Free Range Friday the 13th!

Friday the 13th, that day that has people either fighting the secret unknown scary  world they hope doesn't exist or shouting out that it is their lucky day. Whatever path you take to this day, you still need to eat. Don't you?

When I moved to Culebra and needed a PO box, I was told by that Guy Who Owned the Bike Shop that shall not be named that it would take me a year or so. If I was lucky. He waited outside while I went in. I was told I needed a street address to have a PO address. I didn't even know there were street names and said so. So this is what I was told. "Your address is J (for MJ) and 13 (because thirteen is your lucky number, Las Delicias, that's your barrio, and here is your Post Office box and here is your key. That will be [X] number of dollars, thank you." The Bike Guy did a little Rumplestiltskin dance on the sidewalk while I sang 'I'm the Luckiest Woman in the World'.

So obviously, I fall on the '13 is the lucky number' side of the equation. That is why the recipe for today is called (and I didn't make this up) Lucky Chicken 13, from the blog Show Me the Curry. Of course, that name sounds like an oxymoron in a way, but the recipe sounds good and I will be using it as much as I can to make chicken wings for the auction tomorrow (don't forget the Auction tomorrow at the Library for Friends of Culebra Animals - old name AWC -!!!!!).

Lucky Chicken 13 (adapted from the above)

Serves – 4 to 6

Ingredients:

Chicken – 2 pounds (approx 1kg), cut to desired size

Oil – 2 Tbsp (divided)

Whole Black Peppercorns – 1 tsp

Onions – 2 medium (approx 1lb/500g), chopped

Ginger – 2 inch piece, peeled and roughly cut

Green Chilies – to taste - meaning leave the seeds in for hotter, de-seed for less heat, roughly cut

Garlic – 5 large cloves, peeled and minced

Cilantro – 1 cup, packed, minced. If you can't find cilantro, racao/Spanish broad leaf cilantro is fine.

Worcestershire Sauce – 2 Tbsp

Cinnamon Stick – 1 inch piece

Black Cardamom – 1 pod (ok, getting black cardamom around here might be a challenge, to say the least, especially since the 'substitute' for black cardamom is GREEN cardamom...what can I tell you? Do the best you can. For those of you with more shopping potential, check this page out for other equivalents to whole pods)

Bay Leaf – 1 leaf

Salt – to taste

(Basically, you are making your own curry here, how exciting is that? Now, back to fun work)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a well seasoned pan.

2. Add whole black peppercorn and cook for 30 seconds.

3. Add Onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add Ginger, Garlic and Green Chilies. Saute until onions are golden brown.

5. Remove from heat and allow onions to slightly cool.

6. Grind onions with Cilantro (coriander) and worcestershire sauce to a fine paste using a mortar and pestle or food processor (I like the rougher results from the mortar and pestle, but that's just me)

7. In the same pan, add remaining 1 Tbsp oil and heat.

8. Add Bay Leaf, Black Cardamom and Cinnamon Stick. Cook for 30 seconds.

9. Add ground onion paste and salt. Mix and taste mixture and adjust salt if necessary.

10. Add Chicken, mix well, cover and cook over low/medium heat until chicken is done, probably an hour or so or until you stick a fork in the chicken to the bone and the juices run clear. If you're using boneless chicken pieces and aren't sure of the doneness level, cut open the thickest piece - no pink? Done. 

Stir on occasion.

Photo credit: Show Me the Curry

Add some salad. Make some rice or pasta and wa la, you have a Lucky meal!

Buen provecho!

Have a fightin' the frights Friday. Do something fantastically fortunate.