Spices: Review and Chicken Curry

Last year my mom got a house down in Delaware near the Lewes and Rehoboth beaches.  In Rehoboth there is a spice shop called The Spice and Tea Exchange (www.spiceandtea.com) which I have walked into and oogled every time I go down for the past year.  Seriously, the smell of the place makes your mouth water.  I'd been wanting to buy some spices, but never had the money when I walked in (I have mentioned to you all how poor I am, right?).  So I simply oohed and aahed and dreamed. 

This time around I made certain I reserved a little money to buy some spices to try at home.  Now I'm generally a very simple cook.  I use a few staple herbs (from my awesome pot garden this summer!) and spices that I keep on hand for most every dish I make.  So as I was browsing I decided I would aim for some more exotic flavors that I've never tried.  These are what I ended up with:

From Left: Moroccan Seasoning, Malaysian Ginger Curry, Ginger Teriyaki

I've only had a chance to use one so far, the Malaysian Ginger Curry, and I used it to make—what else?—CURRY!  Now I've never been a huge fan of spicy food, and most curries are described as spicy, so for years I was afraid to try one.  Until one night several years ago when a friend we were living with invited us to share some he had made.  I was surprised how delicious it was.  So here I am, years later, trying to make it myself.
 **Warning: this is NOT a traditional Indian curry by any means.  It is an Americanized version.**

To review the spice blend first, I'd like to say that a little goes a long way.  As you can see from the picture above (which was taken after I made the curry) you can't tell I used any.  In fact I used 2 tsps and that was more than enough to give powerful flavor to the dish.  This particular blend has more dimension to it than the grocery store kind my friend used, so it makes for a much more interesting dish.

Mine came out a little thin, but thickened in fridge the next day

Crock-Pot Curry Chicken
Serves 4 with leftovers (or 2 for several days)
Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken breast (you could also use boneless thighs) cut into 1" cubes
• 1 Tblsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 larger potatoes, cubed (I used red-skin potatoes)
• 3-4 large carrots, cut into 1" chunks (thicker is better here)
• 1/2 to 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup cream (or milk)
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 tsp curry powder 
• Water (or homemade stock) to cover
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Cornstarch to thicken (if desired)

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat.
2. Cube chicken breast and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of curry seasoning.
3. Brown chicken in skillet on all sides.  Remove from pan and set into bottom of crock-pot or slow-cooker.
4. Sweat onions in skillet to soften.  Add garlic after 2 minutes.  Once onions and garlic take on a soft, translucent look add them to crock-pot.
5. Add carrots and potatoes to crock-pot.
6. Add condensed soup, cream/milk, water/stock and curry seasoning.
7. Stir to combine.  Salt and Pepper to taste.  Cover and set on low for 4-6 hours.
8. 10-15 minutes before serving, add frozen peas.
9. If curry is too thin for your taste, mix 1 Tblsp cornstarch and 1-2 Tblsp water and add to curry a few minutes before serving (leave pot uncovered for best thickening results).
10. Serve over rice and enjoy!

The Very BEST Chicken Fingers You Will Ever Eat!

I'm home sick from work (for the second day in a row) and I just couldn't sleep anymore.  So I decided I had neglected you all for long enough, it's time for another recipe.  I actually have a whole ton of pictures I've taken of recipes I want to share with you, but the past several months my time has been dominated by the final semester of my Master's program.

Now, my thesis is in and classes are completed, so I can once again dedicate more time to you all!  I'm sure you're just overjoyed.

Okay, this isn't why you're here.  You're here because of the title.  I promised the very best chicken fingers you've ever had.  "How can she really make that claim?" you might ask. 

I make the claim because they are that good!  I got the original recipe from The Pioneer Woman.  I had one chicken breast thawed, no vegetables (so I couldn't make my go-to Stir Fry), and a half a container of buttermilk leftover from making cupcakes.  I needed to feed my boyfriend, who was becoming hangrier (that moment when hungry and angry meet) by the second.  I found her recipe for Chicken tenders and it was a light at the end of the tunnel. (You can find her recipe here)

Since that first encounter I find myself keeping buttermilk on hand much more often.  It's a cheap ingredient, but it makes all the difference in these strips.  I suppose you could use an egg wash, but then they wouldn't be the Best you've ever tasted.

Now, the Pioneer Woman—while I absolutely LOVE her—doesn't use too much seasoning for this recipe.  As a (semi) reformed picky eater, I can appreciate the simplicity.  But I thought these tenders could do with a little pick-me-up of flavor.  So I employed the flavor commandments I have learned from years of watching Food Network.

Firstly, that you should—and shall—season at every level of the process to develop deep flavors.

And Secondly, that there is no "wrong" combination of flavors.

So I experimented, and the following is the recipe I came up with.

Best Chicken Fingers of Your Life
Ingredients:
1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into strips (PW gets the pre-cut strips, I find it's cheaper to do the cutting myself)
Buttermilk, enough to cover with about 1/4-1/2 cup left-over (sometimes you can find this in Pint sizes which should be enough—I've yet to find smaller than a quart though)
1 1/2 cups flour
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Poultry seasoning

Directions:
1) Cut chicken breast into strips.

2) add 1/2 tsp Paprika, 1/2 tsp Garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning to buttermilk, as well as a dash of salt and a grind or two of pepper.  Mix together, the buttermilk should turn a light salmon pink.

3) Soak the Chicken strips in the buttermilk mixture.  Let marinate at least 15 minutes.

4) In a separate bowl mix 1 and 1/2 cups flour with another 1 tsp each of Paprika, Garlic powder and Poultry seasoning, as well as some salt and pepper. (Are you starting to see this seasoning every layer yet?)

5) Mix together with a fork.  While mixing the flour, drizzle in a little of the leftover buttermilk at a time (anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup in total).  There will be some clumps, which is okay, just try to keep them on the smaller side.

6) Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-low to medium heat.  Check that the heat is correct by sprinkling a little flour over the oil.  It should bubble.

7) Take soaked strips, a couple at a time, and dredge through the flour mixture. Gingerly shake off any excess and set aside.  The clumps from the buttermilk drizzle will cling to the chicken and create crispy bites of fried deliciousness.

8) Once the oil is hot and you have enough dredged, drop the strips into the oil a few at a time—be careful not to over-crowd the pan!  Cook strips about 1-2 minutes per side,or until they get beautiful and golden brown.

I usually dredge the next batch while the first one is cooking.

9) Once done cooking, remove the strips to a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess grease.  Once all the strips are cooked, serve with french fries or potato chips—or just a little side of ketchup or bbq sauce.  Whoever you make them for, they won't stay on the plate for long (unless they're vegetarian...but then I bet you could easily find other things to fry up in this buttermilk dredge)

Once you try these, no pre-frozen diner or fast-food finger will ever measure up.  And the best part is how easy the recipe is to experiment with!  Add your own spices, try some cayenne for a spicy kick, or a little Cajun seasoning for some zing!  Try some 5-spice and ginger for an Asian flare.  Throw the strips on top of salad or in a wrap, or cut them into bite size pieces and serve them as nuggets to the kids.

Travel Diary- Scotland

As promised, I have returned with the documentation of the second leg of my trip abroad—this time in Scotland!  I left my dear boyfriend to fly home alone as I went onward (via the tiniest plane I've ever boarded) to Edinburgh from Dublin.  I arrived four hours early to our lodgings with no professors in sight.  Once we'd all arrived and gone over our rules for the week we set out for lunch at the Mitre on the Royal Mile. 

It was here that I got my first taste of Scotland.  Venison Bangers and Mash with a deep Port jus and golden onion rings on top.

That evening we found ourselves a pub with a beautiful selection of alcohol, and christened our first night with a mini pub crawl.  It was here I had my first taste of Potato Leek soup, one of the two dishes which would ultimately get me through this week.

The next day we took a morning trip to Edinburgh Castle.  Once done several of us stopped for lunch on our way down the mile to Holyrood Palace.  A friend and I had really wanted to stop and have lunch at the Witchery, but the pricey menu had everyone else looking for something cheaper.  We ended up in a little sandwich shop further down the mile, which had once been the workshop of a famous good Samaritan turned serial killer from the 17-1800s.  It was here that I learned all sandwiches in Scotland come with butter.  As we would put mustard or mayonnaise or oil, they put butter.

 

On our next free day, several of us decided to take a trip to Portobello, on the north-eastern edge of the city.  Portobello was a rather familiar sight for those of us who have lived within 2 hours of the Jersey Shore our whole lives—as it was essentially the Scottish version.  Seagulls trying to steal food from small children, trash buried into the sand.  The buildings lining the walk are just older than those in NJ.

Near the sands and the waves of the North Sea, we found a little restaurant for lunch.  As was the case in much of Scotland (and in Ireland) the menu was very limited—bad news for a picky eater like me—so I ended up with what you see below.  Scottish Nachos.  A little burnt, but that sour cream is worth every stab of those sharp chips!  As it was in Ireland, so too are the dairy products in Scotland.

 Our next day trip a group of us decided to hop on a train and ride out to Glasgow on the other side of the country.  A short 1 hour ride and we arrived.  After a walk around the Modern Art Museum, my friend and I discovered the strange occurrence of cannibalism among Scottish Pigeons.  One of the strangest flavors of potato chip I've ever had was oddly compelling to these fowls.

For lunch we went to an Italian restaurant—because why not?!  There I ate a bowl of penne bolognese which was enormous, but satisfying.

After lunch we walked our way to Glasgow Cathedral, which was one of the most beautiful and gothic cathedrals I've ever seen.  Beside the cathedral was the Necropolis, a graveyard and park set on a high hill.  After a beautiful walk through the cemetery, and being harassed by a quite handsome, but quite crazy, scotsman about the political witches who controlled the world, we stopped at a pub for a break and some grub.  There I got the second of my staple foods for my time in Scotland—Onion Rings.  Beer battered, light, flaky and delicious fried onions.

After our excursions in Glasgow, I walked with my professor to the next town over to have dinner at the Sheep Heid Inn, the oldest surviving (and still operating) pub in Edinburgh.  I ordered the pork chops, which were thick cut with nearly as much fat as meat!  Served over mash and cabbage with a very good gravy.

The next day we had a day-trip to the edge of the highlands.  First we went to Sterling Castle, followed by lunch at Loch Lomond.  I had a delightful shepards pie, served over yorkshire pudding.  After lunch we climbed the steps up the mountain to see to view of the lake.  This was the part of Scotland I loved the most.

 

Our next stop on our tour of the highland edge was the Glengoyne Distillery.  We went on a tour of the Scotch distillery, which was enlightening and delicious.  For those alcohol connoisseurs reading this, if you ever find yourself in Scotland or Ireland with nothing to do, take a tour of a distillery.  Included in your tour is a tasting of several different years.

 

The 12 year old Scotch they started us off with before even setting foot on the tour route.

 This was the 18 year old Scotch we received at the end of the tour.

Our final night all together, my cohorts and I went out to a spanish tapas restaurant where we indulged in some pretty delicious places.  While I do not eat much seafood, I was surprised when one of my colleagues ordered prawns but didn't know how to go about eating them once they arrived.  I did my best to offer instructions from what I've seen on the Food Channel.

The star of the meal, by far, was the Paiea. Rice, onions, chorizo, chicken and saffron never tasted so sublime.  If they'd have let me I would have eaten the entire pan.

All in all my adventure through Scotland was slightly more limited than Ireland, though I learned some valuable lessons.  The Scottish put butter on everything, even cold-cut sandwiches and burgers, they ALWAYS cook their beef well-done, they don't offer many choices, and they don't always understand the concept of salt or seasoning.  However the regional dishes, such as Haggis, are worth a try as they are the best food you might have.  Surprises lay around every corner.

Until next time, keep experimenting in those labs and kitchens!  

XOXO- The Zombie Cook

Travel Diary—Food and Photography of my Trip to Ireland and Scotland

As a part of my graduate program, we were required to take a week long class in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Since I was going to be in that area for school, my boyfriend and I decided to stretch some money and take our summer vacation in Ireland.  We documented our entire journey through pictures—I think I took something in the region of 900 pictures—so I thought I would share the food adventure.

Our first day we arrived to Howth, Co. Dublin.  Had some hearty crepes—much thicker than I'm used to—and our first "traditional" Irish breakfast.

The most spectacular part was dessert though.

There is little that can compare to irish cream and butter, so it is easy to understand why their ice cream was so delicious!  It helped that during our trip the whole country was in the middle of a heat wave.  It was a scalding 70-80 degrees all week—which isn't much compared to PA—but one big difference is that they have NO airconditioning.  None.  Most of the B&Bs we stayed at didn't even have cieling fans.

Sunday, our second day we discovered not only that the Irish take their rugby very seriously (one of the towns we planned to stay in was booked solid for miles around, we could hardly drive through it the streets were so crowded) but that shops and restaurants—even in a city like Waterford—close EARLY on Sundays.  So we resorted to what we could find in the convenience store.

From Waterford, after a tour of the Viking tower and the crystal factory, we continued on to Kinsale, Co. Cork.  We arrived in the middle of a music festival and decided to try some festival food.  We decided on trying what the Irish consider Barbeque.

Pork roasted on the rotating spit—ala gyro—mixed with potatos and onions.  It was quite delicious, and perhaps the best seasoned dish we had on our trip!  I will admit in general, the Irish don't use many herbs, or spices, or salt.  This yummy street food was the oddity.  It even attracted a cute little begger.

Our dinner in Kinsale was had at The Lord Kingsale, which some people might recognize from travel ads.  It was a decent pub with some very good food.

 

Naturally, as we were in a pub, my boyfriend enjoyed himself a pint.  I know everyone who has ever been there says the Guinness tastes better—but it is true.  Something in the way the bartenders pour it.

For dinner Scott (my boyfriend) had Sol while I enjoyed some bangers and mash.  Some surprisingly spicey bangers and mash!

The next day I got my first taste of a traditional Irish lamb stew, though I admit it was wanting for salt.  I suspect if I had been able to get it from someones home instead it would have been yummier.

Next we moved on to Killarney, Co. Kerry.  We were hungry upon arrival so I could hardly take pictures before lunch was devoured.  We found a cute little cafe and had ourselves some colcannon twice baked potato, stuffed with potato, cabbage, cheese, and bacon.  As well as a sausage wrapped in puff-pastry (or whats left of one).

The next day we drove the Ring of Kerry, back-tracking back down to the town of Kenmare where we indulged in a deliciously cheap lunch.  Fresh baguette with grilled chicken, cole-slaw, and sauteed onions with chips (french fries) on the side with some local strawberries for dessert.

After lunch we drove the famous Ring of Kerry.  At first we weren't sure why it was so famous, most of the views of cows or trees or brush.  Then we saw this:

Make it Bigger!! Trust me on this one!

Breathtaking is an understatement.  After an amazing day driving through Kerry, we took the ferry over to Ennis, Co. Clare.  In Ennis I was finally able to find myself a menu with a steak—you'd think with as many cows in this country there would be more beef on their menus.  Scott tried the curry.  Apparently Indian food is to Ireland and Great Britain as Chinese food is to us in the U.S.

The next day we went to the Cliffs of Moher, another spot that from further away doesn't seem all that spectacular.  Then you climb up to the edge and WHOA.

 And no, these pictures have not been altered.  That is what they actually look like.  After another beautiful day, we found our dinner in a little rest-stop.  We were just hoping for something cheap and quick, what we got was Chicken ala King (aka breaded baked chicken) with mashed potatos (three scoops!) green beans, carrots and gravy.  It was huge!  and far more delicious than what I'm used to getting in a rest stop.

Our final night was spent back in Howth, where we indulged in a fishy feast—as it is a rather prosperous fishing village.

 Next time we'll look at my culinary tour of Scotland!  Until then—stay hungry!