Vichysoisse, Chat

Oh, today is good. These are some of T's favorite things.

Broccoli Rabe, steamed. Sauteed pepper medley with red, yellow and poblano, garlic and ginger, stir fried in sesame oil. Sliced avocado. Chicken Chat.

The Chat was a favorite in NYC, where we had a place in the neighborhood that rocked. Here we're lucky enough to have a friend who is the goddess of chicken tikka. We have regular pot luck dinners with international themes, and I had some of her dreamy chicken tikka in the freezer. We had it for dinner last night, and I cut some up for the chat today. You could use any chicken, cook it with some cumin and garam masala, or just add those to already cooked chicken. Recipe to follow.

I also made some vichysoisse for dinner last night. It's a leek soup with potato and a little milk, served very, very cold, often over ice in fact. Perfect for when things really heat up. To keep it chilly I plunked an ice cube into it for T's lunch, put some chives on top, and it was ready to pack. This is from the recipe in The New Joy of Cooking with the 1 T of butter option, vegetable stock, and used milk, not cream. It is so good and cool I even had it for breakfast today.

It would be cinchy to veganize. Walnut oil and almond milk or a tablespoon of raw almond butter would be my picks. You'll have to reconcile the nightshade-without-dairy conundrum for yourself though.

Chicken Chat

1 small granny smith apple, cubed
cubed chicken to equal the amount of apple
chopped onion to taste, usually several slices
chopped tomato to taste, usually equal to the onion
chopped cilantro leaves
2 or 3 T lime juice, lemon juice or naranja agria (sour orange juice, available in Latin groceries)
1 T sesame oil (not the tasty roasted kind, just plain)
1/2 t peeled, chopped ginger
1/2 sliced serrano chili with seeds, optional for heat
several dashes of salt

If chicken is plain, add 1/2 t garam masala, 1/4 t cumin powder or seeds, 1/4 t coriander powder or cook the chicken with a proportionate mixture of this sprinkled on top, and fresh garlic and ginger

Apparently the secret to the tikka is powdered green mango which tenderizes the meat and makes it tangy. We've been talking about making some. You could marinate in lemon juice and water for about ten minutes, pour off, then season and cook.

You could make this with some good Indonesian tempeh and have knock your socks off vegan.