Curries featured at Taste in the Glebe
By Tim O’Connor
I was thrilled that Flora Hall was again invited to serve at this year’s edition of Taste in the Glebe, the fundraiser that supports the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group.
The event, held on January 26, was welcome after two years of being so rudely interrupted by COVID. I’ve been among the chefs at Taste in the Glebe for 10 years or so, and as someone who grew up in the Glebe, I understand the importance of raising money for an organization that does wonderful work for the community.
Meeting people at Flora Hall’s food stand is a joy, as the neighbourhood comes together to enjoy food from lots of restaurants at once. It’s a great way to sample cuisines and make plans to visit those restaurants for more.
It’s also a place where flavours of the world meet, as they did in the dish I made – with a little bit of India and a little bit of Italy. We served a palak (spinach) curry with butter chicken ravioli and topped with a burrata. The curry is a bit spicy and usually comes with paneer, so it seems a smooth jump from that Indian fresh cheese to Italian fresh cheese. You can find burrata at Nicastro’s or Metro in the Glebe.
We recently had a popular butter chicken sausage on our menu at Flora Hall, and we used that same recipe to make the filling for the ravioli. We marinated the chicken in yogurt, tomato and garam masala and other spices. This recipe is versatile, whether you want to make sausages, ravioli or patties for little butter chicken burgers.
The palak curry is my slightly North Americanized version of the Indian classic. According to our Indian cooks, my recipe wouldn’t fly at their grandmothers’ houses, but they agree it’s delicious. It’s also a simple recipe and, like the ravioli filling, it has various uses.
Tim O’Connor grew up in the Glebe and is head chef at Flora Hall Brewing.
Palak Curry
1 onion
1 tsp fenugreek
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp ginger
1 cup tomatoes
1 jalapeno
100 g spinach
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup cream
Sauté onion, garlic and ginger. Add seasonings. Add chopped jalapeño and tomatoes, sauté until fragrant.
Blanch spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds and transfer to ice bath.
Blend all ingredients in blender while slowly adding cream. Return to pot, bring to a simmer and serve.
Butter Chicken recipe
(Recipe can be halved.)
3 tbsp salt
5 lb chicken, pre-ground, or cubed to fit into your meat grinder
1/2 cup yogurt
1tbsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1tsp chili flakes
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 cup spicy tomato jam
Season chicken with everything but tomato jam and, if not pre-ground, run through a meat grinder. Add tomatoes and mix well. It’s ready to cook for use in a variety of dishes.
