Tina's Mostly-Copied-from-Smitten-Kitchen 3-Course Quarantine Meal
(AKA I'm Cheating & Including Multiple Recipes)
Cristina Valverde’s Submission
APPETIZER
I've made 2 batches of these pickled carrots in quarantine & they're a delish way to put to use the star anise left in my cupboard from Christmas punches of yore. Based on this recipe, but not bothering to shred the carrots or ginger or seal the jars (just refrigerate them).
Ingredients:
2 pounds carrots, chopped into sticks
2 cups white vinegar rice vinegar (I used regular white)
1 ½ cups water
3-4 inches peeled, fresh ginger root, roughly chopped
3 whole star anise
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tsp salt
Preparation:
Step 1
Arrange carrot sticks and ginger pieces as neatly as possible in two quart-size Mason jars. I tried to make a layer of ginger in the middle of 2 layers of carrots to be pretty.
Step 2
Combine all other ingredients in a sauce pot and just bring to a simmer, to dissolve sugar. Let cool slightly, then discard star anise.
Step 3
Pour liquid evenly over the carrots, dividing between the two jars. Top off jars with water if necessary. Cover jars and let cool until lukewarm (because putting hot glass in refrigerator makes me nervous). Then refrigerate at least overnight before beginning to eat pickles. (Save the pickling juice when done! See below!)
ENTREE
This is mostly a copy-and-paste-with-light-commentary of Smitten Kitchen's chicken curry, which was unfortunately originally titled chicken masala even though it's not chicken masala, but it was inspired by a Chetna Makan recipe and is super good.
Ingredients:
2-ish lbs. chicken, cut into 2" pieces (Chetna uses a whole chicken, Deb says to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, I used chicken breasts and it was still delish)
1 cup plain full-fat yogurt (I used 0% fat Greek, still delish)
4 garlic cloves, minced, divided
2" piece ginger, minced divided
2 tsp salt, divided
2-3 Tb neutral oil or ghee
2 large yellow onions, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds (I used ground cumin)
~ 2 1/2 cups diced fresh tomatoes (3 to 4 roma tomatoes) or 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, or a mix (I used a mix of fresh and canned; Deb makes a convincing argument to include some fresh, if at possible)
2 Tb tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 Tb ground coriander
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup water
Preparation:
Step 1
Combine chicken with yogurt, half of garlic, ginger, and salt in a container and refrigerate for up to overnight -- Deb says you could also use it right away, but I feel like it should marinate.
Step 2
Heat oil or ghee in a Dutch oven. Add onions and cumin, cook 5 minutes, or until browned at edges (may take longer than 5 mins, important for flavor to let them start to brown). Add remaining ginger and garlic and cook one to two minutes more. Add remaining salt, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cayenne or another chile powder cook for two minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until they begin to break down, 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, cook for another 2 minutes.
Step 3
Add all the chicken and yogurt marinade combo, plus water, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer, stirring. Simmer 25 to 30 minutes over low heat, covered, stirring once or twice to ensure everything is cooking evenly. Chicken is done when it is cooked through and very tender (you can cut a larger chunk in half to check for doneness).
The original recipe part of the whole thing: Serve the chicken with rice cooked IN THE LEFTOVER PICKLE JUICE from the pickled carrots. Omg, this was such a brilliant idea, if I do say so. Basically, cook rice, but substitute pickle juice for half of the water. I.e.: bring 2 cups water and 2 cups pickled-carrot-juice to boil, add 2 cups rice, lower heat and cover for 20 mins / until rice is cooked. I swear! It's really good!
DESSERT
This chocolate cake with tahini frosting recipe from Food52 was also inspired by Smitten Kitchen. It used up the tahini I also had on hand from days of yore and was SO freaking tahini-licious and good. I cut the recipe in half and just cooked it in a 9x9" pan with one layer of frosting, but it would look super pretty as a layer cake.
Ingredients For Cake (remember to halve if just using in square 9x9" pan):
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Ingredients For Tahini Buttercream (again, halve if not making a layer cake):
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup tahini
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds (optional, I did not have / use any)
Cake Preparation:
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F, butter either three 8" round cake pans or one 9" square pan (could try two 9" pans also, would just have to adjust the baking time.)
Step 2
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 3
In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sour cream, water, vinegar, vanilla, and eggs.
Step 4
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until the batter is completely combined.
Step 5
Pour into pan(s) and bake until toothpick comes out almost clean: 30 to 35 minutes for 3 8" pans, up to one hour-plus for the 9x9" pan (check after 50 minutes, make sure to check the middle for doneness if using a 9x9" pan because it will be tall and middle will take longer to bake than the sides).
Step 6
Let cool in pans slightly, then invert onto wire racks, & let cool completely.
Tahini Buttercream Preparation:
Step 1
Beat the butter and tahini together until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes
Step 2
Gradually add in the powdered sugar, then the vanilla and the salt. Continue to beat until completely smooth and lightened in color, about 2-3 minutes on medium speed.
Frost the cake: first do a thinner crumb coat. If making a layer cake, then chill the cake for 30 minutes before finishing frosting with a thicker layer, for optimal results. Making pretty swooshes with frosting. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.