It was a dark and stormy night....

It's sleeting like crazy tonight in NYC, coming down in shards of glass, so after taking my puppy for a one hour walk/run/slide, I decided I was through with the elements for the evening. Justin and I stayed in, watched reruns of <>, took a bath, drank some wine, and cooked.

The theme of the night: Thai. I've been trying to make a lot of different Thai dishes lately since we've been suffering from withdrawal for 'em ever sinced we moved from Boston to NYC. There are a few decent restaurants in NYC--at least in the outer boroughs--but none that I've tried so far that permeate authenticity, and anyway, as previously mentioned, travel was not part of the plan tonight. So we made Thai curry chicken (recipe posted earlier this week)--with some twists.

I started marinating the chicken about three days ago. Didn't actually intend to marinate that long, but I worked late the past couple of nights and got lazy, the end result of which was that the chicken sat in a tupperware container of cilantro guacamole sauce and bourbon for a long ass time. Shockingly, it wasn't overmarinated today--only because I didn't add much salt, I thik.

I halved the amount of chicken called for in the recipe (we're only two people and a hungry puppy), but kept all the other amounts the same. This turned out to be a good move since the sauce was the really, really delectable part. We didn't have "curry powder," so I made my own concoction of cumin seeds (toasted 'em with the garlic and ginger), ground coriander, turmeric, ground cumin, onion powder, and pepper. We simmered on very low heat for a half hour plus (ok we got a little distracted). The result was a deeply flavorful, delectably tender, multi-layered, and complex dish that I think is as good as anything we've had in Boston. Good recipe!

Haupia

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1-1/2 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside. Place the coconut milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Whisk the dry ingredients into the coconut milk and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens. Pour the pudding into an 8-inch square pan and refrigerate for about 2 hours, until the pudding is firm. Cut into squares and serve as a dessert for any tropical meal.
Servings: 6 - 8

Chicken Recipes

CHICKEN ROASTED WITH ARTICHOKES &THYME

3 fresh artichoke hearts, washed, leaves & choke trimmed, quartered
1 c. water
Juice of 1 lemon
8 chicken breasts (4 whole), boned, (skinning opt.), washed, patted dry
Salt & black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. clarified butter or olive oil or to taste
20 sm. garlic cloves left whole, peeled, ends removed
4 carrots, peeled, ends removed, cut into 2-inch sticks
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. fresh thyme, washed, lightly chopped
2 tsp. dried thyme
3 tbsp. unsalted butter (opt.)
2 to 3 c. rice, cooked according to pkg. directions (opt.)
4 to 8 toasted bread rounds (opt.)

In a small saucepan, cook artichoke hearts in water and lemon juice 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. Sprinkle chicken breast slightly with salt and black pepper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, sear chicken breasts in very hot clarified butter or olive oil until golden brown. Flip breasts, add garlic and sear other side. Add artichoke wedges and carrot sticks and sprinkle with fresh and dried thyme. Dot with butter if desired and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Bake in oven for 1/2 hour or until chicken juices run clear after pieces are pierced with a fork. Serve with rice and toasted bread rounds if desired. To fully enjoy, spread roasted garlic cloves on toasted bread round.
Serves 4.


THAI-STYLE CHICKEN IN COCONUT SAUCE
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 whole chicken legs (about 3 pounds), cut into drumstick and thigh sections
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh gingerroot
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
an 8 1/2-ounce can cream of coconut
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander plus, if desired, coriander sprigs for garnish
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 teaspoons minced seeded fresh jalapeño pepper, or to taste (wear rubber gloves)
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste
cooked rice as an accompaniment

In a large kettle heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it brown the chicken, patted dry, in batches, transferring it as it is browned to a plate. To the kettle add the gingerroot and the garlic and cook the mixture for 1 minute. Add the flour and the curry powder and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in the Sherry, the coconut cream, and the broth and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking. Add the black pepper, the chopped coriander, the soy sauce, the jalapeño, the chicken, and any juices that have accumulated on the plate and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers and simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooled through. Transfer the chicken with a slotted spoon to a serving dish and keep it warm. Boil the liquid until it is thickened and reduced to about 2 cups, skim off the fat, and season the sauce with salt and pepper and the lime juice. Nap the chicken with some of the sauce, garnish it with the coriander sprigs, and serve it with the rice.Serves 6.GourmetJune 1991


CHICKEN AND ARTICHOKE STEW
Here's a robust main course for those April days that seem to belong to winter.

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 4 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 medium artichokes, trimmed, halved, chokes removed according to recipe for Trimmed Artichokes
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer onions to bowl.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pot and cook until golden on all sides, about 10 minutes. Pour off excess fat from pot. Sprinkle flour over chicken in pot; turn chicken over. Cook until flour browns lightly, about 2 minutes. Add sautéed onions, white wine and garlic to chicken. Reduce heat; simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Drain artichoke halves. Add to chicken. Add tomatoes and broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through and artichokes are tender, about 30 minutes. Spoon off any fat from surface of stew. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken and artichokes to large platter; tent with foil. Boil sauce in pot until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and artichokes.Makes 4 servings.Bon AppétitApril 1998



Chicken Paillards with Tomato, Basil, Corn Relish

Relish
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons finely sliced fresh basil

Chicken
4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves, tenderloins removed
All purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For relish:Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush rimmed baking sheet with 1 teaspoon oil. Toss corn and 2 teaspoons oil on prepared sheet. Roast until corn begins to brown, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Mix in tomatoes, green onions, basil, and 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper.

For chicken:Using mallet or heavy-bottomed saucepan, pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/2-inch thickness. Pat chicken dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then dust with flour to coat. Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates; top with relish and serve.Makes 4 servings.Bon AppétitAugust 2005



Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot.

Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.


FILIPINO "ADOBO"-STYLE CHICKEN
(Tangy Soy Chicken)

8 whole chicken legs (about 4 pounds), cut into drumstick and thigh sections
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, crushed lightly
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
cooked rice as an accompaniment

In a large kettle combine the chicken, the vinegar, the garlic, the bay leaves, the peppercorns, and 1 cup water, bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer it, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the soy sauce and simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken with tongs to a plate and boil the liquid for 10 minutes, or until it is reduced to about 1 cup. Let the sauce cool, remove the bay leaves, and skim the fat from the surface.

In a large skillet heat the oil over high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it sauté the chicken, patted dry, in batches, turning it, for 5 minutes, or until it is browned well. Transfer the chicken to a rimmed platter, pour the sauce, heated, over it, and serve the chicken with the rice.Serves 4 to 8.GourmetJune 1991


Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
by James Beard
featured in Epicurean Delight: The Life and Times of James Beardby Evan Jones(Alfred A. Knopf, 1990)
Serves 8

"[This is] a Provençal recipe that I taught for years in my classes," Beard said, "and one that never failed to astonish the students because the garlic becomes so mild and buttery when it's cooked through!"

Ingredients
2/3 cup olive oil
8 chicken drumstick and thighs (or 16 of either)
4 ribs celery, cut in long strips
2 medium onions, chopped
6 sprigs parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup dry vermouth
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
40 cloves garlic, unpeeled


Method
1. Put the oil in a shallow dish, add the chicken pieces, and turn them to coat all sides evenly with the oil.
2. Cover the bottom of a heavy 6-quart casserole with a mixture of the celery and onions, add the parsley and tarragon, and lay the chicken pieces on top. Pour the vermouth over them, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a dash or two of nutmeg, and tuck the garlic cloves around and between the chicken pieces. Cover the top of the casserole tight with aluminum foil and then the lid (this creates an air-tight seal so the steam won't escape). Bake in a 375°oven for 1 1/2 hours, without removing the cover.
3. Serve the chicken, pan juices, and whole garlic cloves with thin slices of heated French bread or toast. The garlic should be squeezed from the root end of its papery husk onto the bread or toast, spread like butter, and eaten with the chicken.