Squash Curry

Now that you have a recipe for Thai curry paste, here's something to put it in.

Ingredients


1 button or butternut squash (approximately 1 lb)
2 14 oz cans of coconut milk. DO NOT use the ones marked as "dessert" coconut milk. I use Aroy-D brand
1 lb pork or chicken
Red Curry paste
2 Tbsp Green Mountain seasoning sauce or soy sauce
5 Tbsp Fish sauce (I use Tiparos)
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
3 tsp sugar
.5 cup loosely packed Thai basil leaves

Prep


Halve the squash lengthwise and scrape out all the seeds and gunk. Cut the squash into 3/4 inch slices, remove rind, and further cut into pieces approximately 1 inch to 1.5 inches long, as shown. Place the chunks in a large bowl, covered with water.

Slice the meat into .5 inch thick pieces.







Stir it up
Equipment: large stock pot (8 qt or more), table spoon (not a measuring spoon, but a large spoon that you would actually use at the table).

Curry paste and coconut milk head

Begin by opening the first can of coconut milk. There should be a thick creamy head on it that is not liquidy. Add four spoonfuls of the coconut milk head along with 5 heaping spoonfuls of the curry paste to the stock pot and turn it up to medium heat, stirring the two ingredients together. One the heat brings out the fragrance of the curry paste and the room starts to smell really good, add the sliced meat and cook, stirring constantly (about 3 minutes).

Cooking the meat

Once Add 2 spoonfuls of soy or seasoning sauce, 1 spoonful of oyster sauce and 5 spoonfuls of fish sauce, and 3 tsp of sugar. Add all of the remaining coconut milk. Bring to a boil.

With the squash added

Drain squash from water and add to the pot. The coconut milk should cover the squash and pork. Simmer until squash is soft. Once the squash is done, turn off the heat and stir in most of the Thai basil leaves. Serve alone or with rice, garnish with remaining Thai basil.

Thai Red Curry Paste

Recently I've been on a curry kick of all kinds, so when the chance to learn how to make Thai curries presented itself to me, I jumped at the chance. So this recipe is the real deal, straight from real Thai cooks. Their original recipe is spicy, but not too spicy, about a 6 out of 10 on the heat scale.

Almost all ingredients can be found at a good Asian grocery. You will need a blender or food processor. Also possible to do it the traditional way with a mortar and pestle.

Update Feb. 16, 2020: Metric weights for ingredients, may differ slightly from list below

100g lemongrass
125g garlic
175g shallots
125g galangal
  20g chilis
  25g cilantro stalks (for green curry)
  25g Thai basil stalks (for green curry)
    4T fish sauce
    2T lime juice
    2T water


4 Stalks Lemongrass
12 fresh red Thai chiles (more if desired. Dried chiles are an option, but may lead to a spicier curry paste. For green curry, use green chiles)
15 shallots
15-20 cloves of garlic (there should be approximately equal amounts garlic and shallot)
.2 Lbs Galangal - a root, related to Ginger (there should be much less galangal in comparison to the shallots or garlic)
4 Tbsp fish sauce (I use Tiparos brand)
water
1 small can red chile/curry paste (optional, mostly for color)

Prep

Depending on whether you're using a mortar and pestle or a blender, you may have more work to do.

Lemongrass: Cut away the leafy green part of the stalk, approximately the uppermost 25%, and remove the outermost layer of the lemongrass. Rinse. Cut into slices about 1cm (.5 inch) thick.

Clockwise from top: Garlic, chiles, lemongrass, shallots, galangal

Galangal: Galangal is very hard to work with, so make sure you have a sharp knife. Cut away the dried out ends of the Galangal. First slice it into thin (3 mm or an eighth of an inch) disks, then cut those into smaller pieces.

Shallots and garlic: Peel and if using a blender, cut in half.

Chiles: remove stems




Grind it out

Put all the ingredients into your mixing device along with the oil and 1/4 cup of water. Optional: add a small can of store bought red curry paste, used mostly for color.

Grind/blend until it is a fine paste. Add more water to the blender if necessary, to help it blend.

Putting it in an ice cube tray and freezing it is a great way to store it long term.

Stump Fried Chicken

My friend Noah submits this recipe for fried chicken, noting "if you're looking to get in touch with your Southern roots, the chicken tastes even better on top of a homemade waffle with syrup." He's from Texas, so I won't argue with that. 

So I can give credit where credit is due, a quick google search shows that this came from America's Test Kitchen, which, in my mind, is becoming the definitive source for all kinds of recipes. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/4cups buttermilk
•  Table salt
• dash hot sauce
• 3teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1teaspoon garlic powder
• 1teaspoon paprika
• 1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 1/2pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat(see note)
• 2cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2teaspoons baking powder
• 1 3/4cups vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Whisk 1 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon salt, hot sauce, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, and pinch of cayenne together in large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 2 teaspoons black pepper, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon paprika, and remaining cayenne together in large bowl. Add remaining ¼ cup buttermilk to flour mixture and mix with fingers until combined and small clumps form. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture, pressing mixture onto pieces to form thick, even coating. Place dredged chicken on large plate, skin side up.
3. Heat oil in 11-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Carefully place chicken pieces in pan, skin side down, and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and continue to cook until golden brown on second side, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees for breasts and 175 for legs and thighs, 15 to 20 minutes. (Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces. Remove pieces from oven as they reach -correct temperature.) Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken salad with fruit and nuts

When I was in college, there was a stretch of time, probably about a term, where I would eat a chicken salad sandwich every day for lunch. Every single day. Dartmouth alumni may remember Novack Cafe, in the library, and their sandwich refrigerator. My particular sandwich was the chicken salad and cheddar on white - never wheat - with a little yellow mustard on it. Maybe it was the cold bread, maybe it was the touch of the overnight sandwich maker, but it was superior to any other chicken salad sandwich available to students on a dining plan.

I would still eat those sandwiches if Novack Cafe existed anymore, but I've found my own recipe for chicken salad that I enjoy a lot. It's versatile, so you can always mix it up and gives the sandwich a lot of complexity and texture. Sweet, but with a hint of sour; creamy but with a sprinkling of crunch. I always find that chicken salad is best in the summer, so in anticipation of warm days ahead, here is the recipe:

• 1 large chicken breast
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1/2 of a small red onion
• 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup of dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 1/2 tsp of basil or italian herb mix
• pinch of salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

I like to use roasted chicken, but as long as you're not boiling it, whatever you use should be fine. I also like more mayo, so I use about a cup, just spooning it in until it looks and tastes right.

1. Dice the chicken breast, celery and red onion. In a medium sized bowl, mix everything up to the mayo. 
2. Stir in the spices, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add more mayo if desired.

This recipe makes enough for about 4 sandwiches. Have it on a ciabatta roll for best results. Things I like on my sandwiches are medium or sharp cheddar, greens, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, and mustard. 

The great thing is that you can substitute a variety of fruits and nuts into it and it still tastes great. Diced apples or halved grapes add both a crispness and freshness. Pecans make a fine replacement for the walnuts. If you've got pita or naan around, sub out the basil and tarragon, walnuts, and cranberries for 1 tsp of curry powder, cashews, and dried apricots and/or raisins. 

Prosciutto Wrapped Dates

This is a powerfully savory appetizer with a great balance of sweetness, saltiness, and sharpness. For bonus points, serve them as part of Mediterranean appetizer plate with kalamata olives, tomatoes, hummus, feta cheese, etc.

These can be served cold, but warming them in the oven really brings out the flavors and lets them mingle. If serving warm, bacon can be substituted for the prosciutto, in which case you'll probably want to let them cook for a while.

Dried dates (pitted)
prosciutto, very thinly sliced.
blue cheese. I prefer a Danish style blue, which is soft and milder than, say, a Roquefort. Gorgonzola is probably fine, especially if you're going too serve them warm. In general, softer is better.

Cut the dates open length wise and stuff them with the cheese. Close and wrap each date in prosciutto.

The Snackster Cocktail

Summer is almost gone, but while the warm weather lingers try this fruity cocktail:

1 part Triple Sec
2 parts Gin
4 parts Blood Orange Italian Soda
splash of lime juice

shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass

The Greek Muffuletta

I recently had The Greek Muffuletta while over at a friend's house for dinner. This sandwich has become a tradition of theirs ever since his dad told his Ya-ya (his dad's mother in law) that he was going to make the "greek muffuletta", as a joke, but realized he had to come up with something after the excitement she showed for the idea. This recipe is great for summer - you get to fire up the grill and the feta, kalamata olives, and tzatziki sauce are fresh and cool, perfect for a hot day. The pork with the marinade would stand on its own and this is THE recipe for tzatziki.

We had our Muffuletta as individually made sandwiches, although you certainly could get a big round loaf of bread, make the sandwich all at once and serve in wedges, like a traditional Muffuletta. Make sure to toast the bread on the grill and do not skimp on the olive salad or the Snaxy Sauce! It goes great with a greek style cucumber salad and a dry white wine or a hoppy beer like a pale ale or IPA. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 lbs pork tenderloin (serves 4-6)
ciabatta bread

Marinade:
1 lemon
1 cup dry white wine
fresh thyme
fresh parsley
olive oil
salt
pepper

Olive salad:
kalamata olives
fresh feta
roasted red peppers (from a jar is fine)

Snacky Sauce (Tzatziki):
1 large container of Greek yogurt (2% fat content or more)
2 small cucumbers
2 large cloves of garlic
fresh dill

To make the marinade, use the juice of the lemon and some of the zest with the rest of the ingredients. My friend's family uses Penzey's Lemon Pepper spice mix, but that's mostly just salt, lemon zest, and pepper. Go easy on the salt, because the olives and feta are inherently salty. Marinate for up to two days.

To make the olive salad, simply pit the olives if needed, chop them with the roasted red peppers and add crumbled feta and a little olive oil.

Perhaps the most important part is the tzatziki, or as we like to call it, Snacky Sauce. The sandwich would probably still be good with out it, but it certainly adds to the Greekness. If you can't get Greek yogurt (or something similarly thick), don't even bother with it. I've tried making it with American style yogurt and it just ends up runny. The second most important thing about the Snacky Sauce is to drain the cucumbers. Slice them, put them on a paper towel and sprinkle salt on them. This will draw out some of the water in the cucumbers and you can rinse the salt off after they have drained. Finely blend the garlic in a food processor or blender until there aren't any discernable chunks, then add the cucumbers and process some more, until they are finely chopped. Stir it all into a bowl with the yogurt and dill. Yum.