East Indian Lamb Curry

Soooo... If you are ever in the position where you have leftover lamb that you don't know what to do with, then this recipe is for you. Seriously, this recipe is for you. It is delicious, restaurant quality food. Wait, why do we say restaurant quality, when everyone know that home cooked meals are far superior than restaurants?  Hmm.
Anyway, I am going to try this recipe with chicken next to see if it will do well. Or maybe pork.  It was sort of complicated. My mom's recipes usually are. By the way, I DID NOT cook this. My mom did!  People think that I am always coming out with amazing food. Well... I am. But at least half of what I post is my mom's creations. I always try to give her credit though.

Notice there is no actual curry powder in this recipe. That is because curry is made of all these other spices. My mom ended up creating her own curry. If you love Indian food, you will probably love this. It was so rich in flavor.  And not linear flavor, but there was a depth to the flavorings.

East Indian Lamb Curry

Substituted chili for cayenne, did not chop up pepper. In addition, grated fresh ginger instead of paste, did not add tomato. Simmered meat with first group of seasoning for about 20-30 minutes, then add all other ingredients except yogurt (only had buttermilk) Once onions tender, add buttermilk (yogurt in future) and turned off the heat and stirred it in. Took cardamom seeds out of pod. Scooped out the cloves, seeds and bay leaves before adding onions and spices.

1 1/2 lbs. boneless lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
1 black cardamom pod
1 (2 inch) cinnamon sticks
10 peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 1/2 large onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 green chili pepper, chopped (optional)
salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 cup diced tomato
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:
1 Heat oil in large pan; add bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves.
2 When leaves begin to sizzle and fragrance starts to release, add onions and sauté until light golden, about 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
3 Stir in the ginger paste, garlic, chili pepper, and lamb.
4 Season the lamb with salt; continue cooking, stirring mix, for about 20 minutes more, adding a little water if necessary to keep food from sticking.
5 Add turmeric, coriander powder, cayenne, and garam masala; stir for 5 minutes, adding 2 tablespoons water.
6 Add diced tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
7 Then add 4 cups of water and simmer for 15 minutes, or until meat is getting tender.
8 Lower the heat
9 Whisk the yogurt with a fork; and add to the pot slowly.
10 Then cook until meat is done to your liking and sauce is thickened.
11 Garnish with cilantro leaves.
12 Serve with steamed basmati rice

 If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - Tolkien

Classic 50's Chippy's Diner

Mom and I tried out the new diner in Escondido. Chippy's Diner took over the Metaphor Café, which is awesome because it was seedy to begin with. Grosser once it was abandoned. Chippy's is on the corner of E. 2nd Ave and Juniper.  They just opened up this past February. You can check out the article in the Union Tribune.

I liked their look. Full of black and white checks, some vintage décor, old Coke stuff. It was quiet when we went there as it was lunch time. However, they are still brand new and have not even completed renovating. Part of the eating area was curtained off because they haven't completed that part yet. One day they probably will have juke boxes and more wall art, but they aren't quite there yet. I just like to support local establishments, especially one's that are trying to get up and running. I know how that is, after working for 2 locally and independently owned establishments.

Besides all that, the food was pretty good. Mom got a Reuben and I bought a cheeseburger. The cheeseburger was very good. I feel that if the meat is not marinated or flavored in some way, it is BORING!  This was not. The owner was a chef for several restaurants before this, so he knows his stuff. Oh, and besides, they serve Coca Cola, not Pepsi!  So booyah Pepsi lovers.

But the fries were what I loved the most. Their signature fries are served with scatterings of balsamic vinegar and minced garlic and sprinkled with parsley and parmesan cheese. Very delightful.

And don't forget the pickle!

They leave you with little candies with the check too. Saltwater taffy and bubble gum. So cute.

What? Your Chicken is Orange?....Gross

I think I mentioned in a previous blog that I credited my cooking skills to my ex-husband. You think I would remember since there only has been three previous blogs. Anyway, he was the one that taught me actual skills. My parents have always taught us to be adventurous eaters. Now that we are grown and appreciate my mom's cooking more, she gets to be more fun and creative than when we were kids.

And how does she do it, you ask? Well, Seth, I can explain if you just CALM DOWN! For example, she does this thing where she finds random ingredients on the shelf that she wants to use and Googles recipes with those ingredients. Then she combines two or more recipes to make her own. Creates her own awesome stuff.

This is the chicken she made the other day. I was told that it looked like P.F. Chang's, and it does. But it is waaaayyy tastier than P.F.! It had depth to the flavor and the sweet of the pineapple complimented the zesty orange and ginger nicely.

 All the credit goes to my mom for this one. The notes are hers. So I am calling it:

Mom's Better than P.F. Chang's Orange Chicken

4 boneless skinless white breast meats OR
(I cooked a bag of frozen popcorn chicken in a little oil until it was crunchy and heated/cooked through. Took that out of the pan and made the sauce. Just pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve over rice.)

Ingredients:
Orange Sauce-
1 ½ cups orange juice (fresh squeezed)
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest-grated
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
 ½ teaspoon ginger root (I grated it)
1 teaspoon garlic (used garlic press- several cloves- I always put more than it calls for)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (can add more if not hot enough)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup water
Garnish-
 2 tablespoons green onion-chopped

Combine orange juice and soy sauce and blend well over medium heat for a minute. Stir in pineapple, orange zest, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
Combine cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over chicken, and if desired, garnish with green onions.

Wilted Chard Salad

My dad grows a garden. Always has. It was nice as a kid because not only did we learn the meaning of prison labor, but we literally got to enjoy the fruits of our labor. I think I like vegetables now because I had a vested interest in them growing  up. Except lima beans. Hate them and always will.

Chard is sort of like spinach. I love it. I love all greens. I usually make a wilted spinach salad that involves feta cheese, but thought I would change it up a bit.

The stuff in the background is Orange Chicken, which I will provide that recipe at a later time.

For the chard, this is what I did.

Wilted Chard Salad

a bunch of chard, de-stemmed and sliced into manageable pieces (uncooked fills out a mixing bowl)
this stuff really cooks down a lot, so don't be fooled when you have a huge pile of it.
juice from 1/2 lemon
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
6 strips bacon (or can do bacon fat with no bacon)
salt and pepper to taste
green onions chopped

 

In a large skillet, fry to bacon. Pull out the bacon and leave the grease. toss in the minced garlic and mix around until golden brown. Break up the bacon pieces.

Put in the chard and cook down, about 5 minutes.
Mix in the bacon, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss in the green onions and mix around for another minute or so.

Makes about 3 servings.

Spoiler Alert: pretty much all future recipes will have vague amounts of ingredients. mostly because I toss in handfuls and pinches of stuff. I try hard to remember as I go, but I don't always remember what I did. I will use words like toss, slap, and pinch when referring to mixing in food.

Do, or do not. There is no 'try'.