Indian | The Humble Onion

Cranberry Pear Chutney

November 16, 2016

Are you in as much shock as I am that Thanksgiving is next week?

Luckily my first attempt at getting ready for it was this easy Cranberry Pear Chutney that is LOADED with flavor. It also nicely solves the whole cranberry debate: We think the pilgrims used them, so we have to have them, but how? Cranberry bread? Not if there is pie around. In a can? Um, I am just going to pass on that one. My mom loves this fresh chunky side salad with chopped cranberries, orange zest, and sugar, but it is just a little too hard to eat raw cranberries for moi.

Enter Cranberry Pear Chutney. You may have gathered from the sheer number of curries I have posted on this site that I love everything about Indian food, but especially their condiments. And chutney is tops. The acid with sweet with vinegar. YUM.

And I just want to use pear in everything right now, so I am so happy to put these gorgeous things to work:

There is so much going on from all these flavors. It is like fireworks in your mouth. Even if Aunt Flo brings frozen peas, this will bring some excitement to your plate. And can you even IMAGINE a leftover turkey sandwich with stuffing and CHUTNEY? Good thing this recipe makes two ball jars because I might have to keep one just to make a left over Thanksgiving sandwich. I already warned my mom to skip the can and the pseudo-salsa and to make room for this guy (and you know I am bringing that Turkey bowl to serve it in too.)

I also feel like this makes the best gift if you are going to someone else’s house. I am planning on bringing it over to win some daughter points looking like this:

I might even make these for Christmas gifts too if they look that cute.

But the best part is this comes together SO fast. 20 minutes tops.

Hope this rocks your Thanksgiving as much as it will mine.

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Cranberry Pear Chutney (printer version here):

Ingredients:

1 bag cranberries

Zest of 1 orange

3 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated

3 Bosc (they stay firmer but use whatever you have) pears, diced

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3 Tablespoons lemon

3 Tablespoons Apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups Apple cider

1/2 water

Pinch of salt

Directions:

In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except pears. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until cranberries soften. Add pears and cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

End-of-the-Week Vegetable Curry

June 8, 2016

“There is a prevailing theory that we need to know much more than we do to feed ourselves well. It isn’t true.” – Tamara Adler

Oh, serendipity, I love you.

I need to gush/share with you all that I just discovered the book The Everlasting Meal by Tamara Adler. It came in the mail on Monday, and from the first pages, her cooking philosophy so sang to me since it feels really close to what is happening in my brain in the kitchen when I cook. So much so that her third chapter ends with a kind of end of the week vegetable curry. I had just made this curry you see in these pictures on the Friday before I read her book, almost exactly according to her recipe, with all the leftover veggies in my fridge, while the kids ate pizza.

If that is not serendipity, I don’t know what is.

It is also serendipitous because I just had my 5,467th conversation with another mom who feels intimidated by cooking. And I try to gently share how it can be made easier with a routine, a way of thinking. I know dinner every night can be a chore, but, there are ways to make it easier. And this is the heart of Adler’s writing. As witnessed by the quote above, she breaks it down and makes cooking as seamless and fluid as getting dressed or tidying your kitchen. Her first chapter is titled “How to Boil Water” and her second, “How to Teach an Egg to Fly”. They are more meditations then recipes, but you will come away knowing how to make delicious food.

Chapter 3 – “How to Strive Ahead” – is about chopping vegetables. She demonstrates her routine in this video which shows how she preps vegetables for the week. If you don’t have the few minutes now, come back when you do and check it. It might change your life. Or at least show you how to make delicious food. Which is really the same thing, isn’t it?

There is something so stick to the ribs about curry, yet this veggie one is so light. I have been dolloping a bit of chutney, greek yogurt or sour cream, some cilantro, and serving it with naan bread.

I hope you try all the things in Tamara’s book. At the very least, this recipe will get you started.

xoxo, Katie

p.s. As I wrote this, my husband called and told me to pack a bag because we are going to Primo for my birthday dinner! I am not sure if that is serendipity or love or both, but he’s a keeper.

End-of-the-Week Vegetable Curry (printer version here):

½ onion cut into a large dice

Peanut oil or olive oil

Salt

½ teaspoon, combined, ground turmeric, ground cardamom, and ground cumin

½ teaspoon flaked chile (or whole fresh chile minced)

½ cup cooked chickpeas or black-eye peas, canned or cooked

½ to 1 can coconut milk

1 cup other liquid (chicken stock or water)

2-3 pieces of lemon rind

Optional: 1 t. Fish sauce

2 cups cooked vegetables

½ cup toasted peanuts

Fresh lemon juice

Fresh mint or basil leaves
From Tamara Adler’s The Endless Meal

Chicken Curry In A Hurry

January 22, 2015

Well aren’t you just a big bowl of sunshine.

Seriously, it is.

I love curry so much, and it is ridiculously easy.

This one uses Rotisserie chicken + coconut milk + curry powder but you can easily use cubed chicken and stir fry veggies. The first time I made it I added the carrots and tomatoes and loved them. The second time I made this I added thawed broccoli florets and I loved them too. So play around with the veggies and add your favorite. If they are raw like the carrots add them early on so they can cook. Or keep it Curry In A Hurry and toss in thawed frozen.

I first saw this recipe on RealSimple, and I loved how fast you could make it. I usually use curry paste + coconut milk, but the powder was heavenly. I love everything about this dish.

^^See the little specks of firework flavor?

The bed of fluffy Jasmine Rice, Naan Bread, Mango Chutney and Sriracha sauce, though, took it to another new level. It is just the most comforting dish, it sticks to the ribs, has SO much flavor from the curry and chutney, and when it’s steaming warm in a bowl it just does something really good to my insides that I need on cold days.

So make this for yourself and give the kids nuggets if they don’t like the spice. I would make it for you and bring it over but I would probably eat it on the way.

Chicken Curry In A Hurry (printer version here)

Serves 6, prep time 15 minutes (love!), total time 35

Ingredients

1 cup white rice (Jasmine is so yummy)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 large or 2 small sliced carrots

3 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 can coconut milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (optional)

2 cups of frozen broccoli or or peas (optional)

meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, sliced or shredded

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Directions

Cook the rice according to the package directions.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes
Add the thinly sliced carrots, cook for 5 minutes
Sprinkle with the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute
Add the yogurt and cream and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and frozen veggies, and tomatoes (if desired). Stir to coat veggies evenly and cook for 3 more minutes.
Divide the rice and chicken among individual bowls, spoon the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the cilantro.

Serve with Naan Bread, Mango Chutney, Greek Yogurt, and Sriracha Sauce.

Adapted from Chicken Curry in a Hurry recipe found on realsimple.com