Chicken Tikka Pie

A Friday in May ended up being a long day. By the afternoon, I was ready to get the heck out of the office and get moving on dinner. My original plan was to make a chicken dish using some leftover white wine, however, my friend Hungry Jenny changed my mind.

Jenny had published a porky tikka pie for her regular Friday Pie Day feature, and I loved the idea. It's just what we needed for dinner. Of course, I wanted chicken (since it's Friday), and I had a couple of ideas for minor changes to make it my own, but really, it's Jenny all the way.

My mini Corningware set isn't nearly as nice as Jenny's proper ceramic English pie plates, but they still held together, and it tasted great. I'm so glad I tried it out, and I'm sure I'll be making it again (if I'm not trying yet another of her pies.

Chicken Tikka Pie

1/2 kilo chicken, bonless, skinless, cubed
2 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2+2 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes, cubed (around 500g)
2 cups mushrooms, sliced (around 150g)
1 medium onion, diced (around 100g)
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
4 medium potatoes (around 750g), peeled, chopped and boiled
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup milk
(4 small ceramic pie plates)

1. In a large bowl, combine the garam masala, paprika, ginger, garlic and 2 tbsp oil, and whisk together using a form. Add the chicken, mix well and leave for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees
3. In a large pan on medium heat, add the remaining oil. Brown chicken in oil for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms and onion, and stir.
5. Add the ketchup and almonds and let simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Transfer mixture into four individual pie dishes.
6. Add the turmeric and milk to potatoes and mash together. Spoon potato mixture evenly atop each pie dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the potato begins to brown on top.

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Red Onion Sauce

I wanted to try something new for a family barbecue, but we didn't have very much time to do anything very different. Back in May, I saw a recipe on CES for a red onion sauce popular on hotdogs in New York City, so I ran with that (with a few changes of course). The sauce isn't made of onions, it's a red sauce with onions in it. Or, more accurately, onions covered in a reddish sauce.

The resulting sauce was very flavourful, and the cayenne added a good zing to it.

Red Onion Sauce

2 tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil and on medium heat and saute onions until translucent.
2. Add garam masala and chili powder and stir for one minute.
3. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and let simmer, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes, until mixture thickens.
4. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
5. Serve at room temperature.

Note: this mixutre isn't a pickle like relish, so it must be refrigerated and eaten within 2-3 days.

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Miffy's Baked Beans

This large casserole dish was maybe two-thirds of the batch.
This particular batch didn't use beer, however, it tastes
even better with the beer.

When my mother-in-law told me that she had made baked beans from scratch, Meredith and I were excited to try it. We were equally disappointed to find that they were already gone.

Fortunately, it didn't take much pleading for her to make a batch for us. The beans arrived - slow cooker and all - and there was much more than expected. But we didn't complain - more for us. We're big fans. Sausage and beans, potatoes and beans, beans on toast, beans and Kraft Dinner. Not that we usually eat these meals consecutively.

I've never made baked beans from scratch myself. My slow cooker just isn't big enough, and the bowl doesn't remove for easy cleaning. Still, I was very reluctant to part with it because it was a gift from my (now deceased) grandparents.

A couple months later, I stumbled upon a large slow cooker for $10 at a garage sale and I I finally got the recipe from my mother-in-law (the beans pictured in the photo are hers).

The recipe is mostly based on a Chatelaine recipe. I read the reviews and they were mixed. I suspect that several readers cooked the beans on high and quickly dissolved most of the liquid in the cooker. Unfortunate for them, but great for me. The beans we feasted upon tasted great.

Miffy's Baked Beans

1 onion, finely chopped
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red-chili flakes
2 cups dry navy beans, rinsed
3 1/3 cups water or 2 cups water + 1 bottle of beer

1. Combine onion with bacon, molasses, ketchup, Dijon, salt and chili flakes in the slow cooker and stir gently until thoroughly mixed.
2. Stir in beans, water (and beer) until combined.
3. Cover and cook on low until beans are tender, about 10 hours.

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Meatballs in Amaretto Barbecue Sauce

It all started out with a Guinness barbecue sauce recipe I saw, however, the recipe called for far too much sugar. That got me thinking that I wanted to make meatballs with some kind of barbecue sauce. The researching started.

I eventually found a recipe for Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce and went from there. I know that Dr. Pepper tastes like amaretto, and I figured meatballs in amaretto sauce sounds classier. I adjusted several ingredients, found some ingredients that were lower sodium (ketchup, Worcestershire sauce) and generally used less salt, and added an ounce of amaretto liqueur for extra flavour.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make the meatballs from scratch. If I did, I probably would've added some of the sauce into the meatball mixture as well.

The sauce was excellent. We had a bit left over so I bottled some up for a couple of people.

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Meatballs in Amaretto Barbecue Sauce

by Daniel Saraga May-4-2012

The sauce is a tasty change for meatballs. Serve it with mashed potatoes for a warming meal.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 tsp (rounded) garlic puree
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 small bottle (412ml) Dr. Pepper
• 1 oz Disaronno liqueur
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1.5 kilos (3 lbs) meatballs, cooked (we used 2 lbs and kept the extra sauce aside)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter on medium and saute the onion and garlic for 10 minutes.2. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.3. Reduce to medium and let simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring every few minutes until thick.4. Let the sauce cool slightly and puree using an immersion blender.5. Let simmer on low for another 5-10 and pour over meatballs.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Yield: 6 servings

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Cornie's Home Made Chicken

The story of Cornie's is an old one for us. On our first cruise, Meredith and I ended up hanging around a beach in St. Maarten for much of the day sitting in beach loungers, reading, drinking beer and eating chicken.

Cornie's was a little shack with a patio near where we rented our loungers and beach umbrella. The initial attraction was the two-for-$3 bottles of beer, but lunch was a pleasant surprise.

At the counter, there was a large pot of chicken slowly cooking on a burner. We were told it'd be ready by lunch time and lunch was great. There was something in it that reminded me of my grandmother's Saturday afternoon chicken dish, and I liked how it tasted - so I asked for the recipe. I didn't get much out of it aside from some ingredients (no quantities) and a general order of what to add when scratched on a piece of paper.

Knowing that I'd eventually lose that paper (and I did - I have no idea where it went), I typed out the instructions and emailed it to myself. Once a year or so I'd look at it and say to myself "I should really give this a try soon." It wasn't until this March that when deciding what to make for supper, I gave Meredith the option of me giving Cornie's chicken dish a try (as an experiment), or another of my standards.

Meredith chose Cornie's chicken and when I left work that day, I picked up the ingredients and got to work. I think the real trick to this is to let it cook for a long time, to let the flavours blend, the chicken fall to pieces, and the sauce to thicken. I don't claim to have nailed the quantities of ingredients on the first try, but it's good enough and tasted great. I've been avoiding excess amounts of sodium so I used no-salt canned tomatoes, low-sodium soy sauce and low-sodium ketchup. Either way, with those products as part of the process, there's likely no need to add any extra salt.

Our friend who joined us for dinner that day pointed out that the recipe was a variation of a frickazee.

Meredith thought that there was a little too much lime in the mix, so I'll actually discard the lime after the marinating next time, instead of letting the lime pieces cook in the stew (I've reflected that in the instructions as well).

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Cornie's Home Made Chicken

by Daniel Saraga April-6-2012

This chicken recipe is from a small eatery in St. Maarten.

Ingredients

• 1 kilo chicken legs or thighs
• 1 lime, quartered
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 can tomatoes, diced
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a large ziplock bag and squeeze juice from lime quarters into bag. Add squeezed lime and vinegar, close and shake bag to coat chicken.2. In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce, onion powder and garlic powder, and add to the bag of chicken, shaking to coat evenly. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight if possible.3. In a dutch oven, heat oil on medium.4. Add onions and celery and fry for 3-5 minutes.5. Add garlic and fry for another minute.6. Add tomatoes, potatoes and chicken (discard the lime pieces) and bring to a boil.7. Reduce to medium-low and let simmer for at least 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sauce should be thick and chicken should be falling off the bone when done.
Note: always check the label for gluten-free labelling on prepared sauces (e.g., ketchup and soy sauce).

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hour 10 mins Total time: 1 hour 25 mins Yield: 4-5 servings

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SkyFlake Baked Basa

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SkyFlake Baked Basa

by Daniel Saraga March 4, 2011

SkyFlake-brand crackers make a tasty breading for this baked fish.

Ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise1 tsp mustard1 tsp ketchup1/4 tsp paprika1 clove garlic, minced1/4 tsp hot pepper sauceto taste salt and pepper500g basa fillets1 cup SkyFlake crackers, crushed1 lemon, sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.2. In a bowl, thoroughly blend the mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, paprika, garlic, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper.3. Pat the basa dry and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.4. Coat the basa with the sauce mixture and sprinkle with the crushed SkyFlakes.5. Use pan spray to lightly spray the coated fish with oil. Arrange the fish in a baking dish and top with lemon slices.6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork and the coating is lightly browned.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 5-6 pieces

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Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Not that I learned to cook out of necessity, but my mom was busy and I was given the opportunity to start experimenting at the stove as soon as I was old enough to not burn myself on the pots and pans.

Aside from stir-frying mushrooms with rice and soy sauce (hey, it was the 80's, that was exotic!), mom taught me a recipe from the one cookbook we had in the house, Tangy Sweet & Sour Meatballs from the Second Helpings, Please cookbook. It was the perfect starter recipe for a fourteen-year-old, and I continued to make it occasionally. The ingredients are easy to find and it's fun. One day, when Jakey decides he likes sauces, I'll make it with him.

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Sweet and Sour Meatballs

by Daniel Saraga June-17-2009

This recipe was adapted from Second Helpings, Please, originally published April 1968.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground chicken or beef
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 cups ginger ale
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup

Instructions

1. Combine the ground meat, salt, pepper, garlic powder, egg and breadcrumbs in a bowl and roll into 1-inch balls.2. Combine the ginger ale and ketchup in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Gently drop meatballs into sauce. Cover and simmer on low for at least an hour or until fully cooked and sauce has thickened.Serve with rice.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 20 mins Yield: 6 servings

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