Indonesian Chicken Curry

I don't know about you but I love a good curry. There are as many version of curries as there are cultures in Asia. This version comes from Indonesia. You can find all of the ingredients needed at Kelowna's Asian Market. Very yummy.

Classic Quebec Tourtiere

Growing up in Quebec Tourtiere was a must have during the holiday season.

Ingredients

·        1 and 1/2 pound lean ground pork

·        1 onion, diced

·        1 clove garlic, minced

·        1/2 cup water

·        1 1/2 teaspoons salt

·        1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

·        1/4 teaspoon ground sage

·        1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

·        1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

·        1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Penne with Tomato-Sage Sausage Sauce

I am a fan of Italian Sausage; I have attempted to make my own with reasonable success. I am always looking for ways to use them. I always have some in my freezer for those mid week days when my family need a quick and tasty meal. The following recipe meets those criteria. 15 minutes? Yes, probably, after you prep everything and prep wont take long.  You won't be disappointed and you will find your family asking for more.

Spinach Lasagna

(Lasagne Verdi al Forno)

SERVES 6

For a truly authentic lasagne see our Spinach Pasta Gallery for an illustrated, step-by-step guide to making the pasta called for in this dish. Of course you can use store bought noodle, I sometime use pre-cooked dry lasagne noodle from the local Italian deli. I recommend to be daring an try your hands at fresh pasta, it is not as hard as it first appear. I must stress that if you are going to try, do not be afraid to fail, you may have to a few times. The effort will pay off.

Pad Thai

A few years ago my wife and I took our kids and my mother in law to Thailand. I have been a fan of Thai food for many years and I was really excited at the thought of eating the real thing. Well I was not disappointed. I loved walking through the back alley of Bangkok and see how the average Thai lives. It was feast for the eyes with display of fresh produce every where. Wherever we went there were food stands offering an array of Thailand’s best dish.

Philippe Daigle-Chicken with 40 garlic cloves

This is another of my favourite dish from the Patricia Wells’ Bistro cookbook. The book features some of the best bistro food in France. Contrary to popular belief a bistro is not a temple of extravagance or culinary opulence. A bistro has more in common with an English pub than a fine dining establishment. Don’t be surprised if in France your table cloth is made of paper instead of fine clothe. Anyway this dish is very easy and requires only a few ingredients and they are:

Ø 8 chicken thighs (I prefer the thigh because it can handle more heat and stack more easily in a standard non stick pan, make sure you use an over proof pan). I find the best are found at Cook’s meat on in West Kelowna, they are free range and well priced.

Ø 40 garlic clove peeled, no this in no a typo

Ø ½ cup of dry white wine

Ø ½ cup of chicken stock, homemade preferably.

Ø 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter

Ø Salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Ø Preheat oven to 375° C

Ø Melt butter with olive oil in pan set to medium heat

Ø Salt and pepper chicken and place skin down in the pan, do not crowd the meat otherwise it will steam rather than brown. The goal here is to caramelize the meat, this is crucial to achieve a flavourful jus. Brown 10 minutes each sides

Ø Add garlic to the pan and make sure it is in contact with the pan, you are trying to brown it. Watch carefully to avoid over cooking the garlic.

Ø Brown the chicken a further 10 minutes for each side.

Ø Finally add the stock and the wine and finish cooking in the over for another 15 minutes and serve.

We like to serve this dish with sautéed potato and some side vegetable. We made it this week with a side dish of asparagus. The best part of this dish is to mop up your plate with a nice fresh baguette.

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Philippe Daigle - Your Kelowna and Westside Mortgage Expert
For current rates visit my blog at http://philippedaigle.blogspot.com/