Chicken Tikka Masala

My latest cooking and eating obsession has everything to do with our bumper crop of tomatoes, peppers, and chilies. One particular haul from the garden had me searching for something other than a re-do of salsa, tomato sauce, or stuffed-peppers.

Rather than take to the google I pulled down a mix of cookbooks, selecting a few I haven't referred to much. Included in my stack for exploration was "Jamie's Dinners" by Jamie Oliver.

On page 29 I found more than I was looking for: a use for our garden goods in a flavorful dish that is so much more than the ingredients that go into it. Chicken Tikka Masala brings an exotic mix of smells into the kitchen, something akin to incense. The yogurt marinade cools down the heat from the chilies, and the ground nuts add a luxurious depth of texture, like the nubs in raw silk. I factored in local statler chicken breasts and it all added up to the perfect dish to finish eating with a spoon.

Recipe from Jamie Oliver's book with my notes included–