A Teenager Improves My Recipe

I have several food-savvy friends whom I consult when I have cooking questions.  But until recently none of them were younger than 45.  Then Jake, my 19-year-old grandson, decided he wanted to learn to cook.  He retrieved our second cookbook (“Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room”) from his mother’s cookbook shelf and flipped through it until he found Chicken Sultana, a recipe that looked appealing.

He studied the ingredients and immediately saw a problem—a can of tomatoes.  His mother avoids canned foods, so he put a pound of Roma tomatoes on his shopping list.  He decided other vegetables might be good additions as well, so he added a bell pepper and mushrooms.  He cut the uncooked chicken into bite-size pieces instead of leaving the legs, thighs and breast whole, and turned on the heat.

When the chicken was ready to eat, we gobbled it up. 

Jake’s Chicken Sultana – serves 4-6

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 pound Roma tomatoes (cut into 1-inch pieces) or 15-ounce can ready-cut tomatoes

1 cup sliced mushrooms

½ cup raisins

2 tablespoons curry powder

½ teaspoon paprika

1 3½-4-pound chicken, cut into 2-inch pieces with skin removed and discarded

Heat the oil in a large flame-proof casserole or pot over medium heat.  When it is hot, add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to soften.

Add the tomatoes and their liquid, mushrooms, raisins, curry powder and paprika, and bring the sauce to a boil over high heat.  Add the chicken pieces and return to a boil.  Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. 

If there is too much liquid in the bottom of the pan, take the lid off the pan for the last 15 minutes of cooking.  If the sauce is too thin, transfer as much of it as possible to a small pot.  Dissolve 1 teaspoon cornstarch or 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour in 2 tablespoons cold water and stir thoroughly.  Add to the sauce and cook until the sauce boils and thickens.  Return the sauce to the cooking pan and stir to incorporate.  Remove and discard any bones from the chicken.

Serve over rice or pasta.

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