Dad Tested Kid Approved - Apricot Glazed Chicken

Well, this recipe is really simple if the apricot glaze is made ahead. The apricot glaze is really a low sugar chutney. I would normally not puree this, however, let me tell you, most evenings as you other mothers can relate my culinary skills are tested by two very particular food critics. When, I am happy about a recipe, it meets several criteria - it is relatively pain free to make (by my standards and we all have our own!), it is not completely wreaking havoc on the planet, and it make the food critics and their dad happy. Now in research terms I could pretty much tell you that there is a strong positive correlation between standard two and standard three.

I tend to use a lot of apricots in cooking, again it appeals to my love of sweet and tangy flavors! This glaze would work well with fish and tofu as well! Also, I have used drumsticks (this is Aadi's new thing, he likes to hold the chicken and eat it) but it would be very nice on both a whole roast chicken or even duck or turkey!

Apricot Glazed Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes (including the glaze)

Ingredients

6-8 chicken drumsticks (skinned)

1 tablespoon very finely chopped mint

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Salt to taste

1/2 cup apricot glaze

Method of Preparation

1. Pre-heat an oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine all the ingredients for the chicken and place in a baking dish.

3. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes and serve.

Apricot Glaze

(makes 1 cup)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon

6-8 fresh apricots, coarsely chopped and seeded

1/3 cup brown sugar or honey

Juice of 2 lemons

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and cook for 20-30 seconds until they pop.

2. Add in the ginger and the apricots with the remaining ingredients.

3. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.

4. Cool slightly and grind into a paste in a food processor.

5. Use as needed

An event, backyard cooking and more...

Anshul's summer project is begining to bear fruit - more vegetables to be precise, but we are really proliferated with lovely green spinach, red beets and yet new big tomatoes. I am a little tired tonight to post the garden pictures, but promise to do this over the weekend!

This particular recipe is the begining of what I shall be calling backyard cooking, recipes inspired by what I can find in my backyard - in this instance the tomato and the cilantro are from the backyard. The rest of the recipe just came together.


Butternut Squash and Zucchini Curry

The recipe has lots of lemony notes that are a perfect contrast to the sweet butternut squash used here. I have also added crumbled paneer (I made this a couple of days back) for some richness and body. The recipe is gently tempered with mustard seeds, that makes a lovely nutty contrast to the onions and garlic scapes that are used to form the base of this rather simple homestyle dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons mustard or extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 medium sized red onion, peeled and cut into a dice
1/2 cup finely chopped garlic scapes
1 large tomato, cut into a dice
1 zuchini, cut into a large dice (basically the size here is in between a cube and a dice)
2 cups, diced butternut squash (this can be pumpkin)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
3/4 cup crumbled paneer
1 lime or lemon, halved and seeded
3/4 cup chopped cilantro


Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the mustard and nigella seeds and cook for about 30 seconds until the mustard seeds begin to pop.
2. Add in the onion and garlic scapes and saute on low heat for 3-4 minutes until the onion is wilted and transluscent.
3. Add in the tomato and cook for another 3-4 minutes until soft.
4. Stir in the zuchini and butternut squash with the salt, turmeric and chili powder (if using this) and the paneer, mix well, cover and cook for 7 minutes till the vegetables are soft.
5. Squeeze in the lemon or lime juice and the cilantro. Remove from heat and serve.

If you like this kind of cooking, please check in through next week. The Westchester bloggers are doing a blogathon to promote the local farmers markets. You can see the blogs in the, "In the neighbourhood section of my blog. If you are a food blogger in Westchester, please join the Westchester Food Bloggers group on Facebook to join the fun!

Nankano - When it rains!

This particular post is long overdue, sorry Nankano people. A few weeks back courtesy the foodbuzz tastemakers program, I recieved a free coupon for the vinegar. I got myself some regular rice vinegar.
The last couple of weeks, I have been trying to soak up some of the beautiful weather we have been having, looks like today broke the spell. The rain has lulled me into a state of general relaxed laziness, I am trying to get myself some reading inventory. I wanted to cook something really quick, this salmon literally gets done in a flash - actually right while I am getting the rest of the dinner ready. We liked this so much we actually had this with a simple sa

Broiled Salmon with blackberries

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 lbs sock-eye salmon fillet ( I actually used the trader joe frozen variety)
1 cup fresh blackberries

Method of Preparation
1. Mix the vinegar and maple syrup with the paprika, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, salt and oil.
2. Cut the salmon into four pieces and rub with the marinade prepared above and set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Place on a baking pan and broil for about 7 minutes. Turn the fish, add the blackberries and broil for another 3 minutes. Note the fish should be gently browned at spots and the blackberries should barely begin to release their juices.

Green Love

The summer project this year in our household is our little edible garden. This is the first time, we have invested a little tome to pay attention to the tiny little spot that we had at the back of our little backyard. It is interesting as with anything natural even though we planted everything together we are seeing the results in batches. We have lots of spinach, I personally love spinach so my husband planted tons of it. I think I need to think before I ask in future. At least 2-3 evenings I recieve two large colanders filled with bright green spinach, washed and picked through by the man. Earlier this week

I tried something different, with the spinach. I actually cooked this in a fairly thick sauce. I first made the sauce and then folded the spinach into the base. The results were interesting. The most pronounced flavor here is the fennel.

Spinach in a fennel tomato sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 small red onion, cut into a coarse dice

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 large tomato cut into a dice
1 large stick cinnamon

2 green serrano chillies, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups of washed fresh spinach leaves

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add in the fennel and cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle.

2. Into this mixture add in the red onion, ginger, garlic and mix well. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft and just begining to turn golden.

3. Add in the tomato, cinnamon and the chillies and salt and cook this mixture for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. At this point, you sould have a fairly smooth gravy, with the onions soft and melted into the sauce.

4. Fold in the spinach leaves and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the spinach is just cooked through.

This dish is as homey and comforting as the no frills picture. It tastes pretty good even at room temperature.

Summer Expedition - Muscoot Farms

Well, the rains of the past several weeks seem to have given way to lush lawns and a plethora of really beautiful flowers. A good way to enjoy summers bounty is to stop by farms and local parks. Last weekend we went to muscoot farms and I was pleasantly surprised at how crowded things were. There were kids and picnickers everywhere, they had an ice cream stand that was quite a hit. Lots of mushrooms, I found them really facinating! My children unfortunately do not really dig musrooms, so..

Hudson milk company - cheese, Euro syle butter, homemade natural yogurt.

Merediths jams and preserves

Japanese style marinades and salad dressings

Honey and maple syrup products

This came home so stay tuned for the recipes

Some interesting items like maple teas and coffee in this aisle, maybe it is just me, but this was novel to me.

Another pretty store, focussed on lavendar - food and beyond, had wreaths and such.

Kids did the hayride

Well, the rains of the past several weeks seem to have given way to lush lawns and a plethora of really beautiful flowers. A good way to enjoy summers bounty is to stop by farms and local parks. Last weekend we went to muscoot farms and I was pleasantly surprised at how crowded things were. There were kids and picnickers everywhere, they had an ice cream stand that was quite a hit.

Seasonal Bounty

My daughter loves cucumber and yogurt - the natural tangy variety. In summer, she feasts on yogurt.

In summer, she is in heaven. She actually has cucumbers in her sandwich instead of lettuce. So cucumber raita is naturally a logical choice. If you are going be seeing lots of garlic scapes, in the farmers markets these days. If you like garlic the way we do, you can use them for anything. Here is what I did with the raita,
Cucumber, Garlic and Orange Raita
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients
3/4 cup natural yogurt (with whey)
1/2 teaspoon black salt
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons orange juice ( 1 shall actually use small pieces of fresh sectioned oranges next time)
1 teaspoon very finely chopped ginger (optional)
1 teaspoon minced mint
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic scapes
1/2 cup peeled grated cucumber (1 small cucumber)
Method of Preparation
1. Beat the yogurt well, and mix in the black salt, honey, orange juice, ginger and mint till the ingredients are well mixed.
2. Stir in the garlic scapes and cucumber. Chill and use the raita as dip or side. We ate this with alu tikkis today.

Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

A good sauce takes time to makes, not necessary a lot of effort but a lot of time. Sometimes the interesting element is that like a good broth a good sauce can be really versatile. This one initially seemed fussy as I started it - with red peppers and tomatoes, all picked up from our local markets. Initially roasting the peppers seemed like a good idea, especially since I was letting them do their thing, watching the black creep up and envelope the vivid red as I sat and chatted with my sister-in-law. Well, then I cut up the tomatoes, at again all of this seemed easy enough. As the sauce cooked for some reason it seemed like it was going nowhere, it look bright but rather insipid. But this ended up being - "mommy can I get this for lunch worthy!" with pasta. The key to justifying such an effort really make a large batch.

By the way on a totally different note, if like me you want a little lovely pick me up, try reading this piece. Totally touching and beautiful!

Anyhow as the sauce simmered, I could not help thinking we are living in bizzare times in terms of gubenatorial escapes, from the MIA man taking off to meet his lady love, to Ms. Fiesty non-conformist, who thinks it is cool to up and leave for greener pastures.

Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Makes 5 cups of finished sauce

Ingredients

3 red bell peppers

10 large ripe tomatoes (I used 4 lbs, vine ripened tomatoes)

1/3 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons grated garlic

5 shallots, cut into a dice

15 basil leaves

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon red chili pepper

2 cups white wine (I used a chardonay)

1 tablespoon sugar

Method of Preparation

1. Roast the red peppers on an open flame until the skin is blackened evenly, remove from the flame and place on ice cubes to rub and remove the burnt skin.

2. Coarsely chop and set aside.

3. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and set aside.

4. Heat the oil and butter add the garlic and the shallots. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until they are transluscent and begining to turn golden at the edges.

5. Add in the peppers and tomatoes and stir well. Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes. By now you should have a pot of bubbling red liquid and chunky by fair well cooked tomatoes.

6. Add in the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat on low and simmer for another 2 hours, Stirring occasionally.

7. Cool the sauce and blend into a smooth puree. This yields a very flavorful sauce that can be used over pasta or actually as a base for anything that you can think off.

A long long week

This has been a difficult week at work. The stress of things has just been exhausting! These troubled times can be very demanding, I actually think cooking and walking are extremely therapeutic. I am not sure what I would do if I did not have food, in my life. Food nourishes and sustains and cheers in the worst of days.

This fried rice was my first time cooking with really old and left over rice as in rice from a chinese takeout package. I was surprise how well it worked out. This recipe is an indo-chinese variation of fried rice.

Chili-Garlic Fried Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup shallots, chopped

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 green chillies minced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

2-3 large shrimp chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, minced

2 cups rice (at least 1 day old, kept for several hours in the refrigerator)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sriracha

1 teaspoon sugar

Method of Preparation

1. Heat half the oil and stir in the shallots, scallions and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.

2. Beat the eggs and salt.

3. In a seperate pan heat the remaining oil and cook the eggs like omelettes.

4. Cut the eggs into small 1 inch pieces

5. Add the carrots and chillies to the shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes.

6. Add in all the remaining ingrendients and cook till well mixed with the rice. Stir in the eggs and serve.