CHICKEN OR SHRIMP CURRY

Today I cooked at Community Meals, it was a good day for food. We served oven fried chicken, mash potatoes, peas mixed with pimientos, onions and bacon, salad, homemade rolls and dessert. It was a hard cooking day, but I'm sure everyone enjoyed a comfort food meal in this cold weather. I wish our meals could be this good everyday, but then it wouldn't be a special meal, would it?

I have two curry recipes that are favorites. I think either sauce could be used for shrimp or chicken, but I'll include both as written and you can decide.

CHICKEN CURRY

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 medium onions chopped

2 tart apples, peeled and chopped

6 ribs celery chopped

5 tablespoons curry powder

1/4 cup flour

4 cups chicken stock

4 cups whole cooked chicken breasts, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

Melt butter in large skillet, add onions, apples and celery. Combine flour and curry. Add to vegetables, cook 1 minute. Stir in chicken stock, cook until smooth, add chicken and raisins. Cover and simmer about 25 minutes. Serve over rice with condiments.

CONDIMENTS FOR BOTH DISHES:

Chutney

Grated coconut

Peanuts, roughly chopped

Green onion chopped

Bacon crumbled

Pineapple chunks

Banana slices

SHRIMP CURRY

Place 5 pounds of shrimp in enough water to cover, add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 medium onion sliced, 2 lemons sliced and 6 peppercorns. Bring to a boil, cook until pink, 1 to 2 minutes, no more than 5. Drain and set aside. When cool, shell and remove dark veins.

1/2 cup butter

2 to 3 tablespoons curry powder

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped tart apple

2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 cup cold water

1 cup evaporated milk

5 pounds shrimp, see above

Melt butter in extra large skillet. Add curry powder,chopped onions and diced apples, saute 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 2 cups chicken stock, simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, mix into hot liquid, stir until thickened. Add shrimp and 1 cup evaporated milk. Mix well and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

When cooled, this may be refrigerated for one to two days or frozen.

Serve with rice and condiments.

I will post in a day or two a Rice Pilau which also goes well with these dishes.