Sloppy Joes

A lot has happened in the last two years. The boys grew (a lot) and both now play football. My new one-year contract job has changed titles three times and should last over a year into the future. Our dog died. We got a new dog. We visited Chris's parents on the island. My parents both turned 70 (and were each thoroughly celebrated). And Chris got sick. It's taken nearly two years, but we might finally have some answers on that front. 

Just before Christmas, our stove died. The dishwasher was also on its last legs. So, we decided to replace the old flooring while we had both appliances out - why not?! And then the flu hit. It has been so awful for all of us for well over a week. The doctor said if Chris got any worse to take him to the hospital. That bad. 

Work has been amazingly busy these past few weeks, and I have zero ability at the end of the day to come home and make dinner. There are times this kind of chaos and difficulty inspire amazing dishes. 

Today was one of those days. 

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients 

4-5lb ground beef (or whatever meat you want)

1-2 tbsp coconut oil

2 onions, chopped

1 large finger of ginger, diced

1/4cup coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp fennel seeds

4 sticks cinnamon

20ish green cardamom pods, ground (or 1/2 tsp ground)

15ish dried juniper berries, ground

1 tbsp dried garlic or 1 head fresh garlic, minced

5 dried figs, chopped (or a handful of raisins)

2 green apples, diced 

1-2 tsp salt, to taste

1-3 tsp black pepper, to taste

Garnish

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 loaf French bread

Butter, garlic, salt

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil, add the spices, then the onion, ginger, and garlic

2. Once #1 is fragrant, add the meat. Now really, don't be super concerned about the method or timing here; if you do this 2 minutes after you add the garlic, great - if it's 15 minutes later and the onions have browned and the bottom of the pot is dark, no worries. It will be yummy, I promise. If pieces brown to the bottom, add some water and scrape them off. That's flavour. 

3. Add in the rest, whenever. Figs and raisins always benefit from being in the pot longer. If you'd like the apples to add a punch of fresh, add them right at the end. 

4. Cut the French bread lengthwise, like you're going to make a huge sandwich. Butter, garlic, and salt it; broil or bake like you would to make garlic bread. I like doing this in a cast iron skillet with the loaf cut in quarters. 

5. Serve; garnish with green onions, cilantro (any herb would be great here, including celery leaves), and eat with the garlic toast. 

I can hardly wait to have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow.  

Chickpea Curry

Green onion chickpea curry with fresh ginger. Perfect. Sounds like dinner. Except I don't have green onion. Or fresh ginger. 

No worries!

Put about 1/4 cup coconut oil in a pot and fry 1 heaped tablespoon of cumin seeds until they are fragrant. Add 1 large can diced tomatoes, 1 can coconut cream, 4 cans chickpeas, 2 tablespoons dried ginger, 1 teaspoon of yellow curry powder (Madras curry), and 1 teaspoon salt. 

Bubble.

Stir. 

I sliced up an onion and two rogue apples to add in. No green onions. No need. 

Goes well with a hungry appetite and will be eaten in place of what I really wanted tonight - baked macaroni. Turns out, my body doesn't love wheat and dairy nearly as much as my mouth does. 

Goes well on rice, noodles, with other dishes, or by itself. It's one of my standards.

Hakka Chicken

Re-wind to August 2012 - last year.

My brother-in-law was just a day or two away from moving to Spain. He had to go ahead of his family to procure a home, vehicle, and various other requirements that the government of that country needed to have met. Then the would grant visas to his wife and children.

He was in the city just for a few days - selling the van, tying up a few loose ends, and waiting for his flight.

Let's celebrate this momentous occasion.  Let's go out for dinner. Indian food? YES!!! Let's go to Taste of India.

We ordered rice, naan (pronounced 'naaaaaaaaaaan' - like when you say aaaaaaa for the doctor, not Nan - the name some people use for their Grandmother), and various delicious dishes with veggies and meat.

The "Hakka" portion of the menu caught our attention and I remembered a columnist on CBC talking about this delicious blend of Indian and Chinese cuisines. We were intrigued. We ordered the chicken.

It was amazing. Incredible. DE-Lish-OUS!!!

My newest favourite dish and something I craved from the moment I finished licking the sauce off the plate. I used naan, by the way, not my tongue.

I was instantly addicted.

I need to eat this again. Yes, need. Soon. Like... tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

How can I make this at home? It is too good... and A Taste of India is too far away to make this a daily order.

RECIPE: Hakka Chicken

Ingredients:
chicken wings
oil
madras curry powder (the yellowish curry powder)
garlic
salt

sweet chilli sauce

Method:

> in a bowl large enough to accommodate all the wings, mix oil, garlic powder, and madras curry powder (I know I have not put quantities here - that is because some will like it more garlicky, others more curried, and the third lot will realize that cayenne is magic in this recipe)

> the idea is to thoroughly coat the chicken wings in the curry oil

> now line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil so the foil goes over all the edges and put parchment paper over that; this will save you from the wings sticking to the cookie sheet and makes clean-up super simple

> here us where a slight deviation occurs and you can do this one of two ways

A> bake the wings at 400°F or 205°C for about 40 minutes or until they are 84°C or 180°F internal temperature

A> pour the sweet chilli sauce into a clean bowl, then the chicken wings on top; I use about 1/2 to 1 cup

A> toss the wings in the sweet chilli sauce and enjoy 

OR

B> bake the wings for 30 minutes, toss them in the sweet chilli sauce, and finish baking them to sticky perfection

Bowtie Neapolitan

Sounds impressive and complicated, doesn't it? It isn't. It's super simple. 

RECIPE: Bowtie Neapolitan

Ingredients:

Pasta

Oil

Onion

Tomato

Basil

Garlic 

Basil

Chives (optional)

Salt & Pepper

Method:

> boil water in a pot and cook noodles as recommended on the package

> chop and fry one onion in the oil over fairly high heat; you will make the sauce and shred the cheese in the time it takes the pasta to cook

> chop and add two tomatoes

> chop and add garlic, basil, and chives

> finish with salt and pepper 

> chop or shred some fresh or aged mozzarella (or ANY other cheese)

> drain the pasta

> toss the pasta in the sauce 

> add the cheese either to the pot and toss or leave it separate to self-serve at the table

This one takes 10 minutes, start to finish (if you start with a pot of water that is already hot from the tap). 

It's a great side to any dinner or lunch and is great served hot or cold. If serving cold, do not toss the cheese in while the pasta and sauce are hot. 

Apparently, it's been a while...

I haven't been on here in a while.

Life is busy and I let my inspiration wane.

What have we been eating lately? Mostly just veggies and meat. I make hash with yams and other chopped veggies sautéed together. Salads with various chopped veggies and simple dressing of mayo, garlic, and wine.

The flooding in Southern Alberta has affected us, but we are dry. Our focus now is disaster recovery and helping out friends.

I will be back on, talking about food, family, and all manner of good things.