A Coconut Curry That Justifies That Bottle of Wine: Chicken, Coconut, and Sweet Potato Awesomnness

Here we are, entering Week 3 of quarantine, and I’m – let’s be real – looking for reasons to justify drinking this entire bottle of Gewurztraminer. This curry is it.

If you’re not familiar, Food52 is a pretty fantastic source of recipes. One of my favorite food bloggers did a stint there, and following her posts led me down the virtual rabbit hole to the people I wished I worked with. The articles are a wonderful slice of life, full of people’s family histories and travelogues and general food-related awesomeness. In my actual life, this translates to hanging out in the kitchen with Anna while she texts to my aunt on my behalf and we bicker amiably over all sorts of thing (and no, you cannot go up north to hang out with your wannabe-boyfriend, and yes you can have a sip of this wine)(yes, I see what she did there).

This particular recipe has been hanging out in my file for months. As I claw my way out of whatever vile thing has laid me low these last few weeks I find that I want to cook more (family – don’t get used to this – you still have to pull your weight) and especially wish to tackle some of the more complicated-looking things I’ve flagged. This isn’t actually all that complicated; it will leave you plenty of time and attention to chit-chat with one of your favorite humans, and the end result will be so, so good. Treat yourself.

From Food52: Burmese-Inspired Chicken Braised in CoconutMile and Turmeric with Sweet Potato, with minimal edits

Chicken Coconut Curry with Sweet Potato

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1 tablespoon dried turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon neutral oil
2 cloves garlic
1 1-inch piece peeled ginger
1 peeled shallot
1 dried chile, on the hot side (I like de árbol)
1 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil or a neutral cooking oil (seriously, use the coconut oil)
1 cup cubed sweet potato
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 quartered
1 pinch salt, to taste
For the crispy shallot topping
1 peeled shallot, sliced thinly
1 cup neutral cooking oil, such as grapeseed

Cut the chicken thighs into about 1-inch pieces and marinate overnight with the dried ginger, turmeric, coriander, and 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. If you forget to do this in advance, just toss the chicken pieces with the spices before you start cooking.

In a food processor, mince the garlic, ginger, shallot, dried chile, and the roots and/or stems of the bunch of cilantro. If you're horrified to discover you have no dried chiles in the house because your spouse has abnegated hot things for the last decade, soldier ahead with a teaspoon of chipotle powder and don't tell him 

In the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, heat the coconut oil. Then add the cubed sweet potato. Fry until golden brown on at least 2 sides of each cube. Scoop out of the pan, leaving the oil, and set aside.

Add the chicken pieces, a few at a time so you can brown them without having them cool the pan down, and let them begin to brown. Season with a pinch of salt. Remove to a bowl (ideally with the sweet potatoes so you have fewer dishes to wash).

Add the minced shallot-ginger-garlic-cilantro stem mixture and let cook out a little. Add a couple tablespoons of the chicken stock and let reduce until the mixture is soft and cooked. Add the rest of the chicken stock, the chicken, and the reserved sweet potatoes and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile use the method below to fry the crispy shallots (this can also be done as much as a week ahead of time, as the shallots will keep in a closed container at room temperature).

Simmer the soup for about half an hour, until the chicken and sweet potatoes are close to tender. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and coconut milk and bring up to a simmer. Stir in a quarter cup of cilantro leaves and taste for salt. Serve garnished with the crispy shallots, a couple of sprigs of raw cilantro, and the lime wedges

For the crispy shallot topping

In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the shallots and stir frequently. As the oil continues to heat, the shallots will start to color. When they get to golden brown, scoop them out of the oil and drain on a paper towel. You want to pull them out of the oil a little before dark brown, as they'll continue to cook and crisp up on the paper towel.

** 

On our cruise we were fortunate enough to have dinner at one of the onboard specialty restaurants. The red coconut curry was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted – part of a beautifully prepared and served meal – and I’ve been thinking about curry ever since we got back. This was nothing like that in substance but it was in spirit; while we’re all hunkered down and looking for something lovely in our lives, I hope you’ll treat yourself and your loved ones to this.

BTW: Paired with Blustone Gewurztraminer, which was so, so perfect. I love Michigan wine and saved this bottle for this meal for a reason. 

Now That You Have the Time, Make This French Onion Soup

Everyone I know has some version of a “Someday” file:

“Someday, when I have an infinite amount of time, I will make this recipe.”

“Someday, when I have a week with nothing else to do, my house will be spotless.”

“Someday, I’m going to make this really time-consuming craft project, organize and tag my photos, read all my emails, etc. etc. etc.”

Well, you've got time now.

Here on Day Zillion of the COVID-19 quarantine, I finally want to start tackling the recipe file (because let’s be real – lack of time is not the reason my house isn’t clean). Anytime I’m looking for something overly ambitious, back issues of Cook’s Illustrated are an excellent place to start, and there’s a French onion soup recipe there that I’ve been thinking about for ages.

I love French onion soup but it always disappoints me (love is like that sometimes). My friend Pam ordered Holland America’s amazing French onion soup almost every day on our recent cruise and it did not disappoint At All: rich broth, caramelized onions, the perfect proportion of cheese and bread to soup. One day there was even some beef short rib in there, which was almost – almost - gilding the lily. I always come home craving some little sliver of cruise life at home; and since tackling the liquor cabinet didn’t seem like a wise move under the current apocalyptic circumstances, soup it was.

This version is better than the cruise soup. (Granted, I only mean better from a taste perspective, because it’s not being served me to by Sudarma and Gede on an impeccably-set table and preceding an amazing multi-course meal in which my every wish is anticipated and for which I do no cooking or dishwashing whatsoever, followed by cocktails and the hot tub on the Lido deck. But I digress.)  

I prepared my pan and sliced my onions and started the recipe….and fell asleep. For 3 ½ hours. Because one of the little slivers of cruise life I brought home with me includes some kind of disgusting virus that makes me cough and sleep all the time. Thank goodness for Anna, who jumped in and babied the onions along and only woke me up when her dad tried to convince her that Blaufrankisch was a good substitute for dry sherry (it’s not). And then I woke up and all the hard work was done and my house smelled amazing. 

(Honestly, how can he have been married to me for this long and still think that “wine is wine” and everything is interchangeable? Fer cryin’ out loud.)

A mini-crock full of this soup could easily have been an entire meal, it was so rich and filling. We topped it with a couple slices of toasted brioche and a generous sprinkling – NOT smothering – of shredded Gruyere and Swiss and the end result was just fantastic. Because it was Try New Things Day, we also made some crepes and rolled them around a mix of chicken, bacon, onions, mushrooms, and spinach. On any other day the crepes would have been the star, but they really had no chance against this soup.

Go ahead and try it yourself. You know you have the time…..

From Cook’s Illustrated magazine, February 2008.

The Best French Onion Soup of All Time

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
4 pounds yellow onions, sliced ¼” thick (yellow onions – not Vidalia or any other sweet onion)
2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
½ cup dry sherry
4 cups chicken stock (this is one of those times it’s worth it to use homemade, if you can)
2 cups beef broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 small baguette, cut into ½” slices
About 2 cups shredded Gruyere (I used Aldi’s Swiss and Gruyere blend)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray the inside of a large Dutch oven with non-stick cooking spray (don’t skimp on this, it will make a huge difference when it comes to cleanup). Place the butter, onions, and 1 teaspoon salt in the pan. Cook, covered, for 1 hour.

Remove the pot from the oven and stir, scraping the onions up from the sides and bottom. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and cook for another 1 ½ - 1 ¾ hours, stirring the onions again after 1 hour.

Put the pan on a stove burner over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, scraping the sides and bottom frequently, until the liquid evaporates and the onions are browned, about another 15-20 minutes.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the bottom of the pan is coated with a dark crust, about 6-8 minutes. Anything you scrape off that sticks to the spoon should go back into the pot. Stir in ¼ cup of water and cook until the water evaporates and a crust forms again.

Repeat this process of deglazing and cooking 2-3 more times, until the onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.

Add the broths, water, thyme, bay and ½ teaspoon salt, deglazing one last time if needed. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

If you can somehow manage to restrain yourself, cool the soup, put it in the fridge, and eat it tomorrow. If you can’t wait, toast the baguette slices in a 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into oven-proof crocks that you impulse-bought at Aldi, top with a couple of slices of baguette, and a handful of cheese. Broil 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling around the edges.