cooking up a "storm."

Yes, I did just make that joke. Another busy weekend quickly coming to a close... but Douglas and I have both been given Monday and Tuesday off due to the anticipated effects of Hurricane Sandy, so I am not feeling as anxious as I usually would around this time on a Sunday night. This weekend was spent cooking, cleaning, and running errands as per usual, but with the two extra school-free days in our future, I think the cooking extravaganza will continue, providing we do not lose power. I do not find much time to cook for myself during the week, so I always attempt to cram in as much kitchen experimentation as I can for Saturdays and Sundays. This weekend my culinary accomplishments included a delicious chicken curry, my first attempt at Indian cuisine. I think Doug would agree with me when I say that it came out wonderfully! Definitely something worth making again, and worth sharing :)

We ate this over a bed of basmati rice and I tried a bottle of Three Philosophers on the side. An interesting beer, slightly sweet... I am still unsure how I feel about it taste-wise, but I definitely felt its effects shortly after. Too much for this lightweight. We took a nice long nap immediately following our meal.

The curry recipe is one of Epicurious's "blue ribbon" entries, which means it comes with way more than just my recommendation. I altered the recipe slightly by using boneless chicken thighs rather than a whole chicken and I also added peas in the last stages of cooking for some extra nutrition. I think this dish could be served as a vegetarian entree as well; I would love to experiment by adding some cauliflower and carrots in the future. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1/4 C unsalted butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 T finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 T curry powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
3 1/2 to 4 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 C of fresh or frozen peas
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 C cashews
3/4 C plain whole-milk yogurt

Directions:

1. Heat butter in a wide, heavy pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
3. Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, including juice, peas, and cilantro and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.
5. Just before serving,
 pulse cashews in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with yogurt and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.