Tasty

Butter Chicken

First appeared in Grainews in November 2018.

Countless cooking school students made this dish in class during the years I taught at The Cookbook Co Cooks in Calgary. That kind of testing makes it close to goofproof. Serve this luscious dish with basmati rice, flatbread, vegetables, and lentils. From Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet

Serves 6-8

4 T.

butter

2

onions, minced

6

cloves garlic, minced

1 T

grated ginger root

4 T

mild garam masala or curry powder

8

large boneless chicken thighs, cut into cubes

4-6

ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 T.

tomato paste

¼ c.

white wine

1 c.

chicken stock

1 c.

whipping cream

Lemon juice to taste

salt and pepper to taste

minced parsley or cilantro

Directions

Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Add the onions and half the garlic, half the ginger and half the spices. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle the remaining garlic, ginger and spices on the chicken pieces and mix thoroughly.

When the onions are tender, add the chicken, wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, and stock. Mix well. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until tender, stirring from time to time and adding additional stock if the liquid level drops too low. Remove the lid and simmer briskly until thickened if the sauce is too runny, stirring several times. Add the cream and simmer to reduce. Taste, adjusting the balance with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro or parsley.

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“[Bread & Water is a] sensuous experience; she brings her poet’s eye and ear to everything within her purview.”

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“[Foodshed is] A rich encyclopedia of facts, farm-gate lore and original recipes... a politically engaging narrative in which Hobsbawn-Smith articulates the challenges and joys faced by small-scale producers... don’ t let the alphabet theme fool you. This is no tame nursery rhyme; it is a locavore call to arms.”

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