Fish for breakfast

Fish for breakfast is hardly a new concept. People all over the planet have been doing it since time immemorial, though unless you count lox on bagels, it has never been a regular thing for me.

My first exposure to the concept was from my father, who occasionally liked to fish. He would sometimes zap some smelt in a pan to have along with his fried eggs and toast. I didn't care for smelt when I was a rugrat. 

Now, older and wiser, I do try new things here and there. I also consume a lot of British media, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before I tried kedgeree, if only out of curiosity. I mentioned I was thinking of trying it, and my friend Marybeth provided this recipe from the BBC. 

• 475g/1lb 1oz undyed smoked haddock fillet, cut in half  (I didn't have access to haddock, the grocery said they had trout, but ended up substituting salmon, so see the additional instructions below for that).
• 2 bay leaves
• 200g/7oz basmati rice, rinsed in cold water and drained
• 4 free-range eggs
• 100g/3½oz frozen peas (optional) (I plan to us a bit more next time. I adore curry and peas together)
• 40g/1½oz butter
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil (there's a history of sunflower allergy in my family, so I used safflower. Avocado would also do. Light and neutral is whats needed)
• 1 onion, finely chopped (as with the peas, there will be more next time)
• 1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder
• 3 tbsp double cream
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
• ½ lemon, juice only
• freshly ground black pepper

Place the haddock in a large frying pan, skin-side up. Pour over 500ml/18fl oz water, add the bay leaves and bring the water to a gentle simmer. Cook the fish for 8–10 minutes until it is just done and flakes easily. Drain in a colander set over a bowl, reserving the cooking liquor, and discard the bay leaves.

Pour the cooking liquor into a saucepan and stir in the rice. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the rice very gently for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for 3–5 minutes more. By this time it should have absorbed all the fish liquor.

While the rice is cooking, bring some water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the eggs and cook for 8 minutes. Drain them in a sieve under cold running water and when cool enough to handle, peel them carefully and set aside. Cook the peas, if using, in a small saucepan of boiling water and drain.

Melt the butter with the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion over a low heat for 5 minutes until well softened, stirring occasionally. Add the curry powder and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly. 

A word about the curry powder. I am quite fond of spicy heat, but I have to say that the extra-hot curry powder I had in the house was a bit much. I will be getting a milder one for the next batch. If you want an assortment to choose from, I am happy to recommend Auntie Arwen's (this is not a paid endorsement, but I'll happily take money for it).

Place the cooked rice into the pan and stir into the onions. Add the peas, cream, parsley and a few twists of ground black pepper.

Flake the fish into chunky pieces and add these to the pan. Gently stir in the lemon juice and cook for 1–2 minutes. Cut the eggs into quarters and place them on top of the rice. Cover the pan with a lid and heat through for 2–3 minutes or until the eggs are warm, then serve.

If not serving immediately, tip the kedgeree into a warm dish and dot with a few cubes of butter. Cover with kitchen foil and keep warm in a low oven for up to 20 minutes before serving.

The instructions I followed at the first step:  To make this dish using hot smoked salmon, swap in 500ml/18fl oz light chicken stock in place of the cooking liquor from the fish. Stir in the hot smoked salmon with the peas.

I have a thing for curry leaves

Several years ago, I was introduced to Indo-Chinese food and a dish that was loaded with chiles and curry leaves. It sounded a bit weird (some things on the menu were completely unfamiliar and I was wary at first, and a short time later, I affair with curry leaves that has not stopped. 

Usually, that's been in a restaurant, then someone pointed me here. A south Indian curry that is made kosher because it uses coconut oil instead of ghee. It's rich, filling, and deliciously simple. I did boost the spices:

• 500 g chicken (thigh or breast) pieces 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup coconut milk 
• 1 large onion, sliced into half moons
• 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste 
• 10 curry leaves 
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped (I used two tiny Thai chiles and two jalapeños)
• 1 tsp red chili powder 
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 2 1/2 cups water (I used vegetable broth here because I didn't want the taste of the chicken broth to overwhelm the coconut
• salt, to taste (I recommend lightly salting the chicken before cooking, that's just enough to enhance flavors )

• Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add onions and fry until they turn brown.
• Add the curry leaves and green chilies, stir and cook for a few minutes.
• Add the chicken pieces, coconut milk, chili powder, turmeric, cumin, salt, and water and cook on a low heat until the chicken is tender. 

I served this over basmati rice, with an appetizer of store-bought papadum and some mint chutney (I can eat enough mint chutney to count as a serving of vegetables). The sauce wasn't as thick as I usually like, but when I had the leftovers, I simmered it for some extra time to make that happen. 

This one will be going into heavy rotation. I've also got some other recipes in mind from the Nosher. There's a fabulous assortment there.

Not Quite What I Had In Mind: Chicken UnTikka Masala

It's no secret I love Indian food, whether it's spicy or not. I make an aloo gobi that passed muster with the Indian guys on my team at my former job. I grind my own garam masala when I manage to have most of the spices in the pantry (pantry is a bit of an exaggeration. We have the bottom half of a storage unit from IKEA, but I have a drawer in it with nothing but different kinds of pepper, which I find quite cool).

Anyway, most recipes I've found on Epicurious have been pretty good, and they email me recipes on a regular basis, though I know I never signed up for that.

So I found this recipe in my mailbox and thought I'd give it a try. No chicken tikka masala I've ever had has included peas, but peas do go well in curry, so I figured I'd follow the recipe. I'll critique the "quick" part in a bit.

• 1 (2 1/2") piece ginger, peeled
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 breasts), cut into 1" cubes
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
• 2 1/2 teaspoons garam masala, divided
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup plain full-fat or low-fat yogurt (not Greek)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

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A few comments before I get started. This seemed to be pretty heavy on the salt, so I cut that a bit. I'm also of the firm opinion (I can hear Nexx muttering "Do you have any other kind?) that if you're chopping more than two things, you're  no longer making a quick recipe. Quick to me means 30 minutes from having all your ingredients out to having the food plated on the table in front of your guinea pigs, er, loved ones.

I also had a slight problem with the yogurt. We get our groceries delivered if we need a lot at once. It saves on the back muscles. It does come with its risks, and one of those is missing the email when they're out of something. The plain unstrained yogurt I ordered was replaced by vanilla, which was not going to work. So I cut some Greek yogurt with some cream and I know I was missing some of the tanginess that should be there, so that one's on me.

The instructions:

1. Pulse ginger and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add onion and pulse again until finely chopped. (You really don't need a food processor, you can chop just fine by yourself. Also, considering the time it takes to put a food processor together, this also removes from the definition of "quick."
2. Toss chicken with 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and 1 tsp. garam masala in a medium bowl. (too much salt, I cut it to .5 teaspoon)
3. Heat oil over high in a large skillet (at least 12" in diameter). Add chicken and cook, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a clean medium bowl. (this took closer to 12 minutes)
4. Heat same skillet over medium-high and add butter, chopped onion mixture, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. (I did't bother with the salt and black pepper here. There's already black pepper in the garam masala) Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, about 3 minutes (closer to 5). Add tomato paste, turmeric, cayenne, and remaining 1 1/2 tsp. garam masala and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 2 minutes (again, closer to five minutes). Return chicken to pan, add peas, and cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 1 (3) minute more.
5. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 plates, top with cilantro, and serve with naan.

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It was tasty, but way too heavy on the tomato taste. I felt like Bobby Flay in a Throwdown episode. "Hey Bobby, this is great, but it isn't the challenge food of the week." While we were eating, I started to deconstruct the recipe, starting with eliminating the tomato paste, and Nexx stopped me. He liked it just as it was. 

Success? I guess so. There's two more servings in the freezer that will be very nice on a cold winter's night very soon.

I haven't made anything curried in a while

This was something I picked up a while ago--I actually made it back in January.  Like a lot of people, I need to eat more vegetables, and I couldn't recall last time I had made anything with cauliflower. I've made curried carrot soup, and I've made aloo gobi, and this recipe seemed to evoke some of the best of both: 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
• 2 medium white onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to season
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds), trimmed and cut into florets 
• 4 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Freshly-ground black pepper, to season
• 1/4 cup roasted cashew halves, for garnish (optional, see Recipe Note)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)
• red chile pepper flakes, for garnish (optional)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Cook the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt until onions are soft and transluscent, 8-9 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add garlic and cook for 2 additional minutes. Add cauliflower, vegetable broth, coriander, turmeric, cumin, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer until cauliflower is fork-tender, about 15-17 minutes

Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender until smooth, and then return the soup to the soup pot. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender to purée the soup right in the pot.) Stir in the coconut milk and warm the soup. Taste and add more salt, pepper or spices if you’d like.

To serve, ladle the soup into favorite bowls and garnish with a handful of toasted cashews, a few springs of parsley, sprinkle of red chile flakes and a dash of olive oil to top.

..............

Maybe it's because I smoked for many years, but I do have a heavy taste for spice. I tripled the spices, and keep thinking I maybe just should have gone with garam masala. The flavor was tasty, and very warming, but not spicy on the tongue. I felt like there was something missing. The condiments did make a lot of difference. The hot pepper was a nice contrast and the cashews added a richness not present in the cauliflower naturally. I tried some cilantro on top, but it didn't work for me. The addition of the olive oil was nice as well, especially when I had some pita bread with the soup.

Nexx suggested the addition of ginger next time and I tried that with some of the leftovers. It added a brightness that made a lot of difference, so that's definitely going in next time. Overall, a decidedly worthy experiment. There's also a link to a recipe to a roasted cauliflower and potato soup with dill that you may be seeing a blog entry about in the future.

What to do with leftover cabbage

When we last left our intrepid heroine, she was serving fish tacos with a lovely cabbage slaw. Now that recipe only required 4 cups of cabbage, so I had a ton left over, even after removing the outer leaves. 


One of my favorite dishes on an Indian buffet is curried cabbage. It's not a creamy recipe like many curries, but vinegar-based. This one has quite a bit of mustards. Here's our ingredient list:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard (I used a beer mustard that I picked up on my last trip to New Orleans)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 12 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 3 pounds)
• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mustard, curry, and turmeric; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in cabbage and remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

.................
I think this one needs a little bit of tweaking, even as I enjoyed the results. The mustard was a little bit overwhelming to me, though my sweetie liked it quite a bit. I'm thinking a touch more curry and tumeric, perhaps another teaspoon each.


Some news on a personal level. I just recently had some braces installed on my teeth, so my posts are going to be changing slightly. There may be a few more soft foods than usual, as quiche and soups are easier on my mouth than say, lamb or beef. Next post will be my first attempt in over ten years making a yeast bread. Flatbread, specifically, cooked in a dry pan on the stovetop.


I will be going away for a week next month on a cruise and also participating in Nanowrimo, so I may be a bit distracted. Okay, I'll be a lot distracted and living mostly on coffee, tea and red wine in approximately equal amounts. Fortunately, vanilla protein powder makes a semi-decent coffee creamer.


Until next time, thank you for reading and your comments are always welcome!

Sucking up to the landlord

This is the recipe that inspired me to start the blog, and this entry was originally posted at My Live Journal. I've done a few edits for grammar and readability, but the post is pretty much the same as I wrote it.


Today's recipe is Chicken Vindaloo. Partly so I can use the new blender (remind me to tell you about the salad dressing episode), partly because Austin the minimalist landlord/housemate is very fond it and because me and my sweetie almost never say no to Indian food, even if it was brought to the subcontinent by the Portugese

1/3 cup white wine vinegar  easy enough to find at Stop & Shop
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder I was told after the fact by a friend from India that most authentic Indian dishes do not contain curry powder, it's more of an Anglo-Indian thing. I found this recipe on the Epicurious website, and I must admit one of the reasons I chose it was for ease.

2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon (generous) dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 10), cut into 1-to 1 1/2-inch pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 14 1/2- to 16-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place first 8 ingredients in blender. Add 1 tablespoon mustard seeds and blend until smooth. Transfer spice mixture to large bowl. Add chicken and 2 tablespoons oil and toss to coat well.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add chicken mixture and stir 3 minutes to blend flavors. Add tomatoes with their juice and cinnamon stick; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until chicken is tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Season chicken mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in remaining 1 tablespoon mustard seeds. Simmer uncovered until liquid is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick. Stir in cilantro and serve.


Step one (a couple days before), go to Asian market to buy ginger and a few other things for this recipe.(next week's entry) Discover the Asian market on Google Maps no longer exists. Find another Asian market a couple blocks away, pull into metered spot with time left on it.

Wander Asian market, which smells like fish. Find ingredients, get checked out by a very nice man. Discover parking ticket. Nine dollars worth of ingredients now costs $29. Grumble.

Step two (day of). Print shopping list from Epicurious (this is a great function of theirs, it even sorts it by department). Drive in snow to grocery store. Shop. Clean off car, bitching at the snow. Get home and start making recipe.

Step three start throwing things in the new blender. Realize that you forgot the tomatoes at the market. Curse and swear until boyfriend and housemate come running. Find tomato sauce in larder; it will have to do because I don't want to drive in the snow and more because I don't want to clean off the car.

Step four after having first eight ingredients in blender, attempt to blend until smooth. No dice. Try three speeds, and several attempts of moving spice mixture on to blades of blender only to see everything thrown to the sides. Curse. Yell for help. Enter boyfriend, who determines more liquid is needed. Add more vinegar and a can of tomato sauce. Items in blender now blend into a thick pasty sauce.

Step five: complete recipe, but note sauce is very thick. Add a tomato-sauce-can full of water, cursing because there's no chicken broth in the house. Stir, let cook down. Tear cilantro into little bits, forget to stir it into the vindaloo before serving.

Step six serve to housemate the gourmand, me the gourmet and the boyfriend who is a bit of both. Boyfriend eats three servings. Housemate and self enjoy but agree it isn't perfect. Toss around various ideas--more curry, more tumeric, beer, chicken broth, but can't pinpoint. Still undecided whether to try new recipe or try to improve this one


My friend Martin pointed me to several other vindaloo recipes that are a bit more authentic (he also never makes vindaloo from scratch because good spice mixes are easily obtainable in his hemisphere. The bastard.), so I don't think I'll be trying this particular recipe again.  His suggestions:


Aayi's Recipes Chicken Vindaloo
Goan Chicken Vindaloo

Goan Chicken Curry--Chicken Vindaloo
Chicken Vindaloo


I'd love to hear your experiences with vindaloo.


Comments? Questions? Want a recipe deconstructed? Let me know!