Best Chicken Curry of Your Life

Matt said it tasted just like Bombay House. I made it with vegetable Briyani and homemade naan. It was bangarang. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup cooking oil 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon water 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 cup plain yogurt 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Sprinkle the chicken breasts with 2 teaspoons salt. Cut them into desired-sized chunks.
2.	Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat; partially cook the chicken in the hot oil in batches until completely browned. Transfer the browned chicken breasts to a plate and set aside.
3.	Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-high; add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the oil remaining in the skillet and cook and stir until the onion turns translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon of water into the onion mixture; allow to heat together for about 1 minute while stirring. Mix the tomatoes, yogurt, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, and 1 teaspoon salt into the mixture. Return the chicken breast to the skillet along with any juices on the plate. Pour 1/2 cup water into the mixture; bring to a boil, turning the chicken to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cilantro over the chicken.
4.	Cover the skillet and simmer until the chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Sprinkle with lemon juice to serve.

Home canned Marinara

Rachel's Canned Marinara

40-50 lbs ripe tomatoes (2 cases of tomatoes)

6-8 onions

1 cup minced garlic

1 large box mushrooms

6-8 carrots

8-10 cans tomato paste

2 bottles red cooking wine

1/2 cup olive oil

large bunch fresh italian flat-leaf parsley

2 cups fresh basil

1/2 cup dried italian seasoning

8 Tbsp salt

6 Tbsp black pepper

2 Tbsp sugar

All of these ingredients should be divided equally between two large stock pots.

First prepare the tomatoes by coring them and cutting an x just into the top layer of the skin on the bottom of each tomato.  Then blanch tomatoes in boiling water in batches.  After skin begins to loosen, transfer to ice water and peel all skin from tomatoes.  Then crush tomatoes with a blender or a potato masher.  Strain off about 2/3-3/4 of the tomato liquid.  Set tomatoes aside.  Tip: I do this step the first day and then let the tomatoes sit overnight covered on my counter in a giant pot and then make the marinara the next day.  You can do it all in one day but it is kind of crazy.

Pulse onions and garlic in batches in a food processor until minced small or do this by hand.  In two large stock pots heat the olive oil divided (about 1/4 cup in each pot).  Then divide the onions and garlic and sautee in each pot.  Meanwhile peel the carrots and process the mushrooms and carrots until very small.  Add divided carrots and mushrooms to pots and sautee with onions and garlic.  Season each pot with 2 Tbsp Salt and 1 Tbsp pepper.  Stir frequently so you don't burn any of the veggies but sautee them long enough to develop a deep golden brownish color.  Add one bottle of red cooking wine to each pot to deglaze and turn up the heat so it will reduce.  When the wine has reduced almost all the way add in the divided cans of tomato paste.  Stir to combine mixture.  Then add crushed tomatoes divided to each pot.  Chop parsley and basil and divide and add to pots along with the dried seasonings, sugar, and the remaining salt and pepper.  Stir frequently, scraping up the bottom until all ingredients are well combined.  Bring pots to a boil.  This will take awhile.  Then reduce heat and cover pots and simmer for 4-6 hours.  Stir the sauce frequently to avoid burning the bottom.  Then puree to desired consistency with a stick blender and adjust seasonings to taste.  

Sanitize large canning jars and fill with Marinara leaving 1 inch of headspace.  Process in a pressure canner at 12 pounds of pressure for 35 minutes.  

Vegetable Quiche

I'm making this tonight and looked for the recipe on here and I was appalled that it isn't on the website. It is mom's recipe and My. Favorite. Quiche. Recipe. In. The. World.

Vegetable Quiche

Saute 2 TB butter, 2 sliced zucchini, 5 mushrooms, ½ onion, 1.2 twsp. Garlic, until just tender. 2 eggs, 1 cup milk, ½ cup swiss cheese, 1 tsp, salt, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ tsp. pepper, ½ cup bread crumbs, ½ c grated fresh parmesan. Sliced fresh tomatoes.

Sprinkle a little of the mixture of cheese and bread crumbs together on bottom of pie tin with the Pillsbury pie crust in it.  Then layer sliced tomatoes, sautéed vegetables then mixed together eggs milk and spices then sliced tomatoes again and then crumbs and cheese to end.  Can add sun dried tomatoes.  I add on top before the last layer some seasoned salt and more pepper.  Bake at 375 for 1 hour of until center comes out dry on a knife not watery.  Cool for twenty minutes before cutting.  Can bake in the morning or the day before and just warm in the oven or microwave.  Yum!

Fabulous Whole Wheat Bread

This Sunday my kids wanted to learn how to make real from-scratch homemade bread. So we pulled out the wheat grinder, reminding me of the thrill I felt as a child when I poured whole wheat kernels into Nana's monstrous wheat grinder. After hours of waiting, finally it would come steaming out of the oven. Anyway, this bread recipe was chewy and delicious and the oats give it a yummy, slightly nutty texture. The dough also made fabulous elephant ears while we waited for the dough to rise. Recipe compliments of Epicurious.

2 cups whole milk 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) plus additional for topping 1/2 cup warm water (105-115°F) 2 tablespoons active dry yeast (from 3 packages) 1/2 cup mild honey 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for buttering pans 3 cups stone-ground whole-wheat flour About 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon salt Vegetable oil for oiling bowl 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water Special equipment: 2 (8- by 4-inch) loaf pans Heat milk in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan over low heat until hot but not boiling, then remove pan from heat and stir in oats. Let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooled to warm. Stir together water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir yeast mixture, melted butter, and remaining honey into cooled oatmeal. Stir together whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add oat mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead with floured hands, adding just enough of remaining unbleached flour to keep from sticking, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes (dough will be slightly sticky). Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel; let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Lightly butter loaf pans. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf, then place 1 loaf in each buttered pan, seam side down, tucking ends gently to fit. Cover loaf pans loosely with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush tops of loaves with some of egg wash and sprinkle with oats, then bake until bread is golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes. (Remove 1 loaf from pan to test for doneness. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen.) Remove bread from pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Oatmeal-Wheat-Bread-232825#ixzz27zYLQJVo

Julia Childs' Reine de Saba Cake

So I've been craving a real, authentic french chocolate cake whose texture and taste is extremely different from what American recipes produce. I looked through my French cookbooks and made this gem of a treat. It was just like I was back in Paris, so rich, so complex, so dense, so moist!

Round cake pan 8inches
4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
2 Tbsp rum or 1 Tbsp rum extract
1 stick softened butter
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/3 cup pulverized almonds (in a cuisinart)
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour (sifted)

Preheat oven to 350
Butter and flour cake pan VERY WELL including this sides.
Chop up baking chocolate and place it in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it for 30 SECONDS ONLY. Stir and repeat for another 30 seconds. Repeat until chocolate is smooth. If you do it too long, the chocolate will seize up.

Cream butter and sugar for several minutes until they form a pale yellow, fluffy mixture.
Beat in three egg yolks until blended. Mix the almond and rum extracts into creamed butter mixture.

Beat the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1 Tbsp sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

With a rubber spatula blend the chocolate with the creamed butter/sugar/yolks then stir in pulverized almonds. Immediately stir in 1/4 of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Switch back and forth slowly folding in the flour and egg whites in parts until they are all incorporated.

Turn batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter up to the rim with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 25 minutes. NO LONGER! The cake should be slightly underdone in the center.
Cool the cake for 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge and reverse cake onto plate or tray.

Optional Glacage au Chocolate (frosting)
2 squares semi sweet baking chocolate
1 Tbsp rum extract
5-6 Tbsp softened, UNSALTED butter

Melt the chocolate in the microwave.
Whisk rum extract into the softened butter THEN add the melted chocolate.
If you don't do it in this order the chocolate will seize up.

Custard Divine!

5 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 cup sugar (or agave substitute)

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup cream

3 egg yolks

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

Start by beating the egg yolks in large glass measuring cup and set aside.

Mix corn starch, sugar and salt in large sauce pan. Add milk and cream into mixture and stir constantly over medium heat until smooth and thick and starts to bubble. Take sauce pan off of heat and pour about 1 cup of hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture.Blend thoroughly, then pour egg yolk mixture back into the sauce pan and cook for another two or three minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool.

Helpful hints: Make sure when you stir that you are getting the edges of the sauce pan so the custard does not burn along the edges. Also, the enzymes in saliva make your custard go flat, so do not double dip a taste with the same spoon. Do not put a lid on the sauce pan while cooling the custard because it will create condensation into the custard and make it go runny.

Mother Teresa's English Trifle

1 lb pound cake (or two depending on the size of your bowl)

*Raspberries ( both fresh and frozen)

One cup of whipping cream

*Fresh strawberries

Custard

Slivered almonds (toasted)

* There are not exact amounts on the berries. It just depends on how big you make your trifle.

Also Peaches are wonderful in season and other types of berries are delicious as well.

Directions:

Begin by making Custard ( I will add the custard recipe in a separate post). Upon completion set custard aside and allow it to cool completely.

Make your whipped cream and once the custard is completely cooled fold in the whipped cream to the custard.

Combine berries in a bowl and sweeten with agave or real maple syrup to taste.

Cut pound cake into one inch cubes

Put half of the pound cake into a trifle bowl. Next, pour about half of the berry mixture on top of the pound cake (add some juice from the berries being careful not to completely saturate the pound cake. Finally spread half of the custard mixture onto the berries and repeat the layers in the same order.

Optional: Sprinkle toasted almonds on top and fresh berries