No Passport Required

by Kathy Humphrey

Spring Break. Two full weeks! What bliss, what freedom! Hmm, yes—what in the Sam Hill will we do, anyway?
White sands, waving palms, warm turquoise seas, and great deals on all-inclusive resorts strongly beckon us to drop everything and go, but the cold steel hand of reality calls us home, to duty, debt servicing, and remembering exactly how much vacation allotment we have available after all.

Travel proves the age-old maxim that a change is as good as a rest, but the practicality of financing and making accommodations for a family trip sometimes proves greater than the benefit. At the risk of sounding eerily trippy, we need to remember that even a small motion can change a lot of things. Putting a bit of variety into your regular menu options opens a window to the world—the world of taste, ingredients, and food choices, at least. You could go further, and show photos and mementoes of your travels to your children while you cook a remembered favourite meal, and talk a bit about the other places out there.

Many of us won’t be all over the globe during the month of March—some of us will be here, and expanding our horizons on the culinary front. Bon voyage!

Chicken Marabella

10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 cloves garlic, peeled, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh oregano
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted olives
1/2 cup capers and caper juice
6 bay leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

Remove any bits of fat and skin from chicken: place in casserole dish. Mix together remaining ingredients, except white wine, brown sugar and parsley: pour over chicken. Cover. Refrigerate overnight. The next night, preheat oven to 350˚F. Pour wine and sugar over chicken. Bake 50-60 minutes, basting frequently. Just before serving, toss parsley over. Serve with rice. Recipe doubles easily.

Airi’s Gyoza

1/2 lb ground pork
cabbage (to equal approximately 2 cups when minced)
2 Tbsp green onion, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 whole shitake mushroom
1 Tbsp sake
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1 package won ton wrappers

Boil cabbage for 1 minute. Mince well. Squeeze the minced cabbage thoroughly, to avoid tearing of the won ton wrappers. Place green onion in large mixing bowl. Mince mushroom: add to bowl, along with garlic and ginger. In another bowl, combine sake, sesame oil, salt and soy sauce. Add ground meat to this mixture. Using clean hands, mix well. Add meat to vegetable mixture and combine. Placing approximately 2 Tbsp of mixture onto each won ton wrapper, begin to seal the dumplings. Don’t over-fill them (this will impede the seal.) Spread a bit of water around edges of wrappers to help seal, if necessary. Place gyozas on a cookie sheet until ready to cook. Place sesame oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add gyozas, careful not to crowd: cover. Check often, adding water to prevent scorching. Remove lid towards end of cooking time to allow moisture to evaporate and gyozas to crisp up, adding more sesame oil if warranted. Serve hot, with soy sauce to dip in.

Butter Chicken

(read through before starting)
1-2 tsp peanut oil
1 white onion, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup tomato puree
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and shallot until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato puree: cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in half-and-half and yogurt. Reduce heat to low: simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat: set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, and season with 1 tsp garam masala and cayenne. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce from the other pan: simmer until liquid has reduced and chicken is no longer pink. Stir cooked chicken into sauce. Mix together cornstarch and water, then stir into sauce. Cook 5-10 minutes, or until thickened. Serves 2, with rice.

Kathy Humphrey lives in Victoria with her husband and two children. She tries to see cooking for a family not as a chore but as a creative outlet.