Black-Eyed Peas and Chicken Curry

This was a completely new experience for me, both with the black-eyed peas and the garam masala seasoning.  My youngest daughter and I really love this dish.  I adapted it slightly from a recipe on Veronica’s Cornucopia, including increasing the black-eyed peas to two cans.

I’ve seen garam masala in the spice aisle at my grocery store, but the recipe Veronica provided used items I already had on hand and I love the flavor.  Note that the recipe below for garam masala makes enough of this seasoning for several meals.

• Servings: 4
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• 1 tsp. canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• pinch cayenne, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala*
• ½ cup undiluted evaporated milk
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cans (14-15 oz. each) black-eyed peas, lightly drained
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until translucent and slightly browned.

Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala; stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add evaporated milk, broth, black-eyed peas and chicken. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon mixture over rice, sprinkle with cilantro.

Makes 4 generous servings.

*Easy Garam Masala (makes about 3 Tablespoons)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Mix spices in a small bowl. Place mix in an airtight container, and store in a cool, dry place.  Use only 1 teaspoon for this recipe.

From the archives:

January 20, 2011 – Maple Walnut Muffins

January 21, 2008 – Easy Potato Yeast rolls

Easy Curried Chicken with Apples

This is a tasty, easy casserole that combines chicken with apples and onions.  The recipe is adapted  from a cookbook called St. Louis Souvenirs.

• Servings: 4
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• 1 medium tart apple, sliced thin
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 2-3 tsp. olive oil
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 3/4  cup undiluted evaporated milk
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• 2 chicken breast halves, roasted and cut into bite-sized pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 cups cooked and seasoned rice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Saute apple and onion slices in olive oil in a large skillet until apple and onion are tender.

In a small bowl mix together the soup, evaporated milk and curry powder.  Mix together with the apple/onion slices.

Place cooked chicken in a large casserole dish and add apple/onion mixture, mixing well.

Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees F for 20 minutes until mixture is heated through and bubbling.

Serve over cooked rice and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Yield:  4 servings

Pork, Apple and Sweet Potato Casserole

After being stuck in the house for three days after a major snowfall, I was ready for my daughters and grandchildren to come for Sunday dinner.  I wanted to try something new and found a recipe on Allrecipes.com which I adapted according to our taste and what I had on hand plus I made some changes in procedure based on readers’ comments on Allrecipes.  I thought this casserole was very tasty served over rice and made good leftovers.

PORK, APPLE AND SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

• Six 6″x 3″ pork loin pieces, about 3/4″ thick – cut in half to form 12 3″x3″ pieces
• 1/2 cup of flour for dredging
• salt and pepper for dredging
• 1-2 Tblsp. olive oil for browning pork loin
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced thinly
• 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 3 Tblsp. light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. curry powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Dredge pork loin pieces in the flour that has been mixed with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.   Heat oil in a large skillet and brown pieces of pork loin on both sides.  Pour the half cup of water in the bottom of a large casserole or baking pan.  Place meat to form a single layer in the bottom of the  pan.

In a large bowl, combine the sliced onions, sweet potatoes and apples.  In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, pepper, salt and curry powder.

Pour the brown sugar mixture over the vegetable mixture and toss to coat.  Spoon the vegetable mixture over the pork loin pieces.

Cover and bake for one hour @ 375 degrees F until the sweet potatoes are tender and the pork has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

The grandchildren, known here as Jellyfish and Dolphin, showed different attitudes at the presentation.  Jellyfish looked like he might be willing to try some, but Dolphin definitely didn’t look impressed.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with snipped parsley if desired.

Yield:  4-6 servings

Shannon’s Curry Chicken Salad

This chicken salad with curry, apples and almonds has become our favorite over the past 4 or 5 summers.  Following is the recipe for one generous serving but, of course, it can be multiplied by as many people as you want to feed.  I like to have this salad with a good homemade roll.

• Servings: One Serving
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• 1 cup of cooked chicken, shredded
• 1/2 tart apple, chopped (Golden Delicious, Granny Smith)
• 1 Tblsp. toasted slivered almonds
• 1 Tblsp. raisins
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I like to use Hellman’s Light)
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder

In a small bowl, combine chicken, apple, almonds and raisins.  In a cup, combine mayonnaise and curry powder.  Mix the mayonnaise mixture with the chicken mixture, cover and refrigerate for an hour or so.

Makes one delicious serving.