Butter Chicken

I fell in love with butter chicken the first time I had it.  There's something about the flavor of the rich savory sauce that just makes me keep coming back for it.  A flavor I thought would be impossible to match if I dared to try and make this dish on my own.  So I always make a point to order it when I see it on a menu... which is to say, not that often.  When I came across this recipe from Top Chef winner Floyd Cardoz I decided to give it a whirl.  As big Top Chef fans, we saw Floyd compete during his season and I knew a recipe from him would be as good as I was going to get when it comes to butter chicken. Though a bit time consuming, it was well worth the effort and I was surprised that this ended up every bit as good as the butter chicken I've ordered out at restaurants.  Or at least, close enough.  We cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 small jalapeno chili, seeded and chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as vegetable or canola)
•  1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
•  1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons garam masala (we substituted with berbere spice blend)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cups yogurt
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs  

For sauce

• 1 (28 oz.) cans roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
• 1 small jalapeno chili, seeded and chopped
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream, to taste

Directions:


Start by marinating the chicken several hours before you plan to make this dish.  In a food processor, combine garlic, ginger, chili, lime juice, oil, salt, and spices. Process until a rough paste forms, then add yogurt and process until smooth. Transfer to a large zip lock bag or leak-proof container and add chicken. Marinate 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.

To cook the chicken, set broiler rack about 4 inches from heat source and preheat broiler to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove chicken from zipper lock bag and wipe off the excess marinade with your hands. 

Lay it out in a single layer on baking sheet and broil until color darkens and some dark blisters form, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken, rotate sheet pan, and broil until color darkens on other side, about 5 minutes. 

Our chicken was so thin it was definitely cooked at this point, but to be safe you can use a thermometer to ensure your chicken reaches 170°F.  There should be some charring on the edges of the chicken.  Set aside to rest, and chop into bite sized pieces after it has cooled. (Try not to eat it all before it even makes it into the sauce!)

Meanwhile, begin making the sauce.  In a medium-large heavy pot, combine tomatoes, water, onion, garlic, ginger, chili, butter, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered at a hard simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes.  

Blend the mixture with an immersion blender, or by transferring it to an actual blender in 2 batches.  Keep the sauce over low heat.  Once it is smooth, add the honey, fenugreek, black pepper, and heavy cream.  Stir to combine.  (Note: Floyd strains his sauce so it's completely lump free, but we decided to skip that step)

Season with salt to taste, and add the chopped chicken.  Once it has heated through, serve hot over rice.  

 

Lamb Meat Balls

Lamb has a unique flavor that we happen to love- but it's on the expensive side so we don't buy it all the time.  When we do, we always get ground lamb because it's just easier not to screw up that way.  It's great in chili or shepherd's pie, but it's also delicious in the form of meatballs where you can taste the full flavor.  I rolled these up with some herbs and seasonings and then baked them to guarantee even cooking.  We served them over rice and a slightly sweet roasted vegetable stew and it was a perfect combination.  They would also be good inside pita or as an appetizer with some yogurt dipping sauce.  

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lamb

2 cloves garlic, minced (we ran out of garlic so I had to use garlic powder as seen in the pics but I would never recommend this over the real thing!)

3 tablespoons grated onion

1/2 teaspoon crushed fenugreek (this is an Indian spice that can be hard to find... you could substitute curry powder for some added flavor but they aren't really the same)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 egg

2 tablespoons chopped mint

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.   Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.  

Form into equally sized balls or ovals.  I kept mine pretty large but you can do them smaller if serving for appetizers- just adjust the cooking time.  

Place them in a baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes or until completely cooked through.  Because this time varies depending on the size of your meatballs and the real temperature of your oven, start checking them at closer to 30 minutes if they look done.  Very small-sized meatballs might only take 20 minutes.  Remove from oven when done, and immediately remove the meatballs from the dish.  They will have released a lot of fat and you don't want that to stick to them when you are serving. As I said above, there are many ways to serve these- choose your favorite and enjoy!

Chicken Korma

This is an easy way to try making an Indian dish for the first time- and it's healthy and delicious! (no guarantee on how authentic it is though) We got the recipe from Food Network but altered it slightly to add more flavor.  The ground chicken is a lean protein, but the yogurt adds just the right amount of creaminess to the spicy mixture.  It's not a "hot" spicy dish but you can add heat to it if you wish with your favorite hot sauce or cayenne pepper.

Ingredients:

1 large red onion; 1/2 chopped, 1/2 sliced

1 two-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 t ground coriander

2 t ground cumin

1/2 t crushed fenugreek seeds

dash of cayenne pepper

Kosher salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

1 lb ground chicken or turkey

1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt, plus more for garnish

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 large pitas (or 8 small)

Chopped cashews and/or hot sauce, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, and spices with the 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup of water.  Blend until a thick paste has been formed.

In a skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add the sliced onion, and cook for about 5 minutes until golden.  Add the spice paste and cook until most of the moisture is gone, for about 8-10 minutes longer. 

Next, add the meat with one more teaspoon of salt, and break it up as it cooks .  When the chicken is cooked through, add the yogurt, mixed with 1/4 cup of water.  

 

Cook for about 3-4 minutes longer and then add peas and cilantro.  Taste for more salt, and add some freshly ground pepper.  You may choose to add hot sauce here, or wait to have it as a topping.

Meanwhile, brush your pitas with olive oil and toast in a separate skillet over high heat until the outside is warmed.  Serve the chicken in the pita like a taco, and garnish with yogurt and hot sauce.   This dish would also go great over rice!