Chappli and Tikka Chicken with Naan

Tikka & Chappli Chicken Thighs with Garlic Naan

I am an obsessive fan of Indian and Middle Eastern spices. The aromas they give off, toasted or not, cooking or not, are insanely wonderful! People are oftentimes afraid to cook with the myriad spices used to make spice blends, such as Garam Masala an Chappli and Tikka, because they do not know what taste to associate the aroma with.  Is it hot? Is it flavorful, or flavorful and hot? Until you try the food at an Indian or Pakistani restaurant, or another middle eastern restaurant, you might not ever know.  With that, however, people are increasingly more knowledgeable about Turmeric, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, oregano, thyme, cloves, anise and more. Are you saying:  "Oooohhhhhh, Those are in Garam Masala and Tikka and Chappli?"  So are ginger, chiles, cardamom, cinnamon and fenugreek leaves.  Fenugreek has a kind of sweet, almost maple syrup, aroma. 

*Just an FYI:  Chappli spice has a degree of heat!

You can find many of the above spices in your own grocery store in the spices aisle.  Garam Masala is one of those where it rather depends; I purchase a bag full of the spices and leaves already measured out to grind up in my processor and store for a good six weeks.  Please note: different sources may vary on how long you can store your Garam Masala and other spice mixes.  Some are two or three weeks, some are up to three months.  

Rather than grind my own Chappli and Tikka spices, I buy them professionally packaged from my local Pakistani store.  They can be purchased as ground spices, packaged, or, you can purchase them as sauces, also professionally bottled. 

Regardless, I love them and use them in many of my dishes.  Do not be afraid to experiment!  As you have seen, many of the spices are spices you already have individually in your own spice cabinets!

Now, to my simplest pantry meal EVER.  This meal is for the night when you are tired, your frig and pantry and freezer are a bit on the empty side but you have mouths to feed. Have a package of chicken thighs, whether or not they're boneless skinless?  Have a can of tomatoes (peeled, stewed, diced)? Have a package of spices I have mentioned above, and you have a meal in the making!  Let's go with what I had on hand. 

Ingredients

1 package chicken (thighs or breasts)

3 tablespoons Grape Seed oil

2 rounded tablespoons Chappli spice mix

2 rounded tablespoons Tikka spice mix

1 16.8-ounce can of sliced tomatoes 

2 tablespoons Mirin

1/2 onion, coarsely chopped*

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

I purchased Garlic Naan at the local grocer.

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.

On a cutting board for meats, remove the chicken thighs and add the spice mixture to both sides of the chicken thighs. 

In a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, add three tablespoons -- three rounds around the skillet -- of grape seed oil.  When the oil begins to ripple, reduce the heat to medium and place the chicken open side down (if boneless/skinless) and sear for three minutes.  The chicken may be ready to turn at that time in the oil. IF not, let it sear a couple of more minutes.  Do not force the turn of the chicken.  Once the thighs have been turned, add the onion, garlic and tomatoes.  Stir to incorporate and snuggle the in the chicken. 

*As I expressed earlier, this was a true pantry meal.  I did not have fresh onion and garlic at that time, so I used dried onion and garlic powder and added those to the Chappli and Tikka spice mixes in a bowl and whisked them together thoroughly. 

If I had fresh onion and garlic on hand for this dish, it would appear much differently than above.  I would also add fresh cilantro to the skillet.  But, I did not, making it a pantry meal.  That makes this a very flexible dish, with great potential. 

I love to make videos for promotion. 

Finally, add the Mirin and stir that in as best as possible. Place the skillet into the oven and roast for twenty minutes.  You may use a thermometer to check if the chicken is ready, or, if the chicken oozes clear fluids, it is done.  Trusting your nose and your eyes is best.  Like your hands, they are among your best kitchen tools. 

I let the chicken rest a few minutes prior to serving.  The aroma was just soothing and stimulating all at the same time. Delightful, overall. 

I served the chicken and tomatoes with garlic naan, which was a perfect decision, and grated parmesan to catch pieces of chicken and mop up the incredibly flavorful juices.  

Next time I make this, and I will, I promise to have fresh ingredients, but for now, this is what a pantry meal is all about: simplicity and flavor, satisfying. 

This dish serves up to three people easily, or four fairly light eaters. 

As Always, I am grateful for your time and consideration!  Please try something new like this, and enjoy an adventurous meal with new and delightful spices. Now, Go Cook for Someone You Love!

~Martin

In-House Cook

Stuffed Pork Loin Roast with Oven Roasted Potatoes and Scallion Tomato Marinated Salad

Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin Roast with Marinated Tomatoes and Scallion and Marinated Oven Roasted Potatoes

Well That title sure is a mouth full! And oyyyy, the confessions I have for you!  Let me narrate that along the way. To start, I'd planned to slice open the pork loin roast, unrolling it, roulade style. I had planned to stuff it with marinated mozzarella, onion and chive cream cheese, scallions and herbs. I was going to tie it together, bracciole style, and roast it over baby Yukon Gold potatoes, whole. I had also  planned to marinate thin slices of baby tomato medley and scallions (keeping the scallion theme).  Only part of that actually happened:  the marinated tomatoes and scallions and the roast stuffing. 

Before I start my confessional, let's get to the recipe for the pork loin roast and stuffing.  

Ingredients

6 tablespoons cream cheese (I had chive and onion)

1 log marinated mozzarella

1 rounded tablespoon dry Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

2 teaspoons finely grated garlic

1/4 cup scallion whites and greens, sliced on a bias

2 teaspoons dried or fresh oregano

1 cup Greek Vinaigrette

1 pork loin roast (about 1.5 pounds)

*bacon

Prep the scallions, garlic and cheeses. Set aside. 

On a separate cutting board or plastic cutting board, dry off the pork loin roast.  Using a very sharp chef's knife or paring knife, roulade* slice  the roast.  The concept is to begin a small slice down across the top side of the roast (whichever top side is comfortable for you) and slice and continue slicing and unrolling the roast like an unrolling sleeping bag. Once sliced open, cover with plastic wrap and flatten, using whatever utensil you have, to flatten out the meat. 

Well, here is where my lesson begin-eth. I had planned to start prepping at 4:30PM and cooking by 5:00PM, eating at six. I was a bit disgruntled by national events of the day and spent time - far too much time - trying to learn how to be useful and battle evildoers and I ended up wasting four hours!  I started at 8:30pm, then, roulade slicing the pork loin roast and I tore both ends of it. I fretted about it and was upset.  You see, I try to make everything look perfect as possible for you, my gentle, awesome readers, and I failed in quite an epic way.  Ugg!!!  

I went ahead and seasoned the opened roast with salt and pepper on both sides, then added the six tablespoons cream cheese, some scallions, the mozzarella, and more scallions, the garlic and half of the dried Italian seasoning and the fresh oregano. 

Oh!  I forgot! I added some of the Greek vinaigrette to the roast prior to adding the cream cheese!!!

Scallions atop the cream cheese. 

Now......

Confessional Part Two:  As you can see, I really stuffed that little pork roast.  And when I tried to roll it up like a bracciole, or like a sleeping bag, the scallions and cheese fell out of the tears. I then had a brilliant idea!  Bacon!  🥓🥓🥓🥓

Momentary interruption.....Preheat the oven to 450-degrees. 

The problem with bacon -- as if there is any problem with bacon -- was that the main idea behind this whole meal was trying to make a fairly healthy dish.  Keep in mind, the cream cheese was "light" and the mozzarella was "low fat" or "skim". Bacon tossed that concept out of the kitchen!

I lay out bacon strips, thin side, thicker side, in such a pattern where the roast could fit thoroughly. 

Problem number three:  The bacon I had purchased a couple of days ago was short.  Most bacon, when left to warm to room temperature stretches.  Not this package. Short and firm.  I had to break out my box of toothpicks and before long, my poor torn up once beautiful pork loin roast looked like a pork-u-pine roast with toothpicks sticking out all over.  I was so embarrassed.  As I mentioned above, I just want everything to look as perfect for my readers as possible  This was not going to be the case, and I needed to suck it up, confess what I had done and why I tried to wrap my roast in bacon, and just carry on.  I did just that last night on my blog's FB page, and my blog's Instagram page, in case you want to read it, however, I plan to wrap up the lesson in just a little bit. 

The roast wrapped in bacon with toothpicks holding it together and looking like a porkupine.  Misspelling intended. I'd poured some of the Greek vinaigrette across the top, letting it get into the groves of the bacon and sprinkled the remaining dry Italian seasoning atop that.  

Prior to adding the roast to a baking pan lined with foil and drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil and  vinaigrette, salt and pepper, I halved a pound of baby Yukon gold potatoes and lay them in the pan, cut side down.  I placed the roast into the oven (remember, set at 450-degrees).  I wanted the bacon to begin rendering its fat and shrink tokeep the roast from falling completely apart.  I roasted it for twelve minutes, then, I reduced the heat to 350-degrees for 45 minutes.   

The bacon rendered and shrank, some cheese oozed out, which I had expected, and which would flavor the potatoes drenched in vinaigrette and bacon fat.  And again, I cringed:  So much for a healthy meal!

Checklist:  Roast, done! ✔

Potatoes done! ✔

Now to the simple salad!

On a cutting board not contaminated by meat protein, I used a comfortable but sharp culinary knife to slice the tomatoes (I had a baby tomato medley of Romas, Heirloom, cherry and grape, and various colors). I sliced the scallions on an extreme bias, because, fancy and pretty, and placed them all in a bowl.  I then added pepper and some of the Greek vinaigrette and let them marinate overnight. They marinated so long because I had started four hours later than I had planned and the roast did not finish until about after 9:45PM and I was not going to eat that late!

 My pretty, simple, flavorful salad. 

This evening, at an appropriate time for dinner, I sliced the roast after having reheated it in the oven at 300-degrees for thirty minutes.  Mind you, I had removed the roast and potatoes from the baking pan and did not add any of the renderings to a high-sided skillet I'd used this evening.

The roast turned out pretty darn fantastic, I must say, the potatoes crisped up this second round, and the simple salad was so flavorful I ate the whole salad!

 I garnished the small plate with Celtic Sea Salt and fresh oregano from my patio garden. I used a small plate because, as I mentioned in my two previous blog posts, I am trying to take some pounds off.  While the bacon threw off the healthy part of this dish, portion control just may have saved the day!

A side view.  The dollop of cream cheese had fallen out of the stuffing from that slice on the plate.  In the next photo, you will see the slices of the roast, stuffing and all!

May not be the prettiest, but I have to say the bacon gave it an incredibly crispy crunch and additional texture and taste explosion.  

In my state of feeling completely inadequate and frustrated by my own lack of self monitoring (time), I was quite reluctant to post the roast recipe, particularly. I saw things from a different perspective, however, and realized, I had made the best of a sloppy situation.   The final lesson is this:  In both life and in the kitchen, professionally or cooking for your family and loved ones, mistakes happen.  We mess up. It's part of life. We learn from the mistakes, as I tried to compensate for my sloppy mistakes.  I had originally thought: If I had just started on time, I would have done a vastly better job and not have torn the ends of the roast.  Maybe that is true, but maybe not. It is how we adjust to our mistakes, let them be known, if need be, and not beat ones-self up over it, that is important.  Even the pros make mistakes!  Forgive yourself and carry on.  

Here endeth the lesson.* 

As always, Thank You, my awesome readers, for your time and consideration!  I hope you enjoy the recipes from this post and let me know if you try them and what you think!  Make them your own!  Make your own mistakes that lead to great successes!  The big thing, Do Not Be Afraid To Make Mistakes.      Now, go cook for someone you love!  

~Martin

In-House Cook

*Thanks to Chef Paul and Chef Ricky for their vocabulary lessons!

*"Here endeth the lesson" I took from Buffy TVS, Season 7.  My all-time favorite show!!!

Saffron Rice, Sausage and Egg Quiche Pie

Leftovers Magic!
Saffron Rice, Sausage, Cheese and Egg Quiche Pie

In order to understand this delectably delightful leftovers meal, please check out my previous blog post about stuffed bells. The leftover rice, sausage and cheese mixture goes into this quiche pie. It is fast, easy as pie -- pun intended, but it is true -- and insanely delicious! it is quite filling; I had one piece and I was done, so it is quite a one-serving meal for most people. Easily, this serves 4-6 people.

This is another one of my true pantry meals. I had the leftovers in the frig, and I have had croutons that I was going to use for a dinner for a friend but we changed our minds to tsukemono, rather than traditional salad. This ingredients list is rather long, so settle in, okay?

Ingredients

leftover saffron rice

4-6 eggs

1 bag croutons (I had garlic) 

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, halved

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

cheese

Alright, it was a little longer than I'd thought, but you get how simplistic this is. Here's the fun part.  Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.  Melt the butter (I have old metal measuring cups so I just put it on a small burner on low). 

As the butter melts, open the full bag of croutons (or bags of croutons, if you have more than one and are freezing them), and add them to your blender or food processor. Process until they are mere crumbs. Set aside. 

Using a paper towel drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, or, using cooking spray, oil a pie plate, rim included. Pour the crouton crumbs into the pie plate, drizzle the butter around the crumbs, circularly, which is my preference for forming the crust, but you do what is good for you. 😃 Use your fingers (washed, please) to form a crust up to an just over the rim of the pie plate. I added a tiny sprinkle of dried Italian herbs.  

Bake the buttery crouton crust for ten minutes. 

Meanwhile, as the crust is baking, add 1.5 cups of the rice and sausage mixture to a bowl and add 4-6 eggs.  Four large or six medium eggs. Use a large fork to thoroughly mix the two together.  Smush the rice apart and make sure the only lumps are the sausage. You could add cheese now, if you have not made my stuffed bells dish, and are just using leftover rice, but my mixture has both mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in it already. That is why I did not have salt and pepper on the ingredients list.  I had added enough salt and pepper to the rice mixture from the previous meal and, I also added a little more Parmesan to the top of the pie. If you want to add more to meet your taste needs, feel free! I also added some Chile powder to give it some heat to complement the saffron. 

Once the crust has finished pre-baking, remove it and carefully add the eggy rice mixture.  It may slurp over the rim a little. That is why I said try to work the crust up to and over the rim. It will cling on to the egg. I also suggest, at this point, to place a rimmed baking pan under the pie plate.  Sprinkle a little more Italian seasoning atop the mixture and bake for 30 minutes at 350-degrees. At that time, pull out the rack and add your favorite cheese to the top. I used a 4-cheese Italian mix I bought at the grocer.  Continue to bake for 12 more minutes (really, 12 is perfect for my old 1982 oven). 

Finally, remove the pie and set it aside to rest.  You probably do not want to serve it immediately, so the egg and rice mixture settle and firm up.  Let it rest about five solid minutes. 

 OH yes, it smells just as good as it looks! The crouton pie crust has held the egg pretty firm at the rim and is golden brown. Time to cut and serve!

The egg has filled in all the gaps in the rice mixture. Great taste and texture!

I garnished with fresh oregano, my favorite herb. 

Now, enjoy this beauty!

As always, I want to Thank You for your time and consideration. I appreciate your taking the time to give to my humble blog!

Now, Go Cook for Someone You Love! 

And remember, the Best ingredient is love!

~Martin

In-House Cook

Saffron Rice, Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Bells and Stuffed Chicken

Saffron Rice, Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Bells and Chicken

The last several months have seen me eating more for convenience than for health, which was the completely wrong and inappropriate thing to do, in my case.  I am determined to change that. The last few meals this last week have been balanced between flavor and healthy. This dish finds a happy balance between the two, and I loved it.  This dish will serve one, like it did me, but can serve upwards of six, easily, if you serve one stuffed bell pepper per person. Stay tuned tomorrow for what I do with the leftover rice, sausage and cheese mixture!

This dish is also great by itself, without the chicken. It can be served, too, without the cheese and sausage, to make it purely a vegan or vegetarian dish.  But c'mon, cheese and sausage are fun for those without a restricted dietary plan! But I love this because it is so versatile. You could substitute rice for couscous or quinoa, too!  Please scroll back through my recipes as I have made this with couscous.  Regardless of what you stuff the bell with, it is a delightfully tasting meal. 

Let's get started!

Ingredients for the Stuffed Bells

3 - 6 bell peppers, different colors

1 - 1.5 cups rice

pinch saffron

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 scallions, finely chopped angularly

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 rounded teaspoon Herbs de Provence

1 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon thyme

1 tablespoon White Balsamic Vinegar

2 tabs butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + 1

3/4 pound Italian sausage

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

pinch salt and black pepper

In a sauce pan or small pot, add two tabs of butter and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. When the butter melts and begins to foam, add a teaspoon of garlic and half a teaspoon of Herbs de Provence, stir thoroughly. Add the rice and coat the rice with the herbs, garlic and butter.  You are toasting the rice. Once the garlic starts to turn golden, add 2.5 cups water and stir.  Add the saffron and stir until the buttery, herb and garlic water boils. Cover, and reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer for twenty minutes. Uncover and continue to simmer on low for ten or so minutes more. The saffron aroma will fill you kitchen with wonders!

Meanwhile, saute the sausage in a medium skillet with a good tablespoon of evoo, breaking it up and adding a little thyme, onion, scallion and garlic to add some flavor. Add the White balsamic and let it cook off.  What an amazing aroma! When the sausage is done, remove the sausage and place it in a large bowl. Reserve the renderings in the skillet. 

In addition, while the rice is cooking, butterfly the chicken breasts and open them like a book. In the center, add a small (about a rounded tablespoon) of onion, scallion, garlic and the Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses. Close the book and secure it with toothpicks.  Now, I thought I had toothpicks, but I didn't, so I had to deal with the cheese oozing out.  Did not do so bad, though.  I had three chicken breasts to stuff and fold.  I placed them in the same skillet the sausage had been in, renderings and all, because, helloooo, flavor! over medium-high heat.  I gently seared one side of the chicken and carefully flipped to the other side and oven finished low and slow at 350-degrees for twenty minutes.  

When the rice has finished, add it all to the large bowl with the sausage. To that, add the rest of the onion, scallion, garlic, Herbs de Provence, thyme and cheeses. Use a large spoon to mix it thoroughly. 

Now, prep the bells while this delectably delightful mess is marrying its flavors together.  Slice the lumps, possibly known as the "pericarp", at the bottom of the bells so they sit flat. Slice off the top and stem and seed the bells.  Be sure to wash them inside and out. Reserve the tops. If you like, dice up the bottom rounds and add them to the rice mixture. My cat decided that she liked them so she ate them. Weird, sweet cat. 

In a small skillet (or large one, depending on how many you are feeding), spray a good round of non-stick spray. I use an olive oil spray. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees, providing you are not cooking chicken or any other protein with the bells. 

Add a little mozzarella to the bottom of the bell and, using a spatula, add a good heaping mound of the rice mixture to the bell.  Smoosh it down and add more until there is a good mound above the rim of the bell.  The cheese will melt and sausage cook down more and the mound will decrease.  

The filled bells go into the skillet awaiting the preheated oven.  Mind you, I had the bells and the stuffed chicken in the oven at the same time. 

Sprinkle some thyme, pepper and Herbs de Provence atop the rice mixture stuffed bells.  Note: I did not add salt because Parmesan is already salty and I am try to limit my sodium intake, substituting salt with products like Parmesan. Top that with some finely grated Parmesan and oven bake for twenty minutes, again, at 350-degrees.  

A FB friend asked me a good question:  "Do you have to cook the bells at 350-degrees or can you speed it up?"  Of course you can speed things up!  You could cook them for 10 - 12 minutes at 400-degrees!  If you are a busy household and family cook and you have a time budget, by all means, crank up the heat!  Just monitor so it does not burn. Boom. 🎤

i allowed both the bells and chicken to rest a few minutes before serving simply, with basil as garnish. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe, as I sure did. It is wonderful to devour and savor and enjoy. Share this recipe and my blog, please, with your friends! Thanks!

With that, I Thank You for your time and consideration!  I am always grateful for your readership and viewership!  Thank You, All!!!

Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love!!!!!  Shoo!  Go!  The BEST ingredient is love!  Go show your loved ones how much you love them. Cook!

~Martin

In-House Cook

Vegetarian Verde Chili

Vegetarian Verde Chili

My posts have a tendency to alienate vegetarians and vegans, which I apologize for, and I am working on changing the recipes I will be writing this summer. Some will have meat, some will not. My goal is to prep and cook the comfort foods I love but reducing calories, reducing fat, and portions (for singles and couples, but with the capability to serve up to six or more people). And, as I age, my body "tells" me when I have had enough meat, and this dish is one of those where it was time to go meat free.  

This verde chili is vegan, for the most part, except for the cheese I'd topped my servings with. Otherwise, all of the ingredients were non-dairy, non-meat. 

You can make your own vegan salsa verde by roasting onion, Anaheim green chiles, garlic, halved limes, tomatillos and serrano or pasilla chiles and blend them in a food processor, or, to save time, unless you have the time, simply purchase a couple of large bottles of your favorite salsa verde. I like mine tangy, so I add lime juice and fresh cilantro to the salsa I purchase. I have made my own fresh salsa verde; please scan the blog posts.  Thanks!

Now, the best part of this recipe, other than the eating, is how easy it is to prepare!*  Let's get started, shall we?

Ingredients

1 large onion, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

1 16-ounce can corn kernel in water

2 cans rinsed red kidney beans

1-2 cans rinsed black beans

2  4-ounce cans fire roasted, diced green chiles

zest of one lime and the juice of two limes

2 large bottles of salsa verde

2 fresh lime leaves (optional)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

*fresh thyme and/or oregano for garnish or cooking

3 tablespoons grape seed oil

1/4 cup mirin

Spices

1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika

1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano

1 rounded tablespoon cumin seed or powder

1 teaspoon salt and pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon chile molido (ground chile)

1 teaspoon ground coriander seed

Note:  I have no idea what has happened to the next four photos. They seem to have disappeared and I do not know why. To view them, please go to my In-House Cook FB page. They are all there.  Thank you, and so sorry for the inconvenience! I will investigate this.   Martin/In-House Cook

Rinse the beans and corn. 

Now for the hard part.  Ready?  It is very complicated, so please pay close attention. In fear of pain and sharp objects, please know that I am just joking. 

Add the grape seed oil to a large pot over medium-high heat.  When the oil ripples, add the onion and a pinch of salt.  Saute the onion about three minutes and add the garlic. Saute three minutes and add the diced green chiles. Stir to mix well. Add the beans and corn, the lime zest and juice, mirin, chopped cilantro and add the two jars of salsa verde.  Stir thoroughly.  As the mixture comes to a boil, add all of the spices and incorporate well. Stir thoroughly and reduce the heat to low. 

Stir in all the spices and zest and juice well. 

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for thirty minutes to two hours. 

You could also put everything into a slow cooker and turn it on low for eight-to-ten hours without sauteing anything. How easy is That?

I prefer the interactive cooking process and monitoring and tasting all along the way, but if you are a busy person or parent, this is a perfect meal to throw in the slow cooker, head off to work or whatever important things you do and serve to your family at the end of the day. It is also perfect for pot luck, as everyone will be able to partake of it. You will be the star of the show!

I serve my chili in a bowl and this chili, being chunky, I included a folded flour tortilla to use as a scoop, but you could certainly use chips or simply, a spoon. I topped mine with finely shredded Oaxaca cheese (very tedious to finely shred Oaxaca) 😀 and a fresh sprig of oregano to tie in the verde theme. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe and its delicious simplicity!  If you make it, please let me know what you think!  Gracias!

As always, Thank You for your time and consideration!  I am grateful for your readership and for viewing. 

Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love!!!

~Martin

In-House Cook