Chicken Curry With Prunes and Rum-Gourmet Magazine December 1971

 I'm still not feeling like I have much to say (and would almost certainly insert my foot in my mouth) so instead I'm going to share some recent cooking. I was thinking this chicken recipe would work beautifully with extra firm tofu or seitan but I haven't tried it yet. If you do, please let me know how it went. 

Back around 2007 I was looking through the small book sale at the Wahoo Public Library and came upon two bound volumes of Gourmet magazines from 1971 and 1972. They were in pristine condition and I was only too happy to hand over the few dollars being asked for them. 

They survived the tornado in 2008, and have been enjoyable reading as much for the recipes as the travel articles and such. I've been rather uninspired with cooking of late, but suspected the stack of Gourmet magazines might shake me out of my rut. 

I was grocery shopping with Mr. ETB when I mentioned we needed prunes for a chicken recipe that is made with rum soaked plums. Before he could respond, another shopper excitedly said, "That sounds really good!" I wish I could get in touch with her to let her know that it was in fact, "Really good." 

I had to make a few adjustments like using dried mushrooms (mushrooms are obscenely expensive at the moment) and using tinned hot peppers. I had a bargain package of chicken drumsticks  as our store discounts on Friday night, and if you get there in time to beat out the other deal hunters, there's plenty to be found. It varies depending on what's nearing the sell by date, but one week we came home with eight lamb chops, last week it was grass fed beef. The week I made the chicken the large package was "priced to sell" and although I rarely need a dozen drumsticks, I froze the extra for future meals. 

I threw some extra coriander at it for serving, and instead of rice went with quinoa to soak up the curry sauce. The boys really enjoyed it, and were happy enough to eat the leftovers the following day. I served it with some green beans because anyone that knows me understands my obsessive need to make certain everyone is getting enough vegetables in their diet. It also looked pretty on the plate. 

Old Gourmet magazines didn't organise their recipes the way modern mags do with ingredients and instructions easily set apart, but I trust we're all smart enough to figure that out and I'm going to post the recipe as written. 

Chicken Curry With Prunes

In the container of a blender combine 1 large onion, coarsely chopped, 1 green pepper seeded and chopped, 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped, 1 fresh red hot pepper or green pepper seeded and chopped, 3 garlic cloves, chopped, 2 tablespoons curry powder, 1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, 1 teaspoon oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed. 

Blend the mixture, scraping down the sides, until it is a thick puree. 

Cut a 3 1/2-4 pound chicken into serving pieces and coat them with the spice mixture. Put the pieces in a large dish, cover them and refrigerate overnight, turning them once or twice.

Scrape off the spice mixture and reserve it. In a large skillet brown the chicken pieces in 1/2 stick or a 1/4 cup of butter (I used margarine). With a slotted spoon transfer them to a heavy flameproof casserole. In the butter remaining brown 1/2 a pound of mushrooms, sliced. Add them to the casserole with 2 cups white veal or chicken stock, or chicken broth, 2 cups pitted prunes soaked in 1/2 cup dark rum for 1 hour, and the reserved spice mixture. Simmer the mixture, covered for 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender and stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice.