A Rainy Day Chickpea and Spinach Curry

I think spring got it all wrong this year.

March was beautiful, soft, sunny and warm. Which we totally deserved after the big freeze of February.
So I figured the worst of it was over.

Well, April has had other ideas.


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Sweet Potato, Pea and Spinach Curry

One of the first things I learned to do when we moved to France was translate French recipes.

Each month I picked up copies of Cuisine et Vins de France and French Saveur at the local tabac and with my trusty French dictionary at my side I dutifully studied the names of ingredients and cooking terms, making translation notes in the margins and jotting down measurement conversions.
It's amazing how easy it is to pick up a language when the subject is something you're really interested in!

There's a great series of small, recipe packed cookbooks by Marabout for the very reasonable price of €4,95 each. I've bought two so far, one with Indian and Thai curries and one with recipes for comforting, wintery food called Tout Chaud.

I've made a few recipes from each book and one of the best so far was an aromatic, homey vegetarian curry. It is some serious comfort food! Low in calories and high in flavor and vitamins - I swear it makes you feel stronger after you've eaten it a plate of it.

The original calls for the addition of canned chickpeas, which I didn't have in the cupboard, so the recipe has been adapted to what I had on hand. Add them if you like, but this version is also fantastic!

Sweet Potato, Pea and Spinach Curry
serves 4

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  
• 1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed with their juice
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 ounces fresh baby spinach, washed
  
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup frozen baby peas
• plain yogurt (optional)
  

1. Warm the oil in a deep pan with a lid and sauté the onions over low heat until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the curry powder, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric and salt over the onions and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
3. Add the sweet potato, canned tomatoes, brown sugar and water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes over low heat, until the sweet potatoes are cooked through.
   
4. Add the spinach and baby peas and cook for another 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted and the peas are warmed through.
5. Taste and correct for salt and add more cayenne if you like it really spicy.
   
6. Serve with steamed basmati rice and a dollop of the optional plain yogurt.
   

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Chicken Do Piaza and an Indian Feast

As I mentioned in October, the eight of us who meet every month or so to cook our way through the cuisines of the world were about to become six. Luckily, the two who were leaving us delayed their departure date until late November, so we managed to squeeze in one more dinner before waving goodbye.

Our World Food Evenings began as a casual intention to get together once a month for an Indian curry night and evolved into cooking all-out, authentic feasts from around the globe: Mexico, Turkey, Cuba, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa and even an American Barbecue.

We decided to come full circle for our dinner in November and cooked up another Indian themed meal. And cook we did!

onion bhajis, vegetable pakoras, naan bread, prawn curry, chicken do piaza, saag aloo, masoor dal and rice
What a meal!


naan, ready to be baked


dishing it up


close-up of chicken do piaza


a full plate


This rich chicken dish was our contribution to the meal. If you're an onion lover like me, you will love it!

Chicken Do Piazza

6 tablespoons oil
2 pounds onions
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 big cloves garlic, finely minced
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves, crumbled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves

Finely slice 2 onions and roughly cut up the rest of the onions.
Mix the chili powder, ground coriander, turmeric and salt together, add the chicken and mix well.
Warm 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy pan over medium heat.
Spread half of the cut up onions on the bottom of the pan, add the chicken pieces and layer the rest of the cut onions on top of the chicken.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook until the onions are have been reduced and become mushy, and the chicken is tender, about 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another pan that will be large enough to hold everything later, heat up the rest of the oil over medium heat.
Add the sliced onions, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes, until the onions become a pale golden color.
Mix in the bay leaves and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp. This will take several minutes.
Add the chicken and onion mixture to the pan and, stirring frequently, cook until everything is well browned and a thick onion sauce has formed.
Just before serving, add the lemon juice, give it a good stir, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Onion Bhaji and Vegetable Pakora

We had another scrumptious World Food Evening last night. This month's theme was Indian and it was a meal that rivaled any restaurant.
To whet our appetites; homemade onion bhajis and vegetable pakoras served with three kinds of chutney, a refreshing raita and spicy lime pickle.
Two kinds of curry, dal, saag aloo, homemade naan bread and rice followed. Needless to say, we were absolutely stuffed at the end of the meal.

We woke up this morning with our clothes and hair smelling of curry. I can only imagine how our friend's entire house must smell... Pin It

Indian Spiced Potato Wedges

These are good. Really, really good. And easy.
Really, really easy.

I can't even look a jar of mango or peach chutney without a burning desire to roast up a big batch of these Indian Spiced Potatoes, which are basically big, oven roasted french fries that have been smothered in ghee and Indian spices.

Need I say more?


about to go in the oven


Indian Spiced Potatoes
serves 4
inspired by a recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly

2 pounds potatoes
2 ounces ghee
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Peel and halve each potato lengthwise, then cut each half into two or three wedges.
Combine potatoes with remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Place potatoes mixture on a large, non-stick baking dish and bake, turning occasionally, about 15-20 minutes, until browned and tender.

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Photo du Jour - Indian Pommes Frites

Potatoes roasted in Indian spices and ghee and some mango chutney for dipping.
My version of pommes frites.

Recipe to come later today. Pin It

Tandoori Salmon

I have made a similar recipe with chicken and don't know why I've never tried it with salmon! It came out moist, spicy and delicious. I usually add more cayenne because we like the extra kick.
Recipes like this are my favorites because I always have the marinade ingredients on hand. It is easy to throw together and is done in advance so requires very little last minute prep.
I usually make some aloo saag as an accompaniment and always serve it with basmati rice.

4 salmon fillets, skin on, about 4 oz. each
1/2 cup plain yogurt, low fat is fine
1 tablespoon minced coriander
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper

Place the salmon, skin side down, in a shallow container. Whisk the yogurt and next 10 ingredients together and pour over the salmon so the fillets are completely covered.
Cover the container and place in the fridge to marinate at least a couple of hours, although overnight is better.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the fillets in an oiled baking dish, skin up, and bake for 5 minutes.
Turn the fillets over, baste with the remaining marinade and cook another 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
Serves 4 Pin It