JBug's Kitchen Antics

Nothing Stays The Same

The older I get the more I realize that change is inevitable. Just look in a mirror and tell me you look the same as you did 10 years ago. I know I sure don't. Get my drift?

Sometimes change is a good thing and other times not so much. Take this view for example. 

This is what it looked like from our back deck from this glorious spot we moved to on the Oregon Coast a whole year ago. Deeply shaded, cool lush green forest so beautiful it could make you weep with wonder, I for one couldn't believe our good fortune in finding such a place.

Well I'm crying for another reason these days because the new owners of 7 acres adjacent to us are clear cutting their land including their side of the ravine right down to the creek where our two properties meet. 

What looked like this a few days ago isn't anything at all what it looks like today and tomorrow it'll be a whole other scene, so much so that I can't bring myself to show you current photos. Just believe me when I say the devastation is unimaginable.

Now in no way shape or form could you ever call me a tree hugger (other than the choice many I've a mind to planting myself in front of in case the axmen decide to ford the creek and come our way). I mean I don't think twice about grabbing a paper towel and as for TP, well I can't think of anyone that can do without that stuff but believe me this whole thing's been a huge wake up call.

Now, since this is a food blog after all, I guess I'd better fess up about what we had for dinner last night. Remember the Manchurian Cauliflower dish I've bragged about here before? Last night I reworked it by adding mini sweet peppers to the pan along with cauliflower florets and it all hit the oven for the same amount of time as in the original recipe while I seasoned and dredged skinless boneless chicken thighs in flour and sauteed 'em until crispy. I tossed the lot together and here's the result. 

Delicious? You bet'cha and proof positive that some changes are a lot easier to swallow than others. Just sayin'. 

 

 

 

Roasted Cauliflower - Manchurian Style

I'm not sure what makes this cauliflower a Manchurian candidate but I do know it is about as awesome tasting as it gets. I've even told you all about it before way back in 2010 to be exact but this is one dish that deserves to be front and center on a regular rotation. I'm not even sure that a weekly rotation would be enough. Yes, we like it that much.

Sprinkled with Garam Masala and a little olive oil, the cauliflower roasts for 20 minutes before it is coated in a spicy mix of garlic, black and cayenne peppers and ketchup of all things. Back in the oven for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the kind of texture you prefer, it is delectable and darn near explodes in your mouth! Honest!

Once again, we enjoyed our cauliflower on top of chicken paillards but it would be lovely with any mild flavored fish or pork too. I'd even forego the protein entirely because in my opinion, it deserves to be a stand alone but the resident carnivore would surely have a hissy fit if that were the case. 

Incidentally, be careful with the cayenne pepper because if you add too much, it'll have you runnin' post haste for the yogurt...yes, yes I did. Just sayin'. 

Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower (from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Cooking Light)

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 large head cauliflower – about 6 cups

2 tablespoons Garam Masala                                                                  

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon or more cayenne pepper

8 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray. Remove core from cauliflower and break into florets. Place into a large bowl along with 1 teaspoon olive oil, the Garam Masala and salt. Toss well to coat. Arrange onto sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile heat remaining teaspoon of oil in a nonstick sauté pan. Add garlic and black pepper and cook until garlic starts to soften. Add ketchup and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring often for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove cauliflower from oven and toss with ketchup mixture. Return vegetable to oven and cook for addition 10 minutes to 20 minutes or until cooked to your preferred texture. (We liked it really well done and almost relish like so it returned to the oven for the entire 20 minutes.) 

A year ago - Double Chocolate and Sour Cherry Bread Pudding

Two years ago - Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

Three years ago - Apple Fritters

Indian Spiced Chicken Burgers

We're kind of on a burger kick these days, no doubt because the one we had the other night at the Parish was darn near sinful. Anyway, we put some ground chicken on the shopping list yesterday because I was anxious to try a recipe I'd seen recently on myrecipes.com. 

I made a ton of changes because Big Guy and I like flavor with a capital "F", but before I tell you about it, I've got to brag about the screaming deal we got on our chicken. For some reason the already ground version was priced at a whopping $4.29 a pound, but right beside it in the cooler were several large packages of chicken breasts marked at $1.09 a pound so being the frugalists we are, Big Guy was volunteered to be the one to bone 'em and put them through our trusty Kitchen Aid's grinding attachment. The result - super cheap ground chicken as well as two huge paillards that we'll have later in the week, never mind the bones for stock. Bonus eh?

Oh, before I forget, while Big Guy was putting the chicken through the grinder, he also put the onion through as well as a slice of bread for crumbs, then we spiced up the ground meat with cayenne, curry, cumin, garam masala and minced fresh ginger along with salt and pepper and an egg to bind it.

Formed into good sized patties, they took about 15 minutes to cook on our little red grill outside and then the fun really began. Sprinkled with the juice of a lime as soon as they left the grill, we topped them with a greek yogurt/mint "schmear", mango chutney, and a thin slice of sweet onion, all on a bed of crisp fresh spinach, Garnished with cool cucumber slices, it might have been a touch of overkill. Ya think? Not bad for a pair of amateurs huh?

Indian Spiced Chicken Burgers (Inspired by Cooking Light via myrecipes.com)

1 pound ground chicken

2 green onions, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon curry powder (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup panko crumbs

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon butter

Combine all ingredients together and form into patties. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum half an hour to blend flavors and bind ingredients. Spray grill with cooking spray and preheat over medium high. Cook patties for approximately 7 minutes on one side. Flip over, top each with a cube of butter, then cook for another 7 minutes or until done.

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup plain Greek style yogurt, mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped mint

Mango Chutney

Sliced sweet onions

Cucumber slices

Fresh spinach leaves

Hamburger buns

Sprinkle cooked chicken patties with lime juice as soon as they come off the grill. Place on a bed of lettuce on a grilled hamburger bun, and top with yogurt mixture, chutney, sweet onion, and cucumber.  Makes 4 servings.

 A year ago - Crazy Shrimp

Two year's ago - Mahi Mahi Tacos

Butter Chicken - Ours and Theres

We all know there's a lot of different recipes for what amounts to the same thing and this one's no exception. There's nothing better than butter and not much better than Butter Chicken either, even though in my case there isn't any butter in the recipe I used most recently. See picture below.

Loaded with onions, garlic and ginger, for the most part it's the exotic spices that give this dish its color and flavor (duhhhh) although the version I made also included diced tomatoes as well as tomato paste.

Seeing as we love our curry around here, we'd be hard pressed to find another dish we enjoyed more. Course I say that about almost anything that's loaded with spices don't I. Anyway, I bet you're wondering where I'm going with all this. 

As you know Big Guy's away for another couple of days so there isn't a whole lot of cooking going on in JBug's Kitchen. To be honest there's not much of anything going on so I figured I'd just do a taste test on someone else's Butter Chicken and see how it measured up. 

It wasn't bad - in fact, it was pretty darned delicious although there wasn't as much chicken in it and the rice was kinda' mushy; however, the best part about it other than the fact that cleanup was a breeze was the portion control. I had plenty of room for a piece of that strawberry tart from the other day. Bonus!

Big Guy's climbing out of the hole today on the north side of the Grand Canyon - that's  8,200 feet from the canyon floor to the top. Not only the fact that he's sure to be exhausted, he'll then have a 9 hour drive to get back home but he'll be doing that on Saturday. He's planning on stopping in Flagstaff for lunch at our favorite place - Salsa Brava. Hope they have enough food - ya think I should warn them he's coming?

A year ago - Lamb Vindaloo

Two year's ago - Grilled Eggplant Gratin

Ain't No Butter Butter Chicken

Traditionally Indian butter chicken has the obvious in it - that would be butter; however, there's isn't much tradition in this house although I'll admit, I feel guilty calling this "butter" chicken. I mean we Canadians are usually so literal, when we say somethin' is somethin' it usually is just that. 

Adapted from one of my favorite Canadian cooks, Julie Van Rosendaal of Dinner with Julie fame, this somewhat lighter version will certainly appeal to the non-conformist since it contains not one smidge of butter. I changed the recipe and method enough that I feel comfortable posting it here, but please hit the link above to go to Julie's original. While you're there, check out her site because she's an amazing talent and I have a feeling you'll want to mark her site as a favorite!

As you know, I have a thing about browning meat without dredging it in flour first, so I added that step and increased the spice quotient too with the addition of a little cayenne for a pleasant zing. The braised chicken is very tender and the sauce amazingly rich and flavorful. Finished with a touch of heavy cream at the very end - yogurt, sour cream or even coconut milk would work very well too.

Next time you're craving a curry fix, give this one a try. We loved it and I for one could eat it every day of the week and twice on Sundays. By the way, like most curries the leftovers are even tastier.

Butter Chicken without the Butter (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from dinnerwithjulie.com)

8 skinless boneless chicken thighs

Salt, pepper and flour for dredging

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 large onion, cut in half then sliced

1/2 sweet onion, sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon curry powder

2 teaspoons garam masala

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 cup low sodium chicken stock

1 – 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup heavy cream (or yogurt or sour cream)

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high. Cut chicken thighs in half, season well with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off the excess. When oil is shimmering, brown chicken in batches on all sides, removing to a plate when finished.

Add onions to pot and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and just starting to brown. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, then add chili powder, curry powder, garam masala, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Stir well to incorporate with onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken stock to de-glaze pan and cook scraping up browned bits from bottom. When stock is reduced by half add diced tomatoes and tomato paste.

Return chicken to the pot, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot and cook for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is very tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Just before serving, remove pot from the heat and stir in cream. Serve over rice with warm Naan bread on the side. Makes 6 servings. 

A year ago - Spicy Shrimp with Andouille on Grits 

Two year's ago - French Onion Soup with Beef and Barley

Lamb Vindaloo

Vindaloo is one of the hottest curries around so I figured I'd put the Big Guy's asbestos mouth to a test and see if he could devour it without sweating. You see he's kind of a newbie when it comes to curry in it's many guises and I've made it my goal to introduce him to almost every one. Thankfully he hasn't tasted any he hasn't liked, but he does like 'em hot ya know.

A traditional Vindaloo often includes onion, ginger and garlic along with cumin, cayenne or other chilies, yellow mustard seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, tumeric, cloves and peppercorns, in addition to potatoes and sometimes tomatoes too. In our case rather than making a "scratch" curry spice mix, I chose to use a prepared Vindaloo curry paste (Patak) instead. I saw it at Lee Lee's Asian Supermarket and just had to give it a try. 

This Vindaloo did not disappoint. Made from chunks of Sunday night's leftover lamb along with onions and tomatoes, I left out the potatoes and served it on a bed of basmati rice along side a choice of accoutrement including yogurt, golden raisins, a little coconut and some mango/ginger chutney of course. I guess other than testing heat tolerance, I'm also out to prove that leftovers don't have to taste like leftovers. While I used leftover roast lamb, you could use beef, pork or chicken for this one too.

It was hot, though in all honesty the Big Guy said it could have been hotter and proved it by adding a ton of red pepper flakes and sriracha. I didn't add as much extra hot stuff to mine but I didn't find it a scorcher either which means either HOT doesn't mean HOT anymore, or my tastebuds are as acclimated and burned out as his are. It was a real hit though and I'm anxious to make it again with some chicken thighs and a scratch made curry paste and cook the whole thing low and slow to see if I can increase the heat to an intolerable level. Hey JBug's my name and torture's my game.

Oh, I'm glad I whipped up a batch of sour cream vanilla ice cream anyway, just in case we really needed its cooling presence. (I'll share the recipe with you later). I didn't want to take the chance of screams from any resulting butt burn interrupting the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Talk about a good neighbor!

Lamb Curry Vindaloo (adapted from pataks.com)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1/2 cup Patak’s Vindaloo Paste

1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes including juice

1 cup water

1 pound leftover roast lamb, cut into cubes

Cooked Basmati Rice

Mango Chutney, golden raisins, coconut, yogurt (optional)

In a large heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering add onions, cover pot and cook for 10 minutes until onions are soft and golden colored. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add garlic and ginger and cook for addition 2 or 3 minutes. Add curry paste and cook stirring often for 3 more minutes. Add tomatoes, water and lamb, cover, lower heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, reducing liquid to desired consistency. Serve on rice and pass the chutney, raisins, coconut and yogurt. Serves 4. Download Lamb Curry Vindaloo

Last Year  Grilled Eggplant Gratin        

                          

 

Indian Lamb Chops with Curried Cauliflower

So people, here's the scenario. You've got 20 minutes to put dinner on the table before you have to leave for choir practice. Your resident carnivore isn't going to be a happy camper if he gets a mere sandwich for dinner and you fed him an extra piece of pineapple carrot cake earlier so dinner needs to be something that isn't just tasty, but calorically conscientious as well. Have I got a deal for you!

Gorgeous 1-1/2 inch thick lamb loin chops, seasoned with coarse sea salt, freshly ground pepper and curry, sauteed for 4 minutes a side for a perfect medium rare and served with steamed cauliflower with the mother of all curry sauces.  Now I know you're thinking - geez, is she nuts? Dinner ready in twenty minutes and what about the calories in the sauce - after all there's cream in it isn't there? Per serving - 489 calories. Count'em and weep!

By the way, if you've a few extra minutes to spare, roast the cauliflower in the oven for additional nutty yummy flavor...oh and double the sauce. You won't be sorry!

Indian Lamb Chops with Curried Cauliflower (adapted from Bon Appetit))

4 1-1/2 inch thick lamb loin chops

2 teaspoons curry powder, divided

Sea salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon all purpose flour

1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons mango chutney

2 large green onions, chopped & divided

2 cups cauliflower florets

Steam cauliflower until tender crisp (3 to 4 minutes) or alternatively roast in a hot cast iron pan in the oven until just tender. Set aside.

Sprinkle lamb chops with salt, pepper and 3/4 teaspoon curry powder. In a medium cast iron pan, heat oil until shimmering. Add lamb chops and cook for 4 minutes on each side till medium rare (or alternatively 3 minutes for rare). Remove from heat and set aside to keep warm. Pour oil from skillet. Add 1-1/4 teaspoons of curry powder to the skillet as well as the flour and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add cream, chicken broth and chutney. Boil until slightly reduced and thickened – approx. 1 to 2 minutes. Add half the green onions. Plate lamb and spoon cauliflower over top. Top with sauce and garnish with remaining green onion.  Serves 2 Download Indian Lamb Chops with Curried Cauliflower

Check out these links for a little more somethin' somethin'!

      

Mango Chutney                        Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower