Favoring Curry

Favoring Curry

Ingredients:
3 T oil
1 clove of garlic
Assorted spices (e.g., crushed coriander, cardamom, cumin seeds)
1 inch of root ginger, peeled
2 tsp curry powder
1 small onion
½ tin of tomatoes
1 green pepper
½ small cauliflower
Salt and pepper
8 mushrooms
1 cup rice
Touch of turmeric
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Directions:
(Curries are so versatile that it’s difficult to know what to exclude. This is a vegetarian
example.)
Lightly fry the chopped or crushed garlic, chopped onion and finely chopped ginger in
the oil until softened. Add the chopped pepper, cauliflower, tomatoes, spices, salt, pepper
and curry powder. In a separate saucepan, heat a pint of water with salt, pour in the rice
and cook in accordance with the instructions. Add a touch of turmeric to the rice for an
interesting color. Add the chopped mushrooms to the vegetables and keep heating. When
the rice is just soft, drain and serve with the curry.
A simple meat curry can be based on minced beef. This should be gently fried with onions and garlic until
browned before adding the vegetables. Another version that goes down well is prawns,which can take a lot
of ginger for extra sophistication. The prawns should be added late, say 5 minutes before you finish
cooking. Chicken is another favorite but can be messy unless you buy something like ready prepared
breast. Beef, lamb and pork can all be bought ready diced but is still much more of a hassle. If the meat is
of cheap quality, it can take a lot of cooking. Strictly, these meats should be sitting in the curry flavors for a
long time before the process begins in earnest and there is a whole range of powders and pastes that can be
used for the purpose.
To get a smoother, more liquid finish, try half a tin of mushroom soup mixed with the
spices before adding it to the curry. You may need to use real tomatoes rather than tinned
to avoid the whole thing drowning. Other soups work subject to your experience and
courage but too much and you might find the mixture wandering all over the table. One
outrageous but simple example might be Scotch Broth and Potato Curry.
Any vegetable will work in a curry. Try carrots, beans, courgettes and potatoes. Some of
the hard vegetables, like carrots and potatoes, may need to be chopped and boiled first to
make sure they soften up in good time. If you need greater volume, boil some lentils for a
few minutes and add these. Try any spice and curry powder or paste that you find. Given
the right measures, I haven’t found one I dislike yet.
Author’s Bio:
Michael Chapman lives in England. He started out in the public services, tried a
couple of spells in the private sector and finally left both to live life on his own terms.
Along the way he discovered travel, photography, writing and how to be single for the
second time. This publication, The Anti-Recipe Book ()
( describes some things he learnt when single again and
how he managed romantic candle lit dinners, did it badly but got away with it. When he
is not writing, he dabbles in public sector management consultancy, keeping fit, and
teaching English as a foreign language.
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70
TUNA TEMPTATION
Setting the Scene:
In JUDGEMENT BY FIRE, by Gleana Connell, a/k/a Glenys O’Connell,
Lauren Stephens is a woman who's learned to stand up for her rights – and that includes
leading a protest movement to prevent the closure of the artists' colony where she lives in
rural Ontario, Canada. There's a major problem, however – she's falling in love with the
head honcho of the company who wants to turn the artists' colony at Haverford Castle
into a health spa for the very wealthy. When Lauren becomes the target of a stalker and
her studio is savagely vandalized, she turns to companyCEO Jon Rush for protection –
and he's happy to volunteer. Lauren's grateful to her friends and neighbors who have
cleaned up her damaged home and stocked her refrigerator with her favourite
tuna'n'cheese casserole, because she and Jon have better things to do than cook……..
Excerpt from JUDGEMENT BY FIRE:
‘To Lauren, from your friends. Remember – home is where the heart is.” Lauren
read the words aloud, and tears started up afresh. “You know, none of this stuff is mine,
but I recognize most of it – seems like everyone in Haverford Castle – and a lot of people
in West River, too, have contributed to rebuilding my home.”
“You have a lot of friends here, Lauren, people who love you,” Jon said softly
from where he still leaned against the doorpost. “A few guys from a Rush Co. cleaning
crew came out to help clear everything up, and they told me that people were in and out
all morning with odds and ends of stuff, sending you their best wishes, too. The fridge, I
believe, is fully stocked with about a year’s supply of coffee beans and home-made
macaroni and tuna cheese casserole.”
“Seems my tastes are well known,” Lauren laughed. But her gaze turned serious
as she met Jon’s look and realized that he still stood at the doorway. “Come in Jon, please
– stay with me?”
The quiet question lit dark fires of desire in his eyes and, shutting the door behind
him, he crossed the room in moments to take her in his arms and cover her face with
gentle kisses. But he drew back then, fixing her eyes with a gaze which poured out his
feelings more surely than a thousand words – and which drank in the love that was
displayed on her face.
“I think, “ he said quietly, “That you should heat up some of that macaroni, and
make us some coffee. I’ll light a fire in that stove to air the house – and I think I’ll go out
and let that poor kid in the police car know I’m staying and he can maybe go home and
get some sleep himself.”
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“Good lord, for a moment I thought you were going to suggest he join us for
supper,” Lauren muttered, but Jon heard and grinned at her.
“Oh, no, my love – this is strictly an evening for two.” And leaving that promise
sizzling on the air between them, he went out into the night.
Tuna Temptation – a cheese'n'tuna pasta dish for two