Comforting Curry with Broiled Polenta

Here's a quick recipe for a curry I made this past weekend. It's very easy and very good for you. They even say curry has healing powers. I'm not sure but I do know that an bowl of piping hot curry makes me feel very satisfied. I love the flavors in the S&B Oriental Curry so I normally use that. You could also use the Golden Curry cubes that you can find in Asian Markets but be weary they have a lot of fat in them (but they are tasty!)

I served this with broiled polenta cubes, which if you haven't tried polenta before it's extremely easy and really versatile. If I had a grill, I would have grilled the polenta. I think the smoky flavor from the grill would be a nice addition to the curry.



Curry

3 tbls olive oil
1 lg onion
3 celery stalks
3 large carrots
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
6 cups chicken stock
2.5 cups pureed tomato
4 cloves garlic minced
2-3 tbls S & B Oriental Curry Powder
1/4 habanero pepper or any hot Chili pepper
4 med potatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil (torn into large pieces)
1/4 cup minced fresh cilentro
2 tsp Italian herbs
1 bay leaf
veggies
salt and pepper to taste

Fat-free yogurt optional

Saute onion, celery and carrots in olive oil in a large stock pot. When the onions are translucent and just beginning to brown add in cubed chicken breast. Brown chicken. Add in chicken stock and pureed tomato. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Add what ever veggies you have on hand. Simmer curry for at least 2 hours. Serve over rice or the following polenta recipe. I like my curry hot so I serve it with yogurt on the side to cut the heat.

Polenta

1 1/2 coarsely ground yellow corn meal (you want corn meal the consistency of fine to medium-grained sand, not flour, and if possible stone-ground)
3 cups of water
1 tsp salt
2 tbls butter
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Bring the water to a boil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. When the water is boiling add the corn meal in a slow steady stream constantly stirring. Lower the heat and continue stirring until the polenta is soft and the raw taste is cooked out of the corn meal. After about 20-25 mins it should be done. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Now you can serve it now as a soft polenta side dish, or you can grease a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray and spoon the polenta in to the dish. Even out the top with the back of a spoon and put in the fridge. Let cool completely, several hours to over night. It will solidify and now you can do alot of things with it. You can cut it into shapes, or just slice it into servings. You can bread it like a cutlet and bake it then serve it with a marinara sauce. Or you can broil or grill it. Brush both sides with a bit of olive oil, then grill/broil till crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside.

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes with low fat custard and raspberry coulis

My goal with this dessert was to make it as guilt-free as possible. I found some great recipes online and constructed this dessert that is pretty impressive and has very little fat. It tasted great! If you want to cut out all the sugar, you can replace the sugar in these recipes with Splenda. However I would look for a recipe for angel food cake that is made specifically with Splenda.



Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes (makes 25-30 cupcakes)

• 12 large egg whites
  
• 3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  
• 1/2 cup chocalate shavings
  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat egg whites in a large bowl for a few minutes before adding the cream of tartar (a standing mixer helps, if you don't have one prepare for a great arm workout). Beat until egg whites stand in stiff peaks. Combine the sugar and salt (if using granulated sugar, instead of superfine bar sugar, sift it twice). Slowly add the sugar to the beaten egg whites and also add the vanilla. Continue beating until peaks are not only stiff but shiny. Sift the flour and the cocoa powder together and fold into the mixture (try to deflate the egg whites as little as possible). quickly fold in the chocolate shavings until evenly dispersed.

Spoon into a paper-lined cupcake tin. Fill the cupcake tins 2/3 full. Using a spoon make sure the batter is pushed all the way to the sides and that there are no air pockets.

Put in oven on a middle or lower rack (so it doesn't brown too quickly) and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Place on the counter to cool.

adapted from from this recipe
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Basic Low-Fat Custard (Makes 1-1/2 cups):

• 1-1/2 cups 1 percent low-fat milk
  
• 3 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 2 inch piece of whole vanilla bean
  

Mix together sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Add egg and whisk to combine; then gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until custard thickens to the consistency of thick cream, about 25 minutes.

Strain if custard has lumps. Transfer to a large bowl, and add vanilla. Cover surface of custard with plastic wrap to prevent a skim from forming, and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours.

note: if you use a vanilla bean, scrape vanilla into the milk mixture, add the bean and leave in the mixture until it's thickened, remove the bean, then cool.

Adapted from Low-fat Recipes by: The Healthy Oven Baking Book, by Sarah Phillips, Doubleday, 1999
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Raspberry Coulis

• 2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
  
• 1/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
  

Puree raspberries with sugar and lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids.

Coulis keeps 3 days, covered and chilled.

adapted from the Food Network
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Plating

I dusted the plates with cocoa, then drizzled a bit of coulis. A dollop of custard to keep the cupcake in place and a dollop on top. Drizzle more coulis and top with sugared raspberries. But this is where you get to be creative, so have fun.

Porcini Mushroom Risotto

I LOVE porcini mushrooms, and if I see them at the farmer's market, I will buy $30 of them then eat them for a week. The fresh ones I feel are best sauteed with a bit of garlic and butter. Put them on eggs, steak or my favorite: mashed potatoes. They will make your eyes roll back in your head.

Here is my off-the-cuff recipe for my dried porcinis, it's delicious and not too unhealthy, which risottos can be if ordered in a restaurant. Give your self 45 minutes for this recipe.


INGREDIENTS:

• 5 oz. packet dried porcini
  
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (ex: crimini)
  
• 1 large shallot minced
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 tablespoon butter
  
• 2 cups short-grained rice, for example Arborio or Vialone Nano
  
• 1 cup dry white wine, warmed in a pan on the stove
  
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano
  
• 2 tablespoons non-fat sour cream or non-fat yogurt (optional)
  
• 6 cups water the mushrooms were soaked in, filtered using cheesecloth or a coffee filter
  
• 3-4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and minced
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

PREPARATION:
Steep the porcini in a 6 cups of boiling water for fifteen minutes. Remove mushrooms, filter and reserve the fragrant mushroom broth.

Meanwhile, mince the shallot and sauté it in 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir the rice into the shallots and drippings in the pot.

Sauté the rice for 2 minutes, until it becomes translucent, stir constantly or it will stick and burn.

Stir in the mushrooms and then the wine. Continue stirring until the wine has evaporated completely. Then stir in a first ladle of mushroom liquid. Add a pinch of salt after each ladle of liquid. Continue adding the liquid a ladle at a time as the liquid absorbs, stirring occasionally. Watch the salt and taste as you go, I would rather have bland risotto, you can add more salt later. About five minutes before the rice is done, check seasoning. As soon as the rice is al dente, turn off the heat, stir in the sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese, a little bit of ground pepper, the thyme, and cover the risotto for two minutes. Serve with the remaining grated cheese.

We served this with a nice soy-marinated broiled salmon and a raw broccoli and radish salad.