The Main Thing

The mains for most holiday meals come in the form of a large piece of meat that has been baked/roasted. However, if you are entertaining in a more intimate and or on a smaller scale, this trio of main dishes will still provide the wow factor, both in flavour and appearance.

A few cooking notes before you get to the recipes.

• Make the thyme-garlic butter a day or two ahead and store in the refrigerator. This will help cut down an extra step in the cooking process.

• The Chicken in Coconut Milk can be made a day ahead and re-heated the following day. The flavour improves even more. If you are going to go the route of making it a day ahead, I’d suggest transferring the cooled cooked food to a heatproof dish with a tight lid to refrigerate. Bring the dish up to room temperature and reheat in a preheated low oven (225 degrees F) for an hour or until completely heated through. Remember to ensure that the dish itself is at room temperature. Adding a cold dish to a hot oven can cause the dish to crack/break.

• Cook the fish whole if you can if not cut it into thick steaks or fillets. Make the pickle a day head so that the flavours can meld, or let it sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature before using it.

Cynthia’s Chicken in Coconut Milk

INGREDIENTS

4 – 5 pounds chicken cut in large pieces (see note below)

For marinade:

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• Salt to taste
• Hot pepper sauce to taste
• 2 tablespoons tap water

For cooking:

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 (2-inch) piece of fresh root ginger, chopped
• Chopped hot pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 can 14.5 oz. crushed tomatoes
• Salt to taste
• 5 cups fresh coconut milk (see notes for using canned coconut milk)
• Chopped cilantro/coriander (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Wash and pat dry the chicken and add to a large bowl.

For marinade:

1. Mix together the ingredients to make a paste.
2. Rub the paste all over the chicken then transfer to an airtight container or zip bag and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.
3. Bring up to room temperature before cooking.

For cooking:

1. Blend together or grind to a paste – onions, garlic, ginger, and pepper. Mix in garam masala and turmeric to make a paste. Set aside.
2. Add oil to a large deep pan or pot and place on medium heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, add the paste, reduce heat to low and cook for 4 – 5 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and return the heat to medium. Mix in the tomatoes with the cooked paste and cook together for 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
4. Add the chicken to the pan with the cooked aromatics and tomatoes and toss to coat the chicken. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, turning intermittently.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and use your spoon to scrape any bits stuck at the bottom or sides of the pan/pot. Raise heat to high, cover pan/pot and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, remove the cover and let cook until the chicken is fully cooked and the liquid reduced to your desired consistency. Taste for seasoning – salt and add if necessary. There should be some ‘body’, thickness to the sauce.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

 NOTES

• Use legs separated (drumsticks & thighs) and breasts (quartered) for this dish. You can also use all drumsticks, thighs and breasts if you prefer.
• If using canned coconut milk, dilute it with a 1 to 1 ratio. For each cup of canned milk, dilute with 1 cup of tap or hot water.

 Fried Fish with Pickled Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

• 

  White fish (fillets, steaks or small whole fish)

• 1 whole head of garlic, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• ½ cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 ¼ cups tap water
• 2 – 3 sweet peppers (red, yellow, green), de-seeded and cut into thin strips
• 3 cups finely shredded cabbage
• 1 cup finely shredded carrots
• ½ cup thinly sliced green onions
• Minced hot pepper to taste
• All purpose flour for dusting fish
• Oil for pan-frying

 DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and pat fish dry and set aside.
2. Make a smooth paste of the garlic and thyme leaves with salt to taste.
3. Rub the garlic-thyme paste all over the fish, cover and set aside.
4. Add the vinegar and water to a bowl or large measuring cup and season with salt to suit your taste. Taste the liquid to ensure that it is seasoned and that it has the degree of acidity to suit your taste.
5. Place the sweet peppers, cabbage, carrots, onions and hot pepper in a bowl. Pour pickling liquid over the veggies, toss to mix and set aside.
6. Lightly dust the fish with flour and set aside.
7. Heat oil to fry the fish over medium heat until hot – the surface will shimmer.
8. Fry the fish in batches and drain on paper towels. While still hot, arrange the fish in a large casserole dish and or a rimmed platter, spoon some of the liquid from the pickle all over the fish. Let sit for 30 minutes. When ready to serve, arrange the vegetables on top of fish.

COOK’S NOTES

If you like, make the pickle a day ahead and refrigerate. Bring up to room temperature before using.

Pork Chops with Thyme-Garlic Butter

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

• Frying pan
• 9” x 13” baking dish/pan

INGRDIENTS

Thyme-garlic butter (recipe follows)

• 4 (2-inch thick) bone-in pork chops, pat dry
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons oil

For thyme-garlic butter:

• 1 large head of garlic, roasted, pulp removed
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

For thyme-garlic butter:

1. Add all the ingredients to a mortar and pound/grind to a smooth paste or add to a food processor and pulse to a smooth puree. Set aside.

For pork chops:

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Lightly season pork chops with salt and pepper.
4. Heat oil until smoking hot in large frying pan. Brown the pork chops on both sides and transfer to a baking dish or pan.
5. Smear one side of the pork chops with the thyme-garlic butter. Bake in oven for 35 – 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 – 20 minutes before serving.

 NOTE

• If you would like to make this savoury butter to rub all over your leg or shoulder roast, double the ingredients for the butter.
• Let the meat cook in the oven and when it is half-way done, remove the pan and smear the paste all over the roast and add it back to the oven to finish cooking. The paste should brown and be soft to the touch with the edges being firm.