Cooking Class: Chicken Tikka Masala

Bindweed kitchen was on fire last night as good friends gathered for our last class of the season, Chicken Tikka Masala.  (More about that later.)

Tikka is the Hindi word for cutlets or "chunks" of meat and masala translates as "heat" and is used to describe a mixture of spices.  Thus Chicken Tikka Masala is a dish of marinated cutlets of chicken simmered in a creamy tomato based sauce flavored with a mix of traditional Indian spices.  From what I have read it is more British in origin than Indian, but is a standard at Indian restaurants.  RT and I had some from a street vendor in Portland and I was not content until I could make it myself and as you well know, once I fall in love with a recipe, I just have to share it.

 

Cooking Indian dishes is a sensual delight--beautiful colors, savory and pungent spices for the nose and taste buds.  Just gathering the ingredients gets my juices flowing, especially when you toast some spices right off the bat!  Here we start with paprika, cumin and coriander toasted in dry skillet just until fragrant.   

Then you add tumeric and cayenne pepper.  Mix all the spices together and then set aside 3 tablespoons of the mixture for the sauce and put the remainder in a medium bowl.

 

Peel and grate some ginger and peel and mince a LOT of garlic and mix the two together, creating a garlic/ginger paste.  Divide this mixture in half and reserve one part in a small container for the sauce.  

Combine the spice mixture in a medium bowl with one half of the garlic/ginger paste and about a cup of plain yogurt.  Mix this up well, add a bit of salt and the juice of 1/2 a lemon.  

Use this yogurt marinade to sink your chicken thighs in.  Mix it all around so that every surface of the chicken is coated--seriously, get your hands in there and massage those thighs.  Just remember to wash your hands well with soap.  Another sensual element to this dish.  

 Cover and pop this in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.  Much of the heavy work is done so go put your feet up, read a good book or watch an enchanting movie--Monsoon Wedding, Outsourced, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Bride and Prejudice--just to put you in the mood for something rich and spicy!

About 45 minutes before you are ready to serve, start the sauce.  

Peel and chop an onion.

Locate the 3 tablespoons of spice mixture you reserved and the remaining half of the garlic/ginger paste and set them near the stove top.

Open two cans of diced tomatoes and wash and mince some fresh cilantro.  

Cover and line a broiler pan with foil and spray it with cooking spray--unless you love soaking and scraping broiler pans.

Set your broiler to 500 degrees.

Set some basmati rice to cook.

Open an icy Indian beer for company and you are ready to rock this curry.

Place your beautifully marinated chicken (tikka) on your prepared broiler pan.

Put a heavy bottomed Dutch oven (I am using Sophie) over medium high heat and add in a generous amount of canola oil.  As soon as the oil begins to shimmer--a good sign the oil is hot and ready--add the onion and a pinch or so of salt.  Saute the onions until they begin to color.

Now add the garlic/ginger paste, cook this while stirring for about a minute, do not let the garlic burn!  Add in the reserved spices, stir, cook and enjoy the aromatic halo that swirls around your head, and will "perfume" you and your hair for quite some time.  You will make everyone near you hungry, craving Indian food.

Now pour in the diced tomatoes and all of their juices.  Stir up any browned bits that might be on the bottom of the pan, add some cilantro and let this simmer for 15 minutes.

While your sauce is perking away cook the chicken.  Slide the pan under the broiler and set the timer for 6 minutes.  You want the chicken to show browned bits, but not to burn.  Last night we broiler the chicken for 8 minutes on each side.  The chicken will not be cooked through, you will finish the cooking in the sauce.  Remove the chicken to a cutting board and cut it into bite sized pieces.  

If you are lucky and own an immersion or stick blender, use it to puree your sauce.  If not, carefully transfer your sauce to a blender or food processor to puree.  (Yes, those are tulips that RT just cut and brought in.  That means my days of leisure are numbered and cooking must give way to farming--and unfortunately an end to cooking classes this season.)

Set the sauce back on the heat to simmer and add the chicken.  Cook until the chicken is done, about five minutes.

 

 As soon as your chicken is perfectly cooked add a cup of cream, stir and remove from the heat. Serve immediately over steaming basmati rice, garnished with fresh cilantro.  Enjoy this rich delicate curry with good friends and another icy Asian beer.

Chicken Tikka Masala

3 lbs. chicken thighs, boned

2 TB cumin

2 TB paprika

1 TB coriander

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp cayenne pepper

8 cloves garlic, grated fine

3 TB fresh ginger, grated fine

1-2 c. plain yogurt (you need enough to cover and coat all of the chicken)

2/3 c. lemon juice, freshly squeezed, divided

1 tsp salt

4 TB  butter or ghee or canola oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 (28 ounce/quart) tomatoes

½ c. cilantro, chopped

1 c. cream

If chicken thighs have skin, score skin at 1-inch intervals and place in a shallow dish or pan.

Marinade:

Combine cumin, paprika and coriander and toast in a dry skillet.  Slide spices into a small bowl and add the turmeric and cayenne, and mix well. Set aside 3 TB of spice mixture.   Add half the garlic, ginger, lemon and all the yogurt and salt.  Stir until combined.  Pour over chicken and massage into every part.  Cover and refrigerate for 4-8 hours.

Sauce:

Heat butter, ghee or oil in a large Dutch oven over med-high heat until melted and foaming subsides.  Add onions and cook for 5 min.  Add garlic and ginger and continue cooking until dark spots begin to appear, about 5 min. more.  Add reserved spice mixture and cook, stirring 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes and half of the cilantro.  Simmer for 15 min., then puree using a hand blender.  Sitr in cream and remaining quarter cup lemon juice.  Season to taste with salt and set aside until chicken is ready.

Chicken may be cooked on the grill or in the broiler.

To grill:

Wipe off excess marinade and cook flesh-side-down over medium heat on a well-oiled grill for 4-5 min. without moving.  Flip and cook the other side for another 4-5 min.  Chicken may not be completely cooked.  Remove and let rest 5 min. 

To broil:

Wipe off excess marinade and cook flesh-side-up 6 in. under a hot broiler for 8 min.  Chicken may not be completely cooked.  Transfer to cutting board and allow to rest 5 min.

After chicken has rested cut into bit sized pieces and add to sauce.  Simmer until chicken is cooked through.  Serve over rice garnished with remaining cilantro.

Adapted from Serious Eats

Creme Brulee

Cooking class continued:  For dessert, creme brulee.  And why not, we are gearing up for Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday.

So as soon as our Shrimp Etouffee was simmering away we jumped into creme brulee, which I am not technically spelling correctly.  (There should be an accent in creme and a little clown hat over the u and another accent over the last ee's in brulee, but technically I have no idea how to make the computer type them.  So please forgive me, I really do know they exist.)  Anyway, it is easier to make creme brulee than type it!

It is so similar to my Zabaglione gelato recipe that I can whip it up in a matter of minutes.  I split a vanilla bean and let it steep in heavy cream while I whisk egg yolks and sugar together.  When the egg yolks and sugar begin to change colors, from lemon egg yolk yellow to creamy butter yellow, I put the cream over medium heat.  Just about the time the egg yolks are super light and fluffy the cream is beginning to just bubble around the edges of the pan--perfect timing.  

I carefully add a little of the warm cream to the egg mixture and stir it around, to temper the eggs.  Gradually, I combine the cream and eggs until they are one.  Watch out for the vanilla bean, when it becomes visible, I fish it out and scrape out every little tiny seed and add them all to the custard. I add a little Marsala wine because it really puts an Italian spin on these very French puddings.

I like to transfer everything to a measuring cup with a good handle and clean pouring spout to make it easier to fill the ramekins.  I put all the ramekins into a baking dish and place it near the oven, fill the ramekins about 3/4 full and slide everything into the oven.  Then I make a nice water bath for my little custards and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes.  So easy.

After baking, the ramekins need to chill out in the fridge to set the custard and prepare them for the brulee.  After chilling for at least three hours the puddings are ready for the torch.  Sprinkle them with a light coating of extra-fine sugar and then set the flame.

Notice that the ramekin is on a non-flamable surface.  Smart, no!

 Nearly ready...

Perfetto!

Seriously--creme brulee is a super easy super show-off dessert, so impressive with so little effort.  You must have a torch, I tried to get a beautiful brulee (which just means burnt) in the broiler but it is really tricky.  So make life easy and get a little torch.  Before my sis gave this one to me, I just used the farm torch--you know, the kind you get at the ranch store!

I love this moment:  Vanilla cream and burnt sugar mingle in the air.  Dear friends and family are gathered around my table and EVERYONE is smiling.  Taking a cue from me, we raise our spoons in unison and CRACK--the table comes alive to the cacophony sugar crackling and laughter!

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Crème Brulee

2 c. cream

1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp. vanilla

½ c. sugar

6 egg yolks

pinch of salt

¼ c. Marsala wine

3 T. superfine sugar

Preheat oven to 325. 

Pour cream into a medium saucepan.  Split vanilla bean and add it to the cream and let it steep.

Separate egg yolks and put them into the bowl of a mix-master, or into a medium bowl.  Add ½ c. sugar, a pinch of salt and either mix on medium speed or using a whisk, mix the egg yolks and sugar until they are light and fluffy.  I mix until it turns the color of butter—the egg yolk and sugar will become lighter and lighter in color and texture.

Meanwhile heat the cream over medium heat until it begins to steam and just begins to form bubbles along the edges.  Stir frequently to avoid forming a skin on the top of the cream.

Carefully add some of the cream to the egg mixture, stir and repeat this process until the cream and milk are completely combined.  Do this gradually to temper the eggs.  Watch for the vanilla bean and fish it out before it slips into the egg mixture.  Use a small spoon to scrape the “caviar” out of the bean and add every little seed possible to the egg/cream mixture.  Add the Marsala wine.  Stir well to incorporate the vanilla seeds and transfer the custard into eight 8 oz. ramekins. 

Transfer the ramekins to a baking and place in the center rack of the oven.  Pour enough boiling water into the baking dish until the water level reaches halfway up the ramekins.  Bake 25-30 min.  Do not let custards brown.

Remove baking dish from oven and ramekins from baking dish.  Set ramekins on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes and then chill them in the fridge.  Custards need to chill for at least 3 hours to set, I usually do them a day ahead.

Just before serving, place ramekins on a flameproof surface, like a baking sheet, and sprinkle each with just enough superfine sugar to cover the surface, about a half a teaspoon.  Using a kitchen torch, flame each custard to the desired point.  Serve immediately.

Shrimp Etouffee

 I woke this morning dreaming I was in New Orleans--the smell of onions, peppers and garlic simmering with shrimp lingering in the air.   Mmm--mmm, Shrimp Etouffee!  The featured dish of our second cooking class this season, perfect timing for Mardi Gras and/or Valentines Day next week.

"Etouffee" means smothered, shrimp etouffe means sweet succulent shrimp smothered in a spicy southern gravy.   If you want a delicious gravy you must start with a good stock, which means homemade.  Etouffee is a quick cooking simple meal so you can afford a little extra time and effort to create this rich base.  This is how I made mine.  

A few hours before class I peeled and chopped up an onion and a carrot and roughly diced up some celery.  Then I smashed some big garlic cloves, pulled their skins off and threw everything into my big stock pot.  I tossed in a bay leaf, some pepper corns and dried thyme.  Then I peeled the shrimp, saving and rinsing the shells to put in the stock.

I added enough water to cover everything and set it to boil.  As soon as it boiled the scents began dancing around the kitchen.  When RT came in from a little greenhouse work, he nearly cried with joy.  I let this beautiful mixture simmer for awhile and then let it steep until class.

Each arriving guest was greeted with this wonder smell, a nice glass of wine and we got cooking!

When I drained the shrimp stock, I got a little over 3 cups.  I seasoned it to taste with about a teaspoon and a half of salt.  We had a little tasting and my students were surprised by complexity of this simple concoction.  If you want good gravy, start with a good stock.

The next crucial step is making the roux.  A roux is so simple--two ingredients, butter and flour.  With a little heat and a little attention and you have buttery caramel colored gold, but the attention is important.  I set "Sofie"--she's my Lodge 6 quart red enameled Dutch oven--a gift from my dear husband--over medium heat and dropped in the butter.  As soon as it melted I began to stir in the flour.  It is a simple as that, just watch and stir, watch and stir.  Don't answer the phone, don't text, don't stop stirring to take a pic for the blog--just stir and watch.  I think of it as my butter meditation--ommmmm. 

The butter will start to turn colors--off white, ecru, tan--getting deeper and richer.  You are looking for the color of peanut butter, not Skippy or Jiff, but a nice whole peanut natural peanut butter.   As soon as we got a real deep golden peanuty color we introduced the "holy trinity" of Creole vegetables:  onion, celery and green peppers.  You just drop these right in and keep on stirring.

 

After about 3 minutes, bamm!  I tossed in the seasoning, a big spoonful of Emeril Lagasse's special blend and when that combination of spices hit the room there was swooning.  (You'll find a recipe below.)  Then we tossed in the garlic, bay leaves and a pint of my home-canned tomatoes and let everybody mingle.  As soon as this was bubbly I added the shrimp stock and let it all come to a boil and cook just until the vegetables were crisp-tender--like al dente for veggies.

With timer in hand, I added the shrimp, covered Sofie and let her do her magic for three minutes.  We all gathered around for the unveiling--ta da!  Three minutes, perfect shrimp, pink and just cooked through--I pulled Sofie off the flame and ladled steaming etouffee over mounds of white rice.  A sprinkle of fresh parsley and we met at the table for some serious sensory input...heavenly.  

Etouffee creates the perfect bite:  savory gravy rich in texture and flavor.  The herbs and spices set the stage for the sweet onions and garlic.  The celery and peppers add another layer of flavor that's accented with a good bit of heat,  a perfect setting for sweet succulent shrimp.  The rice is an excellent vehicle for all this flavor because it fills the mouth, adding another texture and allows one to linger over and savor each bite. 

I can hardly wait for lunch, there being just enough etouffee for one big lunch or two small.  I think I will make a really nice sandwich to distract RT--fat chance of that happening if you know my husband.

Shrimp Etouffee

4 T. butter

¼ c. flour

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 c. celery, chopped

2 T. garlic

1 14 oz. can tomatoes, diced

2 bay leaves

1 T. Creole Seasoning

2 c. shrimp stock

1 lb. shrimp

parsley, chopped

Brine the shrimp by combining 1 tsp. of salt and enough water to cover the shrimp in a medium sized bowl.  Stir to dissolve the salt and add the shrimp.  Place in the fridge.

Start the rice.  As soon as your rice begins to boil, begin your etouffee.  It cooks quickly and the two dishes should be ready about the same time.

Make a roux:  melt butter in a large Dutch oven set over med. heat.  Add the flour and stir constantly until it turns the color of peanut butter.  Do not leave your roux!  Do not answer the phone, talk to your mate or become distracted by anyone or anything.  Your roux deserves your undivided attention for the next 5-7 minutes.  Think of it as a meditation.  Just you, melted butter and flour…

The moment it turns the proper caramel color add the onions, pepper, celery and garlic and cook stirring often, 5-10 minutes.  Add the seasoning and stir for 30 seconds, until the fragrance fills the air and then add the bay leaves and tomatoes.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, and add the shrimp stock.

When the vegetables are just tender, drain the shrimp and add to the etouffee.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, just until the shrimp are cooked through.  Serve immediately over white rice garnished with freshly chopped parsley.

Creole Seasoning

2 ½ T. paprika

2 T. garlic powder

1 T. black pepper

1 T. cayenne pepper

1 T. dried oregano

1 T. dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container.

Use it as a rub for fish and chicken.  Use it in sautés and gumbo.  Excellent rubbed into salmon and dusted onto shrimp to sauté in a little oil or grill.  Even good on freshly popped pop corn. 

Shrimp stock

shrimp shells, rinsed

1 onion, coarsely chopped

½ c. celery, coarsely chopped

1 carrot, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 bay leaf

1 t. black pepper corns

½ t. thyme

salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large stock-pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to the boil, reduce and simmer for 45 min.  Turn off the heat.  Add salt to taste and strain.  Freeze any unused stock.

Pasta Puttanesca

January kind of gets on my nerves--maybe it's the cold, maybe it's a lack of outdoor activity, maybe it's the monotony of landscape.  Honestly, for the past two days I can't tell where the sky ends and land begins.  It's all grey, upon grey, upon grey...So, I fight off the January "sub-zero blues" with rich, savory dishes with just enough spice to heat it up.

 

Pasta Puttanesca is just the dish, so last night Bindweed Kitchen celebrated the sunny seacoasts of Italy with our first cooking class of the season.  Ta da--in my very own kitchen!

We were packed in a little like anchovies in a can, but it was great fun.

With just a few simple ingredients, many you probably have on hand, this dish is perfect for quick week-night meals or care-free entertaining.  Let's get started. 

First off mince some fresh flat leaf Italian parsley and set it aside in the fridge for garnishing.  I like mincing the herbs and garlic right off so that the fragrance fills the air immediately and seasons the cutting board.

Next on the board:  two big beautiful cloves of garlic, minced finely.

Chop up some salty pungent Calamata olives, and if you like, throw in some black olives too.  Drain and set aside a big tablespoon of capers--I really like capers.

Last but most important, two or three anchovy fillets.  RT thinks he doesn't like anchovies so I use a fork to mash them into a pulp, a few minutes in the pan and they completely disappear.  But feel free to mince them finely, they too will be magically absorbed into the sauce.

Have a scant teaspoon, or a full teaspoon, of red pepper flakes ready to go.

And a jar of beautiful home-canned, home-grown Italian tomatoes--whoops, well, if you don't have any of these beauties, look for any nice organic canned tomatoes.  (I like to buy whole tomatoes in the can, they just seem more real to me.  And of course, if it is tomato season, gosh, use fresh tomatoes!)  Whatever you are using, put them into a small bowl and squish them through your fingers, making a rich tomato pulp, perfect for cooking.

Set a straight-sided saute pan over medium heat and film it with 2-3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  When the oil is warm, add the garlic and cook just until it is beginning to color.  Immediately add the remaining ingredients, everything except the parsley.  Stir the pan up so everybody gets very familiar and bring it the boil.

Reduce the sauce to a simmer and start the pasta.

Set the timer and within 5 to 6 minutes, you will be dinning!  As soon as the pasta is al dente drain it and put it into a big warm bowl.  Pour in half the sauce, mix it well and then mix in the rest of the sauce and garnish with the fresh parsley.  Serve it up immediately in warm pasta bowls.  

Mamma mia!   Hot, spicy, savory sauce, tangy sweet tomatoes, pungent salty olives over chewy al dente pasta--perfetto!  If I close my eyes, and get really close to the candles on the table, I am somewhere along the coast of Italy with the sea breeze in my hair...no, just another blast of Idaho weather.  Perhaps, I'll have a little more wine.

Pasta alla Puttanesca

2-3 TB extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ - ½ t. red pepper flakes

¼ - ½ c. Calamata olives, pitted and chopped

1-2 t. capers

28 oz. tomatoes, chopped

2-3 anchovy fillets, minced

fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 lb.  long pasta, spaghetti, capellini, linguini

salt and pepper

Set a large stock-pot of water to boil for the pasta.

Film the bottom a large straight-sided sauté pan with the EVOO, set over medium heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and sauté until just golden, instantly add the red pepper, olives, capers, tomatoes and anchovies.  Stir well and heat through.  As soon as this comes to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for six minutes.  As soon as possible put your pasta in and cook as directed on package.*

Drain pasta and combine with sauce in a warm bowl.  Garnish with fresh minced parsley and serve immediately.

*Pasta cooking primmer:  Always use a large stock-pot with enough water to cover and cook the pasta.  Bring to a roiling boil.  As soon as the water is to temperature, add one tablespoon of salt and then add the pasta.  Stir the pot to incorporate the pasta and to insure it does not stick together.  Consult the cooking time on the package and adjust your timing.  (I reduce the time by one minute.)  When time is up check pasta for al dente.  As soon as pasta is al dente, drain immediately.