with the addition of whole wheat flour. It's perfect for topping with cream cheese or peanut butter and tucking into a lunch box. The recipe is from an old Canadian Living magazine and also calls for dried raisins or cherries, but it's perfectly yummy without.

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup each all purpose and whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried cherries or raisins

Topping:
2 tbsp quick oats

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flours, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the bananas, egg, oil, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until combined. I found at this point that it was dry and wouldn't really mix together, so I poured in about 1/4 cup of milk.

Spoon batter into a greased loaf pan and smooth the top, then sprinkle rolled oats over top.
Bake for about 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before you turn it out.

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