Chicken Vindaloo

I don't spend a lot of time planning my last meal, but when I started thinking about how exactly to describe this chicken vindaloo recipe, I started thinking about Ajanta's chicken vindaloo. Ajanta has the best Indian food in the Bay Area. That's my opinion, but not just my opinion. It has been so designated by Zagat and SF Baylist for a few years, though I'm lucky enough to have known about Ajanta for at least a decade.

I once traveled to India mostly to experience a country where I could find this incredible food everywhere. I probably should have known that not every restaurant in India would be Ajanta-calibre. Disappointingly, I found nothing that could compare. So even after five weeks in India, Ajanta has the best Indian food I've ever eaten. 

Next I bought the Ajanta cookbook, hoping to get their vindaloo recipe. No dice.

I may never be able to make vindaloo like the chefs at Ajanta, but if I had to pick a recipe that could approximate the experience, I would feel comfortable leaving it to Cook's Illustrated. I expected that something as complexly flavorful as vindaloo would be really hard to make, but it is surprisingly simple. And, it's a one pot recipe which is always a bonus. (Especially if you are doing the dishes--and I am.)

This particular vindaloo recipe was inspired by Savory, a new spice shop in my neighborhood. They had a great curry selection, including a vindaloo spice blend that made this recipe super simple!

The more I thought about vindaloo, the clearer it became. Since I love food it would definitely be a very tough decision, but if it came down to it, I think my last meal would be chicken vindaloo. It's just that good.

Chicken Vindaloo

~Print Recipe~

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, separated
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika*
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin*
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom*
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 or 2 bay leaves
•  1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves, divided

1. Adjust oven rack to lower- middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Season meat generously with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Add meat, keeping pieces close together but not touching. Cook, not moving pieces until the side in contact with the pot are well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn each piece and continue cooking until most sides are well browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer meat to a medium bowl.
2. Reduce heat to medium, add remaining tablespoon oil to empty Dutch oven, and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently and vigorously, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. After onions have softened, about 5 minutes, stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and spices or spice blend. Stir until onion are evenly coated and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Gradually add broth, scraping pan bottom and edges with wooden spoon to loosen remaining browned bits and dissolve flour. Add tomatoes, vinegar, mustard seeds, bay leaves, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Add browned chicken and accumulated juices, submerging meat under liquid. Return to simmer, cover and place in oven. Cook for 2 hours.
4. Remove pot from oven. If serving immediately, spoon off any accumulated fat at surface. Remove bay leaves, stir in some cilantro. Adjust seasonings. Serve immediately with a garnish of cilantro leaves.

Thai Dumpling Soup

This recipe is from Food Network Magazine, from their quick and easy dinner section. Seeing as the weather has finally started to get very chilly, and I've been itching to cook thai food, it seemed the perfect opportunity to try this recipe. What I found out is that not only is this soup easier and faster to make than Tom Ka Gai, one of the simplest thai soups, but it is even more delicious. I've never made dumpling soup, and what I realized is unlike in a restaurant, I don't have to ration the 2 or 3 dumplings your soup will have, because when you make it yourself, you can have as many dumplings as you'd like! So do yourself a favor and try this one out in the next couple weeks. You will not regret it.

What's in it

2 Tbl oil

3 stalks celery, sliced thin

1/2 onion, sliced in 1/4" wedges

dried (or fresh) shittake mushrooms

1 Tbl curry powder

4 C chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

1 C water

1 Tbl fish sauce

1/4 lb fresh green beans trimmed and cut in half

optional: sliced crimini mushrooms, sliced bell peppers

1 lb frozen thai dumplings (I found delicious frozen chicken cilantro mini dumplings at Trader Joes)

lime and sliced green onions

How it's made

Boil 2 cups water and pour over dried shittake mushrooms in a bowl, if using. Use another bowl or cup to weigh them down under water. Let sit 30 minutes until re-hydrated. Prep other ingredients in the meantime.

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add celery, onion, shittake mushrooms and curry powder. Stir until curry powder is toasted and vegetables are softened, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, fish sauce and water (use water from re-hydrating mushrooms if you'd like more mushroom flavor, but be sure to strain out bits). Bring to a simmer and add crimini mushrooms if using. Add green beans (and bell pepper if using) and simmer about 3-5 minutes until green beans are crisp tender. Add frozen dumplings and bring back to simmer until dumplings are cooked through. Serve garnished with lime juice and chopped green onions.

I highly encourage you to adapt this recipe to your taste. Clearly I like mushrooms so I load up on them, but maybe you'd like to see tomatoes or galanga and lemongrass for a more authentic flavor, or more green beans. The great thing about soups is they are very flexible to adaptation, so have fun with it!

Mardi Gras Gumbo

I usually don't think much about gumbo, but lately it's been on my mind. Mark and I happened upon a little jazz bar/restaurant last week and on a whim we decided to stop in. It was happy hour, so we each ordered a pint of a Washington state unfiltered pale ale and some food. I got half of a turkey sandwich (it was mediocre) and a cup of soup. Except instead of soup, I asked if I could have the gumbo. Our waitress didn't see why not, and soon enough she sat it down in front of me.

Maybe it's because I didn't have much by the way of expectations, but this gumbo took me by surprise. As soon as I had a bite, I regretted not ordering a huge bowl of the stuff. It was thick and hearty, with big chunks of tender chicken and spicy andouille sausage. Softened okra, onions and bell peppers mingled with rice to form a perfect savory creole stew. By the time I had a few bites and shared some with Mark, it was almost gone! I lingered over the remaining spoonfuls, savoring the flavors for as long as I could.

I immediately decided to make some gumbo, so I could get my fix. I scoured my cookbooks and googled away. I found a few different versions and took what I liked from each one. Traditionally, gumbo starts with a roux. One recipe called for a cup of oil, into which you stirred a cup of flour and then let it brown. I decided to skip this step (and the calories), though I did not want to sacrifice flavor.

I was not disappointed. This version combines the best ingredients from the various recipes I came across. If I were to do it again, I would include chicken--either instead of, or in addition to, the shrimp. I used some flour to thicken the broth, but it wasn't quite as thick as I wanted it, so I added a little cornstarch, too. You could use either one, both, or neither, depending on how you like it.

Mardi Gras is March 8th, so you might as well put some beads on and whip up a pot of gumbo to celebrate! Mmmm, my favorite kind of celebration.

Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

~Print Recipe~

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound andouille cooked sausage (or other spicy sausage)
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons Cajun/creole seasoning, or more to taste
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup rice
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (10 or 12 oz) package frozen okra
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pound cooked shrimp
• 1 to 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with a little water (optional)

1.  Heat oil in a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add onion, bell pepper and celery and spices to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. add chicken broth and rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer 20-25 minutes, until rice is cooked. 
3. Turn heat back up to medium. Add can of tomatoes, okra and the sausage and stir to combine. In a small bowl, mix flour and water. Stir in 1/4 cup of broth, then add to the gumbo. Cook, stirring occasionally until okra is hot. (You can turn the heat down at this point and let it simmer for awhile to let the flavors meld if you want.)
4. About 5-10 minutes prior to serving, stir in green onions, parsley and shrimp. If the gumbo is not thick enough, add cornstarch mixed with water at this point. 
5. Serve with a crusty rustic bread and a cold beer.

French Onion Soup

It started with a Dutch oven. Or at least the desire for one. I'd read countless recipes that called for a Dutch oven, but usually by the time I saw those words I'd stop reading since I was not lucky enough to own one. At first, this struck me as a minor inconvenience. But, over the years, the Dutch oven recipes starting adding up. And I know that Amber uses a Dutch oven frequently. Slowly, I came to realization that I, too, needed a Dutch oven. So I kept my eye on them. Every time I went into Sur La Table, I'd check to see if the Le Crueset were on sale. (Or course, even if they were I couldn't afford them. But, they're just so pretty!) I spied a Mario Batali version, cheaper but still a bit much.

Then my mother gave me a bit of money for my birthday. I thought long and hard about what I wanted. I knew I wanted something to cook with. New measuring cups and spoons? A cast iron skillet? A Silpat? It wasn't enough money for a Le Crueset, but I decided if I could find a bargain on a Dutch oven, that's what I'd get. The deal was sealed when Smitten Kitchen, my favorite food blog, put out a gift list with a Dutch oven at the top. I felt I must have one.

Randomly, I was at the store a few days later and a found Lodge Color 6 quart Dutch oven for 20% off! It turned out to be only $63! That certainly seemed like a steal, so I picked out a blue one and brought it home. (Thanks, Mom!)

And then I realized I didn't know what to make. After all of those recipes I'd flipped past or clicked on, I couldn't think of a single thing to cook in my new Dutch oven! So I did what anyone would do these days---I searched the internet. Most of the top searches pulled up camping recipes. Fail. I searched a couple food blogs, to little avail. Where were all of those Dutch oven recipes, now?! A Cook's Illustrated search turned up a few ideas---including a Best French Onion Soup recipe...where the onions alone cook for almost 3 hours! I don't usually have time for such things. But--and this is why I love Cook's Illustrated---they also included a Quicker French Onion Soup recipe. Score! (The secret is microwaving the onions for 20 minutes before browning them.)

With the help of my friend Libby, I got to do two new things in one day: make French onion soup for the first time and, finally, cook with a Dutch oven. I'd say it was a productive day!

French Onion Soup
~Print Recipe~

• 6 large yellow onions (around 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4 inch slices (onions sliced this way retain their shape better)
  
• Table salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
• 2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups beef broth
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Ground black pepper
• 1 baguette cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 8 oz. shredded Gruyere cheese

1. Combine onions and 1 teaspoons salt in a large, microwaveable bowl. Cover completely with a microwaveable plate. Microwave on high for 10 minutes, stir, and microwave for another 10-15 minutes, until onions are soft and wilted. Drain liquid from onions.
2. When the onions are nearly done, melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add wilted onions and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the pot, 15-20 minutes-- until all liquid evaporates and onions are brown. Cook another 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until a dark crust (fond) forms on the bottom of the pan.
3. Stir in 1/4 cup water and scrape the pot to loosen the crust, then stir and cook until the water evaporates and a dark crust begins to form--another 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat this process (deglazing) another 2 times. Onions should be very dark brown. Add the sherry and stir until it evaporates--about 5 minutes. 
4. Stir in chicken and beef broth, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Scrape any last browned bits from the pot. Turn heat to high and bring soup to a simmer. Then reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes---until the bread is crisp and golden. Set aside. Turn oven up to broil.
   
6. Remove and discard herbs from the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
7. Adjust oven rack to about 6 inches from broiler. Divide soup among oven safe bowls. Place bread slices on top of soup, without overlapping. Sprinkle each serving generously with grated gruyere. Place bowls on a baking sheet and broil until cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving. 

(Serves 4 to 6)