Braised Chicken in Coconut Curry

Braised Chicken in Coconut Curry

Our family does not observe the lunar new year but that’s no reason not to feel happy for those who do. A new year on any calendar brings hope for a happy, healthy, safe and meaningful year to come.

Everyone can relate to that!

So, in honor of the Year of the Tiger, here’s a dish inspired by my travels to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.

BRAISED CHICKEN IN COCONUT CURRY

•  One chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or use 4 large chicken breast halves or 4 whole legs)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chili pepper

• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped lemongrass

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon curry powder

• 1-1/2 cups coconut milk (13-15 ounce can)

• salt to taste

• chopped chives or parsley for garnish

Wash and dry the chicken pieces. Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken a few pieces at a time, turning them occasionally, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chili pepper and lemongrass and cook, briefly, stirring constantly. Whisk the tomato paste, curry powder and coconut milk together until thoroughly blended. Pour the liquid into the pan. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve garnished with a sprinkle of fresh chopped chives or parsley.

Makes 4 servings

Pear and Cranberry Strudel

My freezer failed a while ago.

Fortunately I discovered the problem before everything defrosted.

Still, with that error message signaling that I should call for service immediately, I brought most of the food to my spare freezer in the basement. I don’t want to give this old freezer a kinahurra so I won’t tell you how old it is.

I discarded lots of stuff too. Freezer burned, too old, no longer needed. Whatever.

And I cooked with some of the items that were partially defrosted (like this fabulous pizza) or because it was time to use them before they become fossils.

I had some seasonal pears on hand and some cranberries so I made strudel using a package of phyllo dough that I didn’t want to refreeze. I baked this dessert a few times: used most of the pears and cranberries. But I wanted to try the recipe using some dried cranberries (I had some in my pantry that also needed using before they dried beyond redemption).

We actually liked it better with the dried cranberries.

So here’s the recipe. If you don’t have dried cranberries, use any dried fruit: cherries would be especially good. Fresh cranberries work too — add a tablespoon more sugar.

PEAR AND CRANBERRY STRUDEL

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 2 tablespoons orange juice

• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into bite sized pieces

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 8 sheets phyllo

• 3-4 tablespoons melted butter

• 1/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dried cranberries in a bowl, pour the juice over them and let rest for 30-40 minutes or until they have softened. Place the pears in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cranberries and any remaining orange juice and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Set aside. Working with one piece of phyllo at a time, brush the phyllo with a film of melted butter. Butter a second sheet and place it on top of the first. Repeat using two more sheets. Add the sugar to the pear mixture. Spoon half the pear mixture down the long side of the buttered phyllo, leaving an inch at each end. Roll the phyllo, enclosing the fruit mixture, then place seam-side down on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining four sheets of phyllo and the remaining pear mixture. Brush the tops of the phyllo rolls with the remaining melted butter. Bakes for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is browned and crispy.

Makes 2 rolls, each serving 4 people

Portobello Mushroom Paprikash

Anyone who tells you that a vegetarian dinner isn’t as hearty, filling, nourishing or satisfying as a meat dinner, hasn’t tasted Portobello Mushroom Paprikash.

I’ve tasted Chicken Paprikash, a most delicious Hungarian dish, and I can say honestly — this is better. This version includes the real thing — thick, tangy, dairy sour cream for extra goodness.

That’s all I have to say.

Portobello Mushroom Paprikash

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 8 large Portobello mushroom caps

• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 4 teaspoons sweet and/or hot paprika

• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped

• 1-1/2 cups vegetable stock

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 cup dairy sour cream

• 12 ounces cooked egg noodles

• chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the caps (you will have to do this in batches) and cook (topside down) for about 2 minutes, or until they are crispy. Remove the caps and set them aside. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the pan and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the paprika and flour, stirring to blend them in thoroughly. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Stir in 1/2 cup of the sour cream and blend it in thoroughly. Place the cooked noodles in each of 4 plates. Top the noodles with 2 mushroom caps per plate. Spoon the sauce over the mushrooms. Place small dollops of the remaining sour cream on top. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Makes 4 servings

Fried Barley

Tu B’shevat, which starts at sundown on January 16th, reminded me that I have to make more barley, which is one of the traditional foods for this not particularly well-known Jewish holiday, otherwise known as New Year of the Trees.

We don’t eat barley often enough. Sure, I add it to soup, but it’s so good on its own — for salad and casseroles in particular — that it should be more of a standby.

I decided to make it like I do fried rice, except I added mushrooms, which I think overwhelms fried rice but pairs perfectly with whole grains.

So, this is actually a two-fer. I can make this for Tu B’shevat and also for Lunar New Year (February1st)(Year of the Tiger), because why not celebrate even if it’s not part of my heritage? Delicious food is appropriate any time.

Fried Barley

• 1 cup pearled barley

• 2-1/2 cups water

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 3 large eggs, beaten

• 4-6 scallions, chopped

• 10-12 medium mushrooms (about 8 ounces), coarsely chopped

• 1 cup thawed frozen peas

• optional: chopped water chestnuts, cooked carrots, corn kernels

• kosher salt

Place the barley and the water in a saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for about 45 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Let cool. Heat one tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or stirfry pan over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and let set, then scramble the eggs slightly and turn them over to cook both sides completely. Remove the fried eggs from the pan and chop into bite size pieces. Set aside. Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the pan. Add the scallions and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and all the liquid has evaporated. Add the barley, breaking it up into separate kernels with a spatula or wooden spoon, and stir to incorporate the vegetables. Add the peas and optional ingredients, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring often to distribute the ingredietns evenly, for 3-4 minutes or until the ingredients are hot.

Makes 4-6 servings

Puff Pastry Pizza Redux

My need for simple, meatless dinners post new years just happened to coincide with a freezer failure yesterday.

Fortunately I have a spare, old freezer where I quickly placed all the non-thawed meat and other freezables.

I threw a lot of stuff out. None spoiled, but some too old or freezer burned or no longer wanted.

Here’s how I used the puff pastry and some mozzarella cheese that had thawed: puff pastry pizza, which I’ve made many times. I had a bit of ricotta cheese so I included some. I also used thawed frozen spinach instead of basil.

FRESH TOMATO PUFF PASTRY PIZZA

• 3 large or 4 medium tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick

• salt

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

• 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/4 cup chopped spinach (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes slices on a board, sprinkle with salt and let rest for about 30 minutes. Wipe the slices dry. Roll the puff pastry slightly thinner on a floured surface. Place the pastry on the baking sheet. Spread the surface with the ricotta cheese leaving a small border along the edges. Place the tomato slices on top. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with the spinach or basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6-8 servings

Banana Bread with Nuts and Raisins

My cousins are coming for our usual new year’s weekend.

What a grand way to end a terrible year.

We are all triple vaxxed and tested (negative).

This, to me, is thrilling enough.

We will watch Britbox murder mysteries — we all love them and there are some new goodies available.

We will eat and drink!

Last week I posted one of the desserts — M’hencha — that we will have (on New Year’s Eve when my sister-in-law and brother also come).

For dinner one night we will have Azerbaijani Plov, a fabulous melange of rice, dried fruit and meat (I am making it with lamb).

New year’s Eve is always an hors d’oeuvre fest. We space it out during the day, so we eat a few hors d’oeuvre at a time and wait for the next round.

So, I will serve Hot Dog en Croute and Almond Chicken Nuggets (plus olives, pickled beets and such).

Later, I will serve gougeres, Romanian Cheese Turnovers, cheese with Pepper Jam and a few other things.

During the weekend there’s breakfast of course, which consists of smoked fish and bagels for a couple of days.

During the day we also might find ourselves a bit peckish because I don’t serve lunch. We just “pick.”

This year, one of the pickings is going to be this Banana Bread. Which is terrific with tea or coffee. Ir’s good plain or spread with cream cheese. It’s even a good choice for dessert along with some ice cream. It’s a good nibble while watching the new series of Dalgliesh or rewatching Shetland.

We intend to have a good time.

Happy, healthy 2022 to all!

Banana Bread with Nuts and Raisins

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1/4 cup coconut oil

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed

• 1/3 cup yogurt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

• 1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts

• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan. Melt the butter and coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat, set aside. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a bowl and set it aside. Beat the sugar and melted butter/coconut oil mixture with a handheld or electric mixer set at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the bananas and beat the mixture to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Add the flour mixture, stirring only enough to blend in the dry ingredients. Add the yogurt, vanilla extract, nuts and raisins and stir them in. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for one hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely.

Makes one loaf. 

Snails! The Dessert Kind (M'Hencha)

Years ago, when we were in Egypt, I tried this dessert, called m’hencha, because it looked so pretty.

It was like a Proustian moment because it tasted so similar to my Romanian Jewish grandma’s turte, which is like baklava only made with almonds instead of walnuts, and sweetened with sugar syrup, not honey.

Unlike my grandma’s version, m’hencha is shaped like a snail, which I think looks much lovelier and so I decided to make this for New Year’s, when the cousins come for a visit. (I’m using honey instead of the syrup my grandma used.)

I’ll be curious to see if my cousin also remembers this delicious pastry from back in the day.

M’Hencha

• 2-1/2 cups ground almonds

• 1/2 pound butter, melted

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1-1/2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 pound phyllo dough

• 6-8 tablespoons honey

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the almonds, 4 tablespoons melted butter, sugar, orange peel and cinnamon until well combined. Set aside. Using one phyllo sheet at a time, spread the dough out on a flat surface and brush lightly with melted butter. Top with the next phyllo sheet and repeat, using 4 sheets of phyllo. Spread about an inch of the almond mixture in a line about an inch from the edge on the long side. Roll the dough, jelly roll style, then coil it into a snake shape. Place the pastry on a cookie sheet. Brush with butter. Repeat 5 more times to make 6 pastries. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. While the pastries are baking, heat the honey until it is warm and liquefied. Pour the warm honey over the pastries and serve. NOTE: you can make smaller pastries: cut the phyllo sheets in half and proceed as above (makes 12).

Makes 6 servings

Osso Buco without Tomatoes

I love a cooking challenge. Whether it’s because a meal needs to be kosher or because someone is allergic to walnuts or doesn’t eat meat or hates potatoes, I am up for the task.

So, it was interesting for me to come up with this year’s new year’s menu when my cousins come. They will be houseguests for several days.

Our New Year’s eve day (which also includes my brother and sister-in-law) starts early and is all about hors d’oeuvres - groups of nibbles several hours apart. No actual “dinner.”

First up: almond crusted chicken nuggets, hot dog en croute, rumaki — maybe more.

Later: smoked salmon and avocado toasts, cheese gougeres, Romanian cheese turnovers, hummus.

and then dessert in the late evening. Probably Roasted Pears with Orange-Maple Sauce or Chocolate Pudding (in a pie crust). Or both.

There’s enough variety to assure everyone will be happy.

But in between days I need to consider food restrictions including: no tomatoes.

We all love Osso Buco, but classic recipes, including mine, are loaded with tomatoes. So I spent the last month making recipe after recipe — no tomatoes. All were absolutely delicious. I made versions with red wine or white, beef stock or chicken; some with a strip of lemon peel, some without, some with mushrooms.

This is the one I will be serving — note that I usually serve Osso Buco on top of mamaliga, but corn meal is also verboten, hence, the egg noodles.

Happy new year everyone.

Osso Buco (Sans tomatoes)

• 4 pieces veal shank

• 3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil, approximately

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1-2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 strip lemon peel, about 2-inches long

• 1 cup red wine

• 1 cup beef stock

Coat each piece of veal with some flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in an ovenproof saute pan or casserole over medium heat. Cook the coated veal shanks for 6-7 minutes, or until lightly browned on each side. Add 1-2 tablespoons more oil as needed to prevent sticking. Remove the shanks to a dish and set aside. Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil to the pan. Add the carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly softened. Add the garlic and mix it in. Return the shanks to the pan and spoon the vegetables on top. Sprinkle with the parsley, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Add the lemon peel. Pour in the wine and stock. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pan. Remove the casserole to the oven. Set the temperature to 325 degrees. Cook for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is soft. Serve the shanks with the pan fluids and vegetables.

Makes 4 servings

Dark Chocolate Cookies

Every cookie season —(meaning right now) — I make my usual stuff: Fannies (butter thumbprint cookies), Grand Finales, Peanut Butter, Jan Hagels. This year I’m also including Swiss Chocolate Almond cookies and Brownie cookies and this new addition to my cookie repertoire: Dark Chocolate cookies.

I got into the habit of baking cookies for Hanukkah and Christmas many years ago when newspaper columnists like me would deliver their articles by hand, typed on paper, to our editors. Back then we could actually develop a relationship with the editor and any other journalists sitting nearby.

That was back in the 1980s.

After some years the hard copy was replaced by a floppy disk and then a hard disk and then a thumb drive. But still, for most of us, whatever we wrote was delivered in person.

So I baked cookies and made up holiday baskets for everyone I knew in the various newsrooms of the various newspapers and magazines I wrote for.

Hundreds of cookies, every year.

The internet changed everything. No more deliveries. No more interactive relationships, although I do see (did see, before the pandemic) a few of the editors I submit work to, but of course, not everyone lives close enough.

And of course this means —- no more cookie baskets.

But that hasn’t stopped my baking habits. True, I don’t make as many cookies as I used to, but cookie season is cookie season, after all. So, thanks to a large freezer, I still bake plenty and cookie season baking means I will have a supply for a while.

I do give lots of cookies away to friends and neighbors and any people who might be stopping by like the plumber or UPS deliveryman. But mostly my family gets to eat them, plus my cousins who come for New Years and my brother and sister-in-law who live nearby.

Reason enough. And my house smells wonderful.

Dark Chocolate Cookies

• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3/4 cup butter

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Confectioners’ sugar 

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together until thoroughly combined. Set aside. Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes or until soft and smooth. Add the brown sugar, sugar and vanilla extract and beat for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is light and a uniform color. Add the dry ingredients and blend the ingredients to form a dough. Shape the dough into two logs with a diameter of about 1-1/2 inches. Wrap the logs and chill for at least one hour or until firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the logs into disks about 1/2” thick. Pace the disks on the parchment leaving about 1” space between each disk. Bake for about 15 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and let cool. Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar on top.

 Makes about 40

Funeral Pie (Custard and Raisin Pie)

I don’t mean to be a downer during the holiday season, but recently I wrote an article for for Kveller about how to help/what to bring to mourners when they’re sitting shiva and they’ve asked you not to bring food.

During my research I also did some reading about other cultures’ food/mourning customs and came across this fabulous “Funeral Pie,” which apparently is traditional at Amish and Old Mennonite wakes. Sometimes it has a lattice crust, sometimes it is non-dairy. I’ve made it a couple of ways and think this version is the most delicious.

Forget the name — just eat and enjoy.

Funeral Pie

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1-1/2 cups milk

• 1-1/2 cups seedless raisins

• 3 large egg yolks, beaten

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 9” fully baked pie crust

• 3 large egg whites

• 6 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt in a bowl and set aside. Heat the milk and raisins in a saucepan over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until the raisins start to plump. Turn the heat to low. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring until mixture has thickened. Add some of hot mixture to the egg yolks then pour yolk mixture into the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is very thick. Don’t let mixture come to boil. Remove the pan from heat. Add the lemon juice, lemon peel and butter and stir until the butter melts. Set aside in the refrigerator to cool. Pour the cold mixture into the baked pie crust. Beat the egg whites until they stand in soft peaks. Continue beating, gradually adding the 6 tablespoons sugar, until the whites stand in stiff, glossy peaks. Spread the beaten whites over pie, making sure to seal edges and cover the custard completely. Bake for 15 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Let cool and serve.

Makes 8 servings