Tag Archives: curry

Aug9

Curried Game Hens and Millet

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Curried Game Hens a la Muffy Ritz as shown in the Sun Valley Celebrities and Local Heroes Cookbook benefiting The Advocates (2001)

Serves 2 big appetites or 4 smaller ones

The Ketchum Art’s and Craft’s fair was really a wonderful one this year.  I went with a dear friend and she played the game at the Advocate’s booth and won this beautiful cook book with fabulous recipes and gorgeous pictures by our own Will Caldwell.  My friend never uses cookbooks so lucky me was gifted the winnings.  I read it from front to back and honestly, it has fabulous recipes in it.  One I really like is by Muffy Ritz.  So I called her and she gave me permission to reprint it here in my column in the Weekly Sun.  She prefaces this recipe by saying:  “Sauces make the world go ‘round! I don’t like spending too much time cooking when there are so many other things to do, but I love good food.  This recipe is very easy, very fast and very good”.  And indeed, every word quoted is true.  So, for those of you who don’t have this book YET, here is Muffy’s recipe:

Ingredients:

2 game hens (20 oz.) defrosted (you also can use regular chicken)

1 1/2 to 2 Tblsp. curry powder (Muffy uses a combo of sweet curry and hot curry in this recipe and reminds cooks that curry powder’s shelf life is about 6 months.)

2 Tbls. Soy sauce

1/2 C. mustard (I used the yellow ordinary kind)

1/2 C. honey

Optional: raisins (I used currents), sliced onion, sliced mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine the above ingredients, including the optional ones, and place in a casserole dish.  Place the game hens in the dish and marinate for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 min., then flip the hens over, remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes and until done.

Serve with couscous (I used millet) and colorful vegetables.  This sauce is great on the couscous.

Additional notes from Margot:

How to cook Millet

Millet which I buy out of the bin is a staple throughout Africa and in much of Asia. It is gluten free where as couscous is not and is rich in the B vitamins as well as containing other valuable nutrients. So for those wishing a gluten free side dish that tastes like couscous, millet is your perfect substitute.

Ingredients:

2 Tblsp. olive oil &/or butter

1 C. rinsed millet

S&P

2 C. chicken stock

Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Directions:

Place oil/butter in a medium sauce pan and turn heat to medium. When oil/butter is hot, add the millet,  S&P, and stir cooking until the millet has a glossy look to it—1 to 2 minutes.

Add the liquid, cover, turn heat to low and cook about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the millet is tender.

Garnish with parsley leaves.

Jun7

Spicy Meatball Curry

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Spicy Meatball Curry

Serves 4

I loved traveling through India. It was so exotic and the people so loving. Also I thought that the food was terrifically good as well as healthy.  You just had to watch where you ate. Now, I often add curry and similar spices to my foods. Here is one recipe that I really think is tasty.  You don’t often think of India and meatballs since it seems to be more traditionally an Italian or even Hungarian dish, however, India has a myriad of recipes for their meatballs—some stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, others with dried plums and raisins.  So, here’s my take on an Indian Meatball Curry.  It’s a two step process with a lot of versatility and tasting as the dish progresses.  All depends on your taste buds.

Ingredients for the meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey (I use freshly butchered ground turkey, but if you insist, you can use beef or lamb)

2 chopped garlic cloves

Salt to taste

1/4 C. chopped fresh mint leaves

1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley

1 ¼ tsp. paprika

1 ¼ tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. coriander seeds (you can also use the ground variety; I prefer the seeds)

1/4 C. plain bread crumbs

2 Tblsp. olive oil

A 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

4 Tblsp. chopped onion

Meatball direction:

Combine all the meatball ingredients and with damp hands, form about 24 meatballs.  At this point you can refrigerate them for several hours to have the ingredients meld but if you don’t have the time to do this, don’t bother.  They will still be very tasty.

Ingredients for the curry sauce: (This is the shortcut way and I think it’s very good and easy.)

One Kitchens of India Paste for Butter Chicken Curry in the 3.5 oz. package

2 C to 3 C water (or a bit more if you wish the sauce to be a little thinner and less spicy)

1 two inch stick of cinnamon

4 Tblsp. plain yogurt (I use the Greek kind and it can be either fat or non-fat)

4 whole cloves

2 to 4 heaping Tblsp. of medium heat Chipolte Salsa (depending how spicy you wish it to be)

2 or more tablespoons of currents or raisins

Sauce direction:

1. Put sauce ingredients in a large skillet and slowly heat on top of stove on medium heat.  Stir till all ingredients are well blended and simmer with a tight fitting top for about 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Then add meatballs in a single layer in the sauce and simmer with the top on for 50-60 minutes.

3. Shake pan occasionally or very gently stir being careful to not break up the meatballs.  I turn the meatballs over in the sauce very carefully about 3 times during the whole cooking time.

Serve with rice or Nan.  Top this dish with a generous dab of  yogurt to set off the spices and decorate it with some left over mint and parsley.