There is a lot of opportunity to cook while you have to shelter in place. Luckily, we have a lot of spices and ingredients on hand (much of which we have normally) with which to design our meals. In a sense, the social distancing has been a challenge to come up with meals that don't require running to the supermarket (which we will still do, but not every day). We are also trying to use up some of the foods we (meaning me) buy on sale and throw in the freezer for later. I have frozen chicken stock from Sherry's chicken soup that we will use one day to make Pho (and the recipe will follow), and maybe some mystery food, that we have forgotten about.
Yesterday, Sherry decided to cook an Indian-inspired meal, because we had a cauliflower (lasts for week, in case you were wondering) that she loves to roast and serve as an Aloo Gobi. We also had a whole chicken, so she rubbed the chicken with an Indian-Chipotle spice rub, stuck it in the refrigerator overnight to marinate and then roasted it. Came out delicious.
INDIAN SPICED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATOES
Ingredients
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1 (1 3/4-lb) head
cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets
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1 1/4 lb Yukon Gold
potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
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5 tablespoons
vegetable oil
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1/2 teaspoon cumin
seeds
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3/4 teaspoon salt
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1 medium onion,
finely chopped
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2 garlic cloves,
finely chopped
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2 teaspoons minced
fresh jalapeño, including seeds
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2 teaspoons minced
peeled fresh ginger
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1 teaspoon ground
cumin
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1/2 teaspoon ground
coriander
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1/4 teaspoon turmeric
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1/4 teaspoon cayenne
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1/2 cup water
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Accompaniment: lemon
wedges
Preparation
1.
Put oven rack in
upper third of oven and place a shallow baking pan on rack. Preheat oven to
475°F.
2.
Toss cauliflower and
potatoes together in a bowl with 3 tablespoons oil, cumin seeds, and1/4
teaspoon salt. Spread in hot baking pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until
cauliflower is tender and browned in spots and potatoes are just tender, about
20 minutes.
3.
While vegetables are
roasting, cook onion, garlic, jalapeño, and ginger in remaining 2 tablespoons
oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until
very soft and beginning to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add ground cumin,
coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring
constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in water, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of
skillet, then stir in roasted vegetables. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally,
5 minutes.
ROASTED CHICKEN WITH GARAM MASALA AND CHIPOTLE PEPPERS
For the Dry Rub:
½ tbsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garam masala
½ tbsp. black pepper
½ tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp sweet paprika
For the Chicken:
2 chipotle peppers in adobo
sauce, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 roasting chicken, about 4-5
pounds
Directions:
1.
Combine dry rub
ingredients in small bowl and mix well with a fork. Make a marinade paste by
combining the rub with the chopped chipotle peppers, a teaspoon of adobo sauce
and the olive oil.
2.
Rinse and dry the
chicken. Rub the spiced chipotle paste all over the chicken, including the
cavity. Seal the chicken in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate, preferably overnight
but at least 3 hours.
3.
Remove the
chicken from the refrigerator 2 hours before roasting, so it can come to room
temperature.
4.
Preheat the oven
to 450 degrees.
5.
Place chicken,
breast side up, in a small roasting pan. Roast in the lower third of the oven
for 60 minutes, then begin checking for doneness. Prick the chicken at the thickest
part of the thigh with the tip of a sharp knife. If juices run clear, with no
trace of pink, the chicken is done. Otherwise, recheck every 5 minutes until
done.
6.
Let the chicken
rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then carve.
