Tandoori Chicken in a Regular, Non-Tandoor Oven

If you've never eaten grilled Indian food, I think you're missing out. When I was a kid, almost every Thursday night my brother and I would buy a plate of chicken tikka from the vendor at the sports club while the adults played bingo. After a long swim, it was the perfect meal! I'd sit there with my damp hair, short legs dangling from the chair, coke at hand, eating this deliciously spicy finger food. The friendly man would grill chicken on long heavy metal skewers over hot coals and an open flame. It would be done in no time and served with a little bit of cut up red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and lemon wedges to squeeze. An Indian salsa of sorts.

Tandoori chicken is similar to chicken tikka, except it's traditionally cooked in a tandoor. Well, here in my Vancouver home, I don't have a tandoor! But that's alright; surprisingly similar (though obviously not as good) results can be achieved through a regular oven. I tried it with this recipe for tandoori chicken and wasn't disappointed. Alternately you can grill it on your BBQ. It's easy prep, you just need to marinate the chicken for a while.

8-12 chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, breasts)
juice of 1 lemon
sea salt to taste

Marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 onion cut into chunks
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1-inch piece of ginger, grated
1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper
1 tbsp garam masala

Cut 2-3 deep slits in all the chicken pieces and place in a non-metallic bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sea salt.

Whizz all the marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor to form a smooth paste. Add to the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Preheat a baking sheet at 450F. Place the chicken on the hot baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Then turn on the broiler and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the edges are charred and crisp.

Serve with naan or chappatis.

Optional: Serve with chopped spring onions, tomato, cucumber and coriander.

Ricotta Filled Crepes with Blueberry Sauce

I walked into the grocery store to pick up some olive oil. I had no intentions of getting anything else, but that rarely goes over as planned. I passed by a huge stack of fresh blueberries, strategically placed right in front of the entrance so you have to notice them or else stumble right onto them!

I'm trying to get more into the habit of cooking seasonally. And since blueberries are in season I figured, why not. Bruised and over-ripe fruit I can turn away from. But each little berry was perfectly fresh and plump. So I picked up a 1lb container for $2-something. I haven't finished them all as yet; this was the first meal I used the blueberries in, and it was divine! Good for breakfast or brunch if you ask me :)

Crepes
2 large eggs
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
pinch salt
1 tbsp butter, melted for brushing pan

Slightly beat the eggs. Add the milk, water, sugar and salt to the beaten egg. Combine the flour and the baking powder and sift into the egg mixture. Add 2 tbsp. melted butter. Whisk together the batter ingredients until very smooth. (The batter should resemble the consistency of 35% cream.) Let rest for at least 1 hour. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet on medium heat and lightly brush with melted butter. Pour approximately 3 tbsp. of batter into the center of the pan and swirl around the pan to make a thin pancake. Watch carefully and cook approximately 1 minute. When the crepe is golden, flip it over and cook another 30 seconds. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Assembly
3/4 lb. ricotta
2 eggs, beaten
juice and zest of one lemon
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp butter plus more for buttering baking dish

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine ricotta, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir. Divide the filling among the crepes and roll them up. Put them in a single layer in a 9x13-inch buttered baking dish. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until warmed through. Serve with blueberry sauce.

Blueberry sauce
1 cup blueberries
2 tbsp honey
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp cornstarch

In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix blueberries, honey and half the orange juice. Bring to a boil. Mix remaining orange juice and cornstarch in a small bowl, and stir into the blueberry mixture constantly until thickened. Drizzle warm sauce over crepes.

Makes 5-6 crepes.

Radish Tea Sandwiches

Tea time has always been a daily affair in my house. I'm pretty sure it has to do with British influence in India, which is where I originally come from (though I have unfortunately never lived there). I usually take time at 5pm to steep a bag in some hot water, the perfect way to wake up after a siesta. Actually, I need to step away from the computer right now to add honey and milk. Be right back...

The tradition in my family has mostly been tea with biscuits, or cookies as they say in North America. Once in a while we have sandwiches. Either way, tea time is one tradition I can say I thoroughly enjoy.

I found a recipe for radish tea sandwiches in the May 2006 issue of Everyday Food. I love the contrast of the bright red radish, green lettuce and white cheese against the dark pumpernickel. And the flavours of each ingredient beautifully compliment one another. It's super-easy to prepare and a great way to incorporate some fresh veggies into your diet. I'm happy to add the recipe to my collection.

Serves 4
Time 15 minutes

1/2 bar (4 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
8 slices whole-grain pumpernickel bread (sandwich-size)
4 large red radishes, ends trimmed, halved and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 leaves Bibb or butter lettuce, ribs removed

Spoon 1 tablespoon cream cheese in center of each slice of bread, spreading to the top and bottom, leaving a 3/4-inch border on sides. Layer half of bread slices with radish slices, overlapping slightly.

Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper; top with lettuce and remaining bread slices (cream cheese side down) to make four sandwiches. With a serrated knife, trim off crusts; cut each sandwich in half. Serve.