Chicken with Tomatoes and Garam Masala

An Indian version of Chicken Cacciatore

Madhur Jaffrey says this used to be a favorite of her children.  And the person who owned the cookbook before me,  wrote " girls like" so I decided it could be a good weekday meal for us, too.  Well, my husband didn't think it had enough punch --- which is exactly why children probably like it.  I think it is very good and I want to make it again for myself.  Maybe when he is out of town.  
    ---Barbara

Chicken with Tomatoes and Garam Masala
(adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking)

Serves 6

5 T. vegetable oil
3/4 t. cumin seeds
1 inch cinnamon stick
6 whole green cardamon pods
2 bay leaves
1/4 t. black peppercorns
6 ounces (1 medium) onion, peeled and finely chopped
6-7 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
1 15-ounce can finely chopped tomatoes
2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, without skin
1.5 t. salt
1/4 to 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. garam masala

Note:  The whole spices in this dish should not be eaten.  Remove before serving.

Put the oil in a large, wide pan and set over medium heat.  When hot, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and peppercorns.  Stir once and then put in the onions, garlic and ginger.

Stir mixture around until the onions pick up brown specks.

Now put in the tomatoes, chicken, salt and cayenne pepper.

Stir to mix and bring to a boil.  Cover tightly, turn to low and simmer for 25 minutes or until the chicken is tender. 

 

Uncover, sprinkle with the garam masala. and continue to cook on medium for another 5 minutes and then serve OR turn it to very low, and simmer for 30 more minutes to thicken the sauce.

Meanwhile make your basmati rice.

Serve with a bed of rice, sauce poured over the top of the chicken and a veggie.  I made French green beans with popping mustard seeds, click here for recipe.

---Barbara

Everyday Spaghetti with Meat Sauce by Tom

Quick and Easy

UPDATED 2021

This is my "go to" recipe whenever we want pasta with a red tomato sauce.  Very simple to make, but very tasty to eat.  I do find that making this an hour or so before I start to prepare the pasta helps to marry the flavors.  You can use this with spaghetti or any pasta that you like.  I will often use fusilli because that will gather more of the sauce on the pasta.

       ---Tom

Everyday Spaghetti  with Meat Sauce

(from my creative mind)

Serves 4

1 jar Newman's Own Tomato & Basil pasta sauce
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes or fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 1/4 lb. ground meatloaf mix (pork, beef and veal)
1-2 tbsp. olive oil for browning the meat

~1 tsp. minced garlic
~1 tsp. dried basil
~1 tsp. brown sugar
sprinkle of red paper flakes - optional
1 lb spaghetti
grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium saucepan, preheat the oil.  When the oil is hot, brown the meatloaf mixture.  Depending on how much fat is rendered from the meat, pour off any excess.

Add the jar of tomato & basil sauce and the can of diced tomatoes to the browned meat.  Next add in the garlic, dried basil and brown sugar.  Also this is where you would sprinkle some red pepper flakes into the sauce, if you want a little zing.

Stir the whole mixture up and bring to a light boil.  Turn the heat down to very low and simmer for at least 20 minutes.  I like to simmer for an hour or longer.  This will thicken the sauce a little as well as marry all of the flavors together. 

Prepare the pasta per the directions on the package.  We prefer our pasta to be al dente, so I am continually checking the pasta as it approaches the al dente recommended cooking time.

With this recipe I prefer to drain the pasta in a colander, and plate the pasta from the colander.  You can put the pasta back into the cooking pan and then add the red sauce to the pasta.  However I prefer to plate the pasta and then add the red sauce.  This method works best if there will be leftovers with the pasta and sauce stored separately.

Serve with grated Parmesan.  

Again, an easy recipe when you don't want to spend too much time thinking about what you want to make for dinner.

    ---Tom

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Dark Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Deceptively Good

An outstanding cookie which I have been making for years, it is always well received. 

    ---Barbara

Dark Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
(adapted From Cooking Illustrated, 2005)

Makes 24 cookies

1 1/4 c. flour
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. pecans, toasted and chopped 
1/2 c. hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
1 c. dried cherries, chopped coarse
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
12 T. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a second bowl, stir together oats, pecans, cherries and chocolate chips.

In a standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until no sugar lumps remain, about 1 minute.

Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula; add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Scrape down bowl again.

With mixer running at low speed, add flour, mixture; mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.

With mixer still running on low, gradually add oat/nut mixture; mix until just incorporated.

Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide dough evenly into 16 portions, each about 1/4 cup. Stagger 8 balls on each baking sheet.
Using hands, gently press each dough ball to 1 inch thickness.Bake both baking sheets 6 minutes, rotate them front to back and top to bottom.

then continue to bake 8 minutes longer until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 14 minutes in total. Do not over bake.

Cool cookies on baking sheets on wire rack 5 minutes; using wide spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.
I  like to package them up and deliver them as treats to my friends and colleagues.

---Barbara

Chocolate Tahini Cookies (COOK)

An Unexpected Combination

UPDATED 2020

Tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds which provides a nutty background flavor while enhancing the chocolate.  

White chocolate chips make them extra sweet (think roasted marshmallows).  

This were very easy to make.  The dough requires chilling, a plus, if you want the flexibility to bake them the next day.

---Barbara

Chocolate Tahini Cookies 
(adapted from COOK)

Makes 30 

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup tahini*, at room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) white chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and tahini on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrap the sides. 

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Separately, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on a low speed until just combined. 

Stir in white chocolate chips. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop dough into 15 portions per sheet (3 rows x 5 rows).  A 1.5 tablespoon scoop works well. 

Bake until set around the edges, 12 minutes, rotating the pans after 6 minutes.  The cookies will puff up during baking and deflate during cooling.  Don't overbake, they are done, even though they are not brown around the edges.  But every oven is different.  Yours might take 14 minutes, in total.   

Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to racks, to let them cool completely.

---Barbara

*tahini comes in a jar, and is usually found in the international aisle, with Greek foods.  Be sure to stir well if the oil has separated from the nuts, just as you would with natural peanut butter.  Be sure it is a room temperature before starting the recipe. 

Veal Marsala with Shallots

Shallots add depth of flavor

I've updated the way I make veal marsala by adding shallots and thyme.  This is a dish that we make only occasionally, as a special treat.  (Extra thin chicken cutlets would also work well, as long as you are careful to cook them thoroughly.)
     ---Barbara


Veal Marsala

(adapted from a Giadia De Laurentiis recipe)

Serves 4

12 -16 ounces veal cutlets (cut into 8 portions)
salt and pepper
1 T. flour

2 T. unsalted butter

2 to 3 T. olive oil

1 extra large shallot, finely chopped

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine

3/4 cup chicken broth, low sodium

1/8 teaspoon of dried French thyme

About 1/2 hour before cooking, cut the veal cutlets into 8 equal portions, pat dry completely with paper towels.  (Meat must be dry for success with this dish. If not, your meat will steam instead of brown.)   

Just before cooking, sprinkle the veal generously with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle flour lightly over each piece and pat each side until covered with a very light coating of flour and the meat is dry to touch.

Melt 1 T. of butter  and 1 T. of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.

Start the first batch.  Add 4 veal cutlets and cook until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. It will cook quickly because the meat is so thin.  Transfer the veal to a plate.  Add another tablespoon of butter and oil, if necessary.  Repeat, with the remaining 4 cutlets, set the cutlets aside.  Put in a warm oven, with the heat turned off, to keep them warm but not continuing to cook.

At this point, there will be brown bits in the bottom of the pan from browning the veal.  Be careful they don't burn, i.e., turn down heat if needed.  Add 1 T. of oil to the skillet.  Add the shallot and mushrooms.  Saute about 30 seconds.

Carefully, add the 1/2 cup of sweet Marsala to the hot pan, and stir to collect all of the brown bits to de-glaze the pan, reduce the liquid by half.  Takes a few minutes.  

Add the chicken broth and thyme.  Simmer until reduced by half or the juices become thick, about 4 minutes.  (If your sauce becomes too thick you can add a little more chicken broth.)

Return the veal to the skillet.  (including any meat juices.)

Cook just until heated through, turning to coat, about 1 minute.

If needed, season the sauce with salt and pepper.

  

Serve two cutlets per person with the mushroom-shallot sauce over top.

---Barbara