COOKING IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS

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

o    1 (1 3/4-lb) head cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets

o    1 1/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

o    5 tablespoons vegetable oil

o    1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

o    3/4 teaspoon salt

o    1 medium onion, finely chopped

o    2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

o    2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño, including seeds

o    2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

o    1 teaspoon ground cumin

o    1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

o    1/4 teaspoon turmeric

o    1/4 teaspoon cayenne

o    1/2 cup water

o    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.