GCC: Menu 22 - Chicken Biryani (Part 1)

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Tom and I love Indian food.  Ok, maybe that is not accurate, because I been also saying that I love Italian food, and Mexican food, and Latin food ok, I think I also said here that I like Thai as well – Ok, I come clean, I love ALL FOODS.  But Indian food is one of my top five.

Like anything that is new to me, I experience it first at a restaurant and then of course I come home and hit the Internet to find it and make it a home.  So when our host of the month, Cynthia and Sam choose the menu for this week in our Gutsy Club, I was really excited, since this is one of the dishes we tend to order in our local Indian restaurant.  As I wrote on our Gutsy Cook pre-post, Chicken Biryani, happens to be the most popular Indian recipe around the globe. In India, every region has it’s own version.  Some biryani recipes can take hours to prepare.  The books recipe is quick and easy since the chicken and rice get cooked together.  In less than 30 minutes I had food in our table making this a perfect dish for any day of the week.

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GCC: Menu 21 - Mushroom Risotto

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This weeks gutsy cook choice was a favorite of mine – Risotto, in this case with mushrooms.

Most people fear risotto, they think that its complicated and risky.  Requiring constant, slow stirring, attention to detail and patience.  With no short cuts allowed. Even for a season cook the pressure to turn a great risotto dish may be too much.

You may think that being Italian I cooked this dish many time.  Not so, the first time I ever made risotto was last year.  As part of a Daring Cook Challenge.  Since then, I have made it so many times and can tell you, there is no need to panic.  Risotto is not that difficult, in fact, it is one of the easiest dishes to make, but like anything in the kitchen, the trick is organization before hand.  Risotto is all about technique.  Once you master it, you will be whipping it up and experimenting with countless seasonal flavors.

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GCC: Menu 18 - Chicken Croquettes

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The Gutsy Cook menu this week included a favorite of mine: Chicken croquettes or as they are called in Spain “Croquetas de pollo”.  Because, while most of Latin American has their own version of this dish.  The Spaniards version is the core of all the what-to-be croquetas.

These little dreamy morsels are eaten all over the country.  They are served in chic wine bar, in Tabernas, expensive restaurants, in cheap dives and they are all mouth-watering good.

I mean, how – unless you’re a poultry-hater — can you not fall for something that’s crisp outside, creamily inside and you can eat with your fingers?

I totally love them.

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