Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala

I don't usually post recipes without pictures, but I had a request for this one, so here it is ! Pics next time  I make this, which will be soon ! 

I was craving Indian food, we hadn't made any for awhile, so I thought I could make some tikka masala. The problem was, I wasn't planning on being home, and my traditional way of preparing this is a little time consuming. I wanted to be able to come home, dish up dinner and eat, which is what crockpot meals are made for !

I was a little apprehensive about putting this is the crockpot, I had no idea how it was going to come out. Answer: YUMMY ! The chicken was super tender, and the sauce was perfectly seasoned. I am not sure if I will go back to the other preparation, this was so easy and good !

Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala 
3-4 large chicken breasts, or thighs (about 1.5 pounds), cut into bite sized pieces
One 2 inch piece of ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Greek yogurt
3-4 serrano peppers, finely diced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves (if you can find them!)
1 tablespoon salt
8-10 roma tomatoes, diced
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup heavy cream
The night before, combine ginger, garlic and yogurt. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then toss in the yogurt mixture. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, place chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Top with the serrano peppers, then the spices. Scatter tomatoes over the top, and set heat to low. Let chicken cook 4-5 hours, then stir in the tomato paste. Cook an additional 1-2 hours. Stir in the heavy cream just before serving. Serve with basmati rice.

Garam Masala Scented Ice Cream with Blaak Balsamic Vinegar

Did you ever make a mistake ? Well, this is one  that fortunately came out quite nicely. And it was completely unintentional.

We wanted ice cream. I only had cream, no half and half, and we usually make the "Philadelphia" style ice cream that doesn't require egg custard. But, I didn't have all the necessary ingredients, so I decided it was time to finally try the custard style. I wanted to put in some of (what I thought was) the vanilla sugar we had in the cupboard, so I dumped it in. As it cooked, and I could smell the fragrance, I realize it isn't vanilla, it's garam masala. Now, I love this, but I am not sure how Ray will feel, since he loves his super vanilla homemade ice cream. I just go with it, add some vanilla bean slurry, and make the ice cream. As it cools, and we pour it into the machine, I know this is not going to be your grandma's ice cream. But, I am hopeful...

The machine churns...and it finishes, and I take the blade out for Ray to taste. He says, "WOW! It's really good, and different !" So, I confess, about the spice...and he says "I love it !" So now, it's a keeper! I bought this balsamic glaze after reading this book about some fellows who started a goat farm, it's called BLAAK Drizzle.They combined elderberry and fig with the balsamic vinegar, and it makes a really stellar combination with this ice cream. You can purchase it here: http://shop.beekman1802.com/The-Blaak-Drizzle-FE-12.htm

And no, I wasn't paid for the free ad, but it is really amazing on ice cream, you should try it !

Garam Masala Scented Ice Cream 
1 1/2 cups whole milk
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon good quality vanilla, or vanilla bean slurry
In a small saucepan, bring milk to a boil, then remove from heat and let come to room temperature. In a double boiler, combine egg yolks and garam masala sugar,and whisk slowly over simmering water until egg mixture starts to thicken. Gradually whisk in the milk, and continue to cook and whisk until thick. Surface wrap with cellophane and refrigerate until cold. Combine egg custard, cream and vanilla, and process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Place ice cream in the freezer, and freeze until firm, approximately 2 hours. Serve with Blaak Drizzle.

Good Local Food at Milton's VVB in Crystal

We were celebrating the 4th anniversary of our first date, and wanted to try somewhere new for dinner. I had heard about a new place near our home in Crystal, and thought we should give it a try. I love supporting local, non-chain restaurants, and quite frankly we don't get the opportunity to do that in Crystal or the northern suburbs as often as I would like. 

I haven't done a food review for awhile, mainly because we haven't been anywhere new or noteworthy, but that changed on Tuesday evening. Milton's is in a very unassuming strip mall, just off 36th and Douglas in Crystal. Surrounded by dance studios and hair salons, you would never guess this quaint little spot was nestled in the middle. 

When we walked in, it as a bit confusing at first, but we rounded the corner and headed to the hostess/bartender/server and asked about a table. We were told it would be a 15-20 minute wait. Business looked like it was flowing, for 6:30 on a Tuesday. The restaurant was packed with families, couples and one large group. I always think if a restaurant is busy, that's a good sign, right ? 

We were offered a "high top" table, which was really two stools near the back, and given menus. The owner (I believe) or someone very knowledgeable about the beverage service, stopped by and discussed the craft beer selection. While not extensive, they do have a nice mix of local and national beers, and it sounds like he is working to increase the selection daily. That appealed to me right away. He even brought us over a sample of the Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA, which was a nice, solid selection for dinner. 

The menu at Milton's VVB (which stands for vino, vittles and beer) is not extensive. But. there was enought variety there for us to make a good dinner selection. We decided on a caprese salad to split as an appetizer. It was the perfect size for a starter, although it would have been good to note we were also getting a salad with our meal. It was lightly dressed with balsamic vinegar, and just a sprinkle of bacon on top of some field greens made it quite nice. So far, we were impressed. 

For dinner, we each decided on an entree, which comes with house salad, vegetable and a choice of side. I chose jerk chicken, with mac and cheese, while Ray chose the half rack of ribs and an apple salad. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the portions, considering the cost was not extreme. First, the ribs: 

These are really nice ribs. They were smoky, with a nice spicy (but not overly so) rub. They served their barbeque sauce on the side, which I very much liked, because then we can choose the amount of sauce on each bite. The actual sauce was very unusual, more toward a Carolina style, with a good vinegar kick and a hint of sweetness. For my palate, anyway, it was perfect. 

The apple salad on the side was interesting, but nothing special. A mixture of cheese, apples and some herbs, it was good but not great. Which, at this point in the meal didn't matter to us, because the kale was amazing ! I am not a kale lover, so the fact that I even wanted to eat more of this is testimony to its greatness. Perfectly cooked, served with a lightly seasoned sauce, after trying it, Ray wished he had asked for extra kale as a side dish on his dinner, rather than the apple salad. 

I chose the jerk chicken, which appeared to be a quarter of a chicken, grilled and lightly seasoned with a jerk sauce. They also gave me extra sauce on the side, in case I wanted it spicier. I didn't think it needed anything extra, it was perfectly cooked, moist and flavorful. I also had the same amazing kale on my plate, and a side of their mac and cheese. I liked the mac and cheese, Ray thought it needed more cheese sauce....then again, he is used to eating mine, so the comparison isn't fair as I tend to "over-cheese". I thought the balance on this was nice, although it could use a little something to make it more unique, like bacon or jalapenos or something. 

And one stand out for me, was the homemade green goddess dressing on our salad. It was light, flavorful and perfectly seasoned. The fact that I didn't put salt and pepper on my salad (which I almost always do) shows how much I enjoyed it.

All in all, we were pleasantly suprised by our evening at Milton's VVB. We really, really wanted to try the desserts, but were just too full to do it. They have a bananas foster, and chocolate rum cake that both sounded excellent. And dinner for two came in just over $50, which is almost a record breaker for us ! 

I overheard the server telling another customer that they make 90% of the food from scratch, except for the fries and ranch dressing. Those seem like simple things to make from scratch, to add on to their already good, scratch meals. And to find something like this in Crystal, with its lack of interesting dining options, is a real discovery. So we will be back, the bananas foster is calling Ray...

Greek Seven Layer Dip

I love appetizers. They are probably my favorite part of a meal plan, next to desserts. And we love homemade hummus, but I have brought that to parties so many times, I wanted to make something different. 

At the store, they often have hummus combined with olives, or sun-dried tomatoes, or feta cheese. When I started planning how to "amp-up" my hummus, my mind went to those, and then skipped over to that old stand-by Mexican Seven Layer Dip. Everyone knows the one...beans, sour cream, cheese, lettuce. I was sure I could figure out how to make that with hummus as the base. I have to say, this was one of the simplest, but most elegant looking plates I have done for awhile. 

The picture probably doesn't do it justice, but I was trying to show all the different layers in the dip, and the only way to do that is to eat some first ! Key to this dish is the homemade hummus. Of course, you can buy it at the store, but it is so easy to make, once you have done it, you will never buy it again! 

Greek Seven Layer Dip 

For the hummus: 

1 cup dried chickpeas 

6-7 cloves garlic 

1/4 cup (or so) freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1/4 cup (or so) olive oil 

Place the chickpeas in a saucepan, cover with 2 inches of water, and let soak overnight. In the morning, rinse the chickpeas and cover again with 2 inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and simmer an hour or more, until the chickpeas are tender. Rinse and let cool. Place chickpeas and garlic in a food processor, and add half of the lemon juice and half of the olive oil. Process the chickpeas, adding additional liquid until the mixture is smooth. 

For the rest of the layers: 

1 cup Greek yogurt 

1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped 

1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped 

1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped 

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 seedless cucumber, diced

1 roma tomato, diced 

1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled 

In a pie dish or large, flat container, spread about 1 inch of hummus. Combine yogurt, dill and mint together, and spread on top of the hummus. Top with spinach, then onion, tomato, olives and feta cheese. Refrigerate until ready to serve with pita chips. 

Cardamom Ale Beer Bread

As painful as it is for me to admit it, I made a really, really terrible beer earlier this year.

I was crafting a recipe for my women's brewing group to make when they came to my house for a brew date. The idea was a Belgian golden strong ale, infused with spiced rum and cardamom, aged on oak. Christmas Ale, for the ladies to take home with them. Sounds good, right ? Well, not so much... 

It tasted good when it was time to bottle, which doesn't normally happen. Usually beer tastes pretty thin and nasty before you have the chance to bottle condition it. This one was different...I should have known. After 4 weeks in the bottle, we opened one and all you could smell was the cardamom! My beautiful, delicious Christmas Ale was ruined ! The taste is almost like perfume, it is literally undrinkable (unless you were dying of thirst, then maybe). But, I am stuck with a bunch of it, so what to do ? 

I have made this beer bread before, and one of the great things about this recipe is that you can change the character of the bread by your choice of beer. So, it doesn't matter what kind of beer you use, and you can add additional spices, cheese, bacon, whatever you might like. 

Luckily for me, the bread tamed down the cardamom a bit, and the bread is really moist and scrumptious. Since we have so much of the cardamom ale left, I think we will be eating a lot of this bread. Good thing it's quick to throw together ! 

Cardamom Ale Beer Bread 

3 cups flour 

1 tablespoon baking soda 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 twelve ounce bottle of beer 

1 stick unsalted butter, melted (you can use half if you think this is too much, but I like the butter !)

Preheat oven to 375. Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly stir in beer, and mix just until moistened. Spray a 9 by 5 loaf pan with non-stick spray, and spread dough into pan. Top with the melted butter. Bake for 1 hour until top is golden brown. Let sit 15 minutes before removing from pan. 

Moroccan Swai With Improvised Persian Rice

Last year about this time, a friend told me about a traditional dish served for Persian New Year, rice and white fish, with an unusual blend of spices. I attempted to make it, and was fairly successful, although I think I was lacking in technique a bit with the preparation of the rice. It is supposed to get nice and crispy on the bottom, which is really one of the best parts of the dish. 

When I was preparing my menu this week, I started thinking about that rice again. Unfortunately, I used up some of the ingredients I would need in previous dishes, so I had to change it up a bit, but I still like this dish a lot. The way you cook this rice is different from your usual preparation, you basically steam it with the vegetables and herbs, and it becomes very moist and fragrant. 

I decided to spice my fish with ras el hanout, because it had some of the same flavor notes as the spices I used in the rice, and it was a really amazing combination. One of my friends pointed out that my fish filet looks a bit like a tongue, which it does, but I promise, it is just a nice piece of swai ! 

Moroccan Swai With Improvised Persian Rice 

For the rice: 

1 1/2 cups basmati rice 

1/2 teaspoon saffron, in 2 tablespoons warm water 

2 tablespoons butter 

2 cups yellow onion, finely diced 

6 cloves garlic, minced 

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 

1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped 

1 tablespoon cumin 

1 tablespoon coriander 

1 tablespoon salt 

1/2 teasspoon cinnamon 

In a large, non-stick pot, bring 4 cups of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add rice and boil for 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with warm water. In the same pot, melt half of the butter, and add half of the saffron mixture. Layer 1/3 of the rice, 1/3 of the onion and garlic, and 1/3 of the herbs and spices. Repeat until you are out of ingredients, ending with the spices. Top with the remaining butter and saffron. Place a lid on the pot, and place a towel over the top to prevent any steam from escaping.Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, then simmer for 50 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, start the fish. 

For the fish: 

6 six ounce swai filets 

1 tablespoon ras el hanout 

1 tablespoon salt 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

1 tablespoon butter 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Season filets on both sides with ras el hanout, salt and pepper. Start a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, and combine butter and olive oil. When pan is hot, add filets, and cook 4-5 minutes on each side until just opaque. Remove from heat, and serve over rice. 

Gnocchi with Sweet Pepper, Onion and Spinach Marinara

It occurred to me as I was making this dinner last night, that my last several posts have been about using up leftovers from the refrigerator. It must seem like all we ever eat are leftovers, so where are the firsts ? 

When you craft a lot of your own recipes, you tend to create some core favorites, which we work into a "rotation" of sorts, so rather than bore you with reposting them, we just eat those. But, that results in leftovers, which need to be used up, and that creates some new, favorite recipes. This is going to be one of those. 

We made a giant batch of marinara sauce in the fall, and froze some along with pre-made meatballs. Normally we would make pasta and serve it all together, but Ray was having a bachelor weekend, and decided he wanted meatballs sandwiches. So, he extracted the meatballs from the sauce, which left a good portion of thawed out sauce to be used for something else. 

We are kind of purists when it comes to our homemade marinara sauce, we don't like to use "cheap" store bought meats, since we worked so hard making it. I had to come up with a way to repurpose it that still made using of its really amazing flavor. I starting thinking about the peppers and onions they often serve on top of Italian sausages you get at ball parks, and that's what I used to make the sauce a bit more robust. Add in a couple of handfuls of leftover fresh spinach, and it was really a nice, quick dinner ! 

Gnocchi with Sweet Pepper, Onion and Spinach Marinara

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 cup red onions, thinly sliced 

1 1/2 cup sweet peppers, thinly sliced 

2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (your favorite kind) 

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup fresh spinach 

1 pound gnocchi 

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Start water to boil for gnocchi. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil and saute onions just until soft. Add peppers and saute another 4-5 minutes. Add marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and simmer while you wait for your water to come to a boil. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. When you add the gnocchi to the water, add the spinach to the marinara sauce, and stir gently. When gnocchi is finished cooking. drain and stir into marinara sauce. Dish into individual serving bowls, and top with Parmesan cheese.