September 4, 2011: Thai Red Curry Paste Recipe

I’ve been looking for Thai red curry paste at my local grocery store for some time now (it’s used in yummy curry sauces) – with no luck. I just happened to find this recipe online recently and I was ecstatic! I didn’t have exactly the ingredients as listed so I made some slight substitutions and this is what I came up with. Try it and see what you think.

Thai Red Curry Paste

3 T. red chili sauce

2 shallots, coarsely chopped

1 t. peppercorns

2 ½ t. cumin seeds

1 ½ T. coriander seeds

2 T. fresh or dehydrated cilantro

1 t. lemon balm

1 t. salt

2 t. paprika (for color)

1 t. curry powder

2 t. finely chopped lemon or lime peel

1 t. minced ginger

2 t. Asian fish sauce

1 T. vegetable oil

Using a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder, grind the whole spices to a fine powder. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Add more oil or a little bit of water, if necessary, to make a smooth paste.

Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If desired, you can freeze any remaining paste in baggies or ice cube trays (when frozen pop the cubes into baggies or a plastic container).

April 20, 2011: Brined Barbecued Chicken Recipe

It’s a good thing my husband really likes chicken as I’ve been cooking a lot of this month in order to take pictures for the recipes. But frankly, I’m getting just a bit tired of it. When he selected chicken as his choice for dinner last night and wanted to barbecue it, I wanted to try something a bit different.

The one thing about putting chicken on the barbecue grill is that if you use a sauce, it always burns. Always. It drips off and sparks a flame and before you know it, your chicken is charred beyond recognition.

In order to prevent that from happening, I decided to prepare our chicken much like I do for our Thanksgiving turkey – by brining it. I took one big breast and two thighs that were semi-frozen and added them to the brine solution for about an hour before cooking. Presto! Each piece came out perfectly moist with crispy skin and not a trace of blackness anywhere.

Brined Barbecued Chicken

3 – 4 pieces frozen chicken (you could also brine a whole roaster; just increase ingredients proportionately)
¼ cup kosher salt
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 slices fresh lemon (the ends work great)
About 1 T. each of:
Black peppercorns
Coriander
3 cups water

Mix together the salt and all ingredients following in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken pieces. Add more water, if necessary, to cover the chicken. Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour or overnight.

Prepare grill. Take the chicken straight from the brine and place on the grill, away from direct heat. Cook for about 50 minutes, or until done, turning occasionally.