Week 13: If It’s Good Enough for the Queen
I’ve never thought of food as a historical narrative. It’s easy to draw the line from certain recipes to their geographical origin, such as seafood in coastal cultures, exotic fruit in the tropics, or peppers, avocados, and corn in hot climates. Until this week I’d never made the social or historical connection, and I’m now realizing why mom enjoyed cookbooks and recipes so much: Recipes are an alternative way of telling a story. I read a great quote, “Food tells of people on a plate”. Food is a commentary on the social and economic factors of both cultural and historical eras, and my mom was a huge history buff!
Recipes such as hobo stew and buttermilk cake, from the depression era, tell the story of limited resources.
Wartime recipes like bread pudding, spam hash and carrot and potato mash tell the story of rationing.
If my mother had compiled her recipes into a cookbook, they would tell the story of a single mom with limited economic resources and time, living in a fishing town with unlimited seafood options. Possibly there’d be a chapter that would convey her curiosity and adventurous spirit with the recipes that she served for dinner parties and holidays.
I guess in a way, I’m doing that with 52 Saturdays:)
Original Recipe
This week’s recipe, Coronation Chicken, is definitely a history lesson. With the name Coronation and the popularity of curry in England, due to the colonization of India, it’s English origins were not a surprise; but there’s more to it. With a little bit of research ( I love Wikipedia), I learned this recipe was created by Constance Spry, an English food writer and a chef Rosemary Hume, who were tasked with preparing a menu for the young queen on her coronation day, but with the economic state of the country at the time they were dealing with post-war rations.
This recipe combines both exotic and economic elements for a delicious outcome. Curry added the exotic flavor element to the chicken and mayonnaise, which were easy to come by.
The process:
My suspicion that this recipe was English was confirmed when I mentioned the recipe to my friend Lex, who is British, and her face lit up, “Oh yes, Coronation Chicken…!”
This is not a dish I remember from my childhood, so Lex’s input on how I could add more nutritional value without ruining the flavor was tremendous. She let me know that the consistency was that of coleslaw. I wanted to remove the mayonnaise and possibly switch the cream for coconut milk (I decided against that). It was her suggestion that I add more yogurt, maybe some carrots. I wanted to add a little bit more green veggies, and decided to include julienned or grated broccoli stem.
I’m really happy with the result of the recipe. Of course, I served it to Lex and her husband…
The feedback…
“Brilliant!”, said Lex and a “Yes, please!” from Neil. Lex said the flavor profile was just as she’d expect, not too sweet, with great curry flavor. So another success!!!
Coronation Chicken Curry Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 cup plain yogurt
One cup tart Granny Smith apple, chopped
2 to 4 teaspoons of curry powder
Two medium stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/2 cup Grated carrots
1/2 cup Grated broccoli stem
1/4 to 1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds (optional)
1/2 to 1 pound of cooked chicken breast, with fresh ginger and turmeric (optional)
NOTE: the photo was taken before I changed my mind abut the coconut milk.
Directions
Prepare the chicken breast:
I really love the flavor of curry, so I tenderized the chicken breast and added curry powder, fresh grated turmeric and ginger. Bake on high at 400° for approximately 30 minutes, until the chicken breast reaches 165° . Cool and chop
While the chicken is cooking:
- Combine the cream yogurt and curry powder together until blended.
- Add the other ingredients except for the chicken and almonds or coconut.
- Fold chopped chicken into the curry “slaw”
- Add salt-and-pepper to taste
- Chill
When I first took a bite, it tasted a little bit bland, but after the salad soaked overnight it definitely enhanced the flavor and the raisins added sweetness….I recommend chilling overnight.
Serve topped with toasted coconut or almonds on salad greens with very thinly sliced green apple, or on a sandwich roll.
ENJOY!
Kitchen Tip:
My mother taught me to chop celery with the string side up. If you cut the other way, unless you have a very good knife, you may not cut all the way through.
Week 13 Recipe Pick : Rye Pancakes
This week I’m flying solo and I love pancakes for dinner, so why not?
I have a few of these recipes written on scrap paper, which I find entertaining, as well as the lesson at the end.
Mom, you crack me up!
Two thumbs up!