Potato Curry with Lima Beans

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Use this pungent curry to spice up a breakfast or to accompany the main meal. This simple curry from the Mangalore region in southwestern India makes a colorful, tasty addition to any meal. For a spicier curry, double or triple the amount of cayenne powder.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

  • 3 large onions, chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder

  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder

  • 1 teaspoon cayenne powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

  • 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced

  • 4 large tomatoes, sliced

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 2 cups frozen lima beans

  • Salt to taste

  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves for garnishing

Instructions

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat for 1 minute, add the onions, and fry them for about 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and continuing frying for 1 minute.

Add the dry powders, mix well, and then add the potatoes and tomatoes, along with water, and cook, covered, for 12 minutes. Add the lima beans, mix well, and cook for 5 minutes. Just before serving, add the salt and garnish with the cilantro.

Lemon Grass-Gingered Chicken Wonton Soup

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You can buy ground chicken from your butcher, but be sure to specify that the skin should be removed before grinding. Or you can use a food processor with a sharp blade chop your own chicken, but use the pulse mode to get the proper consistency. Serve this with a cold Tsingtao beer.

Ingredients

For the Soup:

  • 1 pound ground chicken (dark meat)

  • ½ cup finely chopped spinach leaves

  • 1 ½ tablespoons sherry

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/4 cup shredded fresh ginger

  • 2 stalks lemon grass, minced

  • 1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh Asian chiles, or substitute serranos

  • 40 to 50 prepared wonton skins

  • 3 quarts Wonton Soup Broth (see recipe)

  • Peanut oil

  • Chopped parsley for garnish

For the Broth:

  • 3 ½ quarts homemade chicken stock

  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger

  • 1 teaspoon five-spice powder

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • 1 tablespoon hoi sin sauce

  • 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine

  • 1 cup chopped scallions (1/8 inch long, cut on a bias)

 

 

Instructions

For the Soup:

Heat the stock in a large pot and add the ginger, five-spice powder, sugar, and hoi sin sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, add the rice wine, and cook for 5 minutes. 

For the Broth:

Heat the stock in a large pot and add the ginger, five-spice powder, sugar, and hoi sin sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, add the rice wine, and cook for 5 minutes.

Creamy Green Chile and Bay Shrimp Chowder

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This soup started as a seafood sauce for enchiladas, but the staff at the Mountain Road Cafe couldn’t keep their spoons out of it, so W.C. turned it into a soup. It’s very rich and hearty and can be garnished with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups W.C.’s Green Chile Sauce (see recipe)

  • 4 cups homemade chicken stock

  • 3 cups white sauce (see Joy of Cooking)

  • 1 cup peas, shelled or frozen

  • 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic

  • 1 teaspoon thyme leaf

  • 3/4 teaspoon basil leaf

  • 1 pound bay shrimp left whole

  • 1 cup milk

Instructions

In a pot, combine the Green Chile Sauce and chicken Stock and heat to a simmer. Blend in the white sauce by whipping vigorously. Add the remaining ingredients except the milk and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the milk slowly, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Serve hot, garnished with croutons.

W.C.’s Green Chile Sauce

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This recipe dates to 1976, when W.C. created it for his first restaurant, the Morning Glory Cafe. It is meatless and dairyless, but “designed for a meat-eater’s taste,” according to W.C. It is easily frozen or canned.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups chopped hot New Mexican green chile

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1/2 tablespoon red chile powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 10 cups water

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions

In a large pan, combine the green chile, garlic, onion, coriander, red chile powder, white pepper, cumin, salt, and water. Bring to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and mix thoroughly. Add to the chile mixture and cook until the mixture clears, about 20 minutes.

Wild Mushroom Bisque with Grilled Chicken

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Every year on the Saturday preceding the Super Bowl, Wild Oats Market in Albuquerque sponsors the Chef’s Invitational Souper Bowl Soup Contest. In 1995, W.C. defeated a dozen of other Albuquerque chefs with this grand prize winner. Use whatever wild mushrooms you have to make 9 ounces—we have suggested a mixture, below. W.C. gathered most of the musrooms from the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque and urges aficionados to learn about wild mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 pound chicken breasts, marinated in ½ cup teriyaki sauce and 1 ½ tablespoons grated ginger for 20 minutes

  • 9 ounces mixed wild mushrooms (suggested: 2 ½ ounces, boletes, 2 ½ ounces cepes,
    2 ounces morels, 1 ounce golden trumpets, 1 ounce black trumpets)

  • 2 large shallots, minced

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 quarts homemade chicken stock

  • ½ medium onion, chopped fine

  • 3/4 cup butter, divided in thirds

  • 1 pound domestic mushrooms, sliced

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour

  • 2 ounces hard romano cheese, finely grated

  • 1 quart cream

  • ½ cup dry sherry

  • 2 cups V-8 juice

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

Grill the chicken until done, chop fine, and set aside.

Soak the wild mushrooms in 3 cups warm water for 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and repeat in 2 cups water. Reserve the water. Remove the mushrooms from the water and chop fine. Place the mushrooms, reserved water, shallots, garlic, black pepper, and chicken stock in a stock pot and boil for 30 minutes, adding water to keep to the original volume.

Saute the onion in the 1/4 cup butter and set aside.

Saute the domestic mushrooms in 1/4 cup butter with the garlic. Add the sauteed onions, mushrooms, and garlic to the stock pot.

Melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter in a pan, add the flour, and make a roux until lightly browned. Add the roux to the pot, stirring well. Add the chopped chicken breast and romano cheese and stir well. Add the cream, sherry, V-8 juice, and salt and heat for 10 minutes.