My Kitchen
Well, this is my cosy little kitchen. The cabinets are all Knotty Pine, which you just don't hardly see anymore. Seems like most everything nowadays is painted, formica covered or just wood without much character. Guess I'm a little old-fashioned.
To continue, we don't spend a lot of time here when the weather is warm, which is most of the time in Florida. Usually just the time needed to fix the next meal. And we do a bit of cooking outside with the electric smoker, which we''ll talk about later. However, when it is cold and nasty outside, which happens sometimes in winter, the kitchen is my favorite place. On days like that I make chili, Mexican cornbread or maybe bean soup, most of which goes in the freezer for later. Lately I've gotten interested in curry, and if you have never had curry, you owe it to yourself to at least give it a shot. But don't go to your supermarket and just buy curry powder.There are more kinds of curry than there are soups and you will probably find a decent curry in the spices section, although it may not be very spicy. Curry is actually a blend of many different spices, formulated according to the tastes of the region where it originated. Here is a list of what a good curry may contain:
Coriander - Fenugreek - Bay Leaves - Chili Powder - Garlic Powder - Dried Red Pepper - Tumeric - Black Pepper - Ginger - Salt - Mustard - Ground Nutmeg Cumin Pimento - Ground Cloves
Some might contain other spices - its hard to tell. Just depends on where it came from. The best curry I have ever found is called "Hot Vindoaloo". It is distributed by Tesco Stores Ltd., Chestnut, UK.. I have yet to find it available locally. I've tried, among others, Hot Vindaloo and Madras curries from my local Indian Spice shop. The Hot Vindaloo was not the same, much to dark, but the addition of a teaspoon of tumeric and a dash of cumin helped considerably. I'm still working on it. If you are an adventurous soul, compound your own curry. All the spices above are readily available with the exception of fenugreek. Have yet to find that one
Nearly all curries are made with meat of one kind or another. Diced London Broil, tenderloin tips, ground beef, chicken and shrimp to name a few. I prefer very lean ground beef sauteed in oil, green onions and green peppers. Leave the ground beef in small lumps - don't pulverize it. Chunks of cooked potato are the usual additive but for me kidney beans are the answer. They add body, taste and appeal. Once done, you can freeze it, thin it with a little water for soup at lunch, or have it for a main course for supper-plain, over rice or on toast or toasted buscuits. If you are having it plain ( with saltines) it needs a good side dish such as french fries, baked potato, potato or kidney bean salad. Over rice, all you want is a nice tossed salad If you would like a good recipe for Hot Vindaloo curry, e-mail me and I will be happy to send it to you.
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