Tikka Masala

With the warmer days, the kickoff of grilling season begins again. So over the gorgeous Memorial Day weekend I made this meal.. tikka masala. Chicken Tikka Masala is a delicious dish which pre-marinated pieces of chicken are grilled and then added to a thick creamy gravy. The result is a lovely warm and smokey flavor. I served it over a bed of jasmine rice as I was all out of basmati, plenty of chopped cilantro along with triangles of syrian bread. If you grill as much as we do here, this is a very easy recipe that may be may ahead. Don't omit the marinade sauce..it really adds a lot to this warming dish. I originally had this dish at a friends barbecue, where she served shrimp instead of chicken. Both are equally delicious in this wonderful sauce mixture.

Prepare the chicken

3 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt

Sprinkle seasonings over chicken breasts--cover in wrap & refrigerate 30 minutes.

Dip/Marinade

1 cup whole yogurt
1 TBLS fresh ginger, diced fine
2 TBLS garlic cloves, minced
2 TBLS vegetable oil

Mix well and set aside until chicken is ready to be cooked. Once readied, dip chicken breasts into yogurt mixture. Once coated, toss them on the grill, basting each side until chicken is cooked and sauce mixture is gone. Allow chicken to rest once grilled and slice into 1 inch slices and then turn and cube into 1 inch pieces.
Set aside and prepare the masala sauce.

Prepare Masala Sauce


3 TBLS vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and diced fine
1 TBLS tomato paste
1 TBLS Garam Masala -*an Indian warm mixture of spices
1 cerano chili-minced

Saute onion, garlic and ginger in vegetable oil for 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, garam masala & chili and cook 4-5 minutes longer.
Then add:
28 oz crushed tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt

Cover and continue cooking another five minutes or so. Lower the heat and stir into the red sauce 2/3 cup light cream. Once blended in, add the cooked,cubed chicken pieces just long enough to blend in. No need to cook any longer. Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and serve over warm rice. Enjoy!

Stuffed Eggplant

These days I’ve been cooking light and as easy as I can. The new gardens are taking more time than I expected, but I find myself unable to leave them once I get working. At the end of the day the last thing I want to do is prepare a large dinner meal. But on the plus side, the spinach and ruby chard are just about ready to pick! Here’s a dish that I make often and so simple to prepare or can be made ahead and heated just before serving. You can add any veggies you like to this dish. I used mixed sweet peppers, shallots, and garlic along with some frozen corn I had on hand…along with the star of this dish, the eggplant. I prepared this early in the morning, so I could just pop it into the oven at dinnertime.



· 2 medium eggplants
· ½ cup frozen corn
· 2 shallots finely chopped
· 3 garlic cloves, minced
· ¾ cup diced sweet peppers
· 2 TBLS olive oil
· 2 TBLS minced fresh parsley
· ½ tsp summer savory, minced
· 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
· sea salt & ground pepper to taste
· 2 oz crumbed feta cheese
· 3 oz shredded fontina cheese
· 1 egg, beaten
· 1/2 cup water




Directions:
Cut eggplant in half lengthwise; remove pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell. Cube removed pulp and set shells aside.
In a large skillet, saute the eggplant pulp, corn, shallots, peppers and garlic in oil until peppers are just tender. Stir in herbs and seasoning. In a separate bowl mix cheeses and one beaten egg together. Add cheese mixture to sautéed vegetables. Spoon mixture into reserved eggplant shells. Sprinkle with paprika. Place in an ungreased baking dish and pour water into bottom of pan..
Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned. Enjoy!