My local grocery store, an A&P Fresh, recently started carrying their own line of “international specialties” — mostly condiments and sauces — under the label Food Emporium Trading Company. Their light coconut milk caught my eye while I was looking for evaporated skim (for Mrs. Jones’ Macaroni & Cheese), so I bought it several weeks ago with the intention of finding a recipe that called for coconut milk.
Originally, I thought I’d make a curry, but I found a recipe for the Filipino dish Ginataang Manok in my search and thought it looked worth trying.
The recipe calls for 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk, but I used the same amount of light instead. I knew it would impact the thickness of the sauce, and truthfully my sauce was so thin it was more like a broth. I think you could easily get away with cooking this dish in a single can of coconut milk, and if you use a light version I think you’d notice the difference from full-fat milk less. I also subbed an 11-ounce container of fresh baby spinach (whole, I didn’t chop it) instead of the frozen. It cooks down into a very reasonable amount (and probably added to the wateriness of the sauce).
My mother-in-law was clearly skeptical of this dish while it was cooking. But she was a good sport and tried it, and wound up thinking it was very good. I liked it as well, though the leftovers staring back at me from the fridge did not appeal to me the next day, and I have to admit I threw them out. Because the sauce is white, I was able to serve all the kids the same chicken we ate, but removed from the sauce. They were none the wiser.
All in all, an adequate dinner for us, but not one I would make again. It makes me happy to have cooked something outside my comfort zone, though, so in terms of trying something new it was a definite winner.
I love Slow Cooker Ratatouille. It’s easy (true, there is a lot of chopping), healthy, and tasty. The trifecta! This afternoon I chopped up a large onion, 3 Japanese eggplant, carrots, a yellow pepper, a green pepper, a small zucchini, and 3 cloves of garlic and threw them into my slow cooker with a 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes, a squeeze of tomato paste, and some fresh parsley. After 5 hours on high and some seasoning with salt and pepper, it was ready to eat.
We piled spoonfuls of ratatouille on top of split Portuguese rolls, and topped the vegetables with slices of fresh mozzarella. The warm ratatouille slightly melted the cheese, and added just the right amount of creaminess to make delicious dinner sandwiches.
This Crock-Pot dish freezes well, and can be used in so many ways. I have mixed it with cottage cheese and served it over pasta, used it as a side dish to chicken, and even as an omelet filling. Tonight I was thinking about adding some curry powder and chickpeas, and then putting that over rice. I know what I’m doing with the leftovers!
The boys were off from school last week, and had two nights’ worth of sleepovers at their grandparents’ houses. That enabled J. and I to slip away for a mid-week dinner date at Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn, which I think I enjoyed more for the fun of being out on a weeknight and coming home to an empty house than the food. Although, I am still thinking about the warm pecan pie with schlag (whipped cream).
The bit of cooking I did do was using new recipes: Chana Masala, a chickpea curry which is just bursting with spices and tastes great the next day too; and Hot & Sour Soup, which will remind you of the dish you’d get from a Chinese restaurant, but is easy enough to make in your own home.
This week I am looking forward to a little baking: I’m trying an Overnight Coffee Cake recipe to bring to a baby shower, and I may bake cookies for the boys as well.
Monday: Roasted chicken with carrots and onions, ciabatta rolls
I think this simple dish wins for having the most types of spices I’ve ever used in a single recipe. It is really full-flavored, though not too spicy for my relatively low heat tolerance. J. declared it “not totally bland,” which coming from a guy who likes to sweat and have some discomfort from spicy food, is a compliment.
I used canned, diced tomatoes but didn’t love how big the chunks were compared to the smaller chickpeas. Next time I’d use crushed tomatoes if good fresh tomatoes, which I would puree, weren’t available. I served the chana masala with white basmati rice and International Fabulous Flats’ whole-grain naan.
I thought the boys would eat the naan and rice, but they surprised me and refused to eat any of it. I cannot make a side of pasta or challah with every single meal, so they went to bed without dinner and without complaint. I really hate when they don’t eat, even though it clearly doesn’t bother them.
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
2 tsp. grated ginger (I use bottled)
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. curry powder (I used red roasted masala curry powder)
1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
2/3 c. water
2 15.5-oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. salt
juice of 1 lemon
Heat canola oil in a large skillet. Add onion and jalapeños and cook over medium heat until softened and the onions start to brown. Add in ginger through curry powder, and continue stirring for a few minutes, until spices are warmed and their scent increases.
Stir in tomatoes with all their liquid, water, and drained chickpeas. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Just before serving, add in salt and the lemon juice. Stir, taste, and adjust for seasoning (particularly for heat — you might want more cayenne). Serve over rice.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
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Moroccan Chicken Tajine: I recently had a chicken tajine dish at Fig & Olive in Scarsdale, and wanted to recreate something similar at home. This is an Ina Garten recipe, and she never fails me.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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