chicken tikka masala

Chicken tikka masala is an Indian curry that consists of marinated, roasted chicken (tikka) in a rich, tomato-based sauce. The dish is creamy, has the slight sweetness of tomatoes, and the aroma of cloves and coriander. It was said to have first been made in a Bangladeshi restaurant in Scotland, and has since become the most popular dish in British restaurants.  It's probably my favorite Indian dish next to saag paneer and chicken tikka kabobs, so it's a good one to learn how to make at home. My at home creation is still not quite as good as Mayuri's Tikka Masala deliciousness, but it's getting closer.  

You begin by marinating the chicken in yogurt and spices and grilling or broiling it, once the chicken has cooked it's added it to the creamy, spiced tomato sauce and can be served over basmati rice and alongside naan, for dipping in the extra sauce.  

This recipe includes one spice that you may not have on hand, garam masala or tikka masala spice, but both can be purchased either at an Indian grocery or at Uwajimaya and are worth the investment. Also, the cream, if the sauce is thicker and richer than you'd like at the end of cooking, you can thin it with a cup or more of milk. I added a little more than a cup of milk to the sauce last time and it worked well.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA  

For the chicken marinade:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch chunks

2 cups plain yogurt

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp. ginger, finely grated

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. coriander

1 tsp.  cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

salt and pepper

Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl and add chicken chunks.  Refrigerate this mixture for 1 hour or overnight, depending on how much time you have. Once chicken has marinated, skewer and place on a cookie sheet, and set aside until sauce has been prepared.

For the masala sauce:

2 tbsp. butter

1 jalapeño pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp. ginger, finely grated

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt (or to taste)

1 tbsp. garam masala or tikka masala spice

1 small can tomato paste

2 cups cream

1 cup milk (optional)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large skillet melt the butter, add the jalapeño, onion, garlic and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender.  Add the cayenne, cumin, garam masala, and salt. Add the tomato paste and incorporate with the seasonings, whisk in the heavy cream and milk and reduce heat to low, allowing the sauce to simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.  

While the sauce is simmering, grill or broil the chicken skewers for about 6 minutes on each side.  Remove the chicken from the skewers and add to the sauce along with the fresh cilantro.  Cook everything for an additional 10 minutes and serve with steamed basmati rice and naan (Trader Joe's has some really good naan options).  

roasted artichoke

I grew up loving steamed artichokes served with lemon butter.  My favorite part was the artichoke heart at the end, once all the leaves had been eaten, and eating the heart dipped in more lemon butter.  I saw this recipe for Roasted Artichokes the other day on Pinch My Salt and had to try it.  If you try making this, make sure to cook the artichokes long enough for their size, probably about an hour and 15 minutes, otherwise they turn out being slightly bitter. Both artichokes tasted pretty good, but the smaller artichoke of the two tasted better.

WHOLE ROASTED ARTICHOKES

What to do:
Preheat oven to 425. Rinse the artichokes, and cut off the top quarter of the artichoke, and the bottom of the stem so that it can sit flat on the base as it bakes.  Rest each artichoke on a piece of aluminum foil that you've drizzled with olive oil.  Stuff 2-3 garlic cloves in the leaves of each artichoke, douse with the juice of half a lemon, and about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Wrap entire artichoke in aluminum foil and bake at 425 for about an hour and 15 minutes.  Serve with lemon butter or the lemon and oil juice that results from baking.  Don't forget to eat the heart once you've finished all the leaves.

Make a Run for the Border

These tacos make a perfect almost-summer meal, they're light, refreshing and just a little bit spicy. We used yellow fin tuna, although they would work well with any fish that's in season.

FISH TACOS WITH RADISH SLAW AND JALAPEÑO-CILANTRO SAUCE
For the slaw:
1 bunch of radishes, separate from stalks and slice thinly
2 cups cabbage, sliced thinly
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/4 cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until for an hour or until the rest of the meal is cooked.

For the Jalapeño-Cilantro Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 fresh jalapeño pepper
1/2 cup cilantro
1 lime, juiced
salt to taste
Mix all of the above ingredients in a blender or food processor, until cilantro and jalapeño are completely incorporated.

For the fish:
1/2-1 lb. fresh fish, cut into 1 inch cubes
Salt, pepper or Johnny's fish seasoning
lime juice
tequila or Mexican beer
Season the fish with your favorite fish seasoning, or salt, pepper and lime and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until fish begins to turn opaque.  Finish with a splash of tequila or beer, once the alcohol has cooked out, remove fish from the pan. Serve on warm tortillas (corn or flour), layer fish with radish slaw, jalapeno-cilantro sauce and some fresh tomatoes.

congratulations to the brides!

Congratulations to Ashley & George and Amy & Dean who both tied the knot last Saturday, and to Lily & Greg for their upcoming wedding this Saturday!  I'm so happy and excited for all of you.

Here are a few photo highlights from Ashley & George's wedding, the entire event was absolutely gorgeous and their photographer was amazing, I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.

Mr. & Mrs. Fletcher

Ashley's cousin, Reggie, who rocked on the guitar during the ceremony.

the beautiful bouquets.

the sunny deck.

like double cherry pie

Until more summer fruits and berries are in season, you can make this pie with tart cherries that they sell in the frozen section of the grocery store.

TART CHERRY PIE

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling:

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups whole pitted sour cherries or dark sweet cherries (about 2 pounds whole unpitted cherries)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (if using sour cherries) 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon (about) milk
• Vanilla ice cream
• 
  
• 
  
  For crust:
  Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water; mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.
  
  
  For filling:
  Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla; set aside.
  
  
  Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4-inch-wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
  
  
  Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

the cat came back

Here's an exciting story that has nothing to do with food or cooking, but makes me smile all over my face. I'm happy to announce that the Massar-Pfleiger household's kitty, Olive, has arrived back home.  She disappeared on Easter Sunday (April 4th) and returned on Cinco de Mayo, for a total of 31 days gone from our home. Her dates of disappearance and return, make me think that she might just be using our family for our super-cool holiday celebrations. Whatevs, we'll take what we can get from her. She returned skinny, skittish and with a stomach covered in matted tufts of fur, which we had to cut out one by one, on the upside, she was extra lovey and wanted to be held for hours on end. We will never know what happened to her or what she ate and drank during those days to make it out intact, but it doesn't matter, we're just so excited to have her back.

olive's glamour shot. she is wearing her new outfit: 

bumble bee collar and heart ID tag.

the reunion.

texas caviar

The ladies in my family make this dish for parties and it is enjoyed by all.  you can make it a couple days in advance, if you have the time, giving the black eyed peas extra time to marinate in the vinegar.  the more time the mix rests before serving, the more the flavors meld together. we serve this like a salsa with corn chips for dipping.  this time, I tried adding a few chopped jalapeños to the mix, that's optional but it did give the mix a nice zing.

4 cups cooked black eyed peas (2 packages in the frozen section, follow the instructions on the bag to cook)
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
1 red bell pepper, chopped finely
4 celery stalks, chopped finely
1 jar of chopped pimentos
2 jalapeños, chopped finely

for the dressing:
1 bottle red wine vinegar (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Tostito's Restaurant Style corn chips for dipping

Mix all of the beans and veggies in a large bowl.  Mix dressing in a separate container and stir.  Pour dressing over bean mixture, and stir to combine. I like to pour a little extra vinegar into the bowl after this step just to make sure the entire mixture is covered with vinegar.  Let marinate over night or up to 3 days in advance of when you plan to serve it.  Serve alongside corn tortilla chips.