Winter Squash Soup with Ginger and Turmeric                 Serves 6-8.
3 pounds squash, baked whole in the oven in a pan of water at 350 degrees for an hour while you putter about, then cooled enough to peel, scoop out, and cut into chunks. Or you can cut your squash into big chunks and steam it.
3 tablespoons of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 hot chili, minced
1 large apple, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon Sweet Turmeric Masala OR  ¾ teaspoon turmeric, ¾ teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin (see note) 
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
6 cups of broth (more if you use a drier squash)
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and seed the squash. Chop roughly and set aside. 

Sauté the onion for 3-5 minutes, then add the fresh ginger and garlic and cook another minute or two. Add the turmeric, coriander, and cumin or the Sweet Turmeric Masala. Cook 30 seconds, stirring. Don’t worry if it sticks to the bottom of the pan, just don’t allow it to burn.

Add the chili and apple and cook 3 minutes. Add the squash and broth. Cover and cook until the squash is very soft, then puree the mixture. A stick blender comes in handy here or you can blend it in batches in a blender. If you use a blender, be very careful, as hot liquids like to explode out of blender lids. Keep a dish towel over the top of the blender. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with a dollop of whole milk yogurt or sour cream.

Note: If you decide to use the cumin and coriander, toast them in a dry skillet until they become aromatic. Allow to cool and grind in a mortar or a spare coffee grinder.

We have one cookbook that I will never, ever be without. I mean, we have many wonderful cookbooks full of delicious recipes, but Monisha Bharadwaj's The Indian Cooking Course is a work of precision and breadth, full of information about Indian regional cooking. Some recipes allow you to get the dish on the table in 10 minutes, some several hours. The photographer, Gareth Morgans, knows his stuff and accompanies the recipes - as well as descriptions of spices and vegetables -with sumptuous photos. This recipe is adapted from Monisha's book.

We recommend using good-sized chicken quarters (thigh and leg), and not using breasts. We prefer the moisture and taste of quarters.

This recipe for Kori Gassi originates in Karnataka and creates an immensely rich tasting main course that's also good for you. We serve it with high heat sauteed green beans with a handful of sliced almonds and some salt. And rice. You could easily make it vegan by switching out the chicken for potatoes and cauliflower (adding the cauliflower towards the end of the cooking process).

2-4 tablespoons oil or ghee
2 small onions, finely chopped
3-6 cloves of garlic, minced or smashed or grated
a large thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
a handful of unsweetened coconut, rehydrated in boiling water if dried
2 tablespoons of tamarind (or 1 tablespoon lime juice, added at the end)
1 teaspoon fenugreek seed
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons Kitchen Imp Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
1 hot chili, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium tomatoes, pureed, or 1.5 cup canned tomatoes and juice
2.25 pounds (more or less) chicken thigh quarters or just bone-in thighs, skin removed
1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat, as low fat will make the dish too watery)8 curry leaves, if you have them
salt to taste

Add 2 tablespoons of oil or ghee in a pan at least 10" across and 3" deep. Heat til the oil starts to shimmer. Add the onion and cook 5-8 minutes, til the onion is golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger, as well as the hot chili, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes on slightly lower heat. Add the Garam Masala and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour the onion mixture into a bowl to cool slightly.

In a separate frying pan, toast the coriander and fenugreek seed til slightly darker and aromatic. Set aside to cool and then grind or add whole to the onion mixture when you blend it.

When the onion mixture is cool enough, blend it, along with the toasted spices and the coconut, with a stick blender or in a blender. 

Sprinkle the chicken with the Kashmiri chili powder and turmeric. Add a tablespoon or two of oil to the pan and heat to a shimmer. Place the thighs into the pan with the curry leaves and, after 30 seconds, flip them. After 30 more seconds, add the tomatoes. Stir to mix the spices into the tomatoes. Raise the heat until the tomatoes start to bubble and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the tomatoes thicken slightly.

Add the onion mixture and cook, covered, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 135 degrees. Uncover and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees. Turn the heat to low, add the coconut milk, and cook for a few more minutes.

Taste the sauce and season with salt as desired. 

Serves 6 with leftovers

This version follows my general attempt to add more vegetables to our diet and to use meat more as a bit player than as a main ingredient. To that end, I’ve added a variety of vegetables, as well as chicken thighs. We ate this with saffron rice and adored the whole meal.  The roasted eggplant adds a little extra time, but is well worth it.  It adds substance and a little extra body and texture. I’ve broken the recipe into three parts, but fear not, it’s still under an hour of prep. You can prepare the first part the night before.

Ingredients, part 1:
4 chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tablespoons Tikka Masala
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup Greek yogurt

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1 lb chinese eggplant tossed with olive or avocado oil to coat
1 1/2 tablespoon ghee or oil
2 small or 1 large onion, diced
3 cracked black cardamom pods, cracked (optional)
1 small hot chile, minced, if fresh, or crumbled, if dried
3 green cardamom pods, cracked and seeds removed, or a generous 1/4 teaspoon decorticated cardamom
1 tablespoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

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