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What's for Supper?

I grew up here in Janesville and ate supper every night. For some reason, when I went away to college I got all uppity and switched to eating “dinner” as my evening meal. And my “dinner”, formerly eaten over the noon hour, became my lunch. Got it? I would come home for the weekend from school with laundry and attitude and roll my eyes whenever my mom would tell me to grab some hamburger out of the freezer for supper. Wide eyed, I would ask, “Do you mean dinner?” Like I had no idea what she meant.

Yes, I was a pill.

In England, meals consist of breakfast, elevenses (like Hobbits!), lunch, tea, dinner and maybe supper late at night (I guess analogous to a 1 a.m. Taco Bell chalupa run here). And yes, I know what you are thinking. They must be eating all the time. But the portion size for meals are MUCH smaller than ours. No one asks for doggy bags when they eat out because there isn’t enough to take home. I lived there for a semester when I was at University and when I came back home after my time abroad, my ‘tude was even worse. I would say, “what’s for tea”, meaning what’s for dinner. Fortunately, I have very patient friends and family who saw through my affected stage and seem to love me anyway. I think I got over it.

So my question to you is, what are you eating tonight? Dinner or supper?
And more importantly, what specifically are you eating?

We’re having Chicken Tikka Masala, an Anglo/Indian dish I’ve been making for several years. It actually does not exist as a dish in India but is very popular in England. Garam masala is a spice that is key to this recipe. I believe you can buy it in smallish quantities from Basics. I make the sauce ahead of time, so it is easier after work.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka dry marinade:

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp table salt

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Masala sauce:

4 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced fine

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 fresh Serrano chile

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp garam masala

1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 tsp sugar

½ tsp table salt

2/3 cup half and half

1. Combine the spices of the chicken tikka dry marinade and rub over the chicen. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while making the sauce.

2. Sauce: Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in heavy duty pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook about 8 minutes, stirring often to not let it brown.

3. Add the garlic, ginger, whole chile, tomato paste and garam masala and cook , stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sugar and salt and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, while the chicken cooks.

4. Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil in a frying pan until shimmering. Add the chicken pieces and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 5-8 mins per side. Your time of cooking will vary with the thickness of the breast. To be sure, use an instant read thermometer—the goal is 160 degrees in the thickest part.

5. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil and let it rest 10 minutes. In the meantime, add the cream to the sauce and continue to stir occasionally. Add a bit of water if it appears to be getting too thick.

6. Cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces and add to the sauce. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce coats the chicken. Remove the chili before serving.

Serve over boiled jasmine or basmati rice.

Lisa Parsley is a Janesville native writes about food and cooking for Gazettextra.com. Lisa is a community blogger and is not a part of Janesville Gazette staff. Her opinion is not necessarily that of the Janesville Gazette staff or management.