An Inspired Kitchen

I had a friend ask me what Madras curry is and I should have explained more about what I was using in the Pork Chops with Apple Curry Sauce recipe.  Curry is a generic term used to mean a combination of spices that is used in many countries throughout the world.  The combination of spices can differ widely from various parts of the country like India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Thailand (the list goes on and on), and the recipes are often handed down and used within the family.  To make it even more confusing, curry can either be a combination of dry spices and herbs, or ground into a wet paste.  The spice mixture – Garam Masala is often the “generic” term for Indian curry.  Thai curry is usually made into a paste with grated lemongrass, ginger and garlic and usually always has fresh bird eye chili peppers and has a completely different flavor profile than Indian curry spice combinations.

Madras curry is the first curry I remember my mom and Granny using and it comes in a can made by Sun Brand.  This is years ago before Indian food was really available in the States.  The distinguishing feature about this particular store bought curry powder is that it doesn’t have a lot of heat and has a sweet note and which might be from the cloves and anise.  It also has some of the traditional Indian spices used like turmeric, coriander, cumin, fennel, chili and ginger and probably has a nostalgic taste for me too.  I like to make chicken salad and curry aioli with this particular brand.  I make my own garam masala and keep it in a spice jar to make Tandoori chicken and tikka masala dishes, but also bought a garam masala from my favorite Indian restaurant in Vancouver – Vij’s.  His restaurant inspires me to go home and cook some Indian food!  I have a coffee grinder that I use to grind spices and I like to know that the spices are toasted and ground fresh and it is easy to do.  It also allows you to control the amount of chili you use which can be too spicy for us sometimes.  Click here for the garam masala recipe….

Hanger Steak with Spicy Miso Glaze

Roasted Green Beans with Garlic and Parmesan

I was in the grocery store the other day and was inspired by the miso paste in the refrigerated section and decided to buy it and try a recipe I remember I had.  We really liked it with the earthy glaze of the miso, the sweetness of the shallots and the touch of sriracha chili sauce.  You can use hanger steak, skirt steak, or flank steak.  I wish I had the patience to turn the broiler on at the last minute and get the shallots more crispy ~ it would have been even better.  Miso lasts for quite a while in the refrigerator, and I am going to make some glazed miso eggplant with it one of these days. When I am using the oven, I often roast any vegetable I am serving and made some green beans to go along with the steak.  There is no need to have the stove going at the same time, so I feel like I am doing my part to conserve energy and even made some baked potatoes, so everything was made in the oven.  Click here for steak recipe…. Click here for the green bean recipe….

Chicken Florentine Pasta

I was inspired by Ree Drummond’s recipe for Chicken Florentine Pasta and decided to make it last night.  I didn’t have any fresh basil, but always have my handy fresh frozen basil blocks from Trader Joe’s in the freezer, and I had everything else on hand.  I love the fresh cherry tomatoes and spinach and used a high fiber penne pasta that I like (again from Trader Joe’s – I feel like an advertisement for them, but they have great products!), so I really felt like I made a healthy meal for everyone.  Click here for the recipe….

Baked Oatmeal with Coconut and Fresh Fruit

We woke up to a cold and rainy morning (again… sigh…) and I was so glad I started the oatmeal last night.  Before you go to bed, just pour hot water and dot butter over the oats and leave it overnight.  In the morning, stir brown sugar and coconut into the oats and put fresh (or in my case – frozen fruit) over the top, sprinkle with a little sugar and put it in the oven.  It’s creamy and delicious with the coconut, and the fruit on top and makes a great complete breakfast.  Click here for the recipe….

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

I am ever hopeful that spring is around the corner, but it seems to be a little lost. I find myself still making comfort food like this Stuffed Cabbage Casserole which is quite homely looking but really tasty, easy to make, and it freezes well. You just cut and blanch the cabbage and layer it with the meat and rice sauce. Click here for the recipe….

An easy way to cut a lot of cherry tomatoes at once is to place them on the cutting board and put a plate on top of them.  Hold the plate down with your hand and with your knife, cut them in half.  Done in 2 seconds!