What's Cookin' in Cutie's Kitchen Tonight- Chicken Masala w/Carmelized Cumin Carrots & Mushrooms

Tonight I wanted to try an Indian inspired dish that was not too terribly complicated and tasty. I landed on a great recipe for Chicken Masala. The only difficult thing about this recipe is actually finding the Garam Masala spice at the grocery store. Take a walk down the ethnic isle of your local grocery store and you are bound to find it, if that doesn't work just ask. OK, here is the play by play.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garam masala*
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 large garlic clove, pressed
• 1 4- to 4 1/2-pound roasting chicken, cut into 8 pieces, backbone removed
• 2 small onions, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Get the party started:

Mix yogurt, chopped cilantro, olive oil, garam masala, salt, and garlic in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add chicken to marinade, 1 piece at a time, coating all sides. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Position racks in top third and bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Arrange onions in thin layer on large rimmed baking sheet to form bed for chicken. Top with chicken pieces in single layer, spacing apart for even roasting (chicken will still be coated with marinade). At this point, I sprinkled a little cayenne pepper, salt and masala on top of the chicken before putting it in the oven. Discard remaining marinade.

Put the carrots and mushrooms on a shallow cookie sheet lined with foil, and pop those in the oven as well.

Roast chicken on top rack until cooked through and juices run clear when thickest portion of thigh is pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Serve chicken atop onion slices. Spoon pan juices around.

I am serving this dish with rice flavored with a little lime and cilantro. Bon Appétit!

Deliciously Yours,

The Culinary Cutie

Ruggles Green

The newest location of Ruggles Green located in the City Center is a certified green restaurant. This means that they are always incorporating organic, hormone free, natural and preservative free products on the menu. What this means to you is better ingredients equals better taste. I can definitely tell a difference, especially in fruits and produce.

Ruggles Green has a very diverse menu with something for everyone, so I tried everything for someone. Don't judge. Items on my list and on the table were Ruggles Green Classic Crab Cake, Hummus, Organic Spinach Dip, Chef Bruce's all Natural Chicken Sandwich, Honey Fried Goat Cheese Salad, Pink Velvet Cake, and my favorite Pan Seared Chicken. I do all these things for you, my avid readers, who never know what to try because everything looks so good. I took one for the Culinary Team and nearly died of a food overdose. Anything for you guys.

I would suggest you try the Crab Cake. It is huge, so definitely enough to share as an appetizer or make into a meal with a small salad. If you are teetering between the Hummus and the Spinach Dip go for the Spinach Dip. The Chicken Sandwich had too many flavors and was VERY messy. If you are going to Ruggles Green on a hot date, it may turn into a hot mess after you try to pick up this sandwich. I nearly ruined my Sunday's best as I watched all of the insides fall and splatter onto my plate. The Honey Fried Goat Cheese Salad was a bust; with only arugula and no other mixed greens, this salad was very bitter in taste.

If your not lucky enough to get one of the coveted booths, expect a cramped dining room unless you opt to sit outside on the patio. Ruggles Green was a fulfilling experience to say the least.

Deliciously Yours,
The Culinary Cutie

Ruggles Green
801 Town And Country Blvd. 1B
Houston, Texas 77024
713.464.5557
http://www.rugglesgreen.com/

Ni hao and Konnichiwa from the Ginger Cafe



My objective this week was to find a Chinese or Japanese restaurant with an elegant atmosphere and good food.  I found both options at Ginger Cafe, So it is only right that I say hello in both languages. Not only will you find yummy restaurants to go to in the Houston area, but you will broaden your otherwise limited Japanese and Chinese vocabulary just being a Culinary Cutie fan.

The ambiance and decor is beautiful, it is not over done or tacky. You will notice a very attractive sushi bar and lounge area where you could dine alone or meet some friends for sake, sushi, and cocktails. I ordered a dish from the Japanese and Chinese menu. To start I had the Szechwan dumplings with a “spicy” glaze that wasn't spicy. They were a little doughy in my opinion. I would have preferred them pan fried. Sometimes it doesn't pay to try to be healthy.

The second dish I ordered was better than the last. The Texas beef roll. The seared beef rolls were wrapped around green onions with a tangy glaze brushed on top. Pretty tasty. My entree was a house specialty according to the waitress, so I had to try it along with their house special -flower tea. I don't know what kind of flower it was and neither did the waitress, but if I did I would grow a whole garden of them. The tea was my favorite part of the dinner.

If you are searching for a place to go with well-designed decor, soft lighting and music wafting in the background, look no further. This is not an experience that will go down in the history books as the best, but not bad at all.

Mata Hanashite (talk to you soon)

-The Culinary Cutie

1952 W. Gray

                                  Houston, TX 77019

                           http://www.cafegingerhouston.com/

Cutie at the Capital

Greetings my little cuties, I know it has been a while since you have read my words or had me on your foodie radar. I am back and ready to get on my hungry high horse and express my inner foodie feelings. I have missed you all dearly.

Now it's time to give you what you came for, my rendezvous to The Capital Grille. The Capital Grille is known for their in house dry aged steaks and extensive wine list which was enough to entice me.

If you're thinking "the last time I went to Capital Grille, I thought I was at a blue hair convention", this time is not far from the last. The crowd is definitely more "seasoned" and not in a spicy sassy way. You will see mostly business men having meetings over dinner, a couple sharing a romantic celebration, or a group of ladies that lunch circa 1969.

I am sorry to say that I did have a preconceived idea of what my dining experience was going to be before I walked through the revolving door. The Capital Grille is part of the Darden Company and shares a platform with other chain restaurants such as Olive Garden and Red Lobster, so I wasn't expecting too much. I had a gift card with nothing to lose. Thank goodness to the Gods of seared beef and butter poached lobster I was wrong.

My meal started with the soup of the day, lobster bisque. The consistency was thick and creamy, but there was something missing in the flavor of the dish, it actually was little ordinary. I would have liked to taste a splash of Cognac or Sherry along with a dash of hot pepper sauce. The next item up for grabs was the entree of a filet mignon and butter poached lobster with a side of sautéed spinach with garlic and lobster mac and cheese. Spinach check, lobster mac and cheese...not so much. It was too sweet and not savory enough, nice concept just not well executed.

Left with a full belly, but I wouldn’t come back to fill up.
Raise your walkers to The Capital Grille.

Deliciously Yours,
The Culinary Cutie

5365 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77056
713-623-4600