Come and join us for our Test Kitchen this month on Wednesday, August 10th at 7pm at the Centerville Building Cultural Hall. Our theme is “From the Garden” and we will be having several demonstrations on how to take care of a garden, how to store the excess produce, how to make freezer jam, and also a presentation on tomatoes. Bring your favorite dish to share using fresh produce or just come and enjoy. Please bring a copy of your recipe so that we can post it on the blog.
Indian Rice Munne Baines
1-2 teaspoons of zeera (whole cumin seeds) which you drop in a pan with hot oil—about 3 Tablespoons
1 jalapeno pepper, grated (add more if you like things hotter)
2 inch piece of peeled ginger, grated
1 tomato, diced
3 teaspoons of salt
1 ½ teaspoons of black pepper
½ cup of frozen peas
2 potatoes, peeled and diced.
Sprinkle the whole cumin in the hot oil. Stir constantly into it changes lightly in color and becomes more aromatic. Next, add the jalapeno, ginger then tomato.
Saute. Add salt, pepper, frozen peas and potatoes. Saute for a few more minutes. Then your basmati rice add—3 cups of rice to 6 cups of water.
Cover pot with a lid and bring it to a boil. When boiling, turn down to low. Stir periodically so it won’t stick. Cook 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender.
Indian Lentil Soup
Munne Baines
2 cups of yellow lentils (split moong dal)
2 cups of orange lentils (split masoor dal)
Rinse the lentils with cool water in a colander.
Add 20 cups of water to a pressure cooker. Add the yellow and orange lentils
To the lentils and water add:
3 teaspoons of salt
1 Tablespoon of oil
1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 jalapeno peppers grated
3 cloves of garlic, grated
Seal the pressure cooker. When up to full pressure, turn down heat and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, and run a small stream of water over the pressure cooker to cool down before opening.
While the lentils are cooking, in a medium skillet heat the following:
2 Tablespoons of oil, when hot add:
1-2 teaspoons of zeera (whole cumin seed) Cook a minute or two until lightly aromatic and it slightly changed color
1 ½ onions diced
1 ½ - 2 tomatoes, diced.
Saute until cooked. Add to cooked lentils along with ½ cup chopped cilantro.
Curried Orange Chicken
Nancy Holladay
2 lbs chicken pieces - I prefer boneless, but bone-in works too
½ teas. curry powder – more or less to taste (I don’t measure it, just sprinkle what looks good)
Sprinkle chicken pieces with curry powder, rub curry into meat. Arrange in baking dish, skin side down.
¼ cup orange juice
2 Tbls. honey
1 Tbls. prepared mustard
Combine juice, honey, and mustard in small saucepan and simmer until blended. Or combine in microwave safe bowl and heat until it can be blended. We like lots of sauce, so I frequently double the amounts for the sauce. Pour over the chicken and bake in moderate oven - 375° for 30 minutes. Turn chicken and continue baking 20 minutes longer or till tender. I have been known to cover the baking dish if I might not be available to turn it and just let it cook. Remove chicken pieces to serving platter and reserve pan juices; keep chicken warm.
2 teas. cornstarch
1 Tbls. cold water (or more orange juice, if you like lots of orange)
½ orange, peeled, sliced and quartered – or use for garnish
In small saucepan on stove (or bowl for microwave), combine cornstarch and water; stir in reserved pan juices from chicken. Cook and stir till thick and bubbly. If you have increased the amount of sauce, you will need to increase the cornstarch and water too. Add orange pieces; heat 1 minute. Since I use orange juice in place of the water, I don’t usually add the orange pieces. Pour sauce over chicken on platter or serve separately to be spooned over hot cooked rice.
Taco Dip
Shelley Baer
Cook in a crock pot on low for 5 hours
1 can refried pinto beans
1 can refried black beans
2 chicken breasts
½ bag corn
1 cup salsa
After 5 hours stir to break up chicken and add:
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 package taco sauce
Cook for another hour and stir to break up the chicken some more.
Top with grated cheese and serve with tortilla chips.
