World Class Tomato Salad For A World Cup Final Game.

 All Saturday before the World Cup was to be played I had Tapas on my mind. Maybe it was Spain being in the finals, maybe it was that psychic octopus from the German zoo. Who knows why one gets tapas on the brain, but there they were. So did that make me go on a quest for tapas? No. It did make me go looking for a recipe for that days'  lunch that would take a minimum of preparation for a maximum of game watching.
   A friend told me once that the reason for Americans not taking to football (soccer) like the rest of the world is the fact that the sport moves too fast and there are no natural breaks for commercials the way there are in basketball, football or baseball. It wasn't the commercial breaks I was worried about, it was the cooking breaks! Nothing's worse than trying to cook in one room and hear the game over the sound of vuvuzuelas. "Turn it up!" "No, turn it down!" "Turn it up!" "What's happening?"
   That, was what I was trying to avoid. The answer was a simple, spicy marinated Indian chicken grilled in a few minutes, and a tasty soothing tomato salad to balance it all out.
   The chicken was a breeze, no muss no fuss. I didn't even have to marinate it overnight, since I forgot and it turned out great anyway! Can't beat that!
   So this post is in two parts, The Chicken and The Tomato. Which came first?
The Chicken.
Gather some skinned pieces of chicken. I used chicken breasts. This rub is good for about 2 lbs worth of chicken.
  Make up the spice paste. In a spice grinder or blender mix together:
1 Tbs of black peppercorns
1 Tbs of paprika
1/2 tsp of cayenne
1 Tbs of garam masala
2 tsp of ground cumin
2 tsp of dried oregano
1 and 1/4 tsp of salt
1 peeled chopped shallot
3 Tbs of vegetable oil
2 Tbs of lemon juice
2 Tbs of yogurt
When it's all together, slash the skinned chicken pieces with a knife. Go all Norman Bates on it.

Then rub the marinade in well.

  Set the chicken aside in the fridge for about an hour. You can do this ahead of time, but even if you don't, no worries. This works.
   When you're ready, grill the chicken.
  Now for The Tomato.
   This came about because the most insane, fresh, delicious tomatoes were on sale for 89 cents a pound. 89 cents! My magic number. Of course I had to have some. This is what I did.
    In a deep skillet or kadhai heat :
1 Tbs of butter
When it's melted toss in:
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
As soon as they start to turn color add in:
1/8 tsp of turmeric
2 chopped shallots
1 green chili finely chopped. Stir things around a bit.

Then add in 3 cups of chopped tomato.

Don't worry about peeling or seeding it's not necessary. Besides there's that Spanish coach to get back to.

He doesn't look happy. Perhaps he's dreaming of octopus tapas??
  Turn the heat down and cover the pan of tomatoes. Let them cook for about 10 minutes or so. Check in on them once in a while, make sure nothing's sticking.
   When they're done, take the pan off the heat. Let the tomatoes cool down. Watch the players heat up until you see their Game Face.

 
    When the tomatoes have cooled down put them in a bowl

And add in:
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of sugar
2 Tbs of peanut powder

3 Tbs of yogurt

3 Tbs of sour cream

Mix everything in well, scatter 2 Tbs of chopped fresh cilantro over the top.

  One final stir, and you are in business.
  Spicy grilled chicken, a side of simple green salad and the tomato and yogurt dish makes it an easy meal.

  Minimal time in the kitchen, maximum time watching the game! With a dish like this, who needs octopus?

World Cup Cabbage. Quick, Easy, And Comforting When You Don't Make The Late Goal.

     I have to be honest here. I've never watched a soccer game. Basketball has always been my sport. The only reason that I've never really watched soccer is because like most citizens of the US of A, the TV machine has never told me to. But all of a sudden, things have changed, at least up until last Saturday.
    The US soccer team was out there playing miracle games, advancing through the World Cup playoffs. It was damn exciting.
    After years of basketball fandom, the rules of soccer were fairly easy to grasp; the goals like baskets, the fouls, the flops, the arguing over the refs' calls. The only thing I couldn't get over was the non-stop action (how do those guys do it?!) and the fact that in the midst of all that non stop action, there are almost no goals. After I wrapped my head around that little fact, I was in. Then I heard "Them".
    The first time I saw a soccer game, I thought those Africanized killer bees had gotten into the stadium.  That's when I was introduced to the vuvuzuela. I thought I would go nuts. If I turned the sound down, I couldn't  hear the announcers. If I turned it up, I was afraid madness would ensue. By the time I'd watched my second game, it was a little bit less annoying. Of course the fact that the US was either winning or drawing didn't hurt.
    Then came Saturday. And Ghana. Ghana, the team that the US has never been able to get past.
  I was fixing lunch on Saturday morning when Alan turned on the game. All of a sudden I was torn. Do I Cook? Eat Lunch? Watch the game? What to do? Cabbage that's what!
   I was looking for something that I could cook while running back and forth from the kitchen into  the living room where the TV was. I was looking for something I wouldn't have to watch every minute, so I could watch the game.
    A cabbage and caramalized onion dish seemed just the ticket. As the veggies slowly browned and sweetened, I could watch the US finally wriggle past Ghana.....or not.
 Once again I was using one of my 1/2 bags of coleslaw chopped cabbage.  I know it's lazy, but one bag serves 2 to 4 people as a side dish and it's a cheap and easy staple I always have in the fridge for just such emergencies as World Cup Games, or daylight.
    Here's what to do. You'll need 1 pound of shredded cabbage.  Either buy a head and shred it yourself or get two of those little bags of pre-shredded cabbage found in the market near the coleslaw fixings.
  In a deep skillet or kadhai heat 2 Tbs of coconut oil. When the oil is hot toss in:
  1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
  3/4 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of sesame seeds

    When the sesame seeds start to pop, add in:
1 onion sliced in half lengthwise and then cut into thin strips.

   Stir the onions around for about 4 or 5 minutes they'll start to brown a bit

 
    Now, add in your cabbage.

     Give it a good stirring, turn the heat down a bit and run out and catch some soccer action. Leave the cabbage and onions to slowly caramelize . Check them every now and then, we don't want any burning.
  After about 6 to 10 minutes things should be nicely tender and a bit browned.
  Add in :
 1 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp Kashmiri chili or (1/8 tsp cayenne 1/8 tsp paprika)
Turn the heat down and stir it some more. Watch a bit more soccer. About 8 minutes worth, don't worry no one's going to score. Then toss in:
 1 Tbs of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of garam masala.
    Mix it together and serve.

   Alan grilled some chicken with a spice rub and lunch was ready. A bit of apricot chutney on the side was all we needed...oh, and a win maybe. But sometimes you can't have everything.