Good March morning, readers. Today as these recipes and comments are transformed into Fare Exchange on the page, the world outside our doors is sunny and springy. We settle into a discussion thread of favorite foods and, most particularly, pies.
And on the computer screen an Instacart coupon invites me to purchase healthy – root vegetables, perhaps, roasted?
So, as we cross the border from winter to spring, would you contribute your favorite recipes for both roots and shoots – root vegetables as well as the lovely green vegetables of spring?
(But of course, keep sending those soups and pies whatever is simmering on your stove.)
And this just in from Debbie Pataky. “I’ve ordered a box of frozen Alaska salmon, halibut, haddock and prawns. They are on the way, but I’ve no clue how to prepare them. I’ve cooked my husband a salmon steak one time in my life. He said it was delicious.
“I’m picky about fish. Any ideas for any of those aforementioned cuts of fish?”
CURRIED CHICKEN
Tim Threadgill begins today’s recipes with a “huge favorite of ours. We have made it multiple times in the past few months. It is adapted from a recipe calling for turmeric, coriander and chili de arbol, to use curry powder as requested. I like this recipe because it uses the cilantro stems, something normally wasted in a dish.
Ah, there’s the fresh green in the request paragraph above. Cilantro stems: Who would have thought it?
Mr. Threadgill continues, “The recipe also suggests frying sliced shallot to top the soup. We use the canned fried onions instead because it saves several steps.”
Burmese Chicken Braised in Coconut Milk with Sweet Potato
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
2 cloves garlic
1-inch piece peeled ginger
1 peeled shallot
1 bunch cilantro, divided (plus a bit reserved for garnish)
1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil or a neutral cooking oil, such as grapeseed
1 pinch salt, to taste
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup cubed sweet potato
2 tablespoons fish sauce (or Worcestershire sauce)
2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 quartered
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
Canned fried onions
In a large bowl, stir together the curry and ginger powder with the 1 tablespoon of oil. Cut the chicken into approximately 1-inch chunks, and toss in the curry mixture. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for several hours (I usually do this step in the morning and finish it later that day.) If you forget, you can coat the chicken with the mixture and cook.
In a food processor, mince the garlic, ginger, shallot and the cilantro stems (reserving leaves).
In the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, heat the 1/4 cup of oil, then add a few chicken pieces at a time to brown (so the oil won’t cool as much) until they have been all added, and season with a pinch of salt. When they are mostly browned, add the processed stem/seasoning mixture, and let it cook out a little (should get nicely aromatic). Add a couple of tablespoons or so of chicken stock until reduced and everything soft and cooked. Add the rest of the chicken stock, and bring to a simmer.
Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, then add the sweet potato and cook for another 10 minutes or until the potato is close to tender. (You may add the sweet potato with the chicken stock, but it will start to break down and by the time you reheat leftovers the sweet potato will have disintegrated). Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and coconut milk, and bring to a simmer. Stir in a quarter cup of cilantro leaves, and taste for salt. Serve garnished with the canned fried onions, some sprigs of raw cilantro and the quartered lime wedges.
Variations: I sometimes add spinach to the soup as well, usually about 2 loosely packed cups of baby spinach when the coconut milk is added.
SERVE-WARM PIE
Here’s a second favorite pie from Martha Eaves, one that “goes back more years than I know. I inherited it from my late mother-in-law, Becky Eaves. This butterscotch pie has been a staple at every family celebration for a long time. If your only experience with butterscotch has been the hard candies wrapped in yellow cellophane, this will change your mind about what happens when you blend butter and brown sugar.”
Butterscotch Pie
Pie shell (we use Pillsbury pie crusts, found in the refrigerator section near the canned biscuits)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter (use real butter, not margarine or other substitute)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt
Prick and bake pie shell (450 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes), and cool.
Mix dry ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Add liquid ingredients. Cook over medium low heat until thick, whisking constantly. (This takes a while.) Once the mixture starts to thicken, it progresses quickly. When it is as thick as you want it, pour into pie shell. Cover the pie’s surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Make sure the plastic is in contact with the pudding.
Best served warm.
MAKE-AHEAD PIE
Mary Lynn Wilson’s favorite pie gets added to the table. “As an avid cook and collector of recipes, I look forward to the weekly questions and submissions. The Pie Challenge inspired me to share a family recipe.
“My late aunt, Elizabeth Smith, made this for our family gatherings, and we are thrilled to have the recipe. I believe she got it from the Chattanooga newspaper in the 1960s. Like many dishes, it tastes best when made the day before you plan to serve, and it also freezes great.
“It may be a perfect recipe, delicious and easy to prepare. For some reason my sisters and I serve them only at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I plan to change that in 2022.”
Coconut Pies
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 can condensed milk
7 ounces sweetened coconut
2 (9-inch) pie crusts, thawed if you buy frozen crusts
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Add filling ingredients (butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, condensed milk and coconut) to large bowl and, using mixer, combine until smooth. Divide filling between two crusts. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden. It may jiggle slightly in the middle when you remove from oven but will set up as it cools. If the entire pie jiggles, add 5 minutes to baking time.
TO FINISH
Onward and upward, toward Passover, Easter and all the good reasons to celebrate in the spring.
We want your recipes, please. The rest of us want your company, of course and always.
REQUESTS
– Winter to spring “roots and shoots” recipes
– More soups and pies
– Fish recipes
TO REACH US
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
Email: chattfare@gmail.com
Jane Henegar