cornish hens with patatas bravas

yesterday i was editing my photos

of our trip to spain

and i came across this photo

of

patatas bravas

which we enjoyed

surrounded by the bustle 

of

la rambla

and a darling waiter

whom was leaving fake euros

under chair legs

as a tease

and

getting much more joy from the fake out

than the actual 

and generous, i might add

gratuity we left 

i immediately had a craving

hubster is a meat and potato kind of guy

and i 

am a potato and potato kind of girl

if i were making this just for me

i would round this off with a glass of red wine

and a good read

but

such is not the case

so

i am accompanying them

with cornish hen

stuffed with creamy and herbed cheese

patatas bravas

(printable recipe)

2 russet potatoes--peeled and cut into chunks

olive oil

place potatoes in a pot of cold,salted water.  boil until you can easily pierce. do not overcook.  drain and let cool.  heat oil in heavy pot.  fry potatoes in oil until golden brown. drain on kitchen paper and serve with aioli.

for aioli

1  large egg yolk

3 cloves garlic-finely chopped

2 tsp lemon

1/4 tsp salt

pinch sugar or drizzle of honey

1/4 tsp paprika (smoked or sweet)

1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)

1/2 cup olive oil

place egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, salt, sugar or honey, paprika and cayenne (if using) in a blender.  blend until smooth.  slowly drizzle the olive oil until it comes together like a thin mayonnaise.  taste for spice.  

*if there is NO WAY you are going to make aioli or don't want to use raw eggs...then do this: put 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 large garlic clove--crushed to a paste), 1 tsp lemon juice, pinch sugar, 1/2 tsp paprika and as much cayenne as you like in a blender and whirl it until everything is really smooth.  

cornish hen

(printable recipe)

2 cornish game hens--cleaned and dried

1/4 cup chevre--room temp

1/2 cup cream cheese--room temp

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cloves garlic-pulverized to paste

1 Tbs chopped fresh chive

1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

1 lemon

salt

pepper

olive oil

mix together the chevre, cream cheese, pepper, garlic, chive and parsley.  split into two portions and stuff into the cavity of each hen, and truss it up.   place in a roasting dish.  squeeze lemon juice over the hens and toss the lemon  into the roasting pan. drizzle a bit of olive oil over the hens and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  roast in 400 oven for about 30-40 minutes (depending on size).

the cheese gets all warm and gooey. you can dip your potatoes in it like hubster is known to do!

i am linking this to 

tuesday night supper club

and

hearth and soul blog hop

Tuesday Night Supper Club

It was kind of chilly today

chilly for southern california

but good

i love the cool weather and was getting a bit bored of the 80 degree fall

and I heard that we got a bit of snow at our cabin,

which makes me very excited to head up there

soon,

very soon

but in the meanwhile I am going to pretend that we live in a very cold place

because I made a chicken stew tonight for dinner

--it didn't turn out exactly as I expected

but it was good enough

and had all the required nutrients

and basically works from the pantry

Chicken Stew
(printable recipe)

6 chicken thighs

a large can of whole peeled tomatoes (squish them in your hand to break up)

5 whole garlic cloves

1 large onion--cut in half then sliced into half-moon

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

few handfuls of baby spinach (or any kind of spinach...or no spinach at all)

1 Tbs tomato paste

1 cup broth (chicken or turkey or veggie is best)

1/2 cup or so of red wine--any kind you might have in your fridge white wine will work too

sprig of fresh rosemary or 1 Tbs dried

sprig of  fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

balsamic vinegar to finish

Cover the bottom of a dutch oven or sturdy skillet (with top) with olive oil in a thin layer.  Place chicken thighs, skin side down and cook until the skin is browned, but the chicken is not cooked all the way through.  Remove from pan.  Toss in whole garlic and the potatoes, cook until the potatoes are a bit crispy, remove.  Toss in onions--adding a bit more oil if necessary.  When they are beginning to caramelize, put everything back in the pot and add the tomatoes with any liquid, wine, broth, tomato paste, rosemary, oregano and salt and pepper.  Don't over do it with the salt, allow some room for fine tuning when the stew is fully cooked.

Cook for about 40 minutes on a low fire with top on.  Remove the top, stir a bit, allowing some of the potatoes to break up to thicken the sauce.  Let cook for about 5-10 minutes more.  Taste for salt and pepper.

Drizzle some  balsamic vinegar on the top of each serving. 

Eat Up!

 I still have my give-a-ways going...just click
here, here,and here

our italian culinary holiday ends, but the culinary journey never will...part duex

We have had amazing weather during our holiday.  Amazingly warm weather. This afternoon the temperature began to cool, which was welcomed.  Marcello and Rafaella's home was a quick and welcomed  walk from our hotel.  They have a tidy flat on the 3rd floor of a lovely building just steps from the University of Bologna.  Their kitchen is very well appointed, and there was plenty of room for us to work.  Rafaella is a very accomplished home cook...and I was excited to learn from her.
Tortellini in Brodo is something I make. I ate it as a kid and it is real comfort food.  As it happens my husband's step-father (also Italian), made it as well...so we both share have good memories of the dish.
As you may recall, we made tortellini and stored it in the freezer. We would be using this pasta today for our Tortellini in Brodo.
I have to say, Rafaella's broth is the best broth I have ever had.  I have been making fresh chicken broth forever...but have always thought it was good, but lacking richness.  Today I learned the secret to making it amazing. And the secret is not chicken...it is beef.  Traditional broth for tortellini in brodo uses more than just chicken.  Furthermore, the meat is not tossed away, it is used in either bollito misto (boiled meat) or meatballs.

Rafaella's Brodo

1/2 stewing chicken

piece of cow's tongue--about 4" long

2-3 meaty short ribs--or flaken ribs with bones

nice piece of beef filet about 1/2lb

1 beef soup bone

2 small carrots-- peeled and kept whole

1 medium onion--peeled and kept whole

2 medium stalks celery--whole

salt and pepper

Place all meat in a large pot.  Cover with cold water.  Bring to a simmer on the stove, skimming foam off top as it forms.  Once it comes to a simmer, place top over, but not completely covering and let simmer for 3-4 hours.  Occasionally check and skim foam off top.  Once done, Strain, keeping meat for other use. Discard vegetables.  You may use immediately or store in refrigerator or freezer.

For Tortellini--bring enough broth to a boil to cook pasta.  Cook pasta until tender and about doubled in size.   Serve in shallow bowls and top with a bit of pepper and parmesan cheese.  The broth should not be treated like a soup, it is a condiment to the pasta.  But don't be too skimpy either...you will love this broth and want to sop up a bit with each bite!

tortellini in brodo

We made and ate so many amazing things, but there are a few I want to feature.  Things that are simple and delicious.

Rafaella had picked up some zucchini flowers at the marketplace.  They are not quite as dear in Italy as they are here.  I have found them at local farmer's markets and sometimes at whole foods--but they will pinch the pocketbook a bit.

It is essential to preserve the taste of the fiore as they are so precious.  Rafaella's recipe--does just that.  She also threw in fresh sage and basil leaves for a bit of a treat.  These zucchini flowers remained crunchy even after sitting for a bit...which was a nice surprise.

Batter for Flowers and Herbs

1/3 cup flour

1 egg

1/4 cup sparkling water or club soda or beer

pinch of salt

2-3 ice cubes

Gently mix the ingredients together to form a nice batter (a little thinner than pancake batter). Add the ice cubes to make mixture quite cold.

Dip the zucchini flowers and herbs in the batter, allow excess to drip off.  Drop into pan of very hot oil and cook until light brown.  Remove from oil and drain on kitchen paper.  Sprinkle with salt and serve

For our protein, we made involtini.  Involtini is a piece of meat with something wrapped inside. In our case we used mortadella, sage and parmesan cheese.  Here's the deal with these.  When you start out...they honestly don't really look like much. I was a bit skeptical.  We took small pieces of very thin veal, chicken and pork and placed very small bits of mortadella and parmesan cheese in the middle.  Each filling was topped with about 1/3 piece of sage and then rolled to cover all ingredients and kept closed with a toothpick.  We crammed them in a medium size saucepan, dropped a bit of olive oil and a couple bits of butter on top and let them cook away.  I have since made these at home and they were a big hit...and great for a crowd.  My addition to the recipe is that when I took the involtini out of the pan, I hit the bottom of the pan with a bit of white wine and then just a small knob of butter.  It pulled all the crunchy bits off the pan and made a nice sauce that I then poured over the meat.  You really should use mortadella in this, but if you don't like it substitute with prosciutto, but then watch the salt in the recipe.  Please do not buy mortadella from the grocery store. Get it from a good Italian or German deli...you will be glad you did. Oh...and have them slice it very thin...very, very thin.

We enjoyed so many delicious side dishes, but one that was a complete surprise was the eggplant dish. As I watched it come together, again I was skeptical.  I thought it looked dry and sad.  But it turned out to be absolutely delicious.

Melanzane

Take a large eggplant and slice it to max 1/8" slices.  Place in a colander and coat with salt, or let dry for a few hours on paper towels to reduce bitterness. If you use the salt, be sure to wash the eggplant off, otherwise you will have the equivalent of a salt-lick.  Make sure the eggplant is dry and then cook in a dry pan over medium heat.  When the eggplant starts to color and is soft, it is done.  Arrange in concentric layers on a serving plate.  Meanwhile finely chop 2 cloves garlic, about 2 Tbs italian parsley leaves and about 1 tsp of kosher salt.
Sprinkle on top of the eggplant and then top with good extra virgin olive oil.  Serve room temperature or cold.

And for dessert we had gelato.  Rafaella whipped it up like it was no big deal.  She didn't make a custard by cooking the eggs, which I always do from a food safety perspective, which made her process very quick.  None of us have compromised immune systems and frankly they just do it differently in Europe, so we obbled down every last bit.  And boy did it taste so good!  The recipe was pretty standard, so I won't post it here...but I will show you a photo...

vanilla gelato with blueberry sauce

So the food was great, naturally.  Rafaella knows her way around a kitchen and she is very choosy with her ingredients.  The night was spectacular.  As we sat in their dining room, eating this spectacular meal and talking about our adventure of the past week, it felt as if we were going down memory lane with dear old friends.  I couldn't believe that this would be our final evening together as Marcello had become part of our daily landscape--translating things he didn't need to, not translating things I desperately wanted to understand but didn't need to know...driving us through village and dale....showing us a side of Italy only few non-natives get to experience....getting impatient with us for forever being a few minutes late...shaking his head as we debated if we should smuggle home a full prosciutto (we did not)...introducing us to amazing chefs and cooks throughout the region....and sharing with us his family and his life.

In the end we had to say arrivaderci  to our new friends; Marcello, his wife Rafaella and their adorable daughter Francesca.  They are now and forever a part of my quilt...my quilt of experiences and adventures that I carry with me always.
Thank you dear readers for following me on this journey.

Just one more plug for them...Marcello and Rafaella of Bluone Cooking Tours.  You won't be disappointed!

A Place to Please the Senses

I love to travel. Which is interesting because I am also a homebody.  I love to be home and I love to be away from home.  
I don't love packing and unpacking. However, if I had to choose only one, I would choose to pack.  
My unpacking strategy usually goes like this.  Dirty stuff in the hamper, shoes on the floor, clean stuff remains in the suitcase until it needs to be worn.  Forget clothes are in the suitcase. Think there is a ghost in the house because can't find my favorite trousers. Elation when said trousers are discovered while packing for my next trip.


To be honest, when I travel out of the country, I usually pack older clothes or I stock up on various inexpensive items, and leave them behind.  My goal is to have less clothing and more goodies when I cross through customs.

Always within the legal limits--of course....

Today I was digging through my travel files because a friend's mom is heading to India for an extensive holiday.  Even though I am leaving shortly on a fabulous adventure of my own, I am a bit envious of her, as India is one of my most favorite places. 
  
When planning a big trip several years ago, I was looking for a place that would have beautiful sights, good food, great shopping and amazing spas.
There are only a few places that made the short list..and India won hands down.
 While in India, I was fortunate enough to be able to take cooking lessons from a top chef at a very special resort that sat in a remote village near a wild animal refuge.  He kept a garden for his herbs and vegetables.  He grew apples so he could make his own pectin for preserving. He had a cardamom bush. I want a cardamom tree! The kitchen staff cans and pickles all spring, so they would have condiments during the rainy season and the barren summer months.  If it didn't grow or wasn't raised locally, it rarely made it on the menu.  
It was incredible that even with limited ingredients, the food was spectacular.  I ate mostly vegetarian as the bird flu was a concern; the kitchen had been stripped of all eggs and chicken.  They do not serve or eat beef, and I am not a fan of lamb--fish is a luxury.  
Not to worry, the food was balanced and beautiful.  I have had a lot of culinary training, but I feel my education at Ranthambore was perhaps my most meaningful.  It is a talent to prepare good food simply. It is a gift to prepare simple food so that it is fit to serve an Emperor.  I credit my time there for making me a better and more resourceful cook.


In going through my notes, I was flooded with wonderful memories and a renewed desire to pull out my spice jars, dust off my thali plates and prepare a rajasthani feast.

Mint Chutney

1 Tbs roasted and ground cumin

1 small onion-quartered

2 serrano chiles

juice of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves

1 1/2 cups cilantro leaves

2 cups mint leaves

pinch sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Put all in a blender and whirl until all pieces are finely chopped.  If it is too thick, add a bit of water a little at a time until it reaches desired consistency

My Favorite Yogurt Banana Relish

2 cups plain yogurt (drained to remove much of the liquid)

1 tsp roasted cumin--ground

1/2 tsp roasted cumin--whole

1 serrano chili--sliced into thin paper thin rounds

1 Tbs fresh cilantro leaves--chopped

2 Tbs brown sugar

to taste salt

1/4 tsp or more cayenne pepper

2 ripe bananas cut into thick rounds and then quartered

Mix all together and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to let the flavors meld

These can be served with papadams, naan, on rice, chicken, or roasted meat.

Masala is a spice combination and a curry is the equivalent of what we would call a stew. It refers to a number of different dishes, not a particular spice.

Chicken Jalfrezi

2 Tbs olive oil

1 1/2 medium onions--finely sliced--paper thin

3 cloves garlic--chopped

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into generous size "fingers"

1 Tbs + 1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

2 large red "bell" peppers--julienned

1 large can + 1 small can diced tomatoes

1 thai chili pepper--finely diced

1-4" piece cinnamon stick

3 Tbs ghee

1 Tbs + 1 tsp toasted and ground coriander

3 Tbs grated fresh ginger

2/3 cup cilantro--chopped

Heat oil in skillet. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken and season with turmeric, chili powder and salt.  Fry gently, scraping the bottom and turning the chicken.  Add red peppers and fry for 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes with their juice and cover the pan.  Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.  Uncover and simmer for another 10 minutes to let the excess liquid evaporate.  Add ghee, cumin, ginger and cilantro and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.  Serve chicken with sauce spooned over top.

Vindaloo Sauce

4Tbs vegetable oil

2 cups onion--thinly sliced

1 1/2 tsp ginger--minced

1 1/2 tsp garlic--minced

2 Tbs raisins--minced

2 1/2 Tbs--white vinegar

MASALA
1 1/2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp  whole cumin--toasted and ground

1/2 tsp coriander seed--toasted and ground

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp ground clove

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mustard seed--toasted and ground

1 3/4 tsp salt

2 lb lamb, chicken or protein of choice

In frying pan--heat oil.  Add onion and fry until edges are nicely brown.  Stir in garlic and ginger and fry 1 more minute. Add raisins, vinegar, masala and 1/4 cup water.  Fry and stir until spices are cooked.  Put protein in and another 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low and cover and cook for 35 minutes.  Increase heat and continue to simmer 10 minutes.  Sauce should be fairly thick.  Serve warm.

note: If you are having a dinner party and wish to have something really special, you can cook this up without the protein, substituting 1/4 cup chicken broth for one of the water additions. Make the sauce, and set aside.  Pan fry your protein to achieve a beautiful caramelized presentation.  Serve a bit of the sauce spooned on top or pooled on the plate with the protein on top. Serve the remaining on the side.

Julie and Julia and Julia and Me

Its been a long time since I have been inspired by a movie. I love the movies, my husband and I have date-day on tuesdays and we go to the picture show. So, I pretty much see em' all. Good, bad, really good, really bad...I go for the popcorn and stay for the movie.
In one of my past lives I worked in the "industry". I write that with quotes, because that is pretty much how I say it too. I wasn't lighting the world on fire...but I sure had fun. Got to travel a bit and meet some interesting people. I went for the celebrity sightings and stayed for the craft-service table.
So, when I tell you I was inspired by a movie, I am saying this as an avid movie watcher and jaded know-it-all.
Before I get into why I loved Julie and Julia so much...let me say this. Give Amy Adams a break. I thought she played the sorry-sack quite well, thank you. Of course, everyone wants to see Meryl Streep playing a really interesting, easily recognizable, likeable character. Juila Child's life was interesting and it was in France...it seems quite enviable. Who wants to compete with that? It would be like comparing the life story of David Sedaris with let's say the cashier at your bank who wrote a winning essay in 5th grade on the bicentennial. Botton line...some people are more interesting than others.
I thought both chapters in this movie were equally wonderful. Let's face it, the food in Julie's chapter was exceptionally appealing.
Here's what else I loved...I loved the Love in the movie. Paul for Julia, Julia for Paul, Eric for Julie, Julie for herself.
I saw the movie for the first time at a screening with my friendApril; a friend from my past-life pavillion and a fellow food enthusiast. Before the movie there was a lovely spread of beautiful but mediocre food, by catering giant Wolfgang Puck. My favorite part of the pre-vent was meeting Jeffrey from the NEXT FOOD NETWORK STAR and not telling him he should have won. I pride myself in my brutally honest omissions.
So, i'm emotional just as a participant in life...either I am extremely empathetic or on the verge of a breakdown.
...I tell you about my emotions because Julie and Julia made me cry...more than once...okay maybe tear up is a more accurate assesment. But it did. And then it made me hungry. And then it made me envious, and then it made me hungry again...and then it made me wonder how Julie's small apartment could look so fabulous and tidy while my quite large apartment always looks like a yard sale...
...and then I was hungry again.
I have lots of nieces and nephews who love to be in the kitchen and I really wanted them to see Julie and Julia...I thought they would love it and it would inspire them as it had me.
One lazy afternoon, I took 3 of the girls to see the movie and they loved it. And I still loved it, and I teared up in the same places as I had before...and I came out of those double-doors seriously hungry. Because this is America and we are still free to do what we please, the girls and I went immediately to the grocery store and began planning our late, very French lunch. I had some amazing tomatoes from my road trip to Chino Farm at home, so we decided to make the famed bruschetta from the movie. That's a hard C..in there...just so you know.

The gallblatter bruschetta.. is fried in oil like a donut. After spending way too much time in the meat section...we settled on poulet alouette et chevre. Okay seriously, I don't speak French...but this might actually be how you would say what we made. We finished it off with mousse au chocolat. A current obsession of my niece Julia.
We had a great time in the kitchen that afternoon....cooking and laughing and learning new skills. Personally I have never fried the bread for bruschetta, I always grill or toast it in the broiler. Frying it makes for a lovely crunch, a great color and a real treat, but it's still really good if you toast or grill the bread...once toasted, rub a garlic clove across the top, drizzle with a bit of really good olive oil and top with chopped tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil. I like to drizzle a bit of aged or reduced balsamic on top.
The Poulet Alouette et Chevre is really simple. Take 4 boneless, skinless, tasteless chicken breasts and pound them until they are about 1/8" thick. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Take 1/3 brick cream cheese, 4oz chevre and a pot of garlic and herb alouette and cream together. Separate into 4 portions and place each down the center of each breast. Fold chicken over cheese mixture and secure with toothpick if necessary. Dip each chicken parcel in lightly beaten egg and then coat in bread crumbs. Brown seam side up in olive oil on stovetop, then turn and place pan in 350 oven to finish cooking.

I made my first chocolate mousse when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I don't know how I found myself alone in the kitchen, but I was and I decided that I wanted to make chocolate mousse which resulted in a horrible accident where I spilled boiling water down my front while trying to pour a large pot of it into the sink. I knew I would be in trouble for cooking without my mom so I cleaned up and kept mum. My parents only found out about it because my mom noticed burn welts down my stomach when I was in the bath that evening. I don't remember if I was punished (probably not), but I do remember that I didn't fully understand the severity of what I had done, and all I could talk about was how delicious the mousse was.
I guess it could have been worse, I could have been stealing or doing drugs.

For the Mousse au Chocolat, separate 3 eggs and whip the whites until frothy. Add a pinch of salt and then really whip until they are stiff but not dry. Set aside while you prepare the chocolate cream. Take 1 cup heavy whipping cream and heat until a simmer. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks with a tsp of vanilla. Temper the eggs with the hot cream and then place back on the stove. On very low heat stir constantly until the mixture thickens just enough to coat the back of the spoon and when you swipe your finger through you create a "track". Take off the heat and add 8 oz very good bittersweet chocolate pieces. Lightly whisk until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Cool to room temperature, then gently fold in the egg whites. Go slowly and carefully, you do not want to deflate the whites. Pour into individual servings and place in refrigerator to set.
Once you make this and realize how simple, fast and delicious it is, it may just become your obsession too!

You Are What You Eat

My husband is a hunter. Not in the men are from mars context...trying to explain away why relationships are complex. He is a real hunter...the kind whose closet contains as many camo garments as it does dress shirts (or perhaps more in his case). The thing is, Mike doesn't kill anything he doesn't intend on eating. Fine when it comes to odd turkey hunt, or pig posse...but what do you do when on his shoulders is a big bear.
Can it, of course.
Before you go saying...hmmm interesting....
Let me stop you...
it is awful. Salt it, spice it, add potatoes and onions...
still gross
slice it, dice it, deep fry it
intolerable...
not even edible dipped in chocolate...trust me
it tastes just like you would imagine bear to taste...bearey...
Moose Manwich, tasty..
Venison and eggs...respectable breakfast
I even will eat Dall sheep stew without much of a fuss.
but bear...not unless the only other option is person.

I grew up in Los Angeles, where rabbit is considered wild game. Nevermind that every shop in Chinatown has a stockade of little bunnies to choose from. Reminds me of that scene in "Roger and Me"...pets or meat. I laughed and laughed at that poor woman's expense. In reality the joke was on me. People eat rabbit and people keep rabbits as pets. Pets or meat is a legitimate question.

I've cooked rabbit...I've eaten rabbit. It's quite tasty actually.

We have a freezer full of "exotics". Did I mention my husband is a hunter? Funny thing, hunters are friends with hunters...and so if we don't catch, lure, shoot, spear it ourselves, there is always someone else who has more than they can eat and wives who insist that they share.

I was at a cancer seminar recently and the inevitable talk about nutrition began. We've been hearing more and more about eating a Mediterranean diet. I really wanted to raise my hand and ask...where does wild game fall on that list? But because I was in a room full of women who obviously didn't eat, let alone eat game, I lowered my hand.
And then it came to me.
The meat is great for you...the preparation and accompaniments are what will kill ya. Venison.. lean meat...great for you...creamy gooey mac n' cheese, not so much.

Remember when I said, hunters are friends with other hunters? Well, a few weeks ago, one such friend dropped by the house...with a cooler full of pheasant and chukar. Huh?
I mean, who ever heard of chukar outside of over hearing it in reference to getting rid of someone..."yeah, she's a nice girl, but she's harshing my mellow, so I think I will chuck her."

Bottom line...most game needs to be marinated, slow-cooked, or both. I adapted an Indian recipe I love, for the birds. This sauce is delicious...but even it can't make bear taste good. It's a little spicy, a little sweet and a lot tasty.

If you can't find chukar in your local field or parking lot, try lamb, beef, pork or turkey. Serve with rice to help sop up the juices.

Chukar Vindaloo

4-6 servings

1 medium onion peeled and quartered

1 inch fresh ginger--peeled and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic—crushed

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 ½ Tbs coriander seed—toasted and ground

1 ½ Tbs cumin seed--toasted and ground

1 Tbs ground turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

pinch cinnamon

pinch red pepper flakes

¼ tsp or more cayenne pepper

1/4-1/2 cup water

4-6 chucker--skinned removed (if using other meat, use about 3lbs--cut into pieces)

1/2 small onion--thinly sliced

1 cup chicken broth

handful of raisins

1-3 tsp dijon mustard (optional)

Finely process the onion, ginger and garlic. Add the vinegar, coriander, cumin, turmeric, sugar, cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper. Process until if forms a smooth paste. Add water to resemble a thick soup. Pour into a ziploc type bag. Add chucker and marinate 4 hours or overnight. Too cook. Heat a medium to large dutch oven with a bit of olive oil Saute onions until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the chucker and all the marinade to the dish. Add the chicken broth and raisins. Lower heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes. The meat should be falling off the bone, but not actually off the bone. Do not let the sauce get too thick. Add more chicken broth if necessary. Do not let sauce boil. If desired you may add a bit of dijon mustard to make the flavor "pop".